How To Hook Up A Home Theater Receiver

The actual task of hooking up a home theater may take a little time, especially if you are doing a custom installation with lots of separate components, but follows the basic principle of input and output.

 

Home Theater Set-up Example

 

If you are assembling a collection of independent components, the task may seem a little more complicated, but actually follows the same general outline as a prepackaged system. In a basic setup that includes a television, AV receiver, a DVD player, and a VCR (or DVD recorder), here is an example of one approach, which is illustrated in general terms:

 

1. Connect your satellite, cable, or antenna to your VCR (or DVD recorder) and then to the television. This will allow both your television and your VCR (or DVD recorder) to be able to receive broadcast, cable, or satellite signals, depending on what service you have.

 

If you have both a VCR and DVD recorder, you should have the incoming cable, satellite, or antenna signal split and connected to them separately, not from one to the other.

 

2. Connect the audio and video outputs of your VCR or DVD recorder to your AV receiver's VCR video inputs (if you have both a VCR and DVD recorder, use the AV receiver's VCR1 connections for the VCR and the VCR2 connections for the DVD recorder).

 

Connect the AV receiver's VCR audio and video outputs to the audio and video inputs of your VCR. This will allow your VCR or DVD recorder to record video signals that come through the AV receiver or to play back tapes or DVDs for viewing on your television.

 

In the case where you have both a VCR and DVD recorder connected to the AV receiver, you can dub non-copyprotected video tapes and DVDs between the two units via the AV receiver.

 

3. Connect one of the video outputs of your DVD player to the DVD player video input on your AV Receiver. In addition, also connect the digital optical or digital coaxial audio connection to your AV receiver. In order to access digital surround sound, you must make use of the DVD player's digital audio connections.

 

NOTE: It is preferable to use Component or HDMI connections if your DVD player and AV receiver has either of these options available. If you have a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, HDMI is definitely preferable.

 

Also, with reference to audio, if your AV receiver has the ability to extract audio via HDMI, this is also preferable, but if not, use either the digital audio or 5.1 channel audio connections between the Blu-ray or HD-DVD player to your AV receiver in addition to the HDMI connection.

 

4. For connecting a CD-only player or changer to your AV receiver, you can use either the CD player's analog or digital audio outputs to the AV Receiver. If you have a CD-Recorder, connect it to your AV receiver through the Audio Tape Record/Playback input/output loop connections, as it functions much the same as a standard audio cassette deck.

 

5. Connect the TV monitor output of the AV receiver to one of the video inputs on your television. This allows you to view the video image from your VCR or DVD player on your television after it goes through the AV receiver.

 

NOTE: Your AV receiver needs to be on and either the VCR or DVD player selected, with your TV switched to the video input (not channel 3 or another channel) in order to view the video feed from your AV receiver.

 

6. Connect the audio outputs of your TV (if it has them) to the TV or Aux audio inputs on your AV receiver. This allows watching standard television programs through your broadcast, cable, or satellite connection and to be able to hear stereo or surround sound audio from programs that have it, through your home theater system.

 

7. Connect your speakers up to the AV receiver. Pay attention to the correct polarity (positive and negative - red and black) and, make sure the speakers are connected to the correct channel (center, front left, front right, rear left, rear right on a five channel system).