Setting up surround sound on a tv.

[[email protected]]

I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
and listen to it in surround sound. My tv does not have audio outs
anywhere. I read that you could just get a vcr and watch tv using the
vcr remote and just connect the speakers to the vcr. That made sense,
but then somebody said you could just buy a dvd player. I don't think
that's right. If my tv doesn't have audio outs, how will a dvd player
allow me to listen to my TV in surround sound? Let me know if you guys
have any suggestion on what I should do. I'd rather not have a vcr if
possible because I have absolutely no tapes to watch on it. Any
suggestions would be appreciated!

[George M. Middius]

said:

> I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
> have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
> and listen to it in surround sound. My tv does not have audio outs
> anywhere. I read that you could just get a vcr and watch tv using the
> vcr remote and just connect the speakers to the vcr. That made sense,
> but then somebody said you could just buy a dvd player. I don't think
> that's right. If my tv doesn't have audio outs, how will a dvd player
> allow me to listen to my TV in surround sound? Let me know if you guys
> have any suggestion on what I should do. I'd rather not have a vcr if
> possible because I have absolutely no tapes to watch on it. Any
> suggestions would be appreciated!

Have you tried connecting the cable to an AV receiver? I'm just saying...




--

"Christians have to ... work to make the world as loving, just, and supportive as is possible."
A. Krooger, Aug. 2006

[Kalman Rubinson]

On 4 Oct 2006 10:45:28 -0700, wrote:

>I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
>have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
>and listen to it in surround sound. My tv does not have audio outs
>anywhere. I read that you could just get a vcr and watch tv using the
>vcr remote and just connect the speakers to the vcr. That made sense,
>but then somebody said you could just buy a dvd player. I don't think
>that's right. If my tv doesn't have audio outs, how will a dvd player
>allow me to listen to my TV in surround sound? Let me know if you guys
>have any suggestion on what I should do. I'd rather not have a vcr if
>possible because I have absolutely no tapes to watch on it. Any
>suggestions would be appreciated!

You need an amplifier or a receiver to power and control the speakers.

Kal

[ScottW]

wrote:
> I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
> have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
> and listen to it in surround sound. My tv does not have audio outs
> anywhere. I read that you could just get a vcr and watch tv using the
> vcr remote and just connect the speakers to the vcr. That made sense,
> but then somebody said you could just buy a dvd player. I don't think
> that's right. If my tv doesn't have audio outs, how will a dvd player
> allow me to listen to my TV in surround sound? Let me know if you guys
> have any suggestion on what I should do. I'd rather not have a vcr if
> possible because I have absolutely no tapes to watch on it. Any
> suggestions would be appreciated!

Are you watching cable TV or broadcast?
Do you want synthesized surround sound or discrete 5.1?

I run an optical cable from my digital cable box to my surround sound
receiver. Works great.

ScottW

[Bill Riel]

In article om>,
says...
> I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
> have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
> and listen to it in surround sound. My tv does not have audio outs
> anywhere. I read that you could just get a vcr and watch tv using the
> vcr remote and just connect the speakers to the vcr.

By surround, I am assuming you mean 5.1.

A lot of TV audio is at best 2 channel (stereo). More and more is being
delivered in 5.1, but you need to have the right hardware to receive
that. Depending on how you get your TV signal, that would mean the right
cable or satellite box.

In order to listen in surround, you have to buy some kind of surround
processor (a multichannel receiver will work well here). Virtually all
modern surround receivers can take a 2 channel signal and create
surround from that using built-in software such as Dolby Pro Logic II or
Neo 6. Whether you like the quality of this 'synthesized' surround is
another question. For most TV applications I find it's pretty good,
though I don't care for it with most 2 channel music sources.

You certainly could pick up a cheap VCR and use the audio out, but you
can't run that directly to speakers, you need to run that into your
receiver (unless you buy powered speakers, they need to be amplified in
some way).

Basically, for 5.1 surround you need:

- a surround receiver
- some means of inputting the TV audio signal into the receiver (that
could be a vcr or a digital cable box/satellite box).

and of course, speakers.

--
Bill

[Eeyore]

wrote:

> I have searched the web and these google groups for an answer but I
> have yet to find it. I want to hook up surround sound so I can watch TV
> and listen to it in surround sound.

Have you actually tried it ?

You may very well soon go off it !

Graham

[[email protected]]

Hey guys thanks. No I have not yet bought the system. What I want to
get is a home theater system in a box. And yeah I know not all
broadcasts are in surround sound, which is fine. I would like to be
able to watch **** like dvds in 5.1 surround sound, but also be able to
watch tv thats ONLY comin in through the antenna in the back (no cable
box or anything) in "surround" sound (most likely the sound would just
surround the area by coming from all speakers as apposed to being true
5.1 surround sound which is fine). I could by a system that comes with
a tuner. I connect a vcr to the tv via the 'video/audio in' of the tv,
then connect the tuner of the surround sound to the vcr, and then
connect the speakers to the tuner. As for the dvd player, I am assuming
that the tuner would probably have more than one audio in so i could
just use the other 'video in' on my tv and connect the dvd player to
that then run another cable to the other 'audio in' of the tuner, that
way I can watch dvds in surround sound. LOL its complicated to type
this without making sound really long and boring. But thats the idea I
have. What do you all think? It should work right?? Oh and WHAT IF i
got a dvd/vcr combo??!!? hmmmm...that might work. I would have to see
the back of one of those. let me know guys, thanks you've all been a
huge help!

[Bill Riel]

In article . com>,
says...
>
> Hey guys thanks. No I have not yet bought the system. What I want to
> get is a home theater system in a box.

While you might be perfectly content with a mass market HTIB, I'd
strongly recommend that you look into some of the lower end 5.1 packages
from a company like Paradigm or Boston Acoustics - it will cost a bit
more, but the sound quality will be head and shoulders above your
typical HTIB.

You'll have to separately purchase a receiver, but there are some
affordable HT receivers from Denon, Yamaha, Sony or Panasonic (& some
other companies) that would work well. For your TV viewing, I suspect
that much of the signal will be mono - I know that my Denon receiver
does have a "Mono-Movie" mode which seems to work well to get a more
"immersive" sound out of such a signal.

You'll still need some way to get the audio signal to your receiver
which might require the purchase of something like a VCR/DVD combo. I'm
just not sure if you could run your antenna directly into your receiver
or not. You could run your antenna connection into the coax in on the
combo unit and run the audio out to the receiver. May be a bit clunky
but should work.

One thing though: before you purchase a VCR/DVD combo unit, make sure
that it has optical or digital audio outs: when watching DVDs you want
to be able to get the 5.1 audio track to your receiver. That can't
happen with the typical RCA stereo outs that a VCR has.

Bill

[whosbest54]

In article . com>,
says...
>
>
>
>Hey guys thanks. No I have not yet bought the system. What I want to
>get is a home theater system in a box. And yeah I know not all
>broadcasts are in surround sound, which is fine. I would like to be
>able to watch **** like dvds in 5.1 surround sound, but also be able to
>watch tv thats ONLY comin in through the antenna in the back (no cable
>box or anything) in "surround" sound (most likely the sound would just
>surround the area by coming from all speakers as apposed to being true
>5.1 surround sound which is fine). I could by a system that comes with
>a tuner. I connect a vcr to the tv via the 'video/audio in' of the tv,
>then connect the tuner of the surround sound to the vcr, and then
>connect the speakers to the tuner. As for the dvd player, I am assuming
>that the tuner would probably have more than one audio in so i could
>just use the other 'video in' on my tv and connect the dvd player to
>that then run another cable to the other 'audio in' of the tuner, that
>way I can watch dvds in surround sound. LOL its complicated to type
>this without making sound really long and boring. But thats the idea I
>have. What do you all think? It should work right?? Oh and WHAT IF i
>got a dvd/vcr combo??!!? hmmmm...that might work. I would have to see
>the back of one of those. let me know guys, thanks you've all been a
>huge help!
>
See my response in rec.audio.misc to your post there.

You will need a MTS stereo TV tuner and a receiver that does at least DPL
decoding.

I recommend you get a combo player and a surround receiver (or HTIB w/o a
DVD player) or a HTIB with a DVD player and a MTS stereo VCR. Make sure
the HTIB has analog stereo inputs that can be used with the decoder.

whosbest54
--
The flamewars are over...if you want it.

Unofficial rec.audio.opinion Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
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[bassett]

"Bill Riel" > wrote in message
t...
> In article . com>,
> says...
>>
>> Hey guys thanks. No I have not yet bought the system. What I want to
>> get is a home theater system in a box.
>
> While you might be perfectly content with a mass market HTIB, I'd
> strongly recommend that you look into some of the lower end 5.1 packages
> from a company like Paradigm or Boston Acoustics - it will cost a bit
> more, but the sound quality will be head and shoulders above your
> typical HTIB.
>
> You'll have to separately purchase a receiver, but there are some
> affordable HT receivers from Denon, Yamaha, Sony or Panasonic (& some
> other companies) that would work well. For your TV viewing, I suspect
> that much of the signal will be mono - I know that my Denon receiver
> does have a "Mono-Movie" mode which seems to work well to get a more
> "immersive" sound out of such a signal.
>
> You'll still need some way to get the audio signal to your receiver
> which might require the purchase of something like a VCR/DVD combo. I'm
> just not sure if you could run your antenna directly into your receiver
> or not. You could run your antenna connection into the coax in on the
> combo unit and run the audio out to the receiver. May be a bit clunky
> but should work.
>
> One thing though: before you purchase a VCR/DVD combo unit, make sure
> that it has optical or digital audio outs: when watching DVDs you want
> to be able to get the 5.1 audio track to your receiver. That can't
> happen with the typical RCA stereo outs that a VCR has.
>
> Bill

Akai make a VCR with 5.1 outputs.. But where you get tapes with 5.1 audio is
anyone's business
bassett