Installing, buying wires, well....Everything

Copplepot

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Hi guys,

I've searched but i easily get confused with all the optic cables, HDMI's, switch box's, adapters etc etc. So can you help my with my soon to be system please?

I already have a Phillips 32PFL5522D & will hopefully soon have this all-in-one system http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/sto...u=490558&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null

I thought it'd be easy, just plug in the wires you get & that's it but from what i've been reading, there's wires you have to buy extra.

My equipment will be;

Phillips 32PFL5522D
Xbox 360
Phillips All-in-one system (link above)
Freesat HD digital box http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5321564/Trail/searchtext>FREESAT.htm

& that's about it, rude of me for asking, but could you make a list of the wires & a short description to where they would go.

I have some knowledge on electrics (believe it or not lol) i installed a sound system in the car so once i know what i'm doing i should be O.K.

Much much thanks. I'll really appreciate the help folks. You'll even get a photo when it's done.:D

Chris
 
Not sure what you are trying to achieve with the Philips all in one system. Do you realise that you can only have all the speakers being driven when playing DVDs? You can't connect the surround sound of the Xbox360 into them. If they broadcast Dolby Digital on freesat then you won't get that out of the speakers either.

Do you only want the Philips all in one speakers on when watching DVDs and everything else to come from the TV speakers? :confused:
 
Hi Chris,

I agree with Gadgetcity the Philips system will not suit your requirements at present. The connection inputs you require in a system are:

A Digital Optical input known as a TOSLink input (for 5.1 surround sound) required for connecting Sky/Virginmedia boxes - Freeview/Freesat boxes - HD/Blu-ray players - PS3/Xbox 360 consoles.

A Phono input - red & white connections (for Pro Logic sound) required for connecting TV - MP3 players - other games consoles (Wii)

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Will
 
Thanks guys, i'm now having trouble finding one with a Phono input. I've noticed the Phillips i posted didn't have Optical connections Would this be TOSLink input as mentioned above?
Could you help me pick out an all-in-one system for under £200 with the required ports for surround sound on everything please. I'm having no luck.
Oh, must include 2x tall speakers for the back of the room.

Many thanks again,

Chris.
 
Will listed the connections you need but used a slightly incorrect term. When he said "phono" input he meant RCA input. "phono" is a type of RCA input designed for a record player (it has some equalisation built in). Don't get to hung up about terminology, any amp with stereo input will be fine for the TV. As Will says, you need digital inputs for anything that sources surround sound. These inputs can be optical (sometimes called TOSlink) or coaxial digital, depending on what the other boxes you buy have on them.

I don't want to recommend a system without trying it but you could start by looking at something like this and this to get and idea of what is out there.

Hope that helps
 
Will listed the connections you need but used a slightly incorrect term. When he said "phono" input he meant RCA input. "phono" is a type of RCA input designed for a record player (it has some equalisation built in). Don't get to hung up about terminology, any amp with stereo input will be fine for the TV. As Will says, you need digital inputs for anything that sources surround sound. These inputs can be optical (sometimes called TOSlink) or coaxial digital, depending on what the other boxes you buy have on them.

I don't want to recommend a system without trying it but you could start by looking at something like this and this to get and idea of what is out there.

Hope that helps

Brilliant, so that receiver should work with all the bits i've listed, including most home cinemas now i have the receiver, right?

If this is correct (i hope so lol) can you help with the wires i'll need to wire everything up please, as i understand i'll need quite a bit of wiring.

Or to make things easier, is there a home cinema with tall speakers that'll handle everything for under £200 without the need for the receiver?

:)
 
Brilliant, so that receiver should work with all the bits i've listed, including most home cinemas now i have the receiver, right?

If this is correct (i hope so lol) can you help with the wires i'll need to wire everything up please, as i understand i'll need quite a bit of wiring.

Or to make things easier, is there a home cinema with tall speakers that'll handle everything for under £200 without the need for the receiver?

:)

First of all, you don't need a "home cinema" as well if you buy a receiver - just some speakers, and DVD player if you are not using the Xbox to watch DVDs.

As I said, my links were not a recommendation, they were just showing the sort of thing you need INSTEAD of that home cinema thing you were looking at.

As for compatibility/leads, I don't know what audio connectors the Freesat box has. If it only puts surround over the HDMI then the receiver in the link won't work. This may also mean that there is not a sub £200 home cinema systems that would work with everything.

Even if the Freesat has optical out, even home cinema systems OVER £200 rarely have more than a single optical input (and sometimes they only do stereo :eek:)

You will have to establish the Freesat audio output capability before a getting an all-in-one.

Hopefully then, someone here has a suitable All-in-one they could recommend but I don't know of any.

Good luck
 
Thanks guys, i'm now having trouble finding one with a Phono input. I've noticed the Phillips i posted didn't have Optical connections Would this be TOSLink input as mentioned above?
Could you help me pick out an all-in-one system for under £200 with the required ports for surround sound on everything please. I'm having no luck.
Oh, must include 2x tall speakers for the back of the room.

Many thanks again,

Chris.

Hi Chris,

I have a LG th902tb system, which has four tallboy speakers (two front & two rear.) If you do a search you may be able to buy it for approx £220 - £260 pounds. It also has at least one of each connection you will need.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Edit: See my post here for cables and prices.

Will
 
Gadgetcity, i've found the system below which has an optical input, not a lot of specs but does it seem OK as i can get a decent deal on it.

Thank you Will, i'll keep that system in mind as i'm still not set, thank you for the link. :)

Guys, i've just seen this home cinema & it caught my eye because you get a discount when buying with a tv & a further discount from the codes floating about so seems like a good deal, i can't find any info on it tho so has anyone heard of this system? Panasonic "SCPT560" http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf...&productPos=4&catno=PQ26519&groupId=471659857
http://www.bennettsonline.co.uk/ent...-cinema-systems/Panasonic-SCPT560EBK-02628126

Thanks for putting up with me.
 
Gadgetcity, i've found the system below which has an optical input, not a lot of specs but does it seem OK as i can get a decent deal on it.

Panasonic "SCPT560" http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf...&productPos=4&catno=PQ26519&groupId=471659857

Thanks for putting up with me.

Again, only one optical input. You can get that the about £300 elsewhere. We still don't know if the freesat has optical out, coaxial out or only HDMI.

IF the freesat has optical then you still have to sort out putting 2 cables into one hole!

Find out about the freesat first then you can pick a solution. It is hard to give any advice without all the facts.
 
Again, only one optical input. You can get that the about £300 elsewhere. We still don't know if the freesat has optical out, coaxial out or only HDMI.

IF the freesat has optical then you still have to sort out putting 2 cables into one hole!

Find out about the freesat first then you can pick a solution. It is hard to give any advice without all the facts.

Hi Gadgetcity,

No matter what connection you will need there is always something avaiable:

HDMI switch box

HDMI & TOSLink switch box

TOSLink switch box

Coaxial to Optical Digital Signal Convertor

Digital Audio Transformed to Analog Audio

To fit everyones wallet size.
 
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Gadgetcity, the FreesatHD box i've decided on has these specs if they help


Humax Foxsat HD Freesat Set Top Box

  • Digital satellite receiver for the reception of Freesat broadcasts from Astra 28.2.
  • Capable of receiving both HD and SD channels.
  • Freesat standard HD MHEG.
  • Digital text.
  • Digital video broadcasting (DVB).
  • Auto setup.
  • Auto detection of new channels.
  • Auto scan for new channels.
  • Now and next electronic programme guide.
  • Programme guide 2 - 8 days.
  • 2 SCART sockets.
  • SCART lead.
  • HDMI output socket.
  • Upscales to 1080i or 720p.
  • Remote control, batteries included.
  • HD decoding.
  • Ethernet network connection.
  • USB connection.
  • S/PDIF optical audio connection.
  • YPrPb/RGB component analogue HD output.

I think it's best to not go for that all-in-one then, if as Will says, it can be worked out with a few extra bits then i'd rather go for something a little cheaper, it doesn't have to be perfect but good will do nicely. I'll list the specs of the home cinema i'll settle with so it's easier too see what's what.

Philips "HTS3357" home cinema
  • Rear Connections:
  • AM/MW Antenna,
  • AUX in,
  • Composite video (CVBS) output,
  • Digital coaxial in,
  • Easy fit speaker connectors,
  • HDMI output,
  • S-Video out,
  • Component Video output,
  • FM antenna,
  • Scart


Philips 42PFP5532D

  • DVB-C: No
  • DVB-S: No
  • DVB-T: Yes
  • DVI Interface: No
  • Frequency: 50 Hertz
  • Front AV Interface: No
  • Full HD: No
  • HD ready: with HD Ready
  • HDMI Interface: Yes
  • Horizontal Resolution in Pixel: 1024
  • Loudspeakers: with Loudspeakers
  • Number of HDMI Inputs: 2
  • Number of Scart Interfaces: 2
  • RMS Wattage: 20
  • Screen Format: 16:9
  • Type of Monitor: Plasma
  • USB: No
  • Vertical Resolution in Pixel: 768
  • VGA / D-Sub Interface: No
  • YUV Interface: Yes


That's everything i'll have and of course the 360. This is where i get lost, the hooking it all up part. Like above i'm not bothered if it isn't perfect, just as long as it sounds good & looks good & the choice of surround sound for everything or at least the freesat & dvd, i'm fine with it. So, what wires will i need to put on my shopping list & what will go where. Can this be done without changing any of the above.

Appreciate the help fellas.
 
Hi Gadgetcity,

No matter what connection you will need there is always something avaiable:

HDMI switch box

HDMI & TOSLink switch box

TOSLink switch box

Coaxial to Optical Digital Signal Convertor

Digital Audio Transformed to Analog Audio

To fit everyones wallet size.

There are always solutions but it would be a shame to spend £30 or a £200 budget on adapters and extra cables to end up with a system that the wife can't use because of the complication, just because someone picked the wrong all-in-one. I didn't know that you could get combined HDMI/Toslink switcher though - that might be useful for my next project Will - cheers!

Chris, the Foxsat looks good. It has optical out. So does your Xbox360.
The HTS3357 only has coaxial digital so you need at least this adapter similar to one from Will's list, and a Toslink switcher as Will listed. This is where the wife bit comes in. If you play with your Xbox and forget to switch the lead back then the wife may not be happy scrambling around in all the cables behind the TV to try and get sound from the Foxsat box :)

Video is another issue. I would connect the Foxsat using HDMI.

What 360 do you have? If it has HDMI then use that and connect the all-in-one via component. If it has component then connect the all-in-one via HDMI.

It may help you to draw yourself a little picture of your boxes and draw the audio and video connections with little arrows. If you can't identify which connector each end of the arrow is going to be plugged in to then you have a problem!
Planning is everything - and in 3 years time when you change something you will still know what all those wires and adapters behind the TV are for! :clap:
 
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What 360 do you have? If it has HDMI then use that and connect the all-in-one via component. If it has component then connect the all-in-one via HDMI.
It may help you to draw yourself a little picture of your boxes and draw the audio and video connections with little arrows. If you can't identify which connector each end of the arrow is going to be plugged in to then you have a problem!

The 360 is component, so i have to connect the all-in-one to to a HDMI port on the t.v? & the 360 to the all-in-one via the component? I'm confused.

Video is another issue. I would connect the Foxsat using HDMI.

To the HDMI port on the tv? Where does the optical out go?

It may help you to draw yourself a little picture of your boxes and draw the audio and video connections with little arrows. If you can't identify which connector each end of the arrow is going to be plugged in to then you have a problem!
Planning is everything - and in 3 years time when you change something you will still know what all those wires and adapters behind the TV are for! :clap:

I'd love to but i'm still a little confused.:D The above is all i understood & that's not even half of what i need to do!
Can you please explain in a little more detail of what goes where into what port of what device & how many wires i'll need to purchase.

I can't thank you enough for all the help guys, i hope i'm not being rude guys but once i've got all the info i can purchase everything. (exciting)

Chris.
 
The 360 is component, so i have to connect the all-in-one to to a HDMI port on the t.v? & the 360 to the all-in-one via the component? I'm confused.

To the HDMI port on the tv? Where does the optical out go?

Chris.

OK. Lets get really basic here...

Xbox 360: Picture comes out on component. Sound is on optical.

Foxsat: Picture is on HDMI. Sound is on optical.

All-in-one: Picture is on HDMI. Sound goes to speakers. Sound IN comes via digital coax, and goes out the speakers.

You only issues are...
1) the all-in-one has digital coax audio, but your sources are optical so you need a converter.

2) the all-in-one only has 1 input but you have 2 sources (360 and Foxsat) so you need some way to switch between them. The cheapest option is this switcher, (found by Will, £15 at Maplin!)

so......

Xbox360 -> TV via component lead
Xbox360 -> optical switcher via optical cable

Foxsat -> TV via HDMI
Foxsat -> optical switcher via optical cable

All-in-one -> TV via HDMI

optical switcher -> digital coax converter via optical cable

digital coax converter -> all-in-one via RCA lead

I still suggest you draw this on a piece of paper and label every wire and connector as well as drawing an arrow to mark direction of audio/video. This way you should start to understand what you are doing.

Good luck :smashin:
 
I still suggest you draw this on a piece of paper and label every wire and connector as well as drawing an arrow to mark direction of audio/video. This way you should start to understand what you are doing.

I 100% agree with Gadgetcity, drawing it out on paper will not only help you understand but also give you the confidence whenever you want to add or change your setup. Plus you have the backup of the forum for any queries you may have.

I hope you enjoy your viewing and listening pleasure.


Will
 
You're a star, will have a good read through & try to come up with some sort of plan. Both have been wonderful.:hiya:

[EDIT]
Been on Photoshop & came up with this from you're guide, this about right? To switch between the 360 & Freesat box thingy, i'll have to turn the Optical switch to what one i want. With all this, should i be getting surround sound on everything? or sound through all speakers if the channels don't output surround sound?

One more thing, what port will the RCA lead go into on the All-in-one?
 

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Guys, i'm going to go with the HT-TX35R All-in-one which has an optical in, does this mean i can just use an optical cable straight from the splitter to the 'optical in' on the All-in-one & leave out the coax converter & RCA lead, will this work?
 
Guys, i'm going to go with the HT-TX35R All-in-one which has an optical in, does this mean i can just use an optical cable straight from the splitter to the 'optical in' on the All-in-one & leave out the coax converter & RCA lead, will this work?

That will work. :thumbsup:

BTW Chris - Samsung AIO seem to be proned to having Lip sync issues, I don't know if this applies to the HT-TX35R.
 
That will work. :thumbsup:

Great i'll do that then. What speaker cables will i need if there's none included as i'm reading user manual & it doesn't specify that it is, just the remote & control.

And what multi-plug will be the best for all the plugs i'm going to have.

That's all for now, hehe.

:)
 
And what multi-plug will be the best for all the plugs i'm going to have.

That's all for now, hehe.

:)

It is always an idea to get a surge protected mains adapter for all that expensive gear.

This one is on offer until tomorrow. (6 way)
 

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