# Suggestions on my Home Theater



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

Hello All, 

Looking for some advice, I am a female trying to get my home theater set up just right. 

This is the way it is set up as of now - 

Yamaha Receiver with 2 HDMI ports and 1 HDMI out port

PS3 hooked up to Receiver (HDMI cable IN)
Directv HD DVR hooked up to Receiver (HDMI cable IN)
Yamaha Receiver hooked up to HD TV (HDMI cable OUT)

The guy told me at the store I needed to buy Optical Cables for both the PS3 and Directv to hook up to the Yamaha Receiver (has two optical ports), he told me this would provide better sound. Sounds to me he was trying to make a little commission... 

Guess my questions would be, is my set up done correctly and if not how should I do it? And does the Optical cables help with the sound? I thought HDMI provides the sound already? Any help is greatly appreciated! 

-Erica


----------



## NorfolkBruh (Jun 9, 2007)

Erica,
The fact you are a female shouldn't have anything to do with it but he was trying to make a commission! Your HDMI cable handles both the video and sound. You do NOT need optical cables.

Norfolk

PS: I have a Yamaha receiver also and the same set up as you (only blu-ray rather than PS 3)


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

I know, I just figure if I was asking a silly question being female might let me off the hook! lol just kidding. But yea, he swore up and down I needed to buy these monster cable digital fiber optic cables - I purchased two of them (50 dollars each). I feel silly now  

so there is no point in having them installed correct? They wont assist in audio at all sir?

And is my setup correct or should I change it at all?


----------



## bobukcat (Dec 20, 2005)

ericazales said:


> I know, I just figure if I was asking a silly question being female might let me off the hook! lol just kidding. But yea, he swore up and down I needed to buy these monster cable digital fiber optic cables - I purchased two of them (50 dollars each). I feel silly now
> 
> so there is no point in having them installed correct? They wont assist in audio at all sir?
> 
> And is my setup correct or should I change it at all?


You definitely do NOT need optical for your setup, in fact only HDMI can pass the newest lossless HD Surround formats (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master) from your PS3 if your reciever can handle them. If your receiver can't handle them you can still get as good or better over the HDMI than you would optical.

As for if your setup is correct, that's a loaded question, there could be any number of opinions or answers to that one.  Seriously though, you'll want to make sure you have the audio output settings of the PS3 and HDDVR set to the highest quality that your AVR will accept. Other than that, speaker type and placement are probably the biggest factors in how well your setup will perform.


----------



## bobukcat (Dec 20, 2005)

And one other thing: :welcome_s to DBSTalk!


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Bobukcat is absolutely correct. I'd take those Monster optical cables back to the dealer and demand a full refund. The salesman either didn't know what he was talking about or he was just trying to make a sale of a high profit item that was not suited to your needs.


----------



## puckhead (Sep 22, 2007)

What's the model number of your Yamaha receiver? There are some receivers out there that don't process the audio from HDMI and only pass-through video in which case the salesman would be correct. (I hope not, OP :grin: )


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks for the welcome and the feedback! Gosh, I was just so excited about buying the system that I took his word for it and bought what he said I needed. Damn! 

Puck, My yamaha model is HTR-6130.


----------



## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

No optical cables needed


----------



## puckhead (Sep 22, 2007)

ericazales said:


> Puck, My yamaha model is HTR-6130.


Well, Amazon isn't always the best source, but according to the product description:



> Great Picture Quality for High-Definition Formats
> The HTR-6130 features dual HDMI inputs and one output that can support all HD video formats, including 720p, 1080i and 1080p. This means you can connect two HDMI sources, such as a DVD player and a high-definition set-top box, and enjoy the highest possible quality with HD display (*does not support audio signal*).


So it appears the salesman was truthful but you will need a way to connect your digital source's audio to have surround sound. That being said, I would still return those Monster cables and purchase some optical or coax cables from a more reasonable dealer like monoprice or something for waaaay cheaper than what you paid.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news and I hope someone has a better source than Amazon for the product description. I would love to be proven wrong for the sake of the OP.


----------



## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Folks,

The OP's Yamaha HTR-6130 is an HDMI-passthrough-only receiver. This means that the receiver is NOT able to extract audio from the HDMI stream; it merely switches the HDMI signals from the two inputs to the output. This means the Yamaha is NOT able to get ANY audio from the HDMI connection, so, in fact, the best way to get audio into the Yamaha is to connect optical (TOSLink) digital audio cables from the sources to the AV receiver.

Remember that just because a receiver has HDMI switching doesn't mean that it can get audio via HDMI; most manufacturers don't offer that feature until at least mid-point in their product lines.

Erica,

Please visit http://www.monoprice.com and get the cables you need there. They will be a small fraction of what you paid for HDMI cables at the electronics store, and will work just as well for you. If you need any help, please ask.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Yep, IIP (and puck) are correct. It's a limitation of that receiver.

As was mentioned, it can be solved by using optical cables, but if I were the OP, I'd consider returning that receiver and getting one that doesn't simply passthrough the HDMI.


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

going to return it tomorrow morning and get something different, Id prefer not to bother with the optical cables and just use the HDMI. I guess its my fault for not paying attention to detail. Thank you for all the advice, it means a lot.


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

Or could this combination be possible - 

Plug my Directv/PS3/Receiver into my TV with my HDMI cables (my TV has 3 HDMI ports). And as for the sound, plug my Directv/PS3 into the receiver with Optical Cables? Would this work or would there be problems?


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Yes, you could hook up your PS3 and your DVR into the TV via HDMI and then connect them via optical to the receiver (receiver then does not need to be connected to the TV). 

The only issue with this is that you will not be able to get lossless audio from the PS3. However, you'll still get a better version of DolbyDigital and DTS (the lossy tracks). Additionally, the PS3 does not output audio over multiple outputs at the same time. So, even though the PS3 would be connected to your TV via HDMI, you won't be able to get audio from the PS3 to your TV directly without going into the PS3 setup and changing audio to HDMI (when you first set up the PS3, you'll need to set up the audio to be output via optical). This means you'll need to use your surround system whenever you use the PS3. Usually not that big of a deal though.
You will be able to use your TV speakers to listen to your DVR though, if you want (since the HDMI cable will carry audio and video to your display).

That's exactly how my living room is setup and it works fine.


----------



## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> Yep, IIP (and puck) are correct. It's a limitation of that receiver.
> 
> As was mentioned, it can be solved by using optical cables, but if I were the OP, I'd consider returning that receiver and getting one that doesn't simply passthrough the HDMI.


I agree with returning the receiver and the $100 worth of cables and then spend that extra $100 towards a better receiver.
BTW, you didnt buy monster HDMI cables, did you erica?


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

I agree with the others on this. Return the receiver and cables. If price is a problem, you could go with the Yamaha RX-V465 or the Sony STR-DG820, both of which go for under $400, have decoders for the latest audio formats and have adequate HDMI inputs for your needs. If you have more money to spend, my preference would be the Yamaha RX-V663. The big disadvantage of the new Yamaha receivers (particularly the 465 and 565) is the fact that they don't have switchable AC outlets, which are desirable if you have a powered subwoofer. They also lack a number of other features that are standard on the RX-V663.


----------



## bobukcat (Dec 20, 2005)

Cholly said:


> The big disadvantage of the new Yamaha receivers (particularly the 465 and 565) is the fact that they don't have switchable AC outlets, which are desirable if you have a powered subwoofer. They also lack a number of other features that are standard on the RX-V663.


Don't most if not all powered subs turn themselves on and off by detecting and incoming audio signal, or lack thereof? I have only ever had two and they both did/do this rather well.


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

Heh, I tried this set up and I am not able to hook up my PS3 to the receiver at all. The yamaha has two optical ports in the back that read "SAT/CAB" and "CD". I tried both and niether work, I changed my setting's on the PS3 to optical and still got nothing. So now I am just stuck lol, is the optical cord bad? Bad optical port? Or am I doing something wrong? The optical cord I have is Monsters fiber optic DFO 400 btw. Dave - I was told to purchase a fancy HDMI cable to gurantee 1080p. Is there even such thing as a better HDMI cord? Please bare with me people lol, hope I'm not bothering anyone.


----------



## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

erica,
you can buy an HDMI cable from monoprice.com that will give you the same exact quality picture that you have now for around $5. You probably need to re-assign the optical inputs on the AVR.
If you have the time to do it, i would.....
return the AVR
return the optical cables
return the hdmi cable
and buy a AVR with all of that money

then go to www.monoprice.com and get the HDMI cables that you need.

How much money would you get back if you took the AVR and all of the cables back? Maybe I can recommend the best AVR to fit YOU and provide links to everything that you need.


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Regarding the PS/3 - You can't use an optical cable with the PS/3 if you are using an HDMI cable. You can, however, use an optical cable if you use a component video cable.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Cholly said:


> Regarding the PS/3 - You can't use an optical cable with the PS/3 if you are using an HDMI cable. You can, however, use an optical cable if you use a component video cable.


Hmm, I'm using HDMI to my display and optical to my receiver with my PS3 just fine.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

spartanstew said:


> Hmm, I'm using HDMI to my display and optical to my receiver with my PS3 just fine.


From the PS3 FAQ Master Thread at AVS

*If your AVR doesn't have a HDMI input and it has optical audio inputs while your HDTV display has a HDMI input, connect your PS3 to your AVR with an optical digital audio (i.e., Toslink) cable, and connect your PS3 to your HDTV display with an HDMI cable.

*


----------



## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

Cholly said:


> Regarding the PS/3 - You can't use an optical cable with the PS/3 if you are using an HDMI cable. You can, however, use an optical cable if you use a component video cable.


Yeah, it works, mine use to be hooked up like that.


----------



## ericazales (Mar 16, 2009)

is it the type of optical cable maybe?


----------



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

*Erica*, welcome to DBSTalk -- it's great to have you aboard! :welcome_s


dave29 said:


> erica, you can buy an HDMI cable from monoprice.com that will give you the same exact quality picture that you have now for around $5...then go to www.monoprice.com and get the HDMI cables that you need...


Monoprice is good -- I've ordered from them in the past, but *BlueJeansCable.com* is one of the DBSTalk sponsors that financially supports this site, so you may want give them a look and compare prices, selection and service before buying.

Again, welcome to the board.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

I thought monoprice was a sponsor too (or is that just at AVS)?


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

spartanstew said:


> From the PS3 FAQ Master Thread at AVS
> 
> *If your AVR doesn't have a HDMI input and it has optical audio inputs while your HDTV display has a HDMI input, connect your PS3 to your AVR with an optical digital audio (i.e., Toslink) cable, and connect your PS3 to your HDTV display with an HDMI cable.
> 
> *


Funny: I had tried using HDMI to DVI cable and RCA Audio on my Sony 32" CRT receiver and Toslink to my AVR. As I recall, there was a problelm- no audio, but it may have been no audio on the RCA's. At any rate, I purchased the Sony Component video/audio cable and it works fine, along with Toslink to the AVR.


----------



## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

BTW, for Cholly, you should never use the power outlets on your AVR for anything more than trivial low power devices, a sub, which could potentially draw high amperage should never be plugged directly into your avr. Those plugs are not rated for anything of substance, a simple dvd player or cdplayer, etc., is fine, but anything more than that is a no-no.

For Erica, I agree with all posts about returning the model Yamaha you bought and upgrading to a model that has full featured HDMI ports on it. Barring that, when you configure the PS3 for HDMI use, you have the choice of using both audio and video or just video, then you can also use the optical output for audio, which is the recommended setup for you current scenario. As far as connecting the optical cables to your Yamaha, usually the digital inputs are assignable to different functions, as in, it may be labelled as cd, or STB, etc, but you should be able to assign them to whatever function you want to use.


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

CCarncross said:


> BTW, for Cholly, you should never use the power outlets on your AVR for anything more than trivial low power devices, a sub, which could potentially draw high amperage should never be plugged directly into your avr. Those plugs are not rated for anything of substance, a simple dvd player or cdplayer, etc., is fine, but anything more than that is a no-no.


You are absolutely right! :eek2: I don't know what I was thinking of -- probably, when I moved down here some 3 years ago, I didn't pay too much attention to what I was doing, andwithout thinking of the power sensing of my sub, plugged it into the AC outlet on my AVR. Thanks for pointing out the error of my ways. To compound the error, I did some receiver shuffling a few weeks ago and simply hooked things up the way I'd done three years ago. 
All fixed now!


----------



## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> yea, he swore up and down I needed to buy these monster cable digital fiber optic cables


ANYTIME you hear the word "Monster" coming out of an audio salesperson's mouth it is for a commission. It is not to help the customer. Generally, although there are a few exceptions, anything audio with the Monster name attached is a ripoff.


----------

