How Do I Connected All My Devices

thegoth

Hi,

I have just bought a house with my Girlfriend and I am planning how to connect all my Home Entertainment devices together.

Here is what I want to do.

I am getting the following Television

Philips 42" PLASMA 42PF5521D 1366x768, 10.000:1, 3ms, HD-Ready

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=320983
High definition LCD WXGA display, resolution 1366 x 768p;
Integrated Digital Tuner for DVB-T reception;
HD ready for the highest quality display of HDTV signals;
Digital Crystal Clear provides vivid cinema-like images;
Dynamic contrast enhancer delivering rich black details;
Virtual Dolby Surround for a cinema-like audio experience;
Compact and slim design that fits in every room.


Product Description Philips 42PF5521D - LCD TV - 42"
Product Type LCD TV
Diagonal Size 42" - widescreen
Weight 39.2 kg
Colour High-gloss black, silver frost
TV Type HD ready
PC Interface HDMI
Technology TFT active matrix
Progressive Scan Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 15:9
Digital TV Tuner DVB-T
Features 3:2 pulldown compensation, 2:2 pulldown compensation, Digital Crystal Clear, channel labeling
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Speaker System 2 speakers
Sound Effects Virtual Dolby Surround
Stereo Reception System NICAM
Remote Control Remote control - infrared

My problems are:

1) I already have a 5.1 surround system and I want to mount this to the walls. This is no problem, except I don’t think the cables are long enough. I was wondering if anyone could advise me on the best way to extend the cables and where I can buy the materials to do this.

2) I will have my Xbox 360 connected to my television via the HD cable, and I will have the DVD player from the 5.1 surround sound connected via the scart lead. I was wondering how will I get the Xbox 360 to output its audio to the 5.1 speakers?, presuming that the speakers cannot be connected directly to the TV.

3) I will have a P.C connected setup beside my television, but I will want to connect the P.C to the television sometimes in order the play music videos. I want to be able to do this without changing cables, as I will have the XBox 360 connect to the VGA slot on the TV. I was wondering how could I do this.

4) When I have the P.C connected to the television, I WANT to output the P.C's sound to the 5.1 speakers, as I will be playing music videos. I was wondering how I do this ?

I know this is a large list. I have no idea what the best way is to do it. I would really appreciate some suggestions.

Michael

mossym

what sound sytem so you have...5.1 speakers could mean anything...all your questions are answered if you have a proper receiver, and not an all in one box set.

thegoth

Hi,

All I know if that its a wire that connects into a clip at the back of the DVD Player. I'm not well up on these things.

mossym

got a model number? link to a product page?

what kind of connections are on the back of the box that the speakers connect to?

no worries, i'll trya nd help out as much i can...

thegoth

I will post the model number later this evening as I am at work at the moment !!

Thanks a million

Maxwell

thegoth wrote:

Hi,

All I know if that its a wire that connects into a clip at the back of the DVD Player. I'm not well up on these things.

That sounds like you have a 5.1 all in on system, which means that the amp is integrated into the system. That will make it a little more difficult to connect everything up. I have similar problems, but let us know what you have and we can go from there.

thegoth

Its a Philips LX3700D . This means nothing to me though

andy1249

OK , I downloaded your manual from the philips website ,
What you have there is an all in one system , not exactly high end , but a basic home cinema setup with the amp built into the DVD player and some active speakers.

The speaker cables are hardwired with proprietary plugs which plug straight into the DVD player.

You have one video channel ( it may look like 3 , but its not !! ) , you can use either the scart , the s video or the composite connection but they are all the one channel and you cannot use more than one at any time.

You have one digital input for sound , its labelled digital in on the system. You also have one digital out.

Now , here were your questions , I'll answer one at a time ,

1) I already have a 5.1 surround system and I want to mount this to the walls. This is no problem, except I don’t think the cables are long enough. I was wondering if anyone could advise me on the best way to extend the cables and where I can buy the materials to do this.

Answer : Because of the plugs on the system you will have to splice the cables in the middle and add some speaker cable , use proper connector blocks for this and make sure that the length of the front and back pairs are the same. You get phase difference interference if they are not , you dont want this.

2) I will have my Xbox 360 connected to my television via the HD cable, and I will have the DVD player from the 5.1 surround sound connected via the scart lead. I was wondering how will I get the Xbox 360 to output its audio to the 5.1 speakers?, presuming that the speakers cannot be connected directly to the TV.

The speakers may well pick up stereo through the scart and output that , this will not be 5.1 , just pro logic , if thats not good enough then you can use the single digital input on your system to hook up the xbox. You will need to purchase the correct cable for this. SPDIF

3) I will have a P.C connected setup beside my television, but I will want to connect the P.C to the television sometimes in order the play music videos. I want to be able to do this without changing cables, as I will have the XBox 360 connect to the VGA slot on the TV. I was wondering how could I do this.

Your TV has a pc interface , buy the correct cable , I think in this case its a DVI to HDMI cable , make sure your PC has the correct drivers for the video card , and just connect up the unit , your DVD is gonna be using the Scart so the extra HDMI is free.


4) When I have the P.C connected to the television, I WANT to output the P.C's sound to the 5.1 speakers, as I will be playing music videos. I was wondering how I do this ?

You only have one aux digital input , thats all , as above , you can only connect one source , its digital so splicing wont work , ( ie splitting the cable between two sources wont work here ) however you may be able to buy a digital switcher but these tend to be expensive.

I know this is a large list. I have no idea what the best way is to do it. I would really appreciate some suggestions.

OK thats pretty much it ,the above should get you up and running but one last thing though , you have some pretty impressive gear there , let down by that very low end surround system , I would invest in a proper AV reciever or amplifier and some nice speakers to even everything out if it was me !
Just my two cents though

thegoth

Thanks very much for the reply. I have a few questions.

1) Where would I get the equipment to splice the speaker cables and get the connector blocks? Anywhere online ?

2) Where would I buy the single digital input for my system to hook up the xbox?

4) Where could I buy a digital switcher

Lastly, what would you recommend for a good AV receiver, amp and speakers ?

Thanks

Michael

mossym

thegoth wrote:

Thanks very much for the reply. I have a few questions.

1) Where would I get the equipment to splice the speaker cables and get the connector blocks? Anywhere online ?

b&q, homebase, any electric ctore, you need a roll of speaker cable, don't use stuff that is any thinner than what you have, and some connection blocks, hell you could use tape in an emergency

2) Where would I buy the single digital input for my system to hook up the xbox?

sme place, or any electronics store, i think the 360 is optical out, which means an optical cable..( it could be coax, check the manual, the same store will have them anyway)

4) Where could I buy a digital switcher
check online for that...i need to look at the manaul for your system, but if you have any red and white inputs (rca stereo inputs) on the back of your system you may not need the digiatl switcher, it'll only be 2 channel sound from the pc anyway, so you ould just hook the pc up to those if you have them


Lastly, what would you recommend for a good AV receiver, amp and speakers ?

that depends on your budget..denon receivers are excellent, as are yamaha..but they are expensive for the top models...that can only be answered by your budget