Hey guys, so I will be buying the following in a day or so. I have 3 questions I listed below-

Samsung LED TV (4 HDMI ports)
Xbox 360 (One HDMI port)
Home Theater In a Box system PLUS Blu-Ray player - (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9321682&type=product&id=1218084655189)

1. Now I looked at the Blu Ray player, and saw that there was only an HDMI output, and he said there were no video inputs. What exactly does that mean? It has an HDMI AV output so can't we run an HDMI cable from the TV to the blu ray player to get even better quality (thanks to the HDMI cable?) Or is there like a thing I can buy to make a connection?


2. Basically, how can I get the highest VIDEO quality and SOUND quality if I am watching a blu-ray movie? I use the HDMI cable to go from the TV to the blu-ray dvd player, but what do I do for the speakers? Take another HDMI cable and run it from the tv to the speakers this time? I don't know if HDMI is for sound also, or what cables are best for sound.


3. What about when playing my Xbox 360? I run one HDMI cable from the tv to the xbox360, and do I take another HDMI cable and connect it from the tv to the speakers or something? I don't even know if speakers have inputs/outputs lol, so it is a random stupid question. Does the blu-ray player act as the receiver?

Please help out if you can, sorry I couldn't explain it too much so let me know if you want me to clear stuff up. Thanks a lot!

You worry too much...Connect the home theater in the box to your TV via HDMI cable you buy at monoprice.com...Connect the xbox to the HTiB and VOILA! you have everything connected...The speakers will already be connect to the receiver so you don't use anything else...

1. HDMI from HTiB to TV... done.
2. Nothing to do except connect speakers to HTiB according to the manual.
3. Run HDMI from 360 to the TV.
Note: you may also want to connect an optical cable (Toslink) from 360 to HTiB for DD audio.

Connect the xbox to the HTiB and VOILA!
Not quite... no HDMI (or any video inputs) input on the HTiB. ;)

So for Blu-Ray, just an HDMI cable from the tv to the actual blu-ray player? The HDMI cable acts as BOTH audio and video, so we don't need to use 2? Do I have that right?

What exactly is "DD" audio? I'm not good with these things sorry. And the Xbox 360 only has one HDMI port, so if I run a cable from the xbox 360 to the TV, how would I be able to also connect the Toslink Optic cable? Or did you mean something else?

Also, what does it mean that there is no video inputs but there is an HDMI output? I just heard it on a review but don't know what it means lol- I'm just confused on the blu ray player set up

The Blu-Ray player is built in to the receiver. If you want to plug in an external Blu-Ray player, that is not a good receiver for that.

If you want to plug in an external Blu-Ray player, check out the Onkyo HT-S6200 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S6200-7-1-Channel-Entertainment-Receiver/dp/B002C73WS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1251405471&sr=8-1

Compguy123,
Your HTiB is audio. It also has a built in Bluray player. One HDMI cable from the HTiB to the TV for video and you're done!

Hook up the 360 with HDMI to the TV.

Once you get your gear and read your manual(s). We can go from there if you need assistance.

IMHO, you're asking questions blindly. No matter how explicitly (or simply) we try to answer, you don't have the concept yet. Wait till you get your feet wet.

Oh I don't need the external use for it, sorry for the confusion-

I just don't know how I can run an HDMI from my tv to the 360 and then also an optic cable toslink, I asked around and a lot of people told me the HDMI is best for sound and video, even compared to the optic cables.

Try to understand the concept:
You run cables "TO" the TV.

One more time:
HDMI from the HTiB TO the TV for video from Bluray player (audio handled internally by HTiB)

HDMI from the 360 TO the TV. Video and audio will be sent to TV...
but! You will have to use the TV's speakers for sound.

If you want better sound from 360 (DD..... Dolby Digital), then you must also run an optical (Toslink) cable from the 360 to the HTiB in addition to the HDMI from the 360 to the TV.

And that's the way it is...
Please read your manuals when you get your gear and before you hook everything up! ;)

Toslink is limited to 5.1 audio. (6.1 with DTS-ES). You need HDMI, or discrete analog cables, for the new HD audio codecs. Toslink doesn't have enough bandwidth for the higher bitrate.

But for game playing on the 360, DD 5.1 should be just fine.

As for hookup, I don't have a 360. But I believe you can use the HDMI cable to the TV for video, and optical to the receiver for audio. Then you turn the receiver to the correct input for the 360 so you can hear it through the home theater speakers.

Oh now I get it Ratman, now I really understand it a lot better, just one more thing:

Can you please when you have the time, look at the Blu Ray player and figure out if what you posted fits the description of the player? Like if it has enough ports to fit the directions you posted? Example: (Like what if it doesn't have an HDMI place?)

So basically the optic cable is only to make the sound better, right?

"If you want better sound from 360 (DD..... Dolby Digital), then you must also run an optical (Toslink) cable from the 360 to the HTiB in addition to the HDMI from the 360 to the TV."

Can you please when you have the time, look at the Blu Ray player and figure out if what you posted fits the description of the player? Like if it has enough ports to fit the directions you posted? Example: (Like what if it doesn't have an HDMI place?)

I'll try this one more time:
The HTiB has a built-in Blruray player.
The audio is handled internally (for the best sound) by the HTiB. Just connect the speakers as described in you manual.
The video (for Bluray)will be sent via the ONLY HDMI OUTPUT from the HTiB (with the internal/built-in Bluray player) which gets connected to the TV's HDMI INPUT.:eek:

So basically the optic cable is only to make the sound better, right?
Yes... specifically for the 360 only!

Alright, thanks a whole lot everyone for the help, it was probably annoying but sorry I'm so lost and new on this stuff. Also should have this stuff in front of me, I'm just trying to figure out how many HDMI cables and stuff to order, from the good sites that sell them for cheap of course

I have a really good picture on how to set it up once it arrives here so that's great, I'll post back or pm once it is fully set up. Thanks a lot once again, really really appreciate it!

Once your read your manual(s)... twice? It will all fall into place.

It's not rocket science. The most important thing to comprehend is "input" and "output" or as I like to refer to them as, "guzintas and guzoutas". :)

Yeah I was trying to picture all of it but I guess it didn't work lol, I'm guessing it's going to be a lot easier once I actually have it in front of me. Right now I was taking a few guesses on how many inputs/outputs it had and stuff, along with the cables, so I guess I should have waited :P I like the two words you relate the input/output to lol

Thanks again!

Hard to believe how hard this is for some people. I didn't need no manual to know all this. It's common sense. :p

It must be good to be you.:rolleyes:
Cut the guy a break.:(

Hard to believe how hard this is for some people. I didn't need no manual to know all this. It's common sense. :p
I am soooo proud of you.

I am soooo proud of you.

I didn't mean to be hard on the guy. I try to be patient about these things. I'm actually still working on teaching my parents how to use my home theater receiver when they come over my place to visit. They turn on the TV and wonder why there's no sound. I say, "Just press the power button on the receiver." They're like "Oh, ok!" Next time they visit, they ask the same question and the same thing happens over and over. They just find it soooo complicated.

I didn't mean to be hard on the guy. I try to be patient about these things. I'm actually still working on teaching my parents how to use my home theater receiver when they come over my place to visit. They turn on the TV and wonder why there's no sound. I say, "Just press the power button on the receiver." They're like "Oh, ok!" Next time they visit, they ask the same question and the same thing happens over and over. They just find it soooo complicated.

My Dad is the same way, I don't think they care at all about the added sound QUALITY. Just crank the TV up as high as it will go and they are good to go.