Just moved and have no idea how to set up my system. This is what I have Denon AVR-1700 Receiver Rogers PVR digital cable box Sony Vega tv DVD player Stereo VCR all speakers are hooked up. I also don't understand the settings on the receiver. I am looking for digital dolby pro logic I think.
@mcampol...unable to help at the moment as I've got a bunch of company coming over but I'll get to this first thing in the morning if no one else has. Make sure your speakers are properly connected ... positive to positive .... negative to negative (red to red / black to black. Do you still have your operator's manual? ...if so, look up "microprocessor activation"; it doesn't automatically activate them just by plugging it in. Will get back to you in the morning if no one else has jumped in. I'm also going to ask the moderator to close the other thread you started on the same subject....Gerry Here is a like to the owners manual if you've lost your's: http://usa.denon.com/avr1700_productsheet.pdf
Hi Mike! Please disregard what I said about activating microprocessors; your unit is a bit older than I thought (but still a nice unit) but it does require external decoders for certain things. If you haven't gotten the units connected yet, there will be a bunch of things I need to know: 1. Before you moved, were you able to watch the TV, VCR and DVD without using the receiver or did you have to use the receiver at all times? It can be set up either way. I prefer only using the receiver when I want good sound and using the regular TV sound for things that aren't all that important when it comes to audio (CNN, Gilligans Island, bad movies etc. How do you want yours connected? 2. I need to know the make and model of your DVD player to see what sort of video and audio connections it uses. 3. Sort the cables that you have; you should have for analog: These will be red and white or red and black (usually). These are the same but yellow will carry the video You may or may not use these: [bold]These cables are used for the digital connections:[/bold] 76 ohm coax (has an orange stip, or cord ... organge somewhere) Optical Cable (you should have one / your amp has only one optical input. The little plastic bulb comes off and is merely there to protect it. If you don't have the above two cables, you were't connected with digital sound; some people aren't and don't know it because certain modes "simulate". So, seperate your cables, let me know what you do and do not have and tell me what the make and model of your DVD player is. I've got to clean my apartment and do some laundry or I'm off to work nekkid tomorrow LOL! I'll check in on and off....Gerry
Hey Gerry I have all the cables except the last two. My DVD player is a JVC XV-N312S I would prefer to use the receiver for all audio. I just got the receiver, so it is not the same one that I had used before. Don't think i was using digital before. I also have two active subwoofers and am not sure which one will serve better. I have an Energy 10" and an Acoustic Research 8".
@gerry1......... Hey bud, wassup? The transom of the boat on the right, is in shadow. The transom of the boat on the left, isn't. But the angle of light should be the same on both, since they're not that far from each other. Also, the reflection of the boat on the right, shows something I don't see on the boat itself. But great drawing! I didn't realize you were a great artist! )
@JVC...thanks for the compliment buddy! You're actually right on both of those things and I didn't realize it! It isn't the first time I draw something with shadows going in three directions LOL! Actually, I was referring to the back seat of the middle boat...I goofed! I'm glad you're here; I was (and still am)going to PM you for some help on this one. http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027152&pathId=10&page=2&archive=true http://usa.denon.com/avr1700_productsheet.pdf Mike ... first lets start with the easy stuff while I bring in JVC or someone else for a couple of incompatibility issues which I'm sure can be addressed. This is the back of your amplifier: In the upper right, you have two coax and one optical inputs ... it says "Digital In" in a small white rectangle ... deal with then later. For the moment, deal with the analog inputs at the upper left. It says "IN" in a little white rectangle. I'm hoping some of this is self evident...there are red and white audio "inputs" in the pic which will match to the red and white audio "outputs" on the back of the DVD player, VCR and Cable Box and CD player: these red and white are audio...you need to connect from the back of the various units to the appropriate red and white input on the back of your amp with the rca cables which look like this: Your CD player will just be read and white ...connect one to the other. Your video components will be red and white for the audio (just like the CD player) but will also have a third to carry the video signal. It is often in yellow but that depends on the age of the equipment ... sometime is simply says "video out" ...which will connect on the back of your amplifier to the yellow input directly to the right of the red and white audio of the same component. On the bottom right of the pic of the amp, you'll see another yellow rca with the word "Monitor" ... that connects to the "video in" of your TV and is always assigned to a a particular channel...check your TV manual for that. That should be really easy. I'll get back in a bit with some input from a buddy.
@Mike........ I agree with gerry1, except that I wouldn't bother hooking up the red and white rca composite cables, from the dvd player. I'd just use the digital coax output from dvd, for audio (the pic gerry1 provided, with the orange ring on it). You can usually get one at Wal Mart or Radio Shack. Don't buy "Monster" brand. They are way too expensive! You'll need to make sure the digital out for audio is enabled, in your dvd player. In your dvd player's setup menus, set the audio output to "Bitstream", not PCM. Then, in your receiver's setup menus, you'll probably need to enable the digital coax input, you used for the dvd player. Then set receiver to "Digital Auto" or "Auto Detect", whichever terminology they use. Then, whenever you put a dvd movie in your player, it will automatically use the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. My JVC receiver has a button on the front, for choosing "Digital Auto". The button is labelled "Digital Input", and I have to push it two or three times, for Digital Auto to come up, in the window. Your manual should be able to walk you through this process. You'll [bold]have[/bold] to use the yellow rca composite cable, for the video from the dvd, because that's the only input you have on your receiver for video. I can't believe the Denon doesn't have an s-video input! That's rediculous! For sub, I guess your Energy is the S10.2 or S10.3? Didn't see any other 10" at their site. It's powered, so it should plug into a "pre-out", on back of receiver. My bad eyesight saw what looked like a sub input over the speaker hookups? Is the AR sub powered too? Use whichever one sounds best to you. There are ways to hookup two subs, but not sure if your receiver is capable of doing this. Here is a guide for hooking up stereo subs. Read over it and see if you can do it............... http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=36397 Know also, that you won't be able to use DTS soundtracks, on dvds that have them. Your receiver isn't capable of that either, as it sets. It's capable of using an external decoder though. But since you don't have one, don't worry about it. Dolby Digital will do you just fine. If I were you, I'd start saving for a little higher end receiver. Good luck! Let us know how things go......... ) @gerry1....... The drawing really is very good. We've all overlooked little things like that before, and probably will again......... Keep up the good work! Actually they are two different brands of boats. One brand didn't use the back seat. Even though they look similar, the one without the back seat, was a little cheaper.
Thanks so much for the help JVC ... I suppose you're right about the two RCA/analogs on the dvd player ... when I looked at the "facts sheet" on the Denon1700, it sounded like the optical was already "assigned" for the dvd player but looking at back of the receiver, they're only numbered so they must be assignable. It's a nice little amp but must be kind of old ... about six years or so if its a 1700 but the lack of S Video is surprising; they've had those for a long time now. Damn if you're not right about the second boat ... the original is about four feet long and not one foot from my head! I drew the original from a photograph. What I thought was a third rear seat is actually a shadow of the seat above it ... (look at the shadow under the oars). One of these days, I'll take it out of the frame and fix it as best I can. I use these wax pencils (they're like fancy crayola crayons LOL! ...but unlike regular pencil or charcoal, you can't erase it; it just smears around but I can cheat and use some white charcoal over it. Damn, your eyes are better than you think!
I will buy a coax cable for digital tomorrow and give it a shot. Thanks so much for the help guys. Mike
Mike...you might want to take a look at the back of your cable box too. You are likely to have either a coax or optical there as well which will connect to your amp...won't have the same great effects as the DVD player but still better than just the red and white rca. You will need to look at your manual and follow the directions on how to "assign" the digital inputs to the proper piece of equipment. It's all really easy but kind of frustrating when you do these things for the first time. After the first time, it all begins to make sense somehow!
got the cables and both digital cable and dvd sound amazing. one problem, when i hooked up the digital cable, I could no longer use my digital cable remote for volume. When I was on analogue, I was able to assign the remote to control volume. Any thoughts?
Since your sound is coming from your receiver now, instead of tv, you'll need to use the receiver's remote. If you have a Sam's Club, and are a member, they may have some Harmony 628 remotes on their Clearance table. They are around $50 - $55. They are worth every penny, and more. They will operate everything, including the cable box. That would be the only remote you need. Our's took the place of four remotes. Very wife/gf friendly too. My wife loves it! Very easy to program (by computer), and operate. There may be a way to program the volume into the cable remote, but I don't know it.
Probably not easy to find a remote that both your wife and girlfriend can use! Thanks for all of your help Gerry. Mike
@Mike ... you're welcome and happy listening. @JVC....one of these days, I've got to get one of those remotes myself. My Denon remote sucks even for people with good eyesight! I need buttons on a remote ... after a while, you learn to "feel" your way around it but those multiple menu touchpads really suck ... for me anyway!
@gerry1............ Eyesight has nothing to do with Denon remotes sucking! They just suck...........period! At least the ones I've seen and tried to use did. You should see if your Sam's Club still has the 628. Since they are on clearance, they won't get more, once they've sold them. They also sell the Harmony 659, but it costs $99.......
But isn't that one of those places where you have to be a member? I don't know if it would be worth it as there isn't one close enough to me that I'd go with any regularity...all the same, I'll look into it, thanks for the tip. For something that you I use so much, it's still worth paying a little more if I must. It's kind of strange, Denon makes some great stuff, albeit overpriced, it seems like something of a contradiction that their remotes would be so badly designed.
Maybe you know someone that's a member, that will get it for you? Do you need tires for your car or truck? Sam's will save you enough to pay for the membership. Membership is $35. You may can get a membership through your business, a good bit cheaper............
Ah, good suggestion. Living in downtown Philly, I got rid of my car; I rent one rather regularly which is still a lot cheaper that insuring one, let alone parking in the city. I'll go and check it out; I've heard many things about sams club but have never been. I do rent cars often enough that it might be worth it after all even though it is quite a haul to north east Philly. Isn't sams club owned by walmart?
@ mcampol... if you were to also connect your tv to your cable box with this guy, you would have the choice of just using your tv and tv volume without having to use the receiver except when you want.(works with my cable box anyway): or you could use the svideo and the two rca's to the TV. Either way, you could use your amp when you want, or just the TV with the volume operated from your cable remote. Initially, I used my AVR for everything but, with me anyway, the novelty wore off quickly. It convenient to be able to use just the TV and the TV's volume.
