How do you hook up your surround sound system to both your TV and your DVD player?

[user1397]

A friend of mine was having trouble hooking up his new LCD HDTV with his cox cable box, his DVD player, and his surround sound system. I tried to help but got stuck at one point.

The current setup is shown in the attached picture.

There are 2 problems actually:

1) When trying to switch the volume with the cox remote, nothing happens. You are forced to use the original TV controller. Switching channels with the cox remote does work though.

2) I get surround sound with the TV, but not when watching DVDs. I don't understand how I can connect the surround sound system to both the TV and the DVD player...

Any help is appreciated.

[lisati]

My DVD/VCR combo has RCA-style a/v cables running into the back of my TV, and a "daisychain" AV connection to the sound system. I also have an optical connection directly from the DVD player to the sound system.

EDIT: I choose the sound source according to what I'm watching at the time

[forrestcupp]

You need to run your RCA audio out from your DVD player to the surround sound. Your surround system should have more than one audio input, and you should be able to select your source by using the surround system's remote.

When you route all audio to the surround sound and all video to the TV, you will just use the TV as a monitor, and use the surround for all audio.

[user1397]

You need to run your RCA audio out from your DVD player to the surround sound. Your surround system should have more than one audio input, and you should be able to select your source by using the surround system's remote.

When you route all audio to the surround sound and all video to the TV, you will just use the TV as a monitor, and use the surround for all audio.ah, ok. I guess I'll try this again.

but...what exactly is an RCA cable? is that just the regular audio cables that surround sound systems use?

[dannyboy79]

rca cables are the red/white cables for audio, if you're dvd player has an optical or digital audio out and your receiver has the same for it's input, then I would use those. After all, the point of surrond sound is so that it feels like you're in the movies right. The quality wise, worst to best, rca, digital, then optical. I am not sure how HDMI fits in there because HDMI actually carries both the video and audio. If your dvd player has HDMI, then I would use that. Most of the time, unless you have a $20,000 receiver, you most likely won't be able to hear the difference.

[misfitpierce]

I hooked mine up through audio out jack on laptop to a white and red output and hooked into auxiliry in back of surround and set to aux and played it

[dannyboy79]

um, I doubt he's talking about the dvd player in his computer/laptop. DId you even look at the attachment he posted? That will work if you plug it to any of the audio input's on the reciever; Phono, CD, Aux, or whatever, than just make sure the receiver is set to that and you'll be golden.