[nontechmike]

I've already got the Sony Bravia LCD and Sky+ but have just ordered the Sony DAVDZ830 (I choose the 830 because I was told I needed the optical connection to get 5.1 sound out of sky but not sure if this was true). As a newbie I'm a bit confused with optical/HDMI/scart/component connections and am looking for advice.

I watch movies on Sky+ and on DVD and listen to radio on Sky and want all sources to come though the 830 amp/speakers with best quality (of course!) whilst getting the full 1080 upscaled benefit from playing DVD's

What is the best set up - I can then order the right cables in advance.

PS Do I need to worry about cable quality or just make sure I use the right connections??

[dutchgraham]

I'm not sure I have all the answers as I don't have a Sky+ box to know what connections are on it, but you will only get 5.1 sound from your Sky box if it has an optical out socket, which you would connect to the DZ830 unit.

Again, I'm making an assumption, but if you are connecting the Sky+ to the TV via scart, you would then need to connect audio to the amp via red & white phono leads and possibly change the audio output setting accordingly. You wont get 1080p upscaling from the Sony DVD player as it only upscales to 720p, but connect this to the TV via any HDMI lead. The general consensus is that you don't need an expensive HDMI cable for short runs, so a cheapie around £5-10 should do. I would however use a half decent phono lead (maybe QED or Ixos, about £25), and a good quality scart lead - I use Philex Thor, or QED.

Hope this helps (a bit)!

[nontechmike]

Many thanks - that is helpfull.

The Sky+ box has 2 x scarts, 1 x optical (digital) audio out, 1 x analogue audio out (L/R) and 1 x S Video.

Given this, are you suggesting best connections are:-

TV to Sky+ via scart
TV to DZ830 via HDMI
Sky+ to DZ830 via optical cable and scart

...and don't use the S Video and analogue audio connections on the sky+ box nor the scart, analogue audio in (L/R) and component video output on the DZ830?

With this set up when watching sky, to adjust the volume via the sky+ remote do I have to set up the sky+ remote to talk to the DZ830 (is there a code for this). Or is this not possible and I have to use the DZ830 remote to adjust volume and the Sky+ remote to change channels?

Hope I havent said anything stupid in my summary above but its all a bit new to me!

Thnaks again, Mike

[dutchgraham]

You've pretty much got it Mike. At least you have optical out on the Sky+ box, which I wasn't sure about. This will give you 5.1 sound on broadcasts that have it (not too many do, by all accounts), whereas phono leads won't.

You won't need to connect the Sky box to the 830 by scart, as this serves no purpose. All you need is for the audio to go through the amp. I use a £30 QED Qunex OT lead for this. You will need to select the optical setting in the Sky audio setup page.

It may be possible to encode your Sky+ remote to operate the amp - do a search for this as I have read about it, but haven't got round to trying that yet.

[nontechmike]

Cheers.

Followed your suggestion about codes and found this.
http://www.hamradio-badarc.co.uk/sky..._amplifier.htm

When the DZ830 arrives I'll give it a try and let the forum know the results - unless someone else has already tried this/worked it out??

[nontechmike]

Is the quality of the Optical cable not critical (like the HDMI cable) and so a cheaper cable will do or should I look to get a quality cable like is required in the case of the scart cable.

If cheaper end is Ok do you have any other suggestions for a good value Opto cable ie less than the £30 QED Qunex OT lead?

[dutchgraham]

The popular opinion for digital cables seems to be that a cheaper one will do the job. There are loads of them on ebay for under a tenner, or new ones in the AV websites for £10 - £15.

[RottenFox]

Originally Posted by nontechmike

Is the quality of the Optical cable not critical (like the HDMI cable) and so a cheaper cable will do or should I look to get a quality cable like is required in the case of the scart cable.

If cheaper end is Ok do you have any other suggestions for a good value Opto cable ie less than the £30 QED Qunex OT lead?

you could use this site:
http://www.kenable.co.uk/index.php/c...243928c10bd975
all cables ive received from them are top notch,and the service is excellent.
why pay more for something thats not needed.
most makers of expensive cables are just grabbing profit from unsuspecting customers.