Newbie connection question

[Paghk]

This is kind of embarassing for my first post, but I had a question about connections with my system since I recently got a new receiver and dvd player and got rid of my vcr. I had everything hooked up on my old system and the xbox used to be connected through the vcr, but since I got rid of it, I've been kind of stumped as to how to connect the xbox through my system now.

As far as what I've got, I have the following:

Digital cable box:

*s-video (out) - not in use
*digital audio coaxial - not in use
*composite video out - hooked through the receiver

TV:

*composit input - dvd video hooked in here

DVD Player:

*s-video (out) - not in use
*digital audio coaxial - not in use
*composite video out - audio hooked through receiver/video through tv

Receiver:

*dvd in : s-video + composite
*TV/dbs in: s-video + composite
*vcr in: s-video + composite
*vcr out: s-video + composite
*monitor out: s-video + composite
*dvd in : component
*dbs in: component
*monitor out: component

Xbox

*composite hookup

I've got the cable box composite hooked through the receiver. I've got the dvd audio composite through the receiver and the video through the tv. I can't get the xbox hooked up to where I get both a picture and audio. Plus, the dvd player and the receiver I just bought have dts capabilities, but reading the user manuals are like trying to read greek: I'm just not getting it.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I should optimally hook all of this together? Or any informative websites? Sorry for asking such a newbie question here, but AV stuff is still a little foreign to me (more used to computer hookups). I'd ideally like to get the dts sound, and get my xbox working on the system as well.

My tv doesn't have an s-video link, and I won't get another tv until I can afford an hdtv. Any ideas anyone? Sorry for such a long post as my first. Hopefully I didn't leave any needed information out.

[Brian Shannon]

Plus, the dvd player and the receiver I just bought have dts capabilities, but reading the user manuals are like trying to read greek: I'm just not getting it.

What brand and model are they? DTS settings are usually not defaulted and must be enabled in the DVD menu itself, assuming you have a DTS disc and it is connected correctly.

As for the rest of your equipment I would run everything through the receiver including the XBOX in the VCR slot assuming your TV only has one set of inputs.

Here is a hookup guide for just the XBOX

http://www.monstercable.com/hookup_learning/game_hookup/images/xbox_hookup.jpg

Here is one for the receiver

http://www.monstercable.com/hookup_learning/csg/receiver/receiver.asp

The receiver manual should have similar information.

Just for future reference, I always recommend connecting and testing each piece of equipment individually before adding another component.

Good luck.

[Paghk]

Thank you for the suggestions. I tried hooking the xbox through the receiver via the vcr slot, but while I could get the sound, I could get no picture. As it is now, I have to unplug the dvd video plug from the tv and plug in the xbox to play, which kind of sucks. The dvd video plug, when connected to the receiver, also doesn't give me video. Its hard to believe that a stupid vcr was the linchpin for the whole system. As far as to what brands I have, I have the following, which are nothing special:

receiver: Jvc RX-7030vbk

dvd: Yamakawa 288k (cheap dts and multiregion player - sold my older sony and use this in the meantime as a primary, but I was having the same problem with the sony I had)

tv: a 27" Zenith that I have until I go to hdtv.

cable box: pioneer digital cable box that Time Warner put in here (don't see a product number)

xbox: xbox


I get good sound and picture from everything else, but the xbox thing is driving me nuts. I was aware of the dts thing you mentioned being in the dvd menu, but I didn't know if I needed any kinds of special cables or not, since the dvd player seems to have more plugins for audio, and the manual is about as clear as mud.

Again, thank you for the suggestions. I'm still trying to think of anything I haven't tried yet.