Preliminary information
First of all, in order not to leave any doubt about the interpretation of the instructions I am about to give you, I believe it is essential to make a brief overview of the components that are part of a complete home theater system.
In the first place are the speakers, which in a complete kit are usually passive, i.e. without an integrated amplifier (this task is assigned to a separate element, precisely the amplifier, which I will talk about later) and whose number is variable.
There is talk of 2.1 system when the latter consists of two boxes and a further element, called subwoofer, for the management of low frequencies: this solution is able to develop an effect Dolby Surround. In this configuration the speakers are positioned laterally, to the right and left of the screen and equidistant, oriented diagonally towards the viewer. The subwoofer, on the other hand, should be centered as much as possible under the TV.
THE5.1 system, on the other hand, provides an additional central speaker and two other rear speakers, to be positioned behind the spectator, always diagonally: this mode allows you to create an audio configuration of the type Dolby Digital. THE'7.1 systemfinally, it is what guarantees an effect Dolby Surround a 360 °, and consists of two front speakers, one center, two side speakers, two rear speakers and a subwoofer.
All speakers must be connected through special ones stereo cables, with the exception of implants wireless last generation. In more traditional systems these are power cables, wrapped in one sheath red and black, of which a small portion at both ends must be peeled to make the threads come out copper. These must then be inserted, respecting the color association, in the appropriate connectors on what we can consider as the central element of the system, that is theamplifier.
I clamps present on the amplifier and speakers allow to ensure the stability of the cables through special locking systems. Alternatively, you may encounter entrances RCA: this occurs in particular when there is a preamplified active subwoofer, which is therefore connected by means of a special cable equipped with two red and white plugs. These must be inserted (always respecting the association of colors) in the respective inputs LINE IN of the case e AUDIO OUT amplifier.
Returning to theamplifier, the latter has the essential task of decode the audio signal that comes from the various sources and distribute it evenly to each speaker, in order to define the sound in the best possible way. In some models the amplifier can also manage i video signals: in this case we speak more specifically of receiver, a more complex device that can also perform the function of reproducing video signals coming, for example, from a decoder, an DVD player or a consul for video games.
The video signals, therefore, will be processed and sent to the TV, in order to improve their quality through specific dedicated functions. The possibility of integrating these devices is strictly linked to the availability of inputs in the amplifier and compatibility with the outputs provided by the aforementioned sources.
Whenever possible, therefore, it is advisable to connect the aforementioned components directly to the amplifier, so that the latter can centralize its management: carefully evaluate the priority you want to assign to the elements, considering that for those most used and for which it is required a higher quality will go connected through HDMI cables.
The last (but not least) element of the system is the television: it will be very important to determine the outputs available on the connection panel on the back of this device to understand how to connect it to the home theater system and, in particular, to the amplifier.
How to connect home theater to TV
The first essential operation to perform to understand how to connect home theater to TV is to check the availability of amplifier inputs and determine compatibility with the outputs provided on the TV.
The possible combinations, in fact, are many: in the next paragraphs I will expose you the various alternatives with which you could have to do, showing you how to physically make the connection.
HDMI
One of the most common methods to make the connection between home theater and TV is to use, if available in both devices, the respective ports HDMI. Before proceeding, however, you need to be sure that they support the functionality ARC, acronym for Audio Return Channel.
This technology allows the audio signal to travel in both directions, to and from the amplifier, thus improving the sound quality (it supports, in fact, both the Dolby Digital and the Digital Surround) and physiological latency that elapses between the transmission of the signal and the processing of the same. If you do not find a clear wording on the label of the inputs of the aforementioned devices, also check the relative instruction manual.
See offer on Amazon
Once this essential condition has been ascertained, therefore, it will be possible to use an HDMI cable (which must be of good quality to be able to support this technology) between the TV output and the amplifier input. Finally, in more recent models, the technology may even be available EARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel), capable of handling up to 32 audio channels with very high quality (24-bit sampling and 192kHz frequency). For further information, I suggest you consult my buying guide on HDMI cables.
RCA
Your amp will most likely have one type input available RCA, and the same goes for the TV. The cable in question consists of two connectors dedicated to the transmission of stereo audio, each of which has a central plug inside a metal ring. The two channels are distinguished by the color of the sheath that surrounds the two pins, respectively White e red.
In this case, however, do not expect a particularly high quality, as the signal is handled by the devices in a analog. Certainly, however, you will be able to obtain an audio performance far superior to that offered by the speakers integrated into the TV.
The connection, therefore, can be easily made by using the aforementioned cable and inserting the two plugs into the relative inputs on both the TV side and the amplifier side, respecting the association of the colors indicated above. If you have an external decoder, however, and the latter is compatible with the Dolby Digital, you can improve the audio performance by eliminating a step and connecting the RCA cable directly to the amplifier.
In the receivers the RCA connector has an additional input dedicated to the video: the cable, so it will be composed of three colored plugs yellow (video) e Red White (audio). In this case, however, I suggest you prefer the HDMI connection.
Optical
Another solution that you will most likely be able to refer to in order to pass audio from the TV to the amplifier is to use a optical cable. In this type of transmission the signal is transferred via pulses of laser light generated by LEDs: this is a technology capable of guaranteeing an excellent quality level.
Although, in fact, it is always preferable to use HDMI (when possible) due to the quantity of audio formats that the latter is able to manage, the quality guaranteed by the optical connection mode is not absolutely negligible: it can easily support even high-resolution audio solutions such as the Dolby Digital 5.1.
The presence of these entrances is easily identifiable: it is a square-shaped door (you should also find the indication nearby Digital Audio Out - Optical) from which, with the device turned on, you can see a slight Red light.
Therefore, you need to connect one end of the optical cable to the TV output and the other to the amplifier input. In some TV models it may be necessary to open the audio settings menu and select the relevant output from those available in order to activate transmission.
Coaxial
Il coaxial cable in its form it is quite similar to a cable Standard RCA (with only one plug), but unlike the latter (which is analog), it uses the electrical signal to allow interconnection digital between the apparatuses.
Consequently, it is advisable to have a specific cable for this connection, as it has different impedance values from the digital ones (50 ohm of analog against 75 ohm of digital).
Even if the coaxial potentially guarantees a bandwidth that rivals the more widespread optical connection, the electrical transmission, unfortunately, favors the passage of the background noise, which could greatly affect the final audio quality. It is therefore advisable to use this solution only if you do not have valid HDMI or optical alternatives.
Making the connection is very simple: the cable must be laid between the audio output of the TV, which is similar to the RCA but single and generally black (it could be marked with AUDIO OUT o COAX) and the corresponding input into the amplifier.
Well, now you should have all the information you need to successfully connect your home theater. Good fun!
How to connect home theater to TV
