How do I connect these things?

[Trigger]

I have the following:

Sony STR-DE835 Receiver
X-Box
Malata DVD Player
Playstation 2
Sony 5-Disc DVD Player
Sony Tape Deck
Technics Record Player
Sony VCR
Sony 36" TV.

The TV has 2 S-Video INs, one Coax Video In, 3 RCA Video/Audio INs and one RCA Video/Audio out. The problem is that there are only 3 available Videos and if I hook up an S-Video and an RCA to Video 2, One or the other doesn't work.

My Receiver has 4 Video INs and 3 Video Outs in various S-Video and RCA (by the way, I don't even know if RCA is the right term - those a/v cables that are yellow for video and red and white for audio) combinations. I tried to use the video ins and video outs on my receiver to hook up to my TV through my receiver, but it didn't work. I'll need to do this for the X-Box so I can hear this stuff in surround sound. My Receiver also has 3 Optical Inputs - one for TV/Sat, one for DVD and one for MD. The Playstation has the option of using optical cable, but that's not my biggest concern. I have 5 items that need to connect through my TV and I'm short on inputs. I also have a Dreamcast I'd like to hook up... that would make 6. The VCR is hooked up via Coax and the cable TV comes in through that.

I have 3 S-Video cables, Plenty of RCA cables, one Optical cable and one Coax for audio. I want my two DVD players to play in DTS - one has coax and one has optical. My receiver only has one coax in and if both DVD players are on at the same time, the receiver can't figure out which one to take a signal from so I get no sound. I know this is a mess - someone please help me. :)

[WOWZY]

Ahh yes!! Too many toys.

I have a Harman Kardon AVR 510 and I still don't have enough inputs for all my toys. The only cure was to buy a couple of A/V switch boxes from Radio Shack to accomodate all my toys. It's alot better than having to hook up all of those individual cables on the extra toys when I want to use them.

[Trigger]

Well - do you know how to get the video outs on my Sony Receivers to work? They aren't sending signals to my TV or something... I've tried the S-Video out and the Video RCA out. Anyone?

[guybrush]

First-
Are you routing your XBOX sound from TV to receiver?
It shouldn't be oto hard...test to see if your video outs are working, do this.

Plug your XBOX into either a composite (YELLOW) video in, or SVIDEO in on your receiver. Then, connect a cable from your monitor out (or video out) depending on which one you connected xbox on (composite, or sVIDEO - I know in some receivers if you have a cable from svideo out to Svideo IN on TV, it will only output whatever is being picked up on svideo at that time..and if xbox was on composite yellow, it WONT pick that up!)

[goatweed]

Also, if your TV has anough video inputs, it might be better to just run them straight to the TV instead of going through the receiver. I have an 845 and I don't run any of the video through it - I also have an XBR400 TV that gives me 6 video inputs (your TV may not provide as many). I also just have an X-Box (not that AND a PS2), but I would think a few A/B switchboxes would help you with your signal selection(s).

[Trigger]

I've tried that and my video outs don't seem to work on my receiver. It's fairly new - I haven't used it much. Are they supposed to work? Is there a special setting I'm missing?

by the way - I don't own a PS2 and an X-Box - the PS2 is my roommates. :)