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  1. #1
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Connecting speaker bar to TV and DVD player

    Hi Guys,
    I need your help. My mom has a flat screen LCD TV. It's either Toshiba or Samsung...I can't remember which but I don't think it's relevant anyhow.

    She watches a lot of operas and symphonies on TV and on DVD so we thought that we would get her a inexpensive surround system for Christmas. Her room is very small and there isn't really anywhere to put back speakers so, instead, we bought her a speaker bar.

    Go here, it's the TH-BC3

    We tried to hook it up last night but ran into some problems. We could set it up so that it was connected to her TV or to her DVD, but not both. The instructions say to connect the TV using an HDMI or coax cable and the DVD player using anolog cables. However, her TV does not appear to have either an HDMI or coax out. So we have to use analog for everything. But there is only one analong input on the speaker.

    If we put a splitter in the back of the speaker and then run two sets of red/whites, one to the TV and one to the DVD player, will that work?

    In addition to the TV and DVD player, she also has a cable box. I can't recall now how her TV, DVD and Cable box are connected to each other at the moment. I think the TV is just connected to each component individually.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Suspended markw's Avatar
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    Since all thre esources appear to feed into the TV, will the TV pass the audio from the three sources fed into it to the sound bar from it's audio output, hopefully analog?

    that way, only the TV needs be connected to the sound bar and you maybe get the additional benefit of having it's volume control handle everything.

  3. #3
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Does her TV have an optical out?
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  4. #4
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markw View Post
    Since all thre esources appear to feed into the TV, will the TV pass the audio from the three sources fed into it to the sound bar from it's audio output, hopefully analog?

    that way, only the TV needs be connected to the sound bar and you maybe get the additional benefit of having it's volume control handle everything.
    We tried that and we only got TV sound, no DVD sound...even when a DVD was playing.

    We also tried running everything out of the cable box, same problem.

  5. #5
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael View Post
    Does her TV have an optical out?
    The TV didn't appear to have any unused outs that we could see. Lots of ins, no outs. We bought it for her for Christmas last year and I'm beginning to see why we got such a good deal on it.

    Do you think just running the red and white cables the way I suggested in my original post will work? If so, I'll go out today to buy a splitter.

  6. #6
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
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    Autumn, I am ashame of you for not doing your home work on either of these purchases. One of the biggest things you need to look for is the inputs/outputs of any T.V now days and its ability to work with HT items.
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  7. #7
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    The TV didn't appear to have any unused outs that we could see. Lots of ins, no outs. We bought it for her for Christmas last year and I'm beginning to see why we got such a good deal on it.

    Do you think just running the red and white cables the way I suggested in my original post will work? If so, I'll go out today to buy a splitter.
    I'm not sure if that will work or not. Can you get us a model number on that TV?
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  8. #8
    Suspended markw's Avatar
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    I'm confused

    Does the TV have red/white analog audio outputs? If so, they should pass anything that goes to the TV. If you can hear it on the TV speakers, it should go out those.

    The make and model number of the TV would be a big help here.

  9. #9
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    Unless you can figure out how to run the DVD player through the television it will probably require outside amplification. Sorry, looks like you get to buy more stuff.
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  10. #10
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    If we put a splitter in the back of the speaker and then run two sets of red/whites, one to the TV and one to the DVD player, will that work?
    No, that is a bad idea since you are electronically shorting TV and DVD audio outputs toghether and you are going to get cross feedback. I think if you give us TV model #, we will be more help.

    My Tv also have analog audio output (going to my amp), and I am feeding TV the audio/video from DVD player and computer. And Tv will output the audio from the source that is showing on TV.

  11. #11
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by recoveryone View Post
    Autumn, I am ashame of you for not doing your home work on either of these purchases. One of the biggest things you need to look for is the inputs/outputs of any T.V now days and its ability to work with HT items.
    I've learned my lesson. It honestly never occured to me. We may be in the market for a new TV towards the end of 2012. I have a much better idea now what to look for.

    I can't get the TV model number until Friday. If I have to I can pick up an inexpensive receiver to hook everything up to, but my Mom is 75 and already complaining all the components and remotes that she has to remember how to use. I really hate to add another component into the mix unless absolutely necessary. I've already been joking with my brothers that our next purchase for her has to be a universal remote.

  12. #12
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    From the sound of things, you might want to run the optical/coax digital output from the DVD player to the sound bar, and run the analog audio from the cable box (unless the cable box also provides a digital audio output), and don't bother with the tuner/speakers on the TV itself.

    Looks like that sound bar will also accept HDMI inputs and do a HDMI passthru. If the cable box and DVD player both have HDMI outputs, then you could hook both of them up to the sound bar and run a HDMI cable to the TV from the sound bar.

    Also, with a lot of components (cable boxes and DVD players in particular) you need to go into the setup menus and instruct the component whether the audio goes through the analog or digital outputs. I know that with both my satellite box and my DVD player, the default setup was for analog audio and I had to change the output to digital audio via the setup menus. A lot of components do not allow for the audio to simultaneously feed both the analog and digital outputs.
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  13. #13
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    No receiver is needed, remember the sound bar has the power built in and basically functions like a HT receiver. I would try Wooch's suggestions. Also, remember the sound bar is to take the place of the TV speakers, so no splitter, either hook the sources to the TV and use the analog out, or hook the sources to the sound bar and connect via HDMI to the TV. If sources connected to sound bar then you will have to switch from DVD to cable box on the sound bar depending on which one you want to use.

    When using the analog out on the TV you still need to switch the input from DVD to cable box depending on which you are using. If the sound don't switch then I suspect the TV may not be able to convert digital to analog.

    I bought my daughter a Samsung sound bar to go with their Samsung TV and the instructions were worse than not helpful, I think they were there as a terrorist act.

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