Plugging in a set-top box

November 11, 2006 11:20 PM

I need some help incorporating my new set-top box into my DVD recorder and TV setup.

The manual has the rather unhelpful 'Please consult your local supplier for the best connection' and a diagram that doesn't include a DVD recorder. I've tried every which way I can think of but nothing works. Can someone give me some clear instructions on connecting this thing. Here is the hard disc recorder. Here is the set-top box. Here is the TV. Here is the current set-up (sans set-top box) that is working for me. I have one set of cables that came with the set-top box, it has three plugs, red white and yellow. Also, maybe I had plugged it all in correctly at some stage but scanned for channels in the wrong order (scan for channels on the TV and DVD recorder and set-top box), what order should it be in?

posted by tellurian to technology (9 comments total)

You'll need one coaxial cable and two sets of composite (red/white/yellow) cables.

1. The coaxial cable from the wall goes into your set-top box, so it can decode what I presume is a digital cable signal.
2. The output from the set-top box goes to the input of your DVD recorder via a set of composite cables.
3. The output from the DVD recorder goes to your TV. This would be composite cables sans the red one according to your pictures.

You say both "DVD recorder" and "hard disk recorder". If this is a DVR like a TiVo you'll also need to plug in its IR transmitters and have them point into the set-top box so the DVR can change channels. If it's just a DVD recorder then nevermind.
posted by Khalad at 11:50 PM on November 11, 2006

While not very specific advice, whenever I have hooked up my television system (optus box, dvd/vhs and tv) it generally works best to have the components with the dvd/vhs connected between the tv and the tv box. Basically the aerial goes wall plug - optus box - dvd/vhs - tv.

Sometimes it is a bit of a hit and miss affair with tuning, but pay attention to which outlet on each device you've plugged the plugs into. It really helps. Also, try getting the channels in the order that they have been connected - box, recorder and then tv.

Good luck.
posted by cholly at 11:55 PM on November 11, 2006

Sorry. I'm completely clueless in regard to things like 'IR transmitters'. I should have been clearer about the level of advice I need. It needs to be in the form of: connect the yellow plug from CVBS port of the set-top box to the port labelled Cr on the DVD recorder etc…
posted by tellurian at 12:14 AM on November 12, 2006

Hehe, okay, let me try again. You will need:

1. 1x Coaxial cable. This is the one with the exposed copper wire that gets screwed on.
2. 2x Composite cables. These are the red/white/yellow cables.

What you do:

1. The coaxial from the wall goes into the ANT IN connector on your set top box.
2. Plug one set of composite cables into the yellow/white/red plugs on the top right of the set top box. The other ends go into the REAR INPUT plugs on your recorder—yellow into VIDEO, white and red into L and R, respectively. Ignore the Y, Cr, and Cb plugs.
3. Plug a white composite cable into either C (center) or FL (front left) in the AUDIO OUTPUT section of your recorder. Plug a yellow cable into VIDEO in the VIDEO OUTPUT section. Plug these two cables into the AUDIO IN and VIDEO IN jacks of your TV.

Your DVD recorder has surround sound audio outputs (center, surround left, front left, subwoofer, surround right, front right). I don't know if it's better to send the front left (FL) or the center (C) channel to your TV. My guess is FL, but try both and see which sounds better.

Assuming your device is a DVD recorder, not a DVR, ignore what I said about IR transmitters.
posted by Khalad at 10:18 AM on November 12, 2006

If you want to understand the "why" of all this, I'll explain what all those plugs are for and how you want to connect them together.

You have two types of information that you want to enter and leave each device: audio and video. There are several different types of cable that carry audio and video signals. The difference between them is the quality of the signal.

Coaxial cables carry both audio and video. If you have cable then you'll have these coming from your wall. From the wall they can carry a hundred analog channels, or hundreds of digital channels if you have digital cable. You need a tuner to decode the signal and show a specific channel. In your case that's your set top box.

Coaxial cables are the only ones that carry both audio and video. All the other cables only carry one or the other.

Audio:

• Composite audio cables are white and red, for the left and right channels of your stereo sound.
• Optical cables carry a digital signal. Usually 5.1 surround sound (5 sound channels plus the subwoofer). You can see this on the far right of your DVD recorder. (Strangely, in the VIDEO OUTPUT section instead of AUDIO OUTPUT.) Not relevant to your setup since you don't have surround sound speakers.
• Coaxial audio cables also carry a digital signal, just like optical cables. Confusingly, these are not the same as the screw-on, exposed-copper coaxial cables I described above. You can see this on the right side of your DVD recorder. It should be in AUDIO OUTPUT, not VIDEO OUTPUT.

Video:

• Composite video cables are yellow. Almost always paired with white and red composite audio cables in a three-in-one package.
• S-Video cables are black with a 5-pin connector. They are noticeably crisper than composite video. Since they only carry video you need to hook up audio separately.
• Component cables split the video signal into red, blue, and green channels. So you get three video cables instead of one composite or one S-Video cable. Usually labelled Y, Cr, and Cb. Beats me why green is labelled Y. Component video is the best q

posted by Khalad at 10:40 AM on November 12, 2006

Oh shoot, I fat fingered my keyboard and accidentally submitted that post. I was saying...

Component video is the best quality. It can do high definition (HD) video.

And then I was going to end with:

If you think of the goal being to get your audio and video signals from wall to TV by daisy-chaining together all your devices, it (at least in my mind) becomes a simple matter of routing output from device #1 to input of #2, output of #2 to input of #3, until you reach the TV.

Hope that helps!
posted by Khalad at 10:44 AM on November 12, 2006

Oh yeah, and when this is all set up right, you'll be changing channels via your set top box. Your TV's remote should be collecting dust.
posted by Khalad at 10:47 AM on November 12, 2006

Thanks Khalad, that worked a treat.
Your TV's remote should be collecting dust.
Don't you bet on it. My partner wants to be able to use the TV in exactly the same way she always has done. The wonders of modern entertainment devices are the devil's spawn sent to confuse and frustrate us.
posted by tellurian at 4:22 PM on November 14, 2006

Don't you bet on it. My partner wants to be able to use the TV in exactly the same way she always has done.

Uh huh. Do let me know how that works out. ;-)
posted by Khalad at 5:17 PM on November 14, 2006