Ok, here's what I'd do.
Assuming:
- Your TV will do component as an input function (meaning when you plug them in, you can still watch cable tv...I've seen some where when you use component, it takes your tuner away (stupid idea to me)).
- You can assign digital inputs to modes on your receiver (meaning you can make the DVD mode use the optical jack as its primary input....see the manual for switching input modes)
- You don't want to watch DVDs on anything but surround sound (night-viewing?). You can easily fix this by running audio from the DVD to the audio input on your TV. That way you don't
have to have the receiver on to hear your DVDs. Same thing goes for the VCR. If it doesn't make a difference, then forget what I just said.
DVD -> component video (y/Pb/Pr) -> Input 1 on TV
DVD -> optical digital audio (see Gonz's link, but don't buy it from there) -> Optical input on receiver
VCR output -> composite (yellow/red/white) -> VCR input on receiver
Receiver output -> composite (yellow/red/white) -> Input 2 on TV
Cable box -> coaxial digital audio (orange) -> receiver
cable box -> ??? video -> TV
cable box -> ??? sound -> TV
The last lines will probably be done by your installer. My guess is it'll be s-video to your TV. If you can help it, do s-video over composite (the yellow plug).
To watch this.........switch to this
TV...................receiver: satellite
VCR.................TV: Input 2, Receiver: VCR
DVD.................TV: Input 1, Receiver: DVD
As I said before, if you dont want to have to always turn on the receiver to listen to a source, just run audio cables from the source to the matching input on the TV.
One downside is that your receiver doesn't do S-Video. Mine doesn't either, so don't worry. You won't see a difference with this setup because your only video source from the receiver is VCR, and its using composite (a step down from s-video). If your VCR supported S-video, it'd be a little different, but from what little I find on it, it doesn't look like it does (and being 8-years old pretty much says no
).
The cable boxes here have DVI, but they aren't enabled (by default from the factory from Motorola). Dunno if its different in your area or not, but you'd have to have a DVI-capable TV (dunno if that one does) in order to use it.
I have a feeling after writing all this I'm missing something obvious. Someone hit me now, maybe it'll surface.
tommyj27 said:
^ best buy employee that knows shit.
I know some stuff, not everything. Best Buy didn't/won't teach me shit.
Hence the different answers from employees Spot received. You learn on your own, theres no training or anything. There is usually a jewel or two in each department that knows his/her shit inside and out, but finding this person is usually tricky.
