TV and audio out of sync

[Proto]

Bought a new LCD telly. Want to continue using my BT Vision digi box/recorder. Also want to connect a DVD player. And ideally I want to connect an amp to run a couple of bookshelf speakers.

TV, BT box and DVD players have HDMI sockets. Amp does not and uses phon leads only.

Everything works (sort of) when connected up but the TV doesn't auto detect the digi box so I have to manually select 'source' which is a pain, but the biggest problem I have is with audio output.

If I connect by phono leads from the telly to the amp, I get terrible out of sync audio. So I've connected the amp directly by phono to the digibox. That seems to work okay (but posibly not perfectly), but then I can't use the amp when I play a DVD, no sound at all, and the whole point of the amp was to get better quality sound when watching films.

I can't seem to get any noise out of the amp if I plug the the amp into the DVD player by phono

BTW I reckin the DVD and telly get the audio slightly out of sync too. It seems to drift.

Any suggestion or helpful advice? Or links to a place where they know about this stuff?

My not very old (~ 8 years?) 28" Toshiba telly was fantastic, superb picyure, and has only been displaced because my wife wanted bookshelves where it sat and there is no longer room for it.

 

[rh100]

Not sure about how the HDMI transports the audio as have not gone hi-def myself, but here is my setup if it helps any, as it seems you have an analogue amp with no HDMI.

The Sky box goes via a media center PC, but the output from that goes directly to the amp (either digital optical/coaxial), the TV sound is permanantly muted, sound goes to the amp only. The DVD player has a digital coaxial connection to the amp also to use this I need to select the input on the TV and select the right input on the AMP. So effectively there are multiple inputs to the TV, with corresponding audio inputs to the amp. This gives me 5.1 surround sound for dvd's and console etc and stereo sound for telly and music.

It sounds cumbersome but I use a Phillips pronto remote to switch everything correctly with macros.

Someone may be able to advise about the hdmi - not sure how it affects the audio.

 

[Mr Pig]

I assume you're not using a surround sound amp? That's the best way to connect multiple inputs and do all your switching. Otherwise you can end up getting sound and pictures taking different paths from different sources and getting problems like you're having.

 

[Proto]

Indeed, it is an analogue amp. I'm assuming a new digital amp would be connected by HDMI or optical cables (whatever the latteris!)

I'm happy enough to buy a new amp but can't be arsed with all the faff of cabling the speakers around the room. I've got the bookshelf speakers, er ............... on a bookshelf, the amp, digibox and DVD player too.

Digital amps always seem too big and I'm not sure I'd be able to fit one in. Can you get baby ones, just run the two little speakers?

 

[Mr Pig]

The rear speakers are hardly necessary anyway. The two fronts and a centre speaker give you most of the deal.

Most surround amps are quite big but there's a lot in them. We've got a Yamaha one and we've run out of inputs on it already! I want to route the computer through it but have no inputs left.

Sound quality on them is usually not great I'm afraid. A good quality stereo amp will almost always be better. Unfortunately if you want to control a lot of video and sound signals it's the only way to go.

You do get slim surround sound systems, many of the one-box deals for instance, and they'll often sound much better with bigger speakers. We had a cheap one-box sysem that sounded better than the Yamaha amp using the same speakers. Often the inputs on these systems are scarce though, some don't have any at all. Just look around and you should find something that'll fit :0)

 

[Proto]

Well, mostly sorted. I've now got the digi box connected to the amp via the Aux input phonos. So watching tv via the digi box all is well. Sound excellent, and all is well.

To get sound from the DVD player, which is connected to the tv by HDMI cable, I've run a cable from the TV audio output to another input on the amp - CD, Tuner, AV _ one of those, can't remember, they all seem to do the same thing. Very, very slightly out of sync but not enough to worry about, so I'll live with it for the moment. I suspect that the tv is converting the digital audio from the DVD player back to analogue and taking a little while to do it, thus the out of sync.

Two complaints, the TV doesn't auto detect the source signal when switching off the DVD player, so I have to select in manually. Secondly I have to get out of my chair to turn the volume up or down. I need a remote controlled amp!!

 

[rh100]

does the dvd player not have a phono output also? Or maybe get a scart to phono adaptor for the audio (assuming the audio would still output via the scart if hdmi in use)

 

[nosherduke996]

Depending on the tv there is useually a menu option with a plus or minus speech mode in the settings menue

 

[Proto]

does the dvd player not have a phono output also? Or maybe get a scart to phono adaptor for the audio (assuming the audio would still output via the scart if hdmi in use)

It does have a phono output, and I can't remember why I didn't use it. Hmmmm. I'll have another go.