Heartland

OK I'm hoping the HL Geek community will be able to advise me here. I’m planning on replacing my old black & white TV with a nice new 42* flat screen. Having no experience of setting these things up (never even bothered with these new-fangled VCR thingies), I’m looking for an idiot’s guide on the best way of hooking up the sound to get Freeview, DVD, VCR, Blu-Ray etc. through my hifi speakers.

Apart from a highly recommended but rather ugly Panasonic plasma, none of the TVs I’ve seen within my budget have phono audio outputs, so I’m wondering the best way round this. Besides adding a DAC (which I presume would take up an extra mains socket), could I hook up the Freeview and DVD audio separately to the amp? And if so, which method would work best soundwise? I’m not interested in a big home cinema set-up – just good stereo sound with minimum fuss and without using too many mains sockets.

All I currently have to set up with the TV is my existing amp (Audiolab 8000A with plenty phono sockets including 3 tape loops) and a crappy looking freeview box with just SCARTs and co-axial outputs. DVD player and VCR are yet to be acquired. The TVS I’m considering are:
Panasonic TX-P42X10 (phono audio outputs)
Toshiba Regza 42RV635D (optical audio outputs)

Any advice would help a great deal. Cheers

P.S. Now looking for a good home: one glorious 30-year-old white(!) Murphy 22� black & white TV in good working order – I just don’t have the heart to throw it out!

Assuming they have phono outputs, hooking up the freeview and DVD boxes etc. to your stereo amp, so the sound doesn't go through the TV at all, will probably give you the best fidelity sound. The fewer components in the line the better.

If you don't have phono outs, you can use a SCART-to-3-phono adapter, send the video signal to the TV and the audio signal to an amp. (This is what I do with my VCR.)

All you need to remember is to have your amp switched to the correct audio source for whatever you're watching.

What Fiendy said really.

I have the audio running out of the vcr, but the freeview box is basically a receiver too.
All you have to do then is try to remember what remote does what.

Pista wrote: remember what remote does what.

Get a multi-remote

Edit to add: I even had my Sega Saturn (remember them? ) running through my hifi amp on a SCART-to-3-phono adapter.

markfiend wrote: Edit to add: I even had my Sega Saturn (remember them? ) running through my hifi amp on a SCART-to-3-phono adapter.

But...why would you want to?

you may find some useful info here.

timsinister wrote:

markfiend wrote: Edit to add: I even had my Sega Saturn (remember them? ) running through my hifi amp on a SCART-to-3-phono adapter.

But...why would you want to?

Panzer Dragoon Saga

my Sky box feeds into the VHS/DVD thingey which has Freeview and that goes direct to Blaast!Amp#2 via phonos, you shoulda ax me last week Andrew on the other side of the room we have the Mac and assorted hi-fi gubbins all feeding in to the turbonutterbastard Blaast!Amp#1

I'd be tempted to bypass the TV for all things audio. Depending on the connections on your SkyBox, I'd hook the video outputs to the TV and the audios to a stonking great behemoth of an amp. Bastard Manor current rejoices in a Yamaha HTR-5830 tuner amp, 6 standard RCA audio inputs and a plethora of sound settings. The turntable, DVD, and VCR hook up to the back of it, the TV audio output goes in there too, and the PC sound card is likewise attached. Nothing quite like a little Rammstein at earwax-melting volumes through Cambridge Audio speakers to wake the neighbours, and Sega Rally or Crysis run through the surround sound will make you wish for clean undies.

markfiend wrote:

timsinister wrote:

markfiend wrote: Edit to add: I even had my Sega Saturn (remember them? ) running through my hifi amp on a SCART-to-3-phono adapter.

But...why would you want to?

Panzer Dragoon Saga

Good grief, I remember that! Play any games made after the nineties, Mark?

I don't play it any more, I sold it on ebay for a tidy sum.

I'm not a huge gamer.

EvilBastard wrote:a stonking great behemoth of an amp

check

EvilBastard wrote:a Yamaha

check (I is a DSP-A5)

EvilBastard wrote:a plethora of sound settings

check

but my speakers are a 35 year old pair of Goodmans Mezzo SL, they rule

My speakers are Goodmans

Edit: no they're not. Memory like one of those things with lots of holes...

i have a silver cambridge audio a500 amp and some rather spiffing b&w speakers (can't remember which ones off the top of my head)

i dont really do "home cinema", but if needs be i can put the tv - a 32" sony bravia KDL-32V4500 (crystal clear picture and really good sound quality considering it's just tv speakers...) - through it

the dvd player, apple tv and sky+hd box all go into the amp too, but its only really used for playing my mp3s from the apple tv

i've never bothered replacing my cd player after it blew up. i rarely play cds, having my entire cd collection & more on the apply tv (mainly in 320kbps), and when i do really want to play a physical cd i can use the dvd player connected to the hifi.

i dont have a turntable anymore, despite having a couple of bookshelves in the spare room chock-full of vinyl

and i dont see much point in having bog standard tv programs going through your hi-fi, and if you then start switching it over whenever you watch a film, it just becomes a pain... plus the difference in tone and the change in location of the sound source and can feel a bit strange for a few minutes.

for me (and jo) it's all about keeping it as faff-free as possible, otherwise you're constantly d*cking about when all you want to do is pause duran duran's "rio" to watch corrie

Corrie.... I wept

James Blast wrote:Corrie.... I wept

was it a particularly moving episode?

<mumble on> Manc Baisturt..... <mumble off>

it's just soaps in general, I see what a frenzy The Mum gets into if she misses an episode (she went from with a passing interest in Emmerdale Farm to full on Take the High Road, Enders, Corrie, Emmerdale [no longer a Farm] Causality sic and Hobbly City) and I've taken a grim view on all of it since Brookie got cancelled

James Blast wrote:Causality

You call it that too? I thought... I... I thought I was the only one! *weeps into beer*

Cheers people Jam-es I was going to ask you about your set-up at the Superbowl but plain forgot - too many distractions! I reckon it's probably best for me to hook up the audio for Freeview and other sources separately and flick switches when needed. I'm not likely to be chopping & changing between the Freeview and DVDs very often anyway.

So now I know I don't need to hook up audio directly from the TV, the Toshiba is the favourite again. No offers for my current telly?

... brought mine to a shelter for the homeless decades ago ... they were rather pleased ... ...

I doubt a charity would even accept my TV but thanks for the idea

Andrew S wrote:

wow, looks amazing