TV Setup

scheming_gypsy

Sorry folks i know we've had a few of these but now it's my turn.

Right..
I've got.
42 inch Plasma with scart x 1, s-video, component inputs, dvi in, rgb in, rs232
Sky+ scart x 2, s-video, rs232
DVD Writer scart x2, s-video, component
DVD Player, scart x 1, s-video
PS2

What's the best way to connect all this together so i can play them all when needed and also record from Sky onto DVD.

Scart to TV from Sky gives a better picture than S-Video so i want to keep that.
Even though i have component inputs etc i only have scart cables and an s-video lead.

Any better ideas (including buying a cable if needed) than..

Sky+ to TV via scart
DVD Recorder to Sky+
DVD to TV by S-Video
PS2 into DVD

Then comes the fun part.. the Amp (Yamaha RX-V357).
At the minute i've got Sky+ into amp via Optical . Even though it's going through optical i'm not getting 5.1 on Sky (read on here it should work). DVD Player has 5.1 outputs so i've got those going into the 5.1 on the amp. DVD Recorder is Dolby Pro Logic and has no 5.1 outputs but had Optical and coaxial.
PS2 is connecting into the amp via the other optical (but using a cheap cable) but this would take the audio feed through the usual cable through the DVD and into the ampif not using optical, wouldn't it?

The amp has about 5 L, R and video inputs, 1 x 5.1 input, 2 x optical, 1 coaxial,

I can't seem to get surround sound out from anything. At the minute i've got Sky on, the amp is showing '5ch Stereo' with a left and right input detected..



Cheers in advance.

POLDO_DONK

Hi Gypsy

First of all, I’m not familiar with your equipment, it’s late and I’m tired so please forgive any confusion on my part!

OK, one thing I’m not sure about is why you have both a DVD player and a DVD recorder. I can only presume that from time to time you copy stuff from Sky+ onto DVD whilst watching a DVD, or that your DVD player is a better machine (picture and sound) than your DVD recorder?

As you’ve only got one scart on your plasma, I’m going to suggest simplifying things a bit. Can you do without your DVD player i.e. can you copy stuff from Sky+ onto DVD when you're not watching a DVD by recording stuff onto the Sky+ HD and then copying it later? If so, this is what I suggest, lose the DVD player and connect your stuff as follows -

Connect Sky+ (scart1) to your plasma by scart as you do now
Connect your DVD recorder to your plasma by component leads which are of similar quality (if not better) than RGB scart.
Connect your PS2 into your DVD recorder (scart 2) – here I’m making the assumption that this scart socket is two way i.e. it will accept an external signal, if it does not let me know!
Connect Sky+ (scart2 - again I’m assuming that this is an in/out socket on the Sky+ box and not just an input!) to scart 1 on your DVD recorder to enable you to copy from Sky+ to DVD.

Does this make sense to you?

OK, doubtless you’ll be worried about losing your DVD player. Now, play a disc from your DVD recorder into the plasma via component – are you happy with the picture quality? If so can you live without the DVD player?

Right, the audio side of things –

Connect the Sky+ optical out to one of the optical inputs on the Yamaha amp. You will get 5.1 if that is what is being broadcast! Remember if it’s just a stereo signal that is broadcast you will not get true 5.1 (although your amp may ‘simulate’ a 5.1 effect – but that’s another story….)

Connect your DVD recorder to either of the other digital inputs on your amp (optical or co-axial) and forget about the 5.1 outputs. Connecting the two this way means your amp is doing the decoding and will almost certainly give you better results than the way things are now. You may need to go into the set up menu of your DVD recorder and somewhere there will be an audio output setting – ensure this is set to ‘bit stream’ and not PCM. Your amp should now automatically detect a 5.1 signal from your DVD recorder. I don’t have Sky+, so I’m not sure if there is a similar setting in the Sky+ box. If there is, change that to bit stream also – this may be why you are not currently getting a 5.1playback from Sky.

By the way, you say that your DVD recorder is Pro-logic. What this means is that when you record onto a blank disc, the sound will be recorded as 2 channel Dolby Digital stereo (not 5.1) – however when playing back a pre-recorded DVD film that has a 5.1 soundtrack it WILL play that back into your amp.

Sorry if this is long winded – I hope it helps!


Poldo

scheming_gypsy

cheers poldo i'll have a read in the morning when my eyesight isn't so blurred.

the only reason i've got 2 DVD's is i went to buy a new DVD player and the recorders weren't a massive amount more so i've left the old DVD there just to fill the shelves really.
I don't need to use it as it has a habit of locking up occasionally after an hour but i've got a 5 shelf rack ( expensive but well worth it) and that takes up the 5th shelf.

POLDO_DONK

Your welcome Gypsy. If any of it makes sense in the morning I'd be amazed! :rotfl:


Poldo