Requirements before HC delivery?

[norfbech]

Hi all.
Have just ordered a surround sound/home cinema to sit alongside me telly/dvd/wii...and finally have a music set up downstairs rather than in the bedroom/studio.

Following a bit of research on here and a fairly tight budget I grabbed a Sony HT DDW890 (6:1).
The included accessories are as follows:

remote, digital coaxial cable, 3 speaker cables (3.5 m), 2 speaker cables (10 m).

With this being a 6:1 system I'm a little confused (I have barely any knowledge of home cinema unfortunately!) as to why there are only 5 speaker cables?
I currently link my TV (Panny px70) to a DVD player via HDMI and a Wii via (when the cable arrives) component.
Therefore, are there any other (budget) cables I should need to think about in order to run the TV (Sky box - scart only), DVD and Wii? Extra speaker cable and/or coax per chance?

I have another setup question but falling outside the 'cables & connections' remit I shall post in DIY!

Many thanks.

 

[davepuma]

The speaker cable can simply be cut to length, so once your speakers are in situ on stands/shelves etc. cut them and any short lengths can be used for the centres and fronts. Just make sure you measure and plan it before you cut them. If you need more, get some 99p a metre stuff from richer sounds. The only cable I can think of that you might need is a phono lead from the sky box to the amp. If you have an old composite cable lying around (yellow/red/white) you can use the red/white cables for that. If you need to buy a phono cable, take a look at profigold. I can't remember what the wii component cable looks like but you might need to either route it via the amp using component in (video) and analogue in (audio) and then a component cable to the TV. That will only be the case if the cable isn't long enough to connect both to the TV and the amp. So, a component cable might be in order. You didn't say what kind of digital connection is on your current DVD player. If it isn't digi-coax (supplied) then you will need an optical cable, also known as toslink. A cheap one will do.

 

[norfbech]

The speaker cable can simply be cut to length, so once your speakers are in situ on stands/shelves etc. cut them and any short lengths can be used for the centres and fronts. Just make sure you measure and plan it before you cut them. If you need more, get some 99p a metre stuff from richer sounds. The only cable I can think of that you might need is a phono lead from the sky box to the amp. If you have an old composite cable lying around (yellow/red/white) you can use the red/white cables for that. If you need to buy a phono cable, take a look at profigold. I can't remember what the wii component cable looks like but you might need to either route it via the amp using component in (video) and analogue in (audio) and then a component cable to the TV. That will only be the case if the cable isn't long enough to connect both to the TV and the amp. So, a component cable might be in order. You didn't say what kind of digital connection is on your current DVD player. If it isn't digi-coax (supplied) then you will need an optical cable, also known as toslink. A cheap one will do.

Thanks davepuma. I'll check the connection on the DVD player, although that's a budget player so can't guarantee the better connection.
I'm ordering the non official component leads from play - the component and audio are separated about 1m down apparently....so if this is the case would I just place the component lead into the TV and the seperated audio leads into the amp?

Thanks for the help...I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers.

 

[davepuma]

I got an unofficial component cable for my PS3 when it first came out (someone bought it for me) and it was terrible so it went straight back for the official cable.

 

[norfbech]

I got an unofficial component cable for my PS3 when it first came out (someone bought it for me) and it was terrible so it went straight back for the official cable.

Hmm...I don't usually sway from the official stuff but loads of Wii folk seem to recommend the Joytech cable (the component/audio split for amp access helps). In fact I can't get hold of one for love nor money at the moment (as with most Wii related stuff at the moment )

I'll ask around the Wii section for any associated differences however.

btw - my DVD player is the Samsung HD870 - it has both coax and optical - best to stick with the coax (I couldn't at this stage begin to explain the differences between the two...bit of research coming up).

Cheers again davep.

 

[davepuma]

Hmm...I don't usually sway from the official stuff but loads of Wii folk seem to recommend the Joytech cable (the component/audio split for amp access helps). In fact I can't get hold of one for love nor money at the moment (as with most Wii related stuff at the moment )

I'll ask around the Wii section for any associated differences however.

btw - my DVD player is the Samsung HD870 - it has both coax and optical - best to stick with the coax (I couldn't at this stage begin to explain the differences between the two...bit of research coming up).

Cheers again davep.

The joytech one may well be okay. I don't have a wii but in my experience some of the aftermarket stuff for consoles is all packaging and no substance yet they usually still charge a fair whack, although usually cheap enough to sway people from the official stuff. The official stuff is over-priced but usually good quality. Aye, most wii stuff is hard to get hold of. Nintendo want shooting for another farcical shortage 12months into a console's life. It's a pathetic marketing ploy that's played into the hands of the ebay scammers (IMHO of course!). I was going to buy a wii for some drunken gaming with my mates (saw the new darts game on soccer am this morning and it looks tops and would save holes in the wall!).

I prefer coax over optical but that's more down to the connector type, RCA connectors usually never fall out (especially on decent quality cabling) but I've had very expensive optical cables fall out at the drop of a hat. Also, in the summer, I had optical fail on my amp but coax (electrical) never failed....

 

[norfbech]

The joytech one may well be okay. I don't have a wii but in my experience some of the aftermarket stuff for consoles is all packaging and no substance yet they usually still charge a fair whack, although usually cheap enough to sway people from the official stuff. The official stuff is over-priced but usually good quality. Aye, most wii stuff is hard to get hold of. Nintendo want shooting for another farcical shortage 12months into a console's life. It's a pathetic marketing ploy that's played into the hands of the ebay scammers (IMHO of course!). I was going to buy a wii for some drunken gaming with my mates (saw the new darts game on soccer am this morning and it looks tops and would save holes in the wall!).

I prefer coax over optical but that's more down to the connector type, RCA connectors usually never fall out (especially on decent quality cabling) but I've had very expensive optical cables fall out at the drop of a hat. Also, in the summer, I had optical fail on my amp but coax (electrical) never failed....

I'll steer clear of the console fighting talk!! I must admit that I wasn't happy with the minimal releases of the consoles being taken up straight away (online) then immediately placed on ebay/amazon with a ridiculous markup.
I only procured on in the end (for my daughter I'll have you know) from a relative in Italy....looks like the same happened to the DS's.
Still...they're both loads of fund

With regard to the cables - is it that close between the two? As the DVD looks like it has coax (is there only a digi coax and not an analogue coax??...which might be a very daft question?)...I'll do some homework
I guess then I'm good to go with regards to cables etc?
Cheers dave.