I'm thinking of buying my friends a Toshiba SD1200 DVD player for Christmas, but am concerned about what they will need to hook it up. They have a circa 1990 Pioneer rack system with an RX-521 receiver and a pair of 100W speakers. I don't know anything about the specs on the receiver or whether it's AC-3, Dolby Digital, DTS-ready, etc.

I bought myself a Toshiba SD6109C last year which has the built-in DD5.1, DTS receiver, so I didn't have to deal with matching my DVD player to a receiver, and being an audioneanderthal, I'm not quite sure where to look for the answer.

Can you hook up a DVD player to a run-of-the-mill receiver(which I assume is what my friend has), or does it have to be DD5.1, AC-3, and/or DTS-ready? I've read about DTS decoders but am not sure if they replace or supplement a conventional receiver. I'd appreciate any advice anyone has had in connecting their DVD players with less-than-cutting-edge receivers.

My friends have a 27" Panasonic stereo TV of recent vintage and I'm sure that it has composite video connections, but that's all I know about it. I know the sound would be sub-par, but in a worst-case scenario, can a DVD player sans receiver be connected directly to a generic stereo TV? I'd hate to give a gift that would require them to have to immediately go out and purchase a new receiver if the old one can't be used in some fashion.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Danny in Yorktown, VA.

A DVD player can be hooked up and used essentially as a VCR would be. DD/DTS, component video, etc. will all only add to the experience. I think they won't feel compelled to upgrade immediately.
They can just hook up the audio thruogh the TV if they choose. Their circa 1990 receiver will undoubtedly be only stereo, but that should not stop them from connecting the DVD player's R/L audio outputs to it - even just the added dynamics afforded by larger-than-TV speakers would be worth the effort. (They will have to upgrade the receiver and speakers to get surround sound if/when they decide they need to.)
As long as the TV has composite video inputs, everything should be okay. The performance will be satisfactory, especially on a 27" TV.
I think the DVD player will make an excellent gift, because the enjoyment they get will no doubt be in the software, not the hardware. Even in a minimalist setup, DVD is impressive. Make sure to get them a nice special-edition DVD, and they'll amuse themselves for a few hours before deciding to buy more titles.

Yes, he can hook it up to the Pioneer. As long as the receiver has RCA inputs for another source such as CD, Tape, Aux, VCR, or anything else he will be able to get sound from the DVD player. I seriously doubt that the receiver is digital ready seeing as how most DD/DTS ready receivers were coming out back in 1996-97. He'll more than likely be getting just pro-logic or even a proprietary surround sound from his receiver, but whatever it is it will work.

- I think he'll figure it out, but if not just tell him to use the Analogue (sp) outputs on the dvd player with his receiver. Lucky bastard is getting one hell of a christmas present.