360 Home Cinema set-up

Zonda999

I feel i've been reading for too long about how a surround sound system will "transorm" ones gaming experience so i've decided to go for one.This one looks good for my budget.The reason i like that one is because it has an optical input, which afaik is vital for gaming with surround sound.

However i am wondering about as to how i will be be able to connect the 360 to this(Will be no problems with the ps3:rolleyes:).I bought my pro 360 last December and it has hdmi.Unfortunately, the only way to get optical out on the 360 when using hdmi, is with one of these.That is though, quite expensive for what it does.Does anyone know if i'd be able to get the optical out dongle thing on its own, on the cheap, preferably??:D

I have other options, at the same time

1.I could get a 360 vga cable(an aftermarket one on ebay, probably).However, even though this is supposed to give as good pq as hdmi, i'm not sure.Can anyone confirm this???Another problem this way is that many tvs do not accept 1080p via vga, whereas they would via hdmi.I may be getting a 1080p tv in the next few months so 1080p from the 360 would be an absolute must

2.My current 720p 32" lcd has an "optical out" port on the back.I could use this as the audio feed to the home cinema system but, when i connect the 360 to the tv via hdmi, then when the tv gives the audio to the HC system , will it still be 5.1 surround??I have my doubts.Anyone know what the story is with that one??

Thanks for the help!

Alkers

Can you connect your 360 to the tv using the cable that comes with it (component) which has an optical out on it? It still would be a HD signal for the tv.

Julez

You should have got a lead with the 360 that goes into the standerd av output but only has an optical output and red and white coaxial connection for sound. So that you can use HDMI and Optical sound.

EDIT:
This thing

kaimera

Dont mean to hijack but soon to be in a similar situation.

tv + hdmi conn cinema kit + hdmi conn 360. [tv has 2*hdmi]

how do all 3 go about being connected?

Vyse

I use a VGA cable at 1080p on my Samsung with no issues. To be perfrectly honest I don't think you are going to see any difference between component, hdmi and VGA so use the component that came with your system and hook up straight to the 5.1 system.

Headshot

Zonda999 how much is the sony DAV-DZ260 costing ya ,if you dont mind me asking

it looks a nice system

Zonda999

Simona1986 wrote: »

Can you connect your 360 to the tv using the cable that comes with it (component) which has an optical out on it? It still would be a HD signal for the tv.

It would be alright but from what i have seen, hdmi is much sharper so that would be a bit of a handicap

Julez wrote: »

You should have got a lead with the 360 that goes into the standerd av output but only has an optical output and red and white coaxial connection for sound. So that you can use HDMI and Optical sound.

EDIT:
This thing

Only the 360 elite comes with that unfortunately.Thats exactly what i need, though.It is however, the most expensive option

Vyse wrote: »

I use a VGA cable at 1080p on my Samsung with no issues. To be perfrectly honest I don't think you are going to see any difference between component, hdmi and VGA so use the component that came with your system and hook up straight to the 5.1 system.

I am a bit pedantic about these things really and i would love to use hdmi.About vga, samsungs are the only type of tv, that i nkow for sure can take 1080p over vga.However, the tv i most likely see myself getting is the sony 40v4000.This does not accept 1080p over vga, 720p max.It looks like that expensive hdmi optical out dongle yoke is the best option...Anyone know where it can be got without the hdmi cable with it??Delivered from the us or asia or something??

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

Zonda999 how much is the sony DAV-DZ260 costing ya ,if you dont mind me asking

it looks a nice system

I dont really know yet!!Its 201e delivered on pixmania but i think its also ~200e in the shops so obviously i'll get it in a shop if i cant find it a nice bit cheaper online.I may not get the sony yet, though.You see i will have to get some speaker stands as well and they cost about 50e for 4.For 270e i can get this which has tallboy speakers already with it.Just noticed this too which seems to do all the sony does for 20e less.Any thoughts on which is the best option of the three.Would that second samsung be inferior to the sony in any way??

Thanks again for the help

mcgovern

Zonda999 wrote: »

It would be alright but from what i have seen, hdmi is much sharper so that would be a bit of a handicap



Only the 360 elite comes with that unfortunately.Thats exactly what i need, though.It is however, the most expensive option



I am a bit pedantic about these things really and i would love to use hdmi.About vga, samsungs are the only type of tv, that i nkow for sure can take 1080p over vga.However, the tv i most likely see myself getting is the sony 40v4000.This does not accept 1080p over vga, 720p max.It looks like that expensive hdmi optical out dongle yoke is the best option...Anyone know where it can be got without the hdmi cable with it??Delivered from the us or asia or something??



I dont really know yet!!Its 201e delivered on pixmania but i think its also ~200e in the shops so obviously i'll get it in a shop if i cant find it a nice bit cheaper online.I may not get the sony yet, though.You see i will have to get some speaker stands as well and they cost about 50e for 4.For 270e i can get this which has tallboy speakers already with it.Just noticed this too which seems to do all the sony does for 20e less.Any thoughts on which is the best option of the three.Would that second samsung be inferior to the sony in any way??

Thanks again for the help

These are the speakers I use, and they really are great:
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/59184/art/logitech/z-5500-5-1-speaker-system.html

Headshot

mcgovern wrote: »

These are the speakers I use, and they really are great:
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/59184/art/logitech/z-5500-5-1-speaker-system.html

but arent they for pc ????

will you need adaptors?

grimm2005

i had exactly the same problem as the OP and already had a surround setup and wanted to use hdmi as i have 1080p tv and i couldnt see anyway around it.
I went on ebay and bought one off a canadian seller for €20 delivered (HDMI cable and adapter) so if i were you i'd do a search on there

Also the Logitech speakers that mcgovern recommened are really great as my mate has them aswell (the bass is massive!) and in reply to headshot, no they do not need an adapter as they have optical/coaxial ports on the reciever. Personally I'd definitly take them over the sony system as I'd say the sound is much better, unless of course you need the dvd player that comes with the sony

xanthor

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

but arent they for pc ????

I've had my PC, my PS3 and 360 connected to it for the last year.

Headshot

xanthor wrote: »

I've had my PC, my PS3 and 360 connected to it for the last year.

ohhh


http://www.beachaudio.com/Jvc/Thl1-p-106585.html#Specifications

i bought the above system

i bought it because it doesnt have a dvd player and its great connections

and cheap enough

00sully

I had the same problem when using HDMI that I didn't have the optical HDMI cable that came with the elite - luckily another boardsie gave me one gratis

Before that, when I had the xbox hooked up to my tv with HDMI, I tried to jam my component connection into the back aswell which has the optical in for surround audio - DOH - wouldn't fit :-/

BUT there is a cheaper way!! you can try this hack http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

I would have tried this had I known it was possible at the time looks pretty easy!

Zonda999

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

ohhh


http://www.beachaudio.com/Jvc/Thl1-p-106585.html#Specifications

i bought the above system

i bought it because it doesnt have a dvd player and its great connections

and cheap enough

Did you actually get that off that website or what.Obviously, you'd have the power supply problem with that??Nice idea, though.Loads of connections and i understand that i would only have the use the hdmi cable from the 360 to that and it would then extract 5.1 surround from the cable

00sully wrote: »

I had the same problem when using HDMI that I didn't have the optical HDMI cable that came with the elite - luckily another boardsie gave me one gratis

Before that, when I had the xbox hooked up to my tv with HDMI, I tried to jam my component connection into the back aswell which has the optical in for surround audio - DOH - wouldn't fit :-/

BUT there is a cheaper way!! you can try this hack http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

I would have tried this had I known it was possible at the time looks pretty easy!

That's an interesting idea.I wouldnt like to do it to my original ms cable, though.I wonder if the same trick would work with something as cheap as this??
It does seem to be the best option so far

Headshot

Zonda999 wrote: »

Did you actually get that off that website or what.Obviously, you'd have the power supply problem with that??Nice idea, though.Loads of connections and i understand that i would only have the use the hdmi cable from the 360 to that and it would then extract 5.1 surround from the cable

no that website was only for specs

i wouldnt order any big thing from the states i got stung before by customs,it wont happen again

i bought it from germany

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512237&highlight=JVC+TH-L1

Zonda999

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

no that website was only for specs

i wouldnt order any big thing from the states i got stung before by customs,it wont happen again

i bought it from germany

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512237&highlight=JVC+TH-L1

Which site and what was the final cost, if you dont mind me asking, thanks.It does look good, though

Edit: Official specs here.They do look very good.I wouldnt fancy paying more than i would for the sony, though

Zonda999

00sully wrote: »

I had the same problem when using HDMI that I didn't have the optical HDMI cable that came with the elite - luckily another boardsie gave me one gratis

Before that, when I had the xbox hooked up to my tv with HDMI, I tried to jam my component connection into the back aswell which has the optical in for surround audio - DOH - wouldn't fit :-/

BUT there is a cheaper way!! you can try this hack http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

I would have tried this had I known it was possible at the time looks pretty easy!

Thanks for that, it worked a treat

Zonda999 wrote: »

That's an interesting idea.I wouldnt like to do it to my original ms cable, though.I wonder if the same trick would work with something as cheap as this??
It does seem to be the best option so far

I did it to my official MS cable in the end alright.I did it gently, though, so i can easily put it back together.I only tried the rca audio as i didnt have a source to test the optical but i assume it works.It looks like my problem is sorted and it didnt cost me a penny:D

Thanks everyone:)

ROC1977

Zonda999 wrote: »

I feel i've been reading for too long about how a surround sound system will "transorm" ones gaming experience so i've decided to go for one.This one looks good for my budget.The reason i like that one is because it has an optical input, which afaik is vital for gaming with surround sound.

However i am wondering about as to how i will be be able to connect the 360 to this(Will be no problems with the ps3:rolleyes:).I bought my pro 360 last December and it has hdmi.Unfortunately, the only way to get optical out on the 360 when using hdmi, is with one of these.That is though, quite expensive for what it does.Does anyone know if i'd be able to get the optical out dongle thing on its own, on the cheap, preferably??:D

I have other options, at the same time

1.I could get a 360 vga cable(an aftermarket one on ebay, probably).However, even though this is supposed to give as good pq as hdmi, i'm not sure.Can anyone confirm this???Another problem this way is that many tvs do not accept 1080p via vga, whereas they would via hdmi.I may be getting a 1080p tv in the next few months so 1080p from the 360 would be an absolute must

2.My current 720p 32" lcd has an "optical out" port on the back.I could use this as the audio feed to the home cinema system but, when i connect the 360 to the tv via hdmi, then when the tv gives the audio to the HC system , will it still be 5.1 surround??I have my doubts.Anyone know what the story is with that one??

Thanks for the help!

The picture is the same with VGA/DVi if you ask me. You can even get slightly high res with it too, well you can on a 720p TV anyway as hdmi on a 720p TV is 720 but Vga/dvi is 768p.
My point is the picture is just as sharp and the colours are good too.
The best way to use HDMI is having a home cinema which has both HDMI input as well as output. That way xbox 360 to home cinema, home cinema to TV. Thats the ideal solution. 100% digital that way.
But VGi and optical is just about as good, and unless you have a top, top end TV and home cinema, ones that cost upwards of 5K then you ain't going to notice the difference.
Same with all these 1080p 32inch 42inch screens, waste of money. Just get the 720p model and save yourself a few 100 euro.
The human eye can't tell the difference from 720p and 1080p on any screen less than 50inch at 5 foot viewing distance, which is the nearest you shoud sit to a TV for optimal viewing.
And I know there will be posts here saying "well I can notice" and "on my PC when I set my res from 768 to 1080 I can notice it." Thats because its a PC and its a monitor not a HD TV. They ain't quite the same thing.



Oh by the way Harvey Normal are selling VGA/DVi cables for 360's for 2 euro. Well they were last week. Even though I had one, got another for the sake of it.

Flaccus

"Same with all these 1080p 32inch 42inch screens, waste of money"

For someone who is gaming in a small room, and sits 3 feet away to play PS3 games or watch BD movies for example, a 32" 1080p set is ideal, so IS NOT a waste of money. Not everyone can fit a 40"+ into their room, especially if it's a bedroom. If on the other hand the TV is going into a medium or bigger sized room and used mainly for watching movies etc.. then obviously a 32" or possibly a 42" 1080p might be a waste. But then again, prices are dropping all the time on 1080p sets. Currys had last years Sharp Aquous 46" for 1250 a few months ago which was amazing value I thought. So I guess what size you get depends on your wallet and what size room it's going into.

"The human eye can't tell the difference from 720p and 1080p on any screen less than 50inch"

That's for high def movies. For gaming it's a different story if the game is native 1080p regardless of whether it's a TV or PC LCD. Oblivion hooked up to my Sony 32" 32W4000 from my PC looks a hell of a lot better at 1920x1080 then at 1280x720 with the same AA levels and that's at around 3 feet away. While watching high def 1080p content at same distance is not so distinguishable from 720p granted. Point is, it depends what you are watching.

"And I know there will be posts here saying "well I can notice" and "on my PC when I set my res from 768 to 1080 I can notice it." Thats because its a PC and its a monitor not a HD TV. They ain't quite the same thing."

Well besides the fact HD TV's generally have a higher dot pitch then most monitors relative to screen size, have lots of image processing built in, a tuner, and don't have the same amount of supportable resolutions as many LCD's, how does that give a PC LCD an advantage image quality wise over a HD TV when changing from 720p to 1080p. It doesn't is the answer. If people say they notice the increase in image quality in changing resolution in a game from 720p to 1080p that is because they are sitting close enough to notice, and the game natively supports that res. and has higher resolution textures. The fact a lot of console games don't have native 1080p support and hence don't have those super high. resolution textures and just scale the image, blurs the situation making it difficult to tell 720p apart from 1080p visually, but for PC gaming it can be an entirely different story.

"at 5 foot viewing distance, which is the nearest you shoud sit to a TV for optimal viewing"

There is no hard and fast rule. While there are published standards on ideal viewing distances depending on size and type of content (SD or HD), I don't find their conclusions ideal. For a 32", I find 3-3.5 foot to be ideal..comfortable and I can resolve 720p to 1080p content at that distance. I use my TV for gaming mainly, but also sit at this distance for watching movies. If I had a 50" I'd imagine I'd be sitting much further back to avoid tennis neck .

ROC1977

I understand what your saying. But by the looks of things you don't seem to understand what I'm saying. Maybe I didn't explain properly.

3 to 3.5 feet from a 32inch screen is too near to watch your Tv. Firstly your are doing damage to your eyes.
And the human eye can't tell the difference from 720 to 1080p from optimal viewing distance. Obviously if your sitting 3 feet from your TV there will be a hell of a difference, but thats my point. Your sitting too close. Its not dependent on what medium your watching, it depends on the distance your watching from.

As for the difference between monitors over HD tv. There are loads, and the fact that monitors are designed to be used close viewing. Most HD TV can support 50 and 60 hertz where as PC monitors can support up to 120hertz.

Monitors have a much better picture quality than ANY HD TV on the market and always will.

To sum up... If you watch your HD TV from the correct distance and your screen is under 50inchs then the human eye can't tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. You can look it up anywhere you want... But just try trusting some how knows what they are talking about instead of listening to the currys sales man who caught you for a few 100 extra by selling you a 1080p TV when 720p would have done the job.

Flaccus

"3 to 3.5 feet from a 32inch screen is too near to watch your Tv. Firstly your are doing damage to your eyes."

Are you an optician or eye surgeon to say that I am doing damage to my eyes ? Are you ? Well, I'm not. But I am comfortable 3.5" feet from a 32" LCD TV thankyou very much. And I don't think I have done any damage, at least according to my most recent eye test. Thanks for the concern though.

"And the human eye can't tell the difference from 720 to 1080p from optimal viewing distance. Obviously if your sitting 3 feet from your TV there will be a hell of a difference, but thats my point. Your sitting too close. Its not dependent on what medium your watching, it depends on the distance your watching from."

I agree. It depends on distance. And my distance is 3.5" feet as it is for a lot of people on AVForums. In fact alot of websites recommend 4 to 6 feet for 32" (I believe WhatHiFi references some study an AV standards group did recently on one of their guides and recommended 6feet for SD content, but up to 4feet for HD), so 3.5" feet is not that far off. And suits me just fine. At the optimal distance you are talking about (5ft), I am sure I would find it difficult to resolve 720p and 1080p AV content. But for games (especially PC games) which natively support 1080p I can tell the difference immediately. Right up to 5 foot. So for me medium does matter. I take your point though that at "normal" viewing distances in the living room you'd need at least a 50" 1080p set to make 1080p worthwhile.

"As for the difference between monitors over HD tv. There are loads, and the fact that monitors are designed to be used close viewing. Most HD TV can support 50 and 60 hertz where as PC monitors can support up to 120hertz."

I know there are loads of differences. I mentioned a few of them in my last posts. But you are inferring refresh contributes to PC screens having an edge over HD TV's and being more suitable for upclose viewing. This reasoning is not correct. LCD's screens (be they PC monitors or HDTV's (not including CRT's here)) DO NOT support 120hz generally or are not designed to run at that high a refresh. Even going above 60hz to say 75hz at resolutions below 1680x1050 (which most PC LCD's can do) can cause problems for the overdrive chip on these screens, actually resulting in performance degradation. 50/60hz is the recommended refresh for all LCD screens be they for PC or HD TV. This goes all the way up to 2560x1600. So at 1080p there is no difference in refresh between HDTV and PC LCD. The only reason most PC LCD's look better up close compared to HDTV's is down to the lower pixel pitch on PC LCD's in general (which I mentioned already), and possibly in some cases better backlight uniformity, but then again, it's easier to get a more consistent backlight below 30"'s which most PC LCD's are. And there are HD TV's out there now which match PC LCD's in the dot pitch stakes.

"Monitors have a much better picture quality than ANY HD TV on the market and always will."

What a bold statement. It depends on the monitor doesn't it. My Sony Bravia 32X4000 is easily as good picture quality wise as my Dell 2709WFT 27" at 1920x1080. But the Sharp I had before that wasn't. This is all down to subjective viewing of course. Generally speaking you don't see reviews comparing PC LCD's and HD TV's image quality and backing it up with figures is therefore difficult, so I guess picture quality has to be subjectively judged by the individual then. Having said that in reviews I have read, and what I have read on AVForums, the screen I use now is generally regarded as a good PC replacement screen with virtually no input lag and superb image quality with a very even backlight. The good dot pitch is comparible to a PC LCD also makes it possible to use it up close with very little graininess. So your statement about PC monitors always having better picture quality then any HD TV on the market is not correct in my view. Perhaps you should have bought one of the newer 1080p sets to find out for yourself.

"To sum up... If you watch your HD TV from the correct distance and your screen is under 50inchs then the human eye can't tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. You can look it up anywhere you want... But just try trusting some how knows what they are talking about instead of listening to the currys sales man who caught you for a few 100 extra by selling you a 1080p TV when 720p would have done the job"

720P would NOT HAVE DONE the job mate. How would 720P have done the job when I want to play games at 1920x1080 from my PC. I'm certainly not going to waste my PC at 720p res. And I wanted a tv for PS3 games, PC games and BD playback in a small room. So 32" was the optimal size. Anything bigger and I would have had to sit to far away. And any smaller wouldn't have been ideal for BD movies. As it so happens I find 3.5" feet to be optimal viewing as I keep explaining. Nothing to do with listening to someone in Currys or being caught out by a few hundred euro. If I wanted I could have got a 720p set for 250-350 less then what I paid but I knew I wanted a 32" 1080p set with 24p support for BD movies, low input lag, good dot pitch for use with PC's, deep blacks, good colour vibrancy, good speakers, and would fit in a small room. I researched and bought the model I wanted. But I forgot you know what you are talking about and I musn't.

ROC1977

lol. I'm not an optician, but my younger sister is. Anyone who sits in front of a screen should get their eyes checked at least once a year. And you might not see (excuse the pun) the damage for a few years.
Anyway when you were small didn't you ever hear the saying. Don't sit so close to the TV or you eyes will go square!!! lol Average rule for viewing is this Screen size x 1.5 = viewing distance so ya for your TV about 4 feet would be ok.

When I mentioned monitors, i was just highlighting the fact that HD TV's and monitors have lots of differences.
I put it this way, get the best HD TV money can buy and get the best monitor money can buy, monitor will have a better picture. True LCD monitors can't reach 120hertz, but CRT monitors aren't crap just old. You'll find that CRT monitors have a better picture than LCD displays of any kind. Even though the monitors themselves are big, ugly and bulky.

"720P would NOT HAVE DONE the job mate. How would 720P have done the job when I want to play games at 1920x1080 from my PC. I wanted a tv for PS3 games, PC games and BD playback in a small room. So 32" was the optimal size. Anything bigger and I would have had to sit to far away. And any smaller wouldn't have been ideal for BD movies. As it so happens I find 3.5" feet to be optimal viewing. Nothing to do with listening to someone in Currys. But I forgot you know what you are talking about."

Yep I sure do. Thats why it makes me laugh when people fork out money for 1080p TVs for small screens, and then try to defend their buy.


Sony Tv better than the Dell ultrasharp2707 monitor don't think so. Which is regarded as on of the best monitors on the market. But what would I know I only work for 'em. lol

One question if you have a dell 27inch and a 30inch monitor why do you want to play your PC on a 32inch Tv at 1080p? When you could play at 1900x 1200 on the monitors. Different rooms?

Mate I'm not arguing with you, just banter. Passing the day at work.
Anyway it looks like your happy with your Tv so I guess thats all that matters.

Shouldn't have got a sony Tv though. Over priced, considering they have LG displays, like most other HD TV and monitors alike. But thats a whole different cartoon! lol

Flaccus

Actually CRT's have better colour reproduction but lack contrast and sharpness. So in my view LCD's can have better image quality. Suppose it depends on how you define image quality and what you use the screen for.

I have had numerous 2707 27", a 2709 recently, a few 2407's, and 2x3708s. And I know the image quality on the Sony is far superior then the 2707 and 2709. Have you done a side by side comparison. I have. And I have calibrated these screen correctly too with the correct equipment. The 2707 is using an older S-PVA panel. Even the newer 2709 uses a tweaked version of that panel. Guess what, both have input lag, in the case of the 2709 it's highly noticeable. The Sony does not have lag. The 1st LCD TV I have come across without. The Sony also has deeper blacks, and amazingly hardly any backlight bleed, something Dell screens, especially the larger ones are known for. The Dells also suffered from the screen door effect however slight, occasional image afterglow, and the dreaded banding (though most LCD's do). Plus in terms of upscaling SD to 1080p/i, the scalar chip on the 2707 wouldn't support 1080i. In general I found the image processing superior on the Sony in this regard. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise.

So I forked out money for a small screen. Well considering it's in a bedroom it's all relative. As I said, I certainly wasn't going to entertain a res below 1920x1080 with the PC I have, and I wanted the full BD experience too. Other screens in different rooms And I reckon 3.5 feet isn't so far off the 4 feet you are recommending

By the way, it wasn't just the panel I got the Sony for, it was for the 24p support which I found better with BD movies then LG or Samsung. Lots of other features too I wanted (Bravia Synch, better handling of upscaling low def content to 1080p), plus I preferred the blacks, backlight, and colours on the Sony to the other models I looked at. Better at gaming too then most. Samsung had very high input lag, and even turning off 120hz motion compensation did not fix it. Also, didn't want to bother with speakers just yet and the Sony's were decent. Good build quality too. Better then most. Good review of Sony here.
http://whathifi.com/Review/Sony-KDL-32W4000/

I am not trying to justify why I bought a 32" 1080p set. I am just saying a 32" 1080p set for my specific needs was ideal. There is a market for these things. And the people that buy them you will find use them for closeish viewing.

ROC1977

To be honest I haven't really looked at Sony in a while. I used to buy everything sony a few years ago until, they broke on me. Granted this was 10 years ago. But I've have Sony Tv's DVD players, home cinema systems and Ps2's all die after 12months. So I haven't bothered with them since.
I got my LG37inch Tv(forgot model No) about 3-4 years ago when LCD tv were expensive just under 3k at the time. But I must say the image is top, black levels aren't as good as some of the newer tvs today but 0 lag, 24fps great sound and 179 degree viewing angle. Back then no 1080p just 720p. Built in freeview, (even though use less in Ireland , and 7-1 card reader.I think its a great TV, but the reviews were only average. But like you said its what you want it for. I need a really bright display coz my living room has too much light during the day.

Anyway Flaccus we can continue our little debate another time. And I'd like to say its nice to talk to someone who knows what their talking about.
(take back my comment from earlier lol!)

No doubt we'll talk again.

Biro

Zonda999 wrote: »

2.My current 720p 32" lcd has an "optical out" port on the back.I could use this as the audio feed to the home cinema system but, when i connect the 360 to the tv via hdmi, then when the tv gives the audio to the HC system , will it still be 5.1 surround??I have my doubts.Anyone know what the story is with that one??

If the TV has an optical out, then I don't see why that won't work. It's taking a digital signal from the HDMI cable from your 360 and outputting the digital audio signal via the fibre to the optical in on the surround sound. Once the surround sound system has a digital signal it'll give you digital 5.1 surround.

Zonda999

Biro wrote: »

If the TV has an optical out, then I don't see why that won't work. It's taking a digital signal from the HDMI cable from your 360 and outputting the digital audio signal via the fibre to the optical in on the surround sound. Once the surround sound system has a digital signal it'll give you digital 5.1 surround.

I'm not too sure to be honest.It may give a 5.1 signal back out to the HC system but i dont know for certain.I guess it does'nt really matter now that i got a (Free:D:D) solution to my initial problem.I will try it out, though.I should have the sony by next week, when the shop gets it back into stock, that is.I'm able to get it in a shop for cheaper than anywhere online, just 200e.

I ordered this optical cable too yesterday but god knows when that'll arrive:rolleyes:. It should do the job as good as any cable, though, because its a digital signal right?? Anyone like to confirm this for me??.An optical cable in currys is 30e, last time i looked

Flaccus

ROC1977 wrote: »

To be honest I haven't really looked at Sony in a while. I used to buy everything sony a few years ago until, they broke on me.

Same here They got their act together only recently on their LCD TV's it seems. PS3 still has yet to die..LOL. 360 is another story :mad:

Flaccus

Zonda999 wrote: »

I'm not too sure to be honest.It may give a 5.1 signal back out to the HC system but i dont know for certain.I guess it does'nt really matter now that i got a (Free:D:D) solution to my initial problem.I will try it out, though.I should have the sony by next week, when the shop gets it back into stock, that is.I'm able to get it in a shop for cheaper than anywhere online, just 200e.

I ordered this optical cable too yesterday but god knows when that'll arrive:rolleyes:. It should do the job as good as any cable, though, because its a digital signal right?? Anyone like to confirm this for me??.An optical cable in currys is 30e, last time i looked

The cheapest optical cable does the job, though some of the really flimsy ones which comes with PC speakers can bend easily and prone to getting snipped accidentally.

Some TV's optical outputs won't output a full 5.1 signal, only 2.1, so I guess check your TV's specs. Other issues I have seen with optical outputs on tv's is sometimes the sound can get out of synch with the picture but some tv's have options in the menu to adjust delay. You won't know till you try I guess. As your AV system has an optical input, going from TV to AV system shouldn't be an issue though.

Biro

Flaccus wrote: »

Some TV's optical outputs won't output a full 5.1 signal, only 2.1, so I guess check your TV's specs.

Surprising really. You'd wonder what's the point! The TV already has the full signal.

ROC1977

Flaccus wrote: »

Same here They got their act together only recently on their LCD TV's it seems. PS3 still has yet to die..LOL. 360 is another story :mad:

Tell me about it on my 3rd 360. Fixed the RROD on the second 360 lasted about 12 months. Had to get the 3rd a few weeks ago