All of the emphasis on high-definition has led to an increased value in surround sound and gaming to accommodate similar high definition features. After purchasing a high-definition TV, a surround sound system and video game console, there are a variety of options to connect the components. If you hook everything up but are only using a fraction of potential of your electronics, you have not gotten your money's worth.
Instructions
Connect the Surround Sound
1. Place the surround sound receiver near enough to the television that it can be connected without excessive cable length.
2. Position the speakers where you want. Make sure that your rear speakers are in a rear position and that your center is in the center of your viewing area. If you choose to mount the speakers, mount them at ear level when viewing according to manufacturers instructions.
3. Cut pairs of equal speaker wire lengths for the rear speakers and three equal lengths for the front and center speakers. They should be long enough to reach the speakers when concealed along wall edges but should not have a large amount of excess to produce clutter. Strip the plastic casing from all ends so that each length has two exposed wires on each end.
4. Connect the wires to the speakers and receiver. Stick one exposed wire into the positive terminal on the speaker and the other into the negative. Do this for each speaker. Connect the wires to the labeled terminals for the appropriate speaker position on the receiver--remember that left is left when viewing, not when looking out into the room. Make sure that you connect the same wire into the positive terminal as you did on the speaker and negative to negative.
5. Connect the subwoofer either in the same way as the other speakers, or if the subwoofer is powered, plug the audio cable for the subwoofer into the subwoofer output jack on the receiver.
6. Plug in the receiver and turn it on to test your speakers.
Connect the Game Console
7. On new game consoles, a high-definition multimedia interface, or HDMI, jack is provided. Plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI jack on the console. Plug the other end into an HDMI input on your television. You can purchase an HDMI converter or plug a console into RCA inputs if you are using an older game console.
8. Plug in the game console.
9. Power on the console and TV to make sure they are both functioning properly.
Connecting the TV and Console to the Surround Sound
10. Locate your TV audio output. On HDTVs this will often be a digital or optical output.
11. Locate an audio input on the back of your surround sound receiver. Be sure to find a connection of the same type as the output on your television.
12. Connect the television to the surround sound using the appropriate cable.
Another Option
13. Many surround sounds now have HDMI inputs and output. If your system has this, plug the console HDMI into the surround receiver instead of the television.
14. Attach an HDMI cable from the surround receiver HDMI output to an HDMI input on the television.
15. Attach the audio cable from the television audio output to an audio input jack on the surround receiver to enable television sound through your surround system.
16. If you wish to connect any other components, you can connect them to your surround system and send the signal to the TV through the connected HDMI output.
Tags: surround receiver, your surround, audio cable, audio input, audio output, cable from, Connect wires