Tivo S2DT and home theater help.?.

[NexFin]

I have a series 2 dual tuner Tivo Box and a digital cable box that is a DVR also. I am trying to hookup a new surround sound system but I am a little lost. How can I set it up so I can watch and listen to the cable channels through the receiver with the Tivo hooked up? Does anyone have this type of hookup? Thanks!!!

[gastrof]

I'd advise against using a DVR as a signal source for a TiVo, if that's what you have in mind.

Usually, people who have this setup (digital cable DVR and TiVo) split their cable, feeding one into the TiVo directly, and the other into their DVR cable box.

This would allow you (in your situation) to record two analog channels at the same time on the DT TiVo, and your cable DVR will take care of recording any digital channels.

Hopefully your TV has at least two different ways of sending a signal into it, so both DVRs can be accessed by the one TV.

For your cable DVR, if you want to feed its audio into both the TV and the receiver, if it doesn't have more than one set of audio outputs, use "Y" splitters on its audio outputs, feeding one set into the TV (if you want) and the other set to the receiver. (I'm guessing here the white and red RCA lines are the only audio outputs? Nothing else the receiver could work with?)

Splitting the audio this way is usually no big thing. (Never try to split the yellow RCA video line like that...weakens the signal and in the least darkens the picture).

You'll then have the option of listening to the cable DVRs audio on either your TV or your receiver.

If you don't really need it on your TV, and will always listen to the cable box thru the stereo, then DON'T use "Y" splitters, and feed the signal right to the receiver only.


Final thought-
If you still want to split the audio and send it both to the TV and to the receiver, just make sure you're sending one red and one white to each. I once got messed up and started feeding both reds to one unit, and both whites to the other...one was getting just the right channel, the other just the left. :o

[NexFin]

The cable box has a digital audio out, S-Video and your regular red, white, yellow RCA's. I'd really like to use the digital audio coaxial cable from the cable box to the receiver so the receiver can process true digital Dolby and DTS for surround sound. The Tivo only has a S-Video and red, white, yellow RCA cable out's. So I would prefer to use S-Video from the Tivo to where ever. The TV does have two RCA outs and a S-Video in. Sorry I'm new at this and I hope this makes a little since.

[ah30k]

To make a long story short, forget it. There is no way to use surround with TiVos unless you go the S3 route. Been there, couldn't do it. The TiVo only outputs L/R audio. The only choice you have is to switch back and forth between your cable company DVR and your TiVo and that gets old real quick.

I went the S3 route and all is better now.

As far as the hybrid solution, using the digital audio output of the set top box, it will not be in sync with the video from your S3.

[NexFin]

Yeah that's pretty slack of Tivo to not include a digital audio port. All I am trying to do now is get some sound out of the receiver when I hook the Tivo up to it....I'll keep reading. Thanks anyway!
One more thing what is the extra A/V out's for on the Tivo used for?

[phox_mulder]

One more thing what is the extra A/V out's for on the Tivo used for?

So you can have it feeding your primary watching medium (TV, AV Receiver) and a recording medium (VCR or DVD-R) at the same time, so you don't have to keep swapping cables to watch or dub off.


phox