Help me setup my "setup" please?

[Jebus]

Ok, for age now I've felt I am not getting the most out of my equipment, so I'm throwing down the gauntlet for you guys to advise/help/ridicules/rape me.

Equipment
Toshiba 36ZP38 (TV)
Pioneer DV-575A (DVD Player)
Sony TA-VE170 (Amp/Surround Sound unit)

Sony PS2 (Pal, chipped)
Nintendo Gamecube (Pal)
Sky Digital

Current Setup

Sky Digital -- RGB SCART --> TV
Sky Digital -- Phono Audio --> Sony Amp

PS2 -- SCART --> TV
PS2 -- AUDIO SPLIT --> Sony Amp

Gamecube --Component Cable --> Component Box --> TV
Gamecube --Audio split --> Sony Amp

Pioneer DVD Player -- Component Cable --> Component Box --> TV
Pioneer DVD Player -- 5.1 Phono --> Sony Amp

The reason I wanna check is basically I plan to buy a 360, no problem with the video side of things, that'll slot nicely into the spare port in my component box, but the audio I think I may have problems, I want to be able to get 5.1 out of the 360.

At the moment I'm considering getting a new amp.

The TV did come with speakers, but I had real trouble getting them all set up properly with the equipment I have, my amp also has a really nice big bass box, I couldn't see a way of having all that equipment (audio wise) going direct into the tv either. Using the RGB scart direct into the TV for some reason gives me no audio from the TV, so I use the phono cables into the amp (actually not phono cables, but this wierd scart cable (wierd looking, bulky and you can plug the video scart into the back of it) instead).

The TV only has one digital audio input as well I believe, so that is another problem as to not using the amp...

Any suggestions people?

[in5ane]

2 things that instantly strike me from your post:

You're only on composite for the PS2. Doesn't the Sky box pass-thru RGB? (I thought it did) So you could do PS2 -> Sky -> RGB TV, and hopefully get a better PS2 picture straight away.

A better amp is an expensive way to get more optical inputs. You could either get a better component switcher than also had a digital audio input for each source. Or you could get a seperate digital audio switcher and just use that before your amp. You can get really basic optical audio switchers for like ?10-?20.

[anephric]

If you're not getting sound through Scart with your 36ZP38, have you made sure that you haven't got digital audio overriding the sound matched up with that AV? Iirc, the 36ZP38 has two digital audio inputs as well (1 coax, 1 optical).

[MartyG]

Doesn't the Sky box pass-thru RGB? (I thought it did)

Sky doesn't have passthrough at all - it does have two SCARTs on the back, but they're both outputs. Although there are a number of different makes, certain the one I have doesn't have that functionality.

[in5ane]

Sky doesn't have passthrough at all - it does have two SCARTs on the back, but they're both outputs.

I have just looked into this on Google, and it does pass-thru.

[RLench]

My parents use it as a pass-through

Although it was RGB passed through, when we got a new DVD player for them it only outputted composite when going through Sky (must be a block in the DVD player )

Sorry I can't offer help with your problems, but IMO the best advice for you has already been given in this thread.

[MartyG]

Hmm - I've never been able to get this to work on mine - I feel cheated :/

[in5ane]

Let me guess, you got a cheapo Amstrad box?!

[anephric]

I shuddered when the SKY guy came to replace my knackered Thomson with a dirty grey Amstrad digibox...

Begone, spawn of Sugar!

[MartyG]

Sorry Jebus, your thread has become a bit hijacked.

My box is a Pace unit - but bugger me if it allows a feed through - even in the setup it lists output format for scart 1 & 2. I don't actually need the function now, but it would have helped when I didn't have enough switchers.

[Jebus]

2 things that instantly strike me from your post:

You're only on composite for the PS2. Doesn't the Sky box pass-thru RGB? (I thought it did) So you could do PS2 -> Sky -> RGB TV, and hopefully get a better PS2 picture straight away.

A better amp is an expensive way to get more optical inputs. You could either get a better component switcher than also had a digital audio input for each source. Or you could get a seperate digital audio switcher and just use that before your amp. You can get really basic optical audio switchers for like ?10-?20.

Not sure if my skybox does pass-through, its the silver Amstrad one. How would I get a better picture though? I mean PS2 (composite) Sky (rgb) TV? The signal is still being sent as composite, just then being re-routed via an rgb cable? I do have the component cable but it won't work in my ps2, I think it's something to do with it being chipped.

I don't have anything running as digital audio, since as I said, I don't use the audio from my tv, it's all from my amp. Does Gamecube/PS2 have a digital audio cable then? As for an audio switcher, I presume you mean a converter one, ie digital in -> phono out -> amp?

The only hardware I have that I notice immediately can actually use digital audio is the Amstrad Skybox...

I also dream one day of getting my ps2 to work with the component cable, all I get is a very purple picture despite trying 2 different cables, I'm sure its to do with the chip It sucks because what I could see of it, it looked unbelievable. I suppose I could try and pick up a cheapo chipped xbox and use the hi-def kit, anyone floggin one? Hehe

[anephric]

Yeah, a few modchips bugger the PS2's Component Out. It's an extremely ****e state of affairs.

Why don't you set up your tv's surround package? 2 more digital audio inputs then, and the speakers are quite discreet...

[wod]

Sorry Jebus, your thread has become a bit hijacked.

My box is a Pace unit - but bugger me if it allows a feed through - even in the setup it lists output format for scart 1 & 2. I don't actually need the function now, but it would have helped when I didn't have enough switchers.

i've got a pace sky digibox and its never let me pass thru anything to the tv, so it might just be different makes of boxes

jedus, buy a scart switch box and run your ps2 and sky on the rgb scart input otherwise how you've got it setup look fine

edit the gamecube does pro logic 2 so just plug in the red and white leads to your amp and the ps2 has an optical output socket on the back

[Leon Retro]

Not sure if my skybox does pass-through, its the silver Amstrad one. How would I get a better picture though? I mean PS2 (composite) Sky (rgb) TV? The signal is still being sent as composite, just then being re-routed via an rgb cable? I do have the component cable but it won't work in my ps2, I think it's something to do with it being chipped.

I don't have anything running as digital audio, since as I said, I don't use the audio from my tv, it's all from my amp. Does Gamecube/PS2 have a digital audio cable then? As for an audio switcher, I presume you mean a converter one, ie digital in -> phono out -> amp?

The only hardware I have that I notice immediately can actually use digital audio is the Amstrad Skybox...

I also dream one day of getting my ps2 to work with the component cable, all I get is a very purple picture despite trying 2 different cables, I'm sure its to do with the chip It sucks because what I could see of it, it looked unbelievable. I suppose I could try and pick up a cheapo chipped xbox and use the hi-def kit, anyone floggin one? Hehe

I recently bought 2 component cables and got the purple screen- I found out it's because of my mod-chip(messiah1) so I have bought a new machine and I'm gonna sell my old one. Component looks really great- I was playing VF4 and it looked extra crisp and sharp through my CRT. Hopefully the LCD I will buy at xmas will like component as well!

[Jebus]

Yeah, a few modchips bugger the PS2's Component Out. It's an extremely ****e state of affairs.

Why don't you set up your tv's surround package? 2 more digital audio inputs then, and the speakers are quite discreet...

The speakers are actuall twice the size of my current amps speakers! Also, my amp has its own bass box. As I said though, the TV doesn't have enough audio inputs for DVD, PS2, GC and Sky Digital, so I'd still need my amp. I'd also need to go and buy a digital audio cable for my dvd player...

That said, I could just use the component box's audio slots and just have them all coming into that, then out as just 2 x phono. Then use 1 x digital input for the dvd player. I'd still need a way of getting the audio from sky into the tv though...

Thanks for all the advice so far by the way

As for the PS2 component, the guy who chipped it is gonna take a look see if he can't fix it (said something about he may have disabled component out but he can't think why. My mate's ps2 was also chipped by him and although the problem isn't quite as bad, it still doesn't work properly with component output). Buying a new ps2 is an expensive way of getting component I'd say