Need help with entertainment center wiring...

First topic message reminder :

In two weeks, the dealership will install a dual coax plate which will replace the exsisting phone/cable plate; one side will be dedicated to Cable, and the other will be dedicated to Satellite; Both coaxes will run to wall plates in the Cat's entertainment center.

Here are the inputs my TV has in the back:

• 1 RF input
  
• 2 Composite input
  
• 1 S-video input
  
• 1 Component input
  
• 1 15 Pin D-sub(VGA)
  
• 1 AV Output
  
• DVI: (HDMI)
  
• 1 Digital Audio output
  
• 1 HDMI
  

I have a Satellite receiver box, an HD-DVD player, an HD converter box (air/local programming). Please help me connect the dots.

Satellite coax in to Satellite receiver. Receiver to what TV input?

HD-DVD player is currently connected to TV HDMI input.

Antenna coax in to HD converter box. Converter to what TV input?

Cable coax directly to TV RF input?

Is there a stream-lined approach to connecting all these separate components to the TV, using fewer remotes?

Any help is appreciated; electronics and wiring, in general, is not my forte!

TC

So far, here's what I've done:

* Satellite in to back of satellite receiver (S-video to TV)
* Cable in to back of satellite receiver (coax running from receiver to A side of A-B splitter)
* OTA antenna (coax running to B side of A-B splitter
* A-B splitter to RF in on TV
* HD-DVD (HDMI to TV)

Everything seems to be working so far. However, I don't have cable running to the Cat yet, so I can't check that connection out.

Since I discovered how to program the ATSC tuner on the TV, I no longer need the Winegard digital receiver.

Question: Can I run the cable in to the Winegard receiver and use it as a cable tuner? That would eliminate the cable coax running to the back of the satellite receiver, eliminate the need for a splitter, and keep all components independent of each other. I could use the Winegard receiver's component output (red,blue,green) to connect to TV.

I also tried to run red/white audio RCA connectors from the TV to the Video 2 output of the concertone just to see if I could get the surround sound while the TV was on. Didn't work.

TC

Why are you running the cable feed into the satellite box? The satellite receiver will only pass the signal so there is no point there.

You can use the splitter as a combiner and run the cable into A and the OTA feed in to B and the "input" on the splitter would now be the output in combiner mode feeding the TV. The winegard is not needed for cable. You can use it on other TVs in the house for a HD receiver if it doesn't have an ATSC tuner built in.

Also, you can only get Dolby Pro Logic from the RCA audio. You would need a digital or optical audio feed to get true digital 5.1. The concertone doesn't support digital audio so you may be out of luck there for the best surround.

I think you meant Video two INput not output of the concertone. Did you get any sound. One thing I found on the back of the concertone was an extra audio input that wasn't accessible. I used it to run the audio from my Sirius receiver. I think it was input 1. I don't know why they didn't make an exterior jack so you didn't have to pull the Concertone to find it.

Anyway, it sounds like you are almost there.

jetskier wrote:Why are you running the cable feed into the satellite box?

I think you meant Video two INput not output of the concertone. Did you get any sound.

Anyway, it sounds like you are almost there.

Jertskier,

I did it that way because there was a spot to run cable in and then back out again with a channel 3-4 switch. I thought maybe I could switch between satellite and cable using the satellite remote (that is, until I'm set up with an all-in-one controller of course). So I'll just run the cable from the wall directly to the A-B splitter and forget using the Winegard receiver.

I did mean input, not output. I didn't get any sound.

I'm glad to know I'm getting close. I'll be glad when I'm DONE with this project!!

TC

You might check to see if the TV audio out is actually working by hooking up a portable boombox to it. You can get RCA to headphone jack cables. This way you can weed out the problem component.

Well, I'm finally finished. It's as good as I'm going to get it for now.

Cable to A/B switch
Antenna to A/B switch
A/B switch to RF in on TV

HD-DVD player to TV via HDMI
Satellite receiver to TV via S-Video

And...

I even got surround sound to work with my DVD player by hooking RCA jacks (red, white, yellow) from back of DVD to Concertone aux input 1. Turned the Concertone function to Input 1, and it worked!!

TC

Now remote control consolidation.....

Very soon, my friend...very soon!!

TC

Question: Since I got surround sound with the DVD player using AV cables, could I use a splitter/switch like this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-AV-Audio-Video-Distribution-Amp-Amplifier-Splitter_W0QQitemZ270450773598QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef81f4e5e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

to connect multiple components to the Concertone's Aux input?

I saw a number of AV splitters/switches, but most of them have multiple Ins, but only one Out. This one has multiple Outs with only one In to hook up multiple component Outs to the Concertone Aux In.

TC

No, that's a distribution amp, not a switch.

http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/audio-switch/40av-3100r.htm

Jetskier,

Is the item in the link you posted actually what I should use for multiple AVs to Concertone's Aux Input?

BTW, I tried doing the same thing with the TV as I did with the DVD, but it didn't work. And, I don't know if it would work with the Satellite receiver either.

Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead of the game!

TC

Yeah, it should take the three outputs from the DVD, TV & Sat receiver and switch them to the one output (one at a time). If you connect that output of the switch to the concertone, it should work. I don't know why the TV is not outputting audio. Make sure the pair of RCA audio is labeled "output" (duh). You might also see if there is a setting in the TV to have the audio output on those jacks to be variable or fixed. If it is a variable output, you need to turn up the volume on the TV to get the output "loud" enough for the concertone to amplify it. The satellite receiver and DVD player should output audio at a fixed level.

It's too bad there wasn't a way to utilize a digital audio feed directly into the concertone. It has the processor, but there's not user input. I'm sure someone braver and smarter than us could solder a wire or two and get true DD5.1.

Oh, I think I have the IR file for that device so it would automatically switch on your future consolidated remote.

The only bad thing is the concertone is slow to respond to IR commands and even the front panel buttons. Could mean difficulty with macro programming.