get surround sound from blu ray player

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sqlpro

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Ultimate Geek

#64865 24-Jul-2010 08:10

Hello Guys
quick question, are there any options if i want to get multi channel surround sound from a connected divice when there is no ciax or optical connection to home theater?

long story: I've this philips dvd home theater which have been using for awhile and quite happy with it. recently i purchased a blu ray player and connected this my home theatre and that works too. but issue is am getting only stereo sound and problem is my dvd home theater has analog audio connections only (red & white) !

any workarounds if i want to get full 5.1 surround sound .

PLEASE dont tell me i've to buy new home theater :o)

btw this is my home theater http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?ctn=HTS3105/98&scy=in&slg=en model HTS3105

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#355689 24-Jul-2010 08:26

There are unfortunately no options but to buy a new amplifier (and then probably new speakers as well) that supports SPDIF input or ideally HDMI input so you can take advantage of TrueHD which is on the majority of Blu Ray movies out now.

Nety

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#355690 24-Jul-2010 08:26

Um without being able to tell you that you need a new home theater I am not quite sure what to tell you... your input options are extremely limited?

I think your best bet would be to purchase something like what is discussed in this thread

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=64770

Unfortunately you will not even be able to use the speakers unless you cut the ends off as they seem to have proprietary plugs on them.

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sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#355696 24-Jul-2010 08:36

Thanks for all for your replies, i was hoping there would be some solution rather than spending another probably $1000.

Yes nety, it has proprietary plugs on them. btw are you referring to onkyo home theater in the thread you referred? and yes it has very limited connection options only red & white option.

Nety

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#355712 24-Jul-2010 09:53

Opps sorry linked to wrong thread and now cannot find the one I was thinking of.

What I was meaning to suggest was to get a low end but HD compatible AV amp. You would be able to get one for well under $1000 for instance

http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/receiver/onkyo/5-1-channel-av-receiver-sku-16318/

Dunnersfella

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#355895 24-Jul-2010 20:08

I'm sorry to say...
But a lot of people who buy 'home theatre in the box' systems end up in your position at some point.
I'd suggest a decent receiver (some good deals on HDMI 1.3 models should be around soon as companies move towards 1.4) and a basic satellite speaker / sub woofer pack.
I'd say you could sort something out for around $1200 from a store, less if you go second hand... but make sure you do A LOT of homework if you're buying second hand.

sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#355901 24-Jul-2010 20:24

Nety:
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/receiver/onkyo/5-1-channel-av-receiver-sku-16318/

Thanks Nety,that looks like good deal. in your previous post you said cut off ends but wont this AV receiver also have its own proprietary connections ? how do connect my speakers then ? sorry dont know much av receivers. Thanks for the advise.

sqlpro

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Ultimate Geek

#355902 24-Jul-2010 20:27

Dunnersfella: I'm sorry to say...
But a lot of people who buy 'home theatre in the box' systems end up in your position at some point.
.

Possibly yes but it has served me well and it sounds so good thats why i wondered if i could continue to use it. probably it was design fault that they did not include optical/coax connection just analog connectors.

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sbiddle

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#355906 24-Jul-2010 20:40

sqlpro:
Dunnersfella: I'm sorry to say...
But a lot of people who buy 'home theatre in the box' systems end up in your position at some point.
.

Possibly yes but it has served me well and it sounds so good thats why i wondered if i could continue to use it. probably it was design fault that they did not include optical/coax connection just analog connectors.

Not so much a "fault" - merely the fact the point of all in one units was that the DVD player is built in so there is no need to run cables from your DVD player to your amp.

I have seen some all in one units that do have optical connections but it's something 99% of people would never need or use so manufacturers would probably see no point in adding the feature.

Nety

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#355919 24-Jul-2010 21:32

sqlpro:

Thanks Nety,that looks like good deal. in your previous post you said cut off ends but wont this AV receiver also have its own proprietary connections ? how do connect my speakers then ? sorry dont know much av receivers. Thanks for the advise.

You would have to check with the amp you get but the standard connection types normally supplied with AV amps are a nut that clamps down on the wire or banana plugs which you can add to any speaker cable and make it easier to add and remove.

http://stereos.about.com/od/glossaryoftermsb/g/bindingpost.htm

sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#356315 26-Jul-2010 07:26

Nety:
sqlpro:

Thanks Nety,that looks like good deal. in your previous post you said cut off ends but wont this AV receiver also have its own proprietary connections ? how do connect my speakers then ? sorry dont know much av receivers. Thanks for the advise.

You would have to check with the amp you get but the standard connection types normally supplied with AV amps are a nut that clamps down on the wire or banana plugs which you can add to any speaker cable and make it easier to add and remove.

http://stereos.about.com/od/glossaryoftermsb/g/bindingpost.htm

Nety, if you dont mind can you see 3rd picture on this trademe listing. i want to know if this has one of the connections you mentioned (nut that clamps down on the wire or banana plugs)? Thanks

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Home-audio/Home-theatre/auction-304755994.htm

and anyone has ideas on this model ONKYO TX-SR507 , is it good?

Nety

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#356334 26-Jul-2010 08:29

Yes it does. They are the connections at the top right side of the picture.

Cannot talk of how good that amp is but googling TX-SR507 reviews seems to get some hits. One issue I see is that there is no support for a unpowered sub. I think the sub you have does not have a amplifier built in (ie is unpowered)?

sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#356339 26-Jul-2010 08:56

One issue I see is that there is no support for a unpowered sub. I think the sub you have does not have a amplifier built in (ie is unpowered)?

not sure but all my speakers & sub woofer connections go to dvd player directly. would that give some clue ?

Nety

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#356370 26-Jul-2010 10:11

Yes. It is not powered. So if you got the TM amp you would not have a sub which is a bad thing when the other speakers are small as yours are.

You can either get a higher end amp that can power the sub or pick-up a sub separately.

sqlpro

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#356378 26-Jul-2010 10:27

Thanks Nety, you've been very helpful. i think i've now some idea what to look for when buying these AV receivers.

Jaxson

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#356426 26-Jul-2010 12:05

Hey just watch out if you are planning on using the home theatre in a box speakers on a new receiver, as very often the are 4, even 2ohm speakers, in which case they may well not be compatible with a new receiver.

Yes the subwoofer will likely be unpowered.

Very often all the components are specified to work ok together and often sound very rubbish if powered by something else directly. If you do use the speakers again then look to make sure your new receiver has a microphone setup to compensate for the speakers quirks.

As has been mentioned, home theatre in a box units have very little inputs as they expect all the sound to be generated internally, either by CD/DVD disc or radio. Any inputs will likely be stereo line in's only. Same problem occurs if there is a optical drive fault in which case the units very quickly become close to useless.

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