Set-up Advice Please!

gaz2810i

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***I incorrectly placed a similar thread in the Gallery thread so apologies for doubling up on the thread ***

Right, This is probably asking a lot, but if you guys can help me improve my set-up, even a little bit, I would be eternally grateful.

I am currently in the process of reassessing my Home entertainment system and I was looking for advice on how best to connect all my equipment. I will list all my equipment with links to their specs at the bottom. Up till now I have really just played the scatter-gun approach, connecting everything via what I thought was the best input into either the receiver or the TV :rolleyes: However, I now have more HDMI enabled equipment than I have inputs and with the installation of 7.1 in my living I just don't know what are the best play-offs when connecting everything. To top it all of, I now have 3 games consoles, 3 HD DVD players, 2 Blu-ray players and 2 cable boxes and would like one of each of the rooms, however, which ones should I choice to go where? Some are easy choices, others not so, hence why I am asking? How would you guys connect up all this and where? :smashin:

Kit List

Room room (Living room):


Pioneer PDP-427XD 1080i plasma capable of 1080/24P

2 x HDMI, 1 x component, 1 x S-video, 1 x RCA A/V, 3 x Euro-SCART, 1x PC

PioneerVSX-AX2AV-S

Only HDMi 1.1, accepts sound via HDMi but does not offer 1080P or 1080/24 support. 7.1 with speakers connected

HDMI Input/Output 2/1
Multi-Channel Input 7.1 ch
IR In/Out Yes
Digital Audio Input 7
Digital Coaxial Input 2
Digital Optical Input 5 (includes Front In)
Digital Audio Output (Optical) 1 (Rec Out/Room3)
RCA Audio/Video Inputs 3 A / 7 AV
Audio/Video Output 1 A / 2 AV + 1 V
Phono Input Yes
S-Video Input/Output 5/2 (includes Front In, assignable)
Component Video Input/Output 3/1 (assignable)
Composite Input/Output 7/4

Samsung SMT-H3110 V+HD (Will become Tivo when launched)

1 x HDMI, 2 x SCART (TV, VCR), 1 x S/PDIF (Optical), 1 x Ethernet

Mission MX1 Fronts
Mission M30i Cinema 5.1 Speaker set Used as a 7.1 package with the MX1's and set up as below.
Mission M30i Surrounds x 4 (surround and rears)
Mission M3C1 (Centre)
Mission MS 8 (Subwoofer)
Nintendo Wii

Original launch day model - I have both official component and composite cables

Virgin Media super hub 50mg BB Router and modem

Wireless 'N', 4 x Ethernet ports

Second room (Bedroom):

Panasonic 26LXD70 1080i, capable of recieving a 1080p signal and downconverting.

2x HDMI,
2x Scart, S-video,
1x component video,
1x PC input.

SMT-2110C V Box (Will become the Samsung V+HD box when TiVo is launched.

Can go anywhere:

XBOX 360 original model without HDMI not sure what the top resolution output is

1x Component Video Output, 1x Optical, 1 x Ethernet

Playstation 3 250gb Slim 1080/24p

HDMI OUT x 1; AV MULTI OUT connector x 1; Digital out (optical) connector x 1; Ethernet x 1 (wireless)

Sony BDP-S350 1080p

1x HDMI™, 1x Component Video Output, 1x S-Video Output,1 x Composite Video Output

1x Coaxial, 1x Optical, 1x Analogue Stereo Output,1x Ethernet

Toshiba HD-EX1

HDMI out (with up to 1080P and 1080/24 HD upconversion video out & multi-channel audio out)
Component Video out (3 x RCA/phono) (with up to 1080i HD upconversion)
S-Video (4 pin mini-din)
Composite Video (1 x RCA/phono)
RJ45 LAN Port for Internet connection via network (for Firmware upgrade and advanced HD-DVD functionality)

Coaxial (RCA/phono) & optical (toslink)
Stereo line out (2 x RCA/phono)
5.1 Analogue decoded line output

Toshiba HD-E1

HDMI out (with up to 1080i HD upconversion video out & multi-channel audio out)
Component Video out (3 x RCA/phono) (with up to 1080i HD upconversion)
S-Video (4 pin mini-din)
Composite Video (1 x RCA/phono)
RJ45 LAN Port for Internet connection via network (for Firmware upgrade and advanced HD-DVD functionality)

Optical (toslink) digital output
Stereo line out (2 x RCA/phono)

Toshiba HD-EP30

HDMI out (with up to 1080/24p HD video upconversion & multi-channel audio out)
Component video out (via 3 x RCA/phono) (with up to 1080i HD upconversion)
S-Video out (via 4 pin mini-DIN
Composite video (via 1 x RCA/phono)
RJ45 Ethernet Port for Internet connection via network (for firmware upgrade and advanced HD-DVD functionality)
Expansion terminal (for connectivity with future devices)

Optical (via toslink)
Stereo line out (via 2 x RCA/phono)

Pioneer DVR-520HHDD and DVD recorder

Input
1 SCART (AV connector2)
RGB Input via Euro-SCART
1 RCA (Audio/Video) (front: 1)
1 S-Video (front: 1)

Output

1 SCART (AV connector 1)
RGB Output via Euro-SCART
1 RCA (Audio/Video)
1 S-Video
Optical Digital Audio

Panasonic NV-HS880BS

Scart 1: (S-Video, composite video and stereo audio in and out)
Scart 2: (composite video and stereo audio in), antenna in and out, stereo out via 2 x RCA/phono socket
Front S-Video, composite video and stereo audio in

Apple MACBOOK PRO i7
Western Digital Mybook for mac 1tb drive

Anyway, any advice on how best to connect these components and by which connections, i.e to amp via HDMI or to TV via Component would be much appreciated. It would also be great to know why it was one connection over another, for example why the HD-EX1 to the Amp via anologues over HDMI for sound.

It would also be handy to know if there are any logical improvements and upgrades I could make. I am lacking in funds but If I need it the heh, it can be sorted :)

Many thanks in advance, I will post some pics later :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
To save someone going through all those links, you could have listed the available connections or at the very least, list how you have it connected at present.

Connect each device to either amp or TV in order of quality i.e.
  1. HDMI / DVI
  2. Component Video (YpBpR)
  3. SCART (RGB)
  4. S-Video
  5. Composite Video (CVBS)

If your receiver supports video conversion of analogue sources, then connect any lesser quality signals via the receiver and use the higher quality connection as an output e.g. component. If any of your sources are SCART only, route those direct to the TV and set to RGB.

I presume your receiver doesn't process audio over HDMI? Is the HDMI simply switching/passthrough? In which case how you connect your equipment is irrelevant and you probably have it connected optimally. If you need more HDMI inputs, simply buy an HDMI Switch.

If the receiver doesn't support audio over HDMI and you're using multi-channel analogues, then that is the only way you will get HD audio from your HDDVD player. There is a guide over HERE. If it does, your players can be routed via the receiver using HDMI providing they can decode the HD audio on board i.e. set to output LPCM.
 
it probably would have been better to ask a mod from the home cinema gallery forum to have moved your thread instead of cross posting, anyway as you have cross posted report the thread asking for a Super Modderator to merge it with this one as I don't have the permissions to access the other thread I can't do it.

As davepuma above really, can you list or collate the relevant information needed from the links, it is a bit much to expect someone to go through 20 different links/sites and basically guess which parts may or may not be relevant to answering your questions.

Curly
 
Last edited:
To save someone going through all those links, you could have listed the available connections or at the very least, list how you have it connected at present.

Connect each device to either amp or TV in order of quality i.e.
  1. HDMI / DVI
  2. Component Video (YpBpR)
  3. SCART (RGB)
  4. S-Video
  5. Composite Video (CVBS)

If your receiver supports video conversion of analogue sources, then connect any lesser quality signals via the receiver and use the higher quality connection as an output e.g. component. If any of your sources are SCART only, route those direct to the TV and set to RGB.

I presume your receiver doesn't process audio over HDMI? Is the HDMI simply switching/passthrough? In which case how you connect your equipment is irrelevant and you probably have it connected optimally. If you need more HDMI inputs, simply buy an HDMI Switch.

If the receiver doesn't support audio over HDMI and you're using multi-channel analogues, then that is the only way you will get HD audio from your HDDVD player. There is a guide over HERE. If it does, your players can be routed via the receiver using HDMI providing they can decode the HD audio on board i.e. set to output LPCM.

I have edited my post to include as much of the information you have requested I hope it is OK.

Your post regarding Audio is where I am being stumped. I have a 7.1 system and a receiver that only has 2 HDMI inputs which will support 7.1. The reciever won't decode HD sound and I need the players to do the decoding.

To top it off the receiver is only HDMI 1.1 compatible, so where I have a PS3, BD Player, HD DVD player and possible Tivo box and so on, that all plays/up scales up to 1080p my reciever will not pass it through. Although my TV is only 1080i/720p (1024 x 768) it will accept and play a 1080p source at 1080/24p, which I believe makes a difference.

I understand that I need to make sacrifices in places, whether that's on resolution or Sound, I just don't know where
 
it probably would have been better to ask a mod from the home cinema gallery forum to have moved your thread instead of cross posting, anyway as you have cross posted report the thread asking for a Super Modderator to merge it with this one as I don't have the permissions to access the other thread I can't do it.

As davepuma above really, can you list or collate the relevant information needed from the links, it is a bit much to expect someone to go through 20 different links/sites and basically guess which parts may or may not be relevant to answering your questions.

Curly

Sorry, I posted the other thread a few days ago and immediately followed it with a request to be moved etc but no one responded. Trying to make the best of a bad situation I add pics to the other thread and turned it into a gallery ;)
 

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