Connections and Converters help

2003-09-14 02:00:54

Hey everyone, just needed a bit of help...heres my setup

I have a ps2 and gamecube hooked up to my TV.  Gamecube is using Video 2 with regular RCA (yellow, red, white) hookup.  My ps2 is hooked up via component (RGB) and stereo cables (red, white).  I have an output from my TV to my stereo (which is 5.1 capable).  The output on the TV is only stereo capable, not surround sound.  So i have a stereo RCA cable running from the TV to the 5.1 receiver input.  There are a total of 5 inputs on the stereo receiver: Front Left, Front Right, Center, Rear Left, Rear Right and Subwoofer.  Only 2 are being used because there is no 5.1 out on my tv.  Now, when i play a movie, game or just watch TV, i get sound out of only the fron left and right speakers. 

1. Is there a converter box that I can setup between my tv and my receiver that will split the connection from 2 rca to 5 rca (even if its not true surround sound, at least all speakers will be used). 

2. If not, are there toslink to 5.1 rca converters available.  If so, then i can just convert digital toslink out on the ps2 to 5.1 rca and run it straight into the receiver.  This will only get my ps2 to have surround sound, but thats good enough...

3. also, is there such a thing as a stereo mini to rca converter?  Example: lets say i have a speaker (with stereo mini connection) that i want to connect to an rca output.

thanks in advance for the help

Connections and Converters help

Reply #1 – 2003-09-14 02:14:58

This is the wrong forum to ask such questions (check the Audio Harware one).

Perhaps you could try hooking the PS2/TV stereo out to the receiver's *CD in. Do not hook to the 5.1 direct input because you won't get 5.1 out of stereo on those.

Most receivers have a stereo expanding scheme (such as Dolby Prologic or Prologic II). Set the receiver to use that* connection & DPL/II/Logic 7 or whatever it has. Try to read your receiver manual from time to time

Now back to your original questions. (If you can't do it using the receiver.)

1. Not as far as I know. See 2.

2. Klipsch had something like that (called DD51). But your receiver should be able to do that. 

3. Yep, try most equipment stores / Radioshack.

Connections and Converters help

Reply #2 – 2003-09-14 22:23:06

The Gamecube only supports Dolby Pro Logic II anyway - Pro Logic II can only use a single stereo RCA in - it matrixes out the center and (discrete) surround channels from the stereo input. All you need to do to support surrounds sound on the gamecube is to plug the stereo RCA plugs into the reciever and turn on Pro Logic II.

1) Don't try to get three pairs of RCA plugs out of one - the original plugs only carry stereo anyway. Sending high frequency info to the sub channel might actually hurt something.

2) As lucpes mentioned, this is unecessary and redundant if you have a DD decoding reciever.

3) yeah, sure, just pick the stereo to stereo one. ("Stereo Mini to 2)Female RCA")

  You can run a digital audio optical cable directly to the reciever from the PS2 and it will carry all audio output from the system. In fact, that's what you should do

  I think that's all you need to know.