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How do I set up my Home Theater so that the TV's sound always comes from it?

post #1 of 30
6/13/12 at 11:12am
Thread Starter 
I'm completely new to this. I have an LG home theater system with blu-ray. How do I set it up so my TV always plays sound from this instead, even when I play DVDs from my older player? Is 1 hdmi cable attached to my HDTV good enough to do this, or do I need something else. The Blu-Ray Home Theater system only has 1 HDMI output. I don't have an HDMI cable (it's on order) so I can't test it.
Edited by avsusername - 6/13/12 at 11:22am
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post #2 of 30
6/13/12 at 1:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by avsusername View Post

I'm completely new to this. I have an LG home theater system with blu-ray. How do I set it up so my TV always plays sound from this instead, even when I play DVDs from my older player? Is 1 hdmi cable attached to my HDTV good enough to do this, or do I need something else. The Blu-Ray Home Theater system only has 1 HDMI output. I don't have an HDMI cable (it's on order) so I can't test it.

To always play audio from your HTiB, you need to connect the HDMI out from the LG HTiB to the tv. That way, when you watch BD/DVDs the audio will be heard thru the the LG and the video will be passed to the tv. Just make sure the tv audio is off or you may get echoing. To watch tv only but hear the audio thru your LG HTiB, you'll have to connect the optical out of the tv to the optical in of the LG. Just keep in mind which input you want to use and select that on the LG. I have a separate BD player for my HTS system but the connections are basically the same. HDMI In from my various devices to the AVR, one HDMI out to the tv, and an optical out from the tv to the AVR for watching tv only.
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post #3 of 30
6/13/12 at 5:21pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot View Post

To always play audio from your HTiB, you need to connect the HDMI out from the LG HTiB to the tv. That way, when you watch BD/DVDs the audio will be heard thru the the LG and the video will be passed to the tv. Just make sure the tv audio is off or you may get echoing. To watch tv only but hear the audio thru your LG HTiB, you'll have to connect the optical out of the tv to the optical in of the LG. Just keep in mind which input you want to use and select that on the LG. I have a separate BD player for my HTS system but the connections are basically the same. HDMI In from my various devices to the AVR, one HDMI out to the tv, and an optical out from the tv to the AVR for watching tv only.

My HTIB only has one HDMI out, which will have to go to the TV for watching DVDs. If I have the HTIB set to optical all the time, that will be okay for watching DVDs, and TV channels, right? Will it also work for an additional DVD player which will only be hooked up to the TV?
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post #4 of 30
6/13/12 at 7:06pm
My AVR has only one HDMI out which just sends the video signal (from the BD player or the AppleTV2). The optical out is for broadcast tv only. TV for us is OTA only so I use the optical out from the tv to send the DD 5.1 audio from the ATSC tuner to the HTS. You have to be able to pick the input you want to watch on your AVR. For example, my AVR has 4 High Speed HDMI inputs and one HIgh Speed HDMI output. The optical input on the AVR is for the tv only if I am pushing audio out from the ATSC tuner (which I am). The tv audio is always turned off on the tv. If I want to watch a DVD, I select Input 1 on the AVR and the audio/video signal is sent from the BD player to the AVR via HDMI, with the video signal going to the tv via the HDMI out. If I want to use the AppleTV2, I select input 2 on the AVR and the sequence is the same. Watching tv, the audio source is the tv and in that case, the audio goes to the AVR via the optical cable. In your case, the built-in DVD player should send the audio to the AVR and video to the tv. If you use your tv's ATSC tuner for tv, then the audio for tv will go to the AVR via the optical. It's basically the same thing. If you want to connect another DVD player to your HTiB, just use another open HDMI input on your AVR and select the input source. You can send the audio signal via HDMI thru the tv and out the optical but the best you will probably get is multi-channel stereo depending on what your tv can do. You can not send dts-MA or DolbyTrueHD audio thru the optical cable.
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post #5 of 30
6/13/12 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot View Post

My AVR has only one HDMI out which just sends the video signal (from the BD player or the AppleTV2). The optical out is for broadcast tv only. TV for us is OTA only so I use the optical out from the tv to send the DD 5.1 audio from the ATSC tuner to the HTS. You have to be able to pick the input you want to watch on your AVR. For example, my AVR has 4 High Speed HDMI inputs and one HIgh Speed HDMI output. The optical input on the AVR is for the tv only if I am pushing audio out from the ATSC tuner (which I am). The tv audio is always turned off on the tv. If I want to watch a DVD, I select Input 1 on the AVR and the audio/video signal is sent from the BD player to the AVR via HDMI, with the video signal going to the tv via the HDMI out. If I want to use the AppleTV2, I select input 2 on the AVR and the sequence is the same. Watching tv, the audio source is the tv and in that case, the audio goes to the AVR via the optical cable. In your case, the built-in DVD player should send the audio to the AVR and video to the tv. If you use your tv's ATSC tuner for tv, then the audio for tv will go to the AVR via the optical. It's basically the same thing. If you want to connect another DVD player to your HTiB, just use another open HDMI input on your AVR and select the input source. You can send the audio signal via HDMI thru the tv and out the optical but the best you will probably get is multi-channel stereo depending on what your tv can do. You can not send dts-MA or DolbyTrueHD audio thru the optical cable.

My HTIB does not have any HDMI inputs, only 1 AUX (L/R) input and 1 optical input, along with the HDMI out.
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post #6 of 30
6/13/12 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by avsusername View Post

My HTIB does not have any HDMI inputs, only 1 AUX (L/R) input and 1 optical input, along with the HDMI out.

Well, that being the case then your options are limited somewhat. The HDMI cable will send the video to your tv when you play BD/DVDs and the audio will go thru the AVR. As far as watching tv goes, just connect your tv cable to the TV/Coax input of your tv and the optical out from the tv to the AVR (and turn off the sound on the tv). The ATSC tuner of the tv (assuming it has one) will send DD 5.1 (if present) to the AVR and you will get 5.1 or whatever the station is broadcasting.
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post #7 of 30
6/14/12 at 4:20am
As Otto Pylot suggested, send the audio from the TV to the HTIB using an optical cable. Check the TV manual to see whether there are any settings required to enable the audio output or to silence the TV speakers. Nearly all modern TVs will send DD 5.1 to an AVR on channels that have it, provided the source is the set's internal tuner. The DVD is another matter. Most TVs will only pass stereo from devices attached using HDMI. So, you probably won't get DD 5.1 or DTS when you play discs on your older player. But, BD players can be used for DVDs. So, why are bothering with a DVD player? If you really need it for some reason, you can only get true surround sound by running an optical cable from the player directly to the TV. Since your HTIB only has one digital input, you would need to plug and unplug the cables when switching sources or you would need to get an optical switch.
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post #8 of 30
6/14/12 at 6:40am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BIslander View Post

As Otto Pylot suggested, send the audio from the TV to the HTIB using an optical cable. Check the TV manual to see whether there are any settings required to enable the audio output or to silence the TV speakers. Nearly all modern TVs will send DD 5.1 to an AVR on channels that have it, provided the source is the set's internal tuner. The DVD is another matter. Most TVs will only pass stereo from devices attached using HDMI. So, you probably won't get DD 5.1 or DTS when you play discs on your older player. But, BD players can be used for DVDs. So, why are bothering with a DVD player? If you really need it for some reason, you can only get true surround sound by running an optical cable from the player directly to the TV. Since your HTIB only has one digital input, you would need to plug and unplug the cables when switching sources or you would need to get an optical switch.

Why I would be switching is because the older player is also a recorder that records live TV as well. It does not have an optical port, only a coaxial audio port, which I don't understand because I don't see any kind of coaxial digital audio on either the TV or the receiver.
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post #9 of 30
6/14/12 at 8:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by avsusername View Post

Why I would be switching is because the older player is also a recorder that records live TV as well. It does not have an optical port, only a coaxial audio port, which I don't understand because I don't see any kind of coaxial digital audio on either the TV or the receiver.

Is the older DVD player a DVR? If not, then you won't be able to record much as most signals are digital now and a non-DVR won't be able to record them. What kind of tv do you have?
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post #10 of 30
6/14/12 at 8:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot View Post

Is the older DVD player a DVR? If not, then you won't be able to record much as most signals are digital now and a non-DVR won't be able to record them. What kind of tv do you have?

It's a Magnavox HDD recorder with digital tuner and 47" LG LED HDTV 47LM7600. I was thinking I could hook up the Mag recorder via HDMI to the TV and the TV via HDMI (audio return) to the Home Theater System. Then the TV would use the Home Theater speakers for both, right?
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post #11 of 30
6/14/12 at 11:14am
I believe for you to record tv with the Magnavox you'll have use the digital tuner of the Magnavox as your source (not the tv) and then connect that to the LG via HDMI as you stated. But you said that your AVR doesn't have any HDMI inputs, only a single HMDI output, so you can't connect that to the LG unless both the LG and the AVR have ARC (Audio Return Channel). For example, my AVR is ARC capable but my LG is not, so the HDMI output on the AVR is uni-directional. IOW, from the AVR to the LG only, which is fine for us. It seems to me that the easiest way to do what you want to do is buy another receiver or HTiB (preferably without a built-in BD/DVD player) that has multiple HDMI inputs. That makes life so much easier. However, replacing your existing HTS is an expensive proposition.
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post #12 of 30
6/14/12 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot View Post

I believe for you to record tv with the Magnavox you'll have use the digital tuner of the Magnavox as your source (not the tv) and then connect that to the LG via HDMI as you stated. But you said that your AVR doesn't have any HDMI inputs, only a single HMDI output, so you can't connect that to the LG unless both the LG and the AVR have ARC (Audio Return Channel). For example, my AVR is ARC capable but my LG is not, so the HDMI output on the AVR is uni-directional. IOW, from the AVR to the LG only, which is fine for us. It seems to me that the easiest way to do what you want to do is buy another receiver or HTiB (preferably without a built-in BD/DVD player) that has multiple HDMI inputs. That makes life so much easier. However, replacing your existing HTS is an expensive proposition.

My LG TV has audio return via 1 HDMI port, and the HTIB says it's compatible with ARC. So, does that sound like I will be OK the way I mentioned hooking things up? Will I get 5.1 audio with my DVD recorder that way? HDMI from recorder to TV--then HDMI (ARC) from HTIB to TV.

I think that will work, but just in case there's also an optical hookup option for the TV and HTIB, in case that makes any difference. It's just that HDMI to the TV is practically the only option for the recorder.

Basically what I'm trying to find out is if there's any way to get 5.1 surround from my recorder if I only have it hooked into the TV with HDMI. I can have the TV hooked up to the HTIB with ARC or optical, whichever is better for that.
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post #13 of 30
6/14/12 at 12:48pm
Hmmm, if your HTiB and LG tv are both ARC capable, and you configure them correctly, then audio return should work fine. However, whether you can push audio to the HTiB via HDMI from an external source (second DVD player) I don't know. I would think not because I doubt if the LG can "pass thru", unchanged, the external ATSC tuner's audio thru the ARC capable connection to the AVR and keep it 5.1. Your best bet is still the optical out. Unless you run optical out from the external DVD player directly to the AVR, but that may result in sync issues. Some tv's can pass 5.1 thru the optical port but not many and I don't think the LG can but I don't know for sure. But doing that pretty much eliminates you from using the internal ATSC tuner of the LG, unless you want to be swapping cables around.
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post #14 of 30
6/14/12 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone for trying to help me out, and especially thanks to Otto Pylot for the time spent in trying to help me out here. It's confusing to me because it's something I've never worked with before, but I will have to play around with the settings, cables and setup and see if it'll work out. Sometimes experimenting is the only way to know for sure wink.gif.
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post #15 of 30
6/14/12 at 8:35pm
ARC does not add any functionality beyond the optical output. It just saves a cable. Since you are using an OTA antenna ,ARC should feed DD 5.1 from TV channels that have it. But, it probably will not work for 5.1 audio from your DVD recorder since most TVs only output stereo from external devices.

To get 5.1 from the player, you will still need to run a digital audio cable directly to the receiver. If the player lacks an optical out, then you'll need a coax to optical converter. You can get them cheaply at monoprice.com. Run coax out of the player to the converter and optical from the converter to the AVR. You should be good to go for 5.1 audio from all sources. A good remote like a Harmony will help with switching sources since your audio and video are running separate paths.
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post #16 of 30
6/15/12 at 8:23am
^^^ thanks. I wasn't too sure about ARCs real functionality because I don't use it. I agree on the Harmony remote. I use an old 880 (I like the hard keys, not touchscreen) and it works very well.
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post #17 of 30
2/1/13 at 3:57am
This would apply to a Xbox running HDMI to a Sony Bravia Tv from there ARC channeling to a Sony Blue Ray home entertainment center? Or is there something I'm doing wrong.

Trying to send sound through tv through arc to my entertainment system.
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post #18 of 30
2/1/13 at 5:50am
Both the TV and the sound system need to support ARC and have Bravia Link engaged and configured.
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post #19 of 30
2/1/13 at 11:40am
I am able to use the tv in tv mode back to the device, same with my cable box when it's on shows. Comercials go silent, YouTube etcetera only lets me use the tv speakers. Both tv and sound system are arc systems.
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post #20 of 30
2/1/13 at 12:13pm
What you describe - sound from TV programs, silence during commercials - hardly seems possible. None of the equipment involved knows when a program ends and a commercial begins.

Have you tried bypassing ARC and using an optical connection from the TV to the receiver?
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post #21 of 30
2/1/13 at 12:59pm
Haven't tried this yet, need to get the optical cable.
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post #22 of 30
2/8/13 at 7:25am
How do you tell it to use the optical audio?
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post #23 of 30
2/8/13 at 8:43am
Depends on your TV. Some don't require anything to enable the optical output. Others have a setting for that. Check the manual.
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post #24 of 30
2/8/13 at 8:49am
On my LG, I just keep the internal speakers turned off and I think there's a setting to use external audio (it's been a long time since I programmed my LG). But yeah, read the manual(s).
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post #25 of 30
2/9/13 at 10:53am
I have a kdl-46ex650 I don't see any setting like you mention. Only time I see it mentioned is when you connect the BVD-e290 to it it has two pictures one for optical one for Audio Return Channel (ARC)
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post #26 of 30
2/9/13 at 11:41am
And what happens if you select the picture of the optical output instead of ARC?
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post #27 of 30
2/9/13 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by poakeyes View Post

I have a kdl-46ex650 I don't see any setting like you mention. Only time I see it mentioned is when you connect the BVD-e290 to it it has two pictures one for optical one for Audio Return Channel (ARC)

Your tv has an optical out on the bottom so check the manual and see what it says about how to use it. Like BIslander said, some tv's detect that the optical out is being used and automatically output audio thru that. You just need to turn off the tv speakers if they don't turn off when the optical port is detected.
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post #28 of 30
2/10/13 at 1:34am
That's just the thing, the manual doesn't list how to set this
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post #29 of 30
2/10/13 at 2:38am
Dunno how I did it but I pressed a bunch of buttons and bamn it finally worked
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post #30 of 30
2/10/13 at 9:21am
Pressed a bunch of buttons?! Hopefully you won't have problems in the future and need to troubleshoot.
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