# Onkyo Surround Sound and Magnavox TV



## Etcetera007 (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm having a little bit of trouble hooking up my Onkyo surround sound system to my old Magnavox TV, primarily because the TV only has the standard yellow/white/red INPUTS on the back as well as the antennae port.

Here's what I'm working with:

1) Comcast digital transition cable box (the little one with only the in/out for coax)

2) RCA RF modulator that I recently purchased (in/out coax as well as the yellow/white/red ports on the opposite side)

3) Samsung v5650 DVD/VCR combo (has the in/out coax, YWR line in and line out, and if I remember correctly it has composite ports as well)

4) Onkyo HTR500 receiver (here's a pic of the back of it: http://user.cybrzn.com/tjoker/Pictures/Onkyo/receiver/ht-r500/htr500back.jpg)

I can't seem to get things to work correctly. Any help?


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Wow, old school...

Two ways:

co-ax cable from the wall to the cable box
co-ax from the cable box to the DVD/VCR co-ax IN
RCA from DVD/VCR YWR out to Video 1 IN on Onkyo

Here's where you'll have to see how the Onkyo behaves: a single RCA cable from the Monitor Out of the Onkyo to the yellow input of the TV --- or from the yellow Video 1 Out to the TV. Try both and one should work.

I'm not sure what the RF modulator is supposed to do so I left it out of the system.

Set the TV and VCR to channel 3 and do all of the channel switching via the cable box.

Alternatively, you can go from the cable box to the RF modulator then YWR to the video 1 input of the Onkyo YWR and from the DVD/VCR to the video 2 input of the Onkyo. This way you'll have to use the Monitor Out to the TV and switch the Onkyo to the source you're wanting (cable = video 1, dvd = video 2) using the selection buttons. 

Give both ways a try and post back if it's not working.


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## Etcetera007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok, if I have the first 3 steps the way you said, then do either of the second steps (Monitor Out to TV / Video 1 Out to TV), the results:

TV = No picture, no sound, just static.
DVD player = sound, no picture.

Now, if I plug from the COAX out of the DVD player into the TV, then I get picture for both the TV and the DVD player (not at the same time, lol), and I get audio from the DVD player, but no audio from the TV. The audio still just comes in through the TV itself and not the surround sound. However, I can get that exact same result if I remove both of the video cables and just plug the white and red audio cables from the Out of the DVD player into any of the audio ports of the Onkyo receiver, so both the yellow video cables aren't doing anything when it comes to that, it would seem.

So far, every thing I've tried before this has resulted in me being unable to get anything but static unless I had the cable connected somehow into the antennae port of the TV. It doesn't matter if it's connected via Cable to RF to DVDVCR to TV, or if I don't use the RF modulator and just go from Cable to DVDVCR to TV, it seems like it always comes back to needing to plug the Out of one into the In for the antennae. If I have a video out going into the video in of the TV without that coax cable, it just comes up static.


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## Etcetera007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Any ideas?

Any other suggestions anyone?

Bump...

Hate to bump this again, but I haven't had any responses back and I'm not sure what else to try.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

OK let's take it one step at a time.

HERE is the manual for the DVD player. We'll use it as the starting place as for some reason the Onkyo is not behaving wrt sending video signals to the TV. 

Note: All reconnections are done with all components OFF.

Step 1: But first: connect the cable from the wall to the ANT in of the TV. You should now get video and audio from the TV - change channels on theTV.

Step 2: Disconnect the cable at the TV and connect it to the ANT IN of the cable box and another from the ANT Out of the cable box to the ANT IN of the TV. Set the TV to channel 3 - change channels via the cable box. You should now get video and audio from the TV.

Step 3: Disconnect the cable going to the TV and connect it to the RF IN from ANT of the DVD player. Connect a cable from the RF Out to TV to the ANT In of the TV. Set the TV to channel 3 - change channels via the cable box. You should now get video and audio from the TV.

Step 4: Use a pair of RCA cables to go from the LINE OUT AUDIO of the DVD player (red & white) (not the red/white Audio Out) to the CD Input of the Onkyo. Turn all on. Set the Onkyo input to CD. You should have audio from both the TV and main speakers of the system. Turn down the volume of the TV to listen to the system.

Step 5: Use an optical cable connected between the Optical Out of the DVD player and Optical 1 of the Onkyo. Select Optical 1 and you should now have surround sound but only when playing a DVD.

Let's hope this works.


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## Etcetera007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok, running into problems:

1) Step 4 is a no-go. I still only hear sound coming from the TV's speakers and zilch from the Onkyo.

2) There's no optical out, so I wouldn't be able to do step 5.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Let's make sure the Onkyo is working. Press the small "Tuner"button on the front. It doesn't matter if there's a signal - static will due just fine. Now turn the volume up and you should here the static through the speakers. If not check all the wires and connections at the rear of the Onkyo and test again. If there is static coming through try hooking the R/W cables from the DVD to another of the L/R inputs on the Onkyo. Put a CD or DVD into the player, press play and press the corresponding button on the front of the Onkyo and increase the volume. You may have to turn it quite a ways before hearing a sound - much more than with the static. 

Connect a RCA cable from the Co-ax digital Out of the DVD to the Co-Ax digital in of the Onkyo. Select that input with the "Audio Selector" of the Onkyo and try again.

If there's sound with static but none when trying the DVD player it's something in the DVD player.

It's unlikely but there may be a setting in the menus that needs to be activated for it to output. Go into the menus and check the audio settings.

Try the "Audio Out" jacks too. 

Maybe borrow/buy a new CD player - they're very inexpensive - to make sure that's where the fault is. 

I'm running out of ideas...


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## Etcetera007 (Aug 20, 2010)

There's a ton of different ways that I can get audio from the DVD player to play through the Onkyo - that's never been a problem. The problem always comes in with the TV's sound itself.

DVDs play through the Onkyo, but if I have the DVD player off and I'm just watching TV, no sound comes through it. All of the sound just goes through the TV's speakers.


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