scottvp

When I connect up the HDTV as my center channel, I get really thin wavy lines in it whenever there is sound. Mainly the 'big boomer' sounds. Still, it is annoying. This happens regardless of what is being broadcast. My stereo has regular speaker out plugs - where the bare wire are put in after your release a spring button (it is a Sony). Well, the jack on the HDTV is a RCA style. I had to make the cable for this. I took a good quality long cable and cut the end off one to put it in my stereo. Still, the lines are there.

Any help out there?


My HDTV is a Toshiba 57H82 (really nice, except for this)

Ratman

I'm surprised it even works! You could hurt both your receiver and the TV!

You do not have this hooked up properly! The receiver is 'speaker level' outputs and the TV has 'line level' inputs. You need to either puchase and adapter/converter or see if your receiver has a 'pre-out' (RCA-type) for the center channel and just run an RCA audio cable from the receiver to the TV. You will probably need a "Y" adapter also.

scottvp

I really appreciate your help. I had assumed that since I had a 'surround receiver' that the center channel could be hooked up. I don't pretend to know what this 'line level inputs' is, but I will look into it more closely.

If I was just watching DVD, and have 5.1 dolby out of my DVD, could I hook up the center channel from that output? Of course, then it wouldn't get me what I am looking for on my Direct TV center channel. I am really at a loss here.

Is there a receiver out there that I should look for that would have this function? I like the sound I was getting from the TV with it hooked up like this (despite and occasional 'scratch' on the high side), and would like to pursue it further.

Thanks again!

Ratman

You have a surround receiver and the center channel will work! But the way you are hooking it up is incorrect.

I'll try to make this 'simplistic'...
The speaker outputs (speaker level) on the receiver (the pushy thingys that accept bare wire) are meant to have 'a speaker' connected to it. That connection outputs power meant to drive the speaker.

The audio input on your TV is line level (RCA connector). Line level doesn't require power, just a signal low enough to be 're-powered' by the TV's amplifier that go to the TV's speakers.

What is the make/model number of your receiver? The manual should show what outputs are available so we can get this connected properly. If not... then just buy a real center channel speaker!

scottvp

Ok. I understand now.

My receiver is a Sony STR-DE715. There isn't an output (RCA) that will connect to any speaker. Just has the speaker terminal jacks.

Are there receivers out there that have this type of output? I guess then that I would have to have the TV on when listening to music also, unless I connected up a separate set of speakers specifically for the music (there is a set of terminals for connecting up the mains) and switch from A to B.

I have Bose Acoustimass -5 speaker system for the front and two Klipsch speakers for the rear surround.

Thanks again for your help!

zarlor

There are plenty of recievers with RCA-style jacks for center channels. I know that the Denon AVR-3801 (I think the 3802 has replaced that model, though) has it, but that is a higher-end reciever that will depend on your price range if you wanted to go with something like that.

But as mentioned earlier you can just run down to any decent electronics store, like a Radio Shack, and get a converter to will properly allow you to switch your speaker level out to a line-level output. Then your current reciever will work just fine for this purpose and you won't have to worry as much about overloading your TV's electronics. So you should get no more lines... Actually that may not be completely true... if you are having a grounding problem (whcih is very common) and some outlet in yoru house or your cable comming in is grounded differently then the other parts of the system you could still get lines in the video and/or a low hum in the audio. You'd need to get a filter to correct that problem.

And you could put your TV on for center channel fo all your receivers need (my Zenith IQB64W10W has AWESOME speakers for acting as the center channel), but for music you probably wouldn't need to anyway, since most of that is Stereo (Front Right and Left channel only). And you can always put the TV to an empty input to turn it on but not really drive the video guns if you are worried about that.

__________________
Lenny Zimmermann
zarlor@acm.org

DISCLAIMER: I am not and have never been some kind of video expert. Take absolutely everything I post (along with anything else you read on the internet) with a HUGE grain of salt! If you really want the most complete and truthful answer, go to engineering school and find out how this stuff REALLY works.

petersr

I have a hum in my center channel speaker, that you mention can be handeled with filters and may be caused by improper ground. What type of filter can I use to get rid of this. I know the center channel is shilded. Below is my system setup in case it matters.

Reciever: Pioneer VSXD811s
Speakers: All Infinity
Center Entra
Sub Entra
Main Interlode10 Bookshelf
Surrond Quad
TV: Pana CT36HX41
Time warner cable with HD box.

zarlor

Oh boy, that's one big can of worms...

Well, the best thing to do is isolate where the ground loop hum is coming from. The best way to do it is to disconnect everything, then plug things in one at a time until you find the thing giving you the hum. Then you will know what is not grounded correctly.

However, I can tell you that the MOST common point of problem tends to be the cable or satellite connection. Disconnect your cable and see if the hum goes away. If it does then you just need to put a ground loop isolator on that line. Check out http://www.cinemasource.com/articles/gnd_loop.pdf for some more info that might be of use. And a decent place to find isolators and such might be at Parts Express .

__________________
Lenny Zimmermann
zarlor@acm.org

DISCLAIMER: I am not and have never been some kind of video expert. Take absolutely everything I post (along with anything else you read on the internet) with a HUGE grain of salt! If you really want the most complete and truthful answer, go to engineering school and find out how this stuff REALLY works.