Coaxial vs. Analog?

Question

Which would be better to use in this situation. I have an PS3 hooked up to a 42" LCD 1080p TV through a 1080 HDMI cord. From there I want to hook my TV up to a Yamaha Surround Home Theater Speaker System. My TV has 2 outputs, 1 coaxial (assuming yellow) and 1 digital audio (at least this is what the description of my tv says and I'm assuming its the red and white), and my Yamaha has 3 inputs, optical digital, coaxial digital (assuming yellow) and analog audio (assuming red and white). Which one of these would be the best to hook my TV up to my Yamaha for optimal sound from the PS3 and the TV?

Also any recommendations on types of cables?

Answer 1

You said:

"..My TV has 2 outputs, 1 coaxial (assuming yellow) and 1 digital audio (at least this is what the description of my tv says and I'm assuming its the red and white),"

Yellow RCA plug - this is Composite Video, not audio

Red/White - This is audio, but Left/Right analog

OPTIMAL SOUND:

You want Dolby Digital from the PS3.  Run a toslink optical cable from the PS3 to the Yamaha receiver.

Then for normal TV watching, you have to run L/R RCA cables from the TV to analog inputs on the receiver.  

You WONT get 5.1 sound from this, but unless you have a external Cable, Sat box - you have nothing that provides 5.1 for normal TV viewing.

You can get AR or Radio Shack optical cables quickly. Or you can save $10 and order from MonoPrice.

Answer 2

The best connection will be optical directly from the PS3 to your receiver and coail digital directly from the TV to the receiver.

A little secret about digital audio:  Digital doesnt care.  As long as the signal is getting from one end of the wire to the other, the sound will be as good as it can be.  Get the cheapest wire you can find and rest assured that it will sound as good as it can.

Answer 3

The description is a bit confusing but here is the optimum connection for audio and video:

Video

- Connect from your TV with the HDMI cable to your Yamaha receiver.

- Connect your PS3 to your receiver with either another HDMI cable or if you cannot use a component connection, (Red green, blue cable).

Audio

-Connect a optical cable from the PS3 output to the Yamahas  optical input.

Remember to make the correct audio/video changes in the settings on the PS-3.