Connecting HDTV to HD Cable Box and A/V Receiver

[Ace H]

What is the best way to connect an HDTV (with HDMI, Component Video connections) to a HD Cable box and A/V Receiver?

[markw]

Cable video directly to the TV, via either component or HDMI. There's no loss either way.

Cable audio directly to AVR, via either toslink or coaxial cable. There's no loss either way.

Additionally, I run a pair of red/white analog interconnects directly to the TV so I'm not forced to use the AVR for every program. I just keep the TV volume all the way down when using the AVR. Depending on your cable box and TV, this interconnect may not even be needed to accomplish this if you use HDMI.

[Mr Peabody]

I'd suggest using HDMI to the TV since it will carry both audio and video. If your receiver is HDMI compatible you may want to go from cable box to your receiver with HDMi and then HDMI to the TV but if the receiver don't allow the signal to pass through then you will have to have your receiver on all the time or run some additional analog connections to TV as suggested above. If you don't care about the video switching from receiver, then run the HDMI from cable box to TV for regular viewing and a digital audio connection from cable box to receiver for surround sound use.

[GMichael]

Either of the two above work great.

I use Mark's method (because my AVR does not have HDMI) HDMI to the display and a optical cable to the AVR. Some say that taking the AVR out of the video link is the best way to go for the very best picture. Doing it this way, I give up a little bit of the ease of use. It does let me watch football while listening to CD's. If you go HDMI to AVR and then HDMI to display then you listen to what you watch. No choice. Switching to cable on the AVR switches both audio and video at the same time.

Your choice. Ease of use vs flexibility. Either way works great.

[Ace H]

I'll be setting this up for a neighbor. Suppose my neighbor decides that on occasion they want to watch HD TV WITHOUT the A/V Receiver on.

How about doing HDMI from cable box to TV, and running Component Video from the A/V Receiver and HD DVD player to the TV (I realize I will need either Optical or Coaxial Sound connections for this hookup)? I think with this option they can watch HD programming at all times (with and without A/V Receiver on)?

[GMichael]

I'll be setting this up for a neighbor. Suppose my neighbor decides that on occasion they want to watch HD TV WITHOUT the A/V Receiver on.

How about doing HDMI from cable box to TV, and running Component Video from the A/V Receiver and HD DVD player to the TV (I realize I will need either Optical or Coaxial Sound connections for this hookup)? I think with this option they can watch HD programming at all times (with and without A/V Receiver on)?

If you run an HDMI cable from the cable box directly to the TV, (and then components and optical or coax from the HD-DVD to the TV) he'll be able to watch any show he wants with the AVR on or off. He'll just have to turn the volume on the TV to hear it. Then you could run optical or coax from the cable box and HD-DVD to the AVR for when he wants surround sound to go with it. Just remember to turn the sound on the TV down or he may get an echo, an echo.....

[Mr Peabody]

No do not do it that way. HD-DVD will not upconvert standard DVD via component, only via HDMI. Cable is only 1080i at best, if going to use component use it on the cable box and run a red/white analog for audio to TV and a optical or coax to receiver for surround sound. Run the HDMI to the receiver from the HD-DVD player and HDMI from receiver to TV. You could also go HDMI to TV from HD-DVD player and use a multichannel analog connection for audio. The MC analog or HDMI should yield better sound quality from the HD-DVD over a typical digital connection but the optical/coax will work, you just get a slightly improved version of Dolby Digital or DTS. The higher resolution audio has to come from the first 2 audio connections mentioned MC/HDMI.

[markw]

Otherwise, there's no reason either HDMI or component won't work just as well.


I'll be setting this up for a neighbor. Suppose my neighbor decides that on occasion they want to watch HD TV WITHOUT the A/V Receiver on.

If you follow my instructions in the previous post (# 2) you'll be able to do just what you want here.

If you replace where I said "cable" in that post with "DVD", you'll be able to accomplish the same thing for that as well. The only change might be that you will need to run separate 5.1 analog audio interconnects to he receiver's external 5.1 alalog audio inputs for the hi-falutin' HD super audio formats.

You'll be using the TV for video swiching and the AVR for audio switchng.

[Ace H]

Thanks for all the input. For the record, here's a link to the cable box supplied by the cable company.

http://broadband.motorola.com/business/digitalvideo/product_dch3200_settop.asp

[hcm949ik]

Just get this program