Sound problem w/ cable TV/home theater speakers

General Questions
#1

I set up my HD TV to run the sound from the cable through the Blu-Ray home theater speakers for a fuller sound. Have sound output set to “ARC” (no idea what that stands for, but the Panasonic customer service guy told me to set it that way- both TV and Blu-Ray player are Panasonic brand). Both cable box and Blu-Ray player/speakers are connected to TV via HDMI.

Sound will be great for a period of time (different length every time), and then it starts sounding like there’s feedback (sounds “hairy”- I’m not sure how else to describe!) and it gets worse and worse until you can’t make out any of the sounds at all.

I have to shut down the cable box and TV and Blu-Ray player and restart to make it go away. I can’t shut down any one component and fix the problem…

Any ideas?

#2

So you have it set up like this:
Cable Box —> TV —> Bluray/Amplifier

I would change it around a bit:
Cable box —> Bluray/Amplifier —> TV
Think of your TV as a “video moniter” (and turn off the TV’s speakers)

#3

It’s set up this way:
cable box—>TV
Blu/Ray—>TV

I assumed I wouldn’t be able to set it the way you suggest b/c the Blu/Ray player isn’t a receiver. In the past I’ve always had to use a video/audio receiver to set it up that way. Can video go through the BluRay to the TV??

#4

I had to get a digital optical cable to make my Panasonic system work this way. Also I think Blue Ray is set to Digital In when I want to listen to the TV through the Surround.

#5

Uh, you’re missing something. From your OP:

How’s your sound getting from the cable box to the bluray player/speakers? If I were to guess, I’d say you have sound coming out of your TV and your speakers, and the signal is slightly off. Mute your TV.

#6

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#7

You’re correct. The cable box is not running sound through my blu-ray, as my words indicated in the OP.

Sound and picture are going from cable box to TV via HDMI, and sound is coming back from TV to blu-ray HT speakers via HDMI.

TV volume is off, so it’s not a double audio or anything. It’s like hella-static-y feedback that compounds until it’s unintelligible.

#8

p.s. skdo23, I sent you a PM!

#9

Doesn’t that mean your home theater “speakers” are really a cheap receiver as well, if they are receiving the Audio and distributing it ? Probably would help if you could link the amazon pages of the model of speakers and blu-ray player you have.

#10

Here you go.

Obviously I know just enough about all of this to confuse people!

#11

I’ve found the problem. From your link:

I’d be willing to bet that your TV isn’t ARC compatible.

#12

If the TV is a new Panasonic it should be compatible with the surround system. As I said in my earlier post a digital optical cable will solve your problem.

This is my system here:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SC-BT730-Blu-ray-DiscTM-Theater/dp/B0038KV8U0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1300725188&sr=1-1

And my TV here:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50S2-50-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B0036VO7WM/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1300725434&sr=1-19

Here is a link for the cable:

#13

His bluray player doesn’t have an optical audio input, so that won’t work.

#14

According to Google it does.

#15

Sorry forgot the link

#16

So it does! For some reason I completely glanced over that on the amazon page.

#17

But does his TV have an optical audio output? Or does his cable box?

#18

The TV has optical audio out, the cable box has an optical slot that’s labeled “optical”, and the blu-ray player has 2 optical slots, one labeled “audio in” and one labeled “digital”.

So I think I should give the optical connection a try. But I’m not sure which 2 components should get hooked up via optical:

Cable box to Blu-ray?

TV to Blu-ray?
And then there will be the matter of getting the 2 components set up properly. There’s an audio setting on the TV that has to be set, and also with the Blu-ray player. But the settings aren’t labeled “optical”, so I have to figure that part out…

#19

I would think digital optical out of the cable into the surround then a seperate HDMI from the cable to the TV. It just checked mine and that is the way I think I am going to do it. I just changed to digital cable on Frday and I have not had a chance to hook it up yet. The old system was coax to the tv and digital optical from the tv to the surround.

#20

I just got it set up from the TV audio out to the Blu-Ray audio in. And so far, so good. Just waiting to see if that sound problem comes back.

I don’t really see an audio out option on the cable box, other than the optical slot- does optical always = audio?