dollfins1

i thought i would be able to do this all on my own but it is proving to be a daunting task. this weekend i picked up a cheapass yamaha 5.1 setup that was on sale at best buy last week (they are temporary, till i get my income tax refund). i already had purchased a sony strda3000es reciever several months ago and i would like to hook it up to my sony kp51ws510 (rp ,hdtv, progressive scan) bigscreen. currently i have 3 sony dvd changer carousels hooked up to the rptv (2 through component, 1 through s video) they are all hooked up for the audio via rca cables. the reciever has 2 component inputs and one component output. all i know is that the instuction manuals are horribly written and none of them take into consideration my exact setup. right now i only have a basic cable coax running directly to the rptv (no box). if any connection gurus could offer some advice or talk me through it would be highly appreciated. my previous experience was only 4.0 sound so i can't wait to try this all out. i already tried searching the forum and net for detailed connection diagrams but since so many setups are different it was just frustrating. eventually i will also pick up optical digital cables for the dvd players that get hooked to the reciever to replace the rca cables. thanks in advance!

chris

Brian Shannon

Well you need to break it down to simplify the process.

I would choose a single dvd player to be your primary and start from there. The receiver you have does not have the inputs for the number of devices you have. If you want to spend some money you can get component switch boxes.

Connect the audio as indicated in your manual and when you have one dvd player working you can then see how many additional players you can connect through other inputs.

dollfins1

the main problem i'm having is how to hook up to the tv. of course i would like to use the component connection of the tv and the reciever. in the end the reciever will actually give me an extra component connection (3 vs 2) as the tv has 2 and the reciever has 2 component input as well as a component output. i will try to link to a pic of the back panel view of the reciever:




i can't find a backshot of the tv but this site lists input/outputs:

http://www.buyersedge.com/Product/pr...Z_PageView_Y_2


hope this helps

Brian Shannon

Then connect one dvd player receiver and then connect the receiver to the tv. Simple!

Now the reason you are confused is because of the extra dvd players. You are either going to connect them to the receiver and switch though that or you are going to need to connect them directly to the tv.

Spiky

When you say carousel DVD changer, do you mean 5 disc or hundreds of discs? Because some of the big ones can be daisy-chained if they are the same model. That would simplify the connections if it applies to you.

Definitely hookup the optical connections. That's how you get the 5.1 sound and there is a dramatic difference. I got my optical wires at partsexpress.com, excellent prices.

dollfins1

yes they are the kind that hold hundreds of discs. i have 4 so far and i'm thinking about a 5th. i still havent been able to get any sound out of my setup yet. disregarding the dvd players, i need to know exactly what gets hooked to the reciever (pictured above) from the tv and/or to the tv. these manuals are garbage. right now i only have component cables and rca cables. the reciever has 2 component outputs and one component input. the tv has 2 component inputs (video 5, 6). the single output from the tv doesn't look to be component it has one plug for video and 2 for the audio. thanks everyone for trying to help.

dollfins1

well i changed a few connections today. managed to get a steady hiss out of the speakers but no real audio. also saw the setup menu for a few minutes and then it was gone once i pushed a button. anybody with a strda3000 es care to teach a retard how to hook this bastard up to a sony rptv. currently it is hooked up only to video 5 on the rptv by component cable to monitor out (component) on the reciever. i unhooked the rca cable since it was apparently in the wrong place and i feared the hiss would damage my tiny speakers.

Spiky

Well, you should have 2 of your DVD players run component video to the inputs on the receiver. The Monitor Out from the receiver to TV is correct. Run the 3rd DVD player to the other component input on the TV. That should get you the best signal for those 3 players. You'll have to remember which is hooked up where to do the right switching. Input 1 on receiver, Input 3 on TV, or whatever.

Get some optical cables to simplify the audio, and to give the best audio. Then you can hook up the audio and get it to work easier.

Alternatively, you could get one of these, I think they are around $140 right now. (they started at $300 years back) You could use it for all the switching since you have so many DVD units. It is capable of auto switching so you don't even have to press extra remote buttons. Sorry, guess it is up to $150.

dollfins1

i ordered a whole bunch more cables from hooked on tronics yesterday. 5 optical and 2 more component all 12 ft long acoustic research for future expansion. hopefully they will be here by the weekend to help simplify my problem which is mostly where to put all the audio cables. you would think that they would line them up with where the video connections are on the back of the reciever (the way they are on the back of the rptv). i give up for today but will be back later after work to try again. may consider getting one of those component switchers if/when i run out of inputs. it would really make life easier.

Spiky

Alright, let me try some more specific details, I found a bigger pic. It looks like you have to match the inputs closely on the receiver. (some brands just label inputs 1,2,3 and you assign them wherever you want in the menu, doesn't look like Sony does that)

So you'd have to put DVDp #1 to the component DVD input, and the audio to the DVD optical or red/white analog input.

Then put DVDp #2 to the TV/Sat component input, and the audio to the TV/Sat optical or red/white input.

Then the Monitor out component out to the TV, say input #5 on the TV.

For DVDp #3, component video will have to go to input #6 on the TV. Audio will have to go to a different input on the receiver, say the MD/DAT input, either optical or red/white. For this, you may want to write down how to select this player since it is not labelled obviously. (I have the same problem with all my video devices, I have them all labelled in my remote so I know what is what. If the remote isn't working or something, I can never remember which is which and have to do trial-and-error to find the right one. My receiver just has Video 1-5 for labels on the back.)

For DVDp #4, you are out of component inputs anywhere. So you'll have to attach it via Svideo to the TV and audio to another unused input on the receiver. Maybe the CD optical input on the receiver.

Spiky

Those should be very nice cables you ordered, btw. Probably excellent for the price, assuming you paid decent prices. Acoustic Research is like Monster Cable, but half the price or less.

dollfins1

thanks so much for taking the time to help. just got back from work and i'm going to give it another try. i never had a reciever like this one with so many inputs and it was quite intimidating. it was killing me to sit on this thing since i bought it a few months ago, and while i'm waiting to get my axiom speakers i decided to get this cheap 5.1 setup to make sure everything works. i'm verry happy with the ar cables. hookedontronics has them very cheap for 12 fters. i've bought from them before and everything should be delivered on friday

Spiky

No problem. Let us know if it works out. That receiver should be fairly good. It apparently had some early lemons, but once they got that straightened out it should offer pretty good sound.

dollfins1

i have a strange feeling my new receiver is defective. (*after 2 calls to sony support) all my video is working but no surround sound. will keep everyone posted.

Spiky

That sucks. Do a search. There have been reports of problems with this model.

Brian Shannon

If the unit outputs test tones correctly it is not the receiver. Start there and if the test tones process correctly, then begin by connecting a single player and test it.