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-   -   How to connect an old TV to a surround system? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=243453)

  • Jul 30, 2008, 01:53 PM
    JessicaT
    How to connect an old TV to a surround system?
    I have a sharp TV that has red and white on the back. On the front it has a red, white and yellow. The DVD/Surround system has red, green and blue. I'm trying to connect the DVD and TV to the surround but some how the back speakers and the center one are not working. The speakers are good. HOW CAN I DO THIS?? Please help. Is there anything I can do?:confused:
  • Jul 30, 2008, 02:57 PM
    progunr
    Check the instructions for the surround sound system color codes.

    On the TV, the Red is Right Audio, the White is Left Audio, and the Yellow is Video.

    Find out what the colors on the ss system go with, and match that with the TV inputs.
  • Jul 30, 2008, 11:03 PM
    MovieMaker
    Sorry to tell you, but you won't be able to get true surround sound from the TV. The audio out of the TV are the red and white plugs on the back (these are called RCA), as you have probably already figured out. Those can only give you 2-channels of audio, so you'll only hear the two speakers, left and right. The blue, green and red plugs you see in your DVD/SS system are for component video (not audio). Your TV does not have an output for component video, so those won't work for you. I'm thinking the component video is an output from your DVD player anyway. If your TV is equipped with component inputs, you will get a better picture from your DVD player using those inputs and a component video cable.

    You may have an option in the menu of your DVD/SS player somewhere to force 2-channel sound out of all of the speakers, but it won't be true surround sound anyway. It would just duplicate the audio on the back and center speakers. The problem here is that the TV is not equipped to give out the 5-channels of audio needed to go to the 5 speakers. It will only give 2. A DVD with Dolby 5.1 audio, for example, will play with surround sound in your system since it has that additional audio built into the disc, but your TV will not.

    If you are using cable, DirecTV or a similar service, there would be most likely be outputs for component video and surround sound out of your cable box. That would be another way to do it. You would want to use an optical audio cable from the cable box to the DVD/SS system to get the best sound.
  • Jan 23, 2011, 12:56 PM
    WizKid00
    Both answers are wrong. You can easily set up the old TV with a vcr which then has rca that you can run to your sound system. The down fall is you will not have great quality and you have to switch channel through your vcr. That's how I did it the old way. But I'm trying to figure out an upgrade version myself

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