Blog :: HDMI :: How to get the most out of your HDTV Part 2: Connecting Your HD System
How to get the most out of your HDTV Part 2: Connecting Your HD System
Now that you know what components and connections to use for your High Definition System you need to know how to properly connect everything to your home theater system . This is a very crucial part of the process because a wrong connection can cause you a problem that you may mistake as a flaw in the component itself. Connecting HD components to a TV or home theater system is not as complicated as many people think. Inputs can look intimidating but are actually very easy to figure out once you know what they are used for.
There are so many different options you can choose in order to connect HD components and I obviously can’t go over all of them, that would take forever. To make things easier I will go over the most commonly used approach which is through a home theater system consisting of a TV , Receiver and whatever components you are connecting to the receiver. If you are hooking components straight into your TV without a home theater system simply cut out the steps that involve the receiver and go straight to the TV.
Set Up Your Home Theater System First
Before you start connecting all of your components to your receiver or TV, make sure you have the basics down first. Set up all your speakers in the position you want them, connect them to the receiver , make sure your TV is plugged in and get all your components arranged in your cabinet or stand and plug them all in. Make sure again that all of your components and cables are the correct ones for your system. Once you have the basics down everything from here on out should be fairly easy.
Connect your Receiver to Your TV
Connect your HDMI Cables and/or Component Video Cables from the HDMI and Component Video Outputs on your Reciever to the proper Inputs on your TV. This is very important, the signal must be passed from your component to the receiver and then to the TV or you won’t have a picture.
Connecting with HDMI
This is probably the easiest connection you will ever have to make since it only involves one cable. There are many different components that are HDMI compatible: Blu-Ray Disc Players , HD DVD Players, DVD Players and Cable/Sattelite Boxes just to name a few. An HDMI connection requires a single plug-in from your component to your receiver or TV. If you are hooking up a Blu-Ray Disc Player or similar component, simply connect the HDMI cable from the output on your Blu-Ray to one of the HDMI inputs on your receiver. If you are connecting a high definition cable box/satellite receiver you will need to connect your cable wire from the wall to the input jack on your cable/satellite box, then connect the HDMI cable from the output on your cable/satellite box to an HDMI input on your TV or receiver. The TV or Receiver will usually have an HDMI input designated for Cable/Satellite use.
Connecting with HDMI is quite a simple process and should work no problem considering you connected your receiver to your TV like I talked about in the step above. Don’t celebrate just yet though, you might not be totally done. Most components and some receivers require you to go to the systems menu and change the connection type manually to a component video or HDMI connection depending on what it is connected with. Make sure that you check to see if your components require you to do this. If you don’t you may see a picture in a purple hazy color or no picture at all until you change the settings.
Connecting with Component Video
Although there are a few more connections you have to make, component video is not very hard to connect. Lets say you decide to connect your cable/satellite box and an Up-Conversion DVD player with component video. The cable/satellite box will be almost the same as the HDMI setup but with a few more connections. First connect the Component Video cable from your cable/satellite box to your receiver (make sure you match up the red, green and blue cables with the proper inputs). Then make sure that you also make an audio connection. Hopefully you inspected your cable/satellite box to see what kinds of audio connections that it has. If you have a digital audio connection I suggest using a Fiber Optic Cable or a Digital Coax Cable because they carry a cleaner digital signal, but if they aren’t available Analog Audio works just fine. You only have to make one connection with audio cables, which means you dont have to go from the receiver to the TV with audio.
A Few Things To Remember
- If you don’t get a picture right away don’t panic, you may have to manually switch your component to the video mode you want it in like Component or HDMI. Consult your owners manual.
- Not everything will be broadcast in HD, there are certain channels that your cable or satellite service will provide in High Definition but the rest will just be standard. You need a High Definition Cable/Satellite box to receive a high definition signal, regular digital cable will not broadcast high def.
You should now be ready to enjoy your High Definition Home Entertainment System. High Definition will give you a viewing experience like no other if you set it up correctly. If you have purchased any components or cables from us, our technical support team will be glad to assist you in your installation free of charge, call them at 1-866-224-6171.
October 31st, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Recently purchased an LG37lc7d and when connecting to my Bose Lifestyle 12 I do not get surround sound on th HD channels. Surround works fine on on all other channels. My book on the Bose system says to connect Bose receiver speaker jacks to the TV fixed audio output jacks. There’s nothing in my LG book indicating it has Fixed audio output jacks. Thanks
John Turner
November 1st, 2007 at 9:52 am
John,
The Lifestyle 12 is an old system and was not built for Digital Sound because there are no digital inputs. I am guessing that you are using analog audio cables to get the sound from your cable box (and if you aren’t you should probably try it). This is not an ideal setup for HD because digital sound is better than analog but it should still work if you use analog audio even though it won’t be as good.
Bose has come out with some great technology recently that is HDMI capable and fully supports all High Definition programming and digital surround sound audio. If you want a true HD experience I suggest you take a look at the some of the new Bose Home Theater Systems so you can get a High Def picture and Digital Audio.
November 30th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I recently bought a HDTV and an optical audio wire to run from the HD cable box to my Bose 3-2-1 system. The tips of the optical wire are the same shape as the ports on the cable box and the Bose but I can’t seem to get them in all the way. Are there different size wire tips or I am doing something wrong? Thanks.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Steve,
Fiber Optic Audio cables are universal and for the most part every fiber optic audio cable should fit every fiber optic audio port. I think I might know what you are doing, most fiber optic cables have a tip protector on the ends of the cable. It is usually a little clear cap that simply pulls off, you might have left those on which is why they won’t fit into the ports.
January 7th, 2008 at 3:21 am
I am not getting the audio on my system. The remote is between 85-100 before I get good clear audio on my cable box setting. I am working with these three main components, of course my Bose 321, a Scientific Atlanta HD cable box, and my Sharp 42″ Aquos.
I ran my HDMI cable from my cable box to one of my imputs on the TV, I ran my digital optical cable from my cable box to my Bose 321, and ran digital audio cables (red & white) to the tv. The volume on the TV is turned down to 0, and I am using the cablebox volume on my remote.
I am using component cables for the video and getting great pictures, but the audio seems like it should be of better quality.
Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?
January 7th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Raymond,
Two suggestions for you: 1) See if increasing the volume on your cable box (not your TV or 321) will do anything. 2) Try switching your cable box’s sound to a fixed audio output.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hi,
I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to hook up our new HDTV (Panasonic 50″) and our Bose 3-2-1 GSX theater system with our also new Direct TV satelite system, plus a Sony DVD! My son in law said to use S-video cables instead of component cables, but Bose said component cables were better. Bose system’s DVD player turned out to not be HD, so I hooked up the HD Sony DVD player to the Bose system. What is the best cable for digital audio and HD video? I asked Bose for a schematic to hook it all up and they said “to consult the manuals of all the components…which is contradictory in some cases.
I have too many cables behind the TV! Help!
January 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Anna,
The video is easy, use component for both. S-Video will not pass a high definition signal (720p, 1080i or 1080p) so your HD-DVD player would basically be a regular DVD player without component video. You should also use component video on your Satellite box whether it is capable of High Definition or not. Component is the best analog video connection you can have, better than both composite and S-video.
You need to check the audio connections on the back of both of your systems. The 321 will allow you to connect one device with an optical connection and up to 3 devices with coaxial. These are both digital signals and will give you digital sound which is the best. If neither have a coaxial connection then you will have to pick one to use with the optical and use analog (red and white inputs) with the other component. But if you can use a digital sound connection for a better experience.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I need to connect my HD TV to my DirecTV convertor and need the cable. My coonection to the DirecTV converter is a HDMI connection and the Mitsubishi TV connection is a HDTV Control (female connection with 8 pin holes on top and 7 pins holes on the bottom)connection.
Where can I buy the cable to connect my system?
January 21st, 2008 at 9:15 am
Marty,
We sell a wide variety of HDMI cables that will work with your setup. Follow this link to browse through them.
January 25th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
when hooking up with hdmi cables do i need to run seperate audio cables? I have a hdtv and receiver and cable box that all are hdmi connected. I have picture but no sound
January 28th, 2008 at 9:33 am
John,
While HDMI cables will carry a digital video and digital audio signal, many receivers were not made to repeat the audio signal. More than likely your receiver can’t pass audio through HDMI so you will have to run a separate audio cable from your cable box to your receiver (in the appropriate input of course). I would suggest using digital optical or digital coax (depending on what is available to you) for sound because either one will produce a similar digital signal to the HDMI cable. I have provided these links to our digital coaxial and digital optical pages if you are interested in buying.
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
I have a similar question as Raymond above. My new 321 as great sound through CD and Radio, but the DVD and definately not the TV reaches the quality I think it should. One guy at Best Buy said to connect the optical cable from the tv to the receiver and the other said it’s the HD Scientif Atlanta cable receiver to the 321. Which one is it? I assume I remove the other audio cables? I want to optimize ever I can.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Kelly,
Either way will work, but going from the fixed audio out on the TV requires you to make a connection from the cable box to the TV and then from the TV back to the 321. If you connect straight from the box you only have to make one connection so I suggest doing it that way. If you use optical cable, you will have to go to the 321’s menu and select the CBL/SAT input as the optical source. If you use digital coax (which your cable box may or may not have) you just need to plug it in to the CBL/SAT input. The digital coax input is the one located directly underneath the red and white analog audio inputs on the back of your 321. It is a single input that is black on your 321 but usually is orange on components like a cable box. It will be just as good as optical, it really depends on your preference as to which one you are going to use. Whichever one you use, you don’t need any additional connections, so you don’t have to keep the other audio cable coming from your cable box plugged in.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:31 am
My wife and I live in a small (1150 sq ft) house (new). The place that I had to locate my HDTV (2007 SAMSUNG-32″) is about 50-60 feet from where I had to locate the audio components! I would like to set up surround sound, etc, but I would have to rout the cables through the attic and down to the HDTV (no basement) and visa versa. Should I even attempt this? If so what would be your suggestions? Thanks for your advice….”RON”
February 4th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Ron,
This setup can be done but unfortunately it will be costly because of the distance you have to go. Fortunately for you we are one of the only sites on the web that does custom length Monster cables depending on what kind you need. We also stock long lengths of HDMI cable.
Here is what I suggest you do: Since you have a newer HDTV you more than likely have HDMI inputs. I suggest using HDMI for video because it will give you the best High Definition picture possible. If this is too costly for you then the best alternative is component video because it can also do high definition and is the next best choice under HDMI. Unfortunately we cannot do custom length HDMI cables, however we have a 50 foot and a 75 foot HDMI cable in stock (I assume that you will probably need the 75 foot which runs $700). I know that sounds a little pricey but it is one of the few HDMI cables out there that can hold a signal over that long of length. Don’t be fooled into buying a cheap HDMI cable for hundreds less only to find that it doesn’t work properly or doesn’t work at all when you connect it.
Like I mentioned earlier this is not your only option, you can also use component video to connect to your TV, the quality will still be good (but not as good as HDMI) and it will cost you probably around $200 less at that length. Those are the two cables I suggest for video purposes. If you are going to get a surround sound system, I will assume that you are not going to be running audio cables to the TV though we can do custom length audio cables also.
I am also not sure if your components are somewhere that can be reached by remote or if they are hidden away but I imagine you don’t want to have to aim the remote in another part of the room to reach them. If you want to eliminate this problem I suggest you get an infrared repeater system that will allow you to aim a remote at a single sensor for all your components. For this you will need a sensor, cat-5 cable that is the right length for your system, a system hub and an ir flasher for every component you have.
I will recap what I have suggested to you and give you links to the product pages of each product. If you want to do a custom length look for it underneath the Buy Now Button on the product page.
1) Video: Either HDMI 75 foot or Component Video (Custom length)
2) Audio (if necessary): Digital Coaxial Custom Length (better) or Analog Audio Custom Length (good)
3) Niles IR Sensor (Wall Mount or Surface Mount), Cat-5 Cable, IR Hub and One IR Flasher for each component you have.
Here is a link to another article explaining How to Set Up an IR Repeater System if you are interested in getting one.
February 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am
My Sony 42″ LCD is mounted on a half-wall in the middle of our living room. We have a pre-installed cable tube running from that half wall back, through the floor, to the corner where all the audio and visual equipment is located. Here’s the issue. Rather than run lots of cables through the tube in the floor/walls, I’d like
to have a switch on the corner shelf, that selects from either the Comcast Cable box, or from the Sony DVD player, and send the signal through one cable, either HDMI or component. So far, the only switches I’ve seen are as big as the Comcast digital box itself. Have you seen a small switch for HDMI cables? For Component cables?
Thanks!
Rick
February 4th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Rick,
You are in luck. We just got Monster Cable’s new HDMI switcher a few weeks ago. It is considerably smaller than a cable box and will give you an excellent HD signal. Here is a link to the product page. We don’t have anything like this for component video.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
When I hooked up my DVD player(not HD) to my new 50 inch Panasonic TV using component cables, the picture was a purple/pink color when playing a DVD. What causes this? Do I need different cables? Thanks.
February 26th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Dick,
I don’t know what kind of DVD player you have but I think I know what your problem is. You need to look on the DVD players settings or menu to see if you have to manually switch the output to component video. Many DVD players have this, it could also be a switch on the back of your DVD player but again I don’t know what kind you have so I couldn’t tell you where it is. You need to do some exploring to try and find something that allows you to switch your output to component video. The reason it is showing a pink picture is that it thinks you still are connected with composite or S-video. If you can’t read the screen when its pink, connect with composite video just so you can see, switch your output on the menu to component video then turn it off and connect with component video. Hope this works out for you.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I would like to connect my TV about 35′ from the receiver with an HDMI cable. Will I loose signal quality by connecting it so far.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Joe,
You wont loose signal quality if you use the right cable. Many people believe that all HDMI cables are the same because they all pass a digital signal. That is not true, I will tell you right now that if you go the cheap route there is no way you will get a quality signal or possibly any signal at all with that far of a distance. Distance is probably the most important factor in HDMI signal quality so you need to choose a good cable. Monster Cable makes the best HDMI cables in the industry and can easily pass a 35 foot signal. They also make HDMI cables specific to in-wall installations which I imagine is what you will be doing at that distance. For you I would suggest the Monster MC 1000 HDMI cable for a few reasons. First of all it is CL2 rated which means it is able to be run in wall. Second it is guaranteed for life to pass the highest possible HDMI bandwidth so you will never have to switch it out when technology changes. Is it more expensive than other 35 foot HDMI cables, yes but its quality and performance is unmatched. We do sell it in 35 feet, here is a link to the Monster MC1000 HDMI cable product page if you are interested.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
First I have to say this is a great site. Thanks for explaining all these stuff. But I have some questions. If u can, please help me out. I have a Sony 52″ xbr5( it has 2 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output),Harmon Kardon cp 65 ( has 2 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output), Sony BDP S500 Blue Ray player (1 HDMI output) and a Fios HD Cable Box(1 HDMI output). Can I hook my bule ray player and my cable box directely to TV’s HDMI input and then TV’s HDMI output to Harmon Kardon reciever’s HDMI input? I am so confused now. Pls help me….
Shirley
April 8th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Shirley,
I think where you are getting confused is your receiver. You probably think that you need two HDMI outputs for the two inputs but that is not the case. When you have two HDMI sources plugged into the inputs, your Receiver will send the TV the one that is in use over the HDMI output and shut the other one off until you decide to use that particular input and vice versa. Here is how you should connect your system, connect your Blu-Ray and your Fios Cable Box to the inputs on your Harmon Kardon Receiver. Once you have done that plug one end of an HDMI cable into the receivers output and the other to your TVs HDMI input and your done. Like I said earlier you only need the one connection from the receiver to the TV to use both the Blu Ray and Cable Boxes signals. Hope this helped. If you need additional HDMI cables here is a link to our HDMI cables section.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I recently purchased an acoustimass 16 series II system. Bose advises not to hook the speakers up directly to the receiver, rather to terminate through the acoustimass. I plan on buying a high end receiver from Denon on Yamaha. Should I hook the speakers up directly to my receiver or go through the acoustimass? I have already run my heavy gauge in-wall Monster speaker wire and I didn’t know the acoustimass doesn’t have a left and right terminal connection for the speaker wire. How can I solve this problem? Thanks for your help.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Brian,
With the Bose Acoustimass 16 system you will need to run the wires through the Acoustimass module. I would not recommend running them straight to the receiver. To hook up your monster wire you can use one of our Bose speaker wire adapters.
December 5th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I have a Pioneer PDP-5010FD HDTV, a HDTV cable box, a PS3 and Bose GSX series III. Is it possible to run all my HDMIs to the TV and use the optical out to the Bose system?
December 6th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I am upgrading to HD and want to do it right. but I’m new to this and have a couple questions. I just bought a Bose 321 GS II and am getting the 720p Sony Bravia next week. I also have the xbox 360 pro and intend to get the Sony Blu-ray. I noticed my Bose system does not have HDMI inputs. I know HDMI is supposed to carry both audio and video, but can I run HDMI directly to my TV for the best video and separate coaxial connections for digital sound directly from my components to my Bose system? Or is there a better way to connect so that all my components have the best possible picture and sound? Also, is there a huge difference in HDMI cables if run a short distance?
Thanks so much for your time,
Carl
December 9th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hi, I just purchased a converter from DishNetwork. How do I hook it up to my TV and my satellite dish?
December 30th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I have a Harmon Kardon receiver AVR146 Playstation 3 and HDTV. I have two HDMI cables but I know the Harmon won’t transmit audio. Would you explain in what order they should be hooked up and where the audio cable should go? Thanks.
April 5th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hi, I have a brand new 46” Sony LCD. I am basic cable, but is my picture going to be better once the switchover is done June 12th? DO NOT want to upgrade and pay cable company another $20 a month for expanded and HD converter box. Also, what is best way to hookup a Blu-ray player to my system? Sony 46”, Panasonic SA-HE9 100X5 A/V receiver, two optical inputs, no HDMIs. Thank you.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hi, We have a 52″ Sony Bravia HD LCD hooked up to a HD converter box using component. I am considering purchasing a home theater system but do not know how to hook up speakers in order to also be able to hear TV programs through them. Can you help?
Thank you.