hooking up fiber optic cable from av receiver to cable box

[chuckychez]

I now have componet cables hooking up my hdtv cable box to my hdtv television and the audio from the tv programing is dolby 5.1
and the digital music channels audio from comcast broadband is very satisfactory now, but to get better sound could I also add besides what I have now , a fourth cable ( a fiber optical digital cable) from my cable box to my harman kardon surround sound receiver on the two fiber opical jacks one on the cable box and one on the av receiver ,
or can't you do that , if its already hooked up with componet cables and its working fine ? if so will this give me even better audio quality then I am getting now with those three componet cables alone ?
and also, do I have to set the correct Digital Input within the AV
Receiver's internal menu so that it will know to "look" at that input
for the correct source selected on your AV Receiver.
any idea how to do that ? thanks

[RNAChemist]

the component cables have nothing to do with the audio. They each carry a distinct part of the video signal.

If you are getting sound now, you must have hooked up a digital audio cable (either coaxial or optical) in order to hear 5.1 sound or possibly an analog cable from your HD box to the AVR???

[57]

You may wish to read the FAQ on "Cables and Connections".

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...forum.php?f=57

[chuckychez]

Ok RNA Chemist thank you very much for this information
To be honest with you , I had to pay a technition $300.00 to come over to my house and hook up the surround sound and install the two rear speakers onto the wall for me, and I didn't watch him while he was doing the hookups
So according to what you say , I guess he must have hooked up a digital audio cable to my av receiver( I know it wasn't an fiber optical cable because those jacks are all free , I will have to check and see if there is a digital coax cable running from the cable box and into the av receiver
I have sound from the television even when the television is turned off as long as the AV receiver is turned on and the volume adjusted on the AV receiver. ( I wonder what that signifies ?)

[57]

Originally Posted by chuckychez

I have sound from the television even when the television is turned off as long as the AV receiver is turned on and the volume adjusted on the AV receiver. ( I wonder what that signifies ?)

Does this mean that you're using the TV speakers as your "main" speakers? Most people who have an A/V receiver have it connected to dedicated speakers in a 5.1 setup. (Left Front, Center, Right Front, Left Rear, Right Rear, Subwoofer)

If you are using your TV speakers and you don't have a set of "dedicated" speakers connected to your A/V receiver, it probably doesn't matter much what connection you've got to your receiver (digital or analogue), because without the dedicated speakers, you're not really listening "in" DD5.1

Perhaps you should visit this site:

http://www.dolby.com/Consumer/HomeEntertainment/Setup/

[chuckychez]

Does this mean that you're using the TV speakers as your "main" speakers?
No I am not using the tv speakers as my main speakers in any shape or manor , otherwise I couldn't hear any sound from the tv with the tv shut off and I defintely can hear sound loud anc clear coming out of all five speakers, so I guess the technition connected to dedicated speakers in a 5.1 setup. (Left Front, Center, Right Front, Left Rear, Right Rear, Subwoofer)

[Rick]

So, likely you have a coax digital audio cable hooked up now, and you want to know if an optical one would improve things? My answer would be no, not at all. They both carry the same bitstream. Some people have said that coax is better -- I don't think I have heard of anyone claiming optical is better. (But I'm sure there must be some -- audio can bring out the most nitpicking side of people!!)

... Rick

[chuckychez]

Thanks Rick and fellows ! I definitely learned a whole lot more about home theatre then I knew before I logged onto this forum
So I think I will stick with what I got ( it looks like its fine !)
fiber optical cable from cd player to av receiver
fiber optical cable from cable box (hdtv and digital 45 channels of music)
to av receiver
a thick monster cable digital coaxial> from dvd player to av receiver
and rca red & white composite cable from vcr to av reciever
The video is
one composite for my vcr to tv
and componet cables for the dvd player and my hdtv cable box for the television

[RNAChemist]

Originally Posted by Rick

Some people have said that coax is better -- I don't think I have heard of anyone claiming optical is better. Rick

coax is better? has anyone performed a test with both types of cable and compared the output sound from a particular DVD? Just curious. I would have thought that optical is better since it avoids RCA type terminals?

[Rick]

I can't remember where I read that statement that coax was better. Probably some years ago when I used to read "Stereophile" before I got completely fed up with it. There were a lot of articles on "jitter" which was said to be somehow introduced via a digital connection. I'm afraid I am of the "bits are bits are bits" philosophy -- they either get delivered or they don't, and if they don't you will certainly know it!

I dropped Stereophile when I read a statement something like "The difference was so clear, you could even detect it in a blind test!" Think about that one.

... Rickl

[JohnnyG]

The whole jitter thing comes into play because there is no timing mechanism built into the Toslink standard. So "bits are bits are bits" is absolutely correct, and they all arrive and can be all correct, but since it's a "real-time" system, if the timing of those bits isn't 'perfect', you can apparently hear it. I'm more than skeptical myself.

[JimmyFace]

Originally Posted by RNAChemist

coax is better? has anyone performed a test with both types of cable and compared the output sound from a particular DVD? Just curious. I would have thought that optical is better since it avoids RCA type terminals?

I've tested both and I found that coax sounded better. In my particular setup I found that the voices tended to take a slight "talking in a cup" sound when using an optical cable where this disappeared with coax. It was minimal but it was there. I tested a relatively low-end optical cable versus a RCA yellow video cable for my digital coax cable.

There could be any number of reasons for this however these were my findings with my particular setup.