If I buy a ps3 . . .?

Question

and I get a hdmi cable, is the hdmi cable only for video or is it for audio as well? Because I want to be able to have good video but, still be able to connect my ps3 to my surround sound system which only can be connected through the red/white cables. So Can I connect the hdmi from the ps3 to the tv and then the audio cables to the surround sound system without compramising the picture?

Answer 1

Yes you can this is exactly how I set mine up.  You will need to setup both off of the HDMI first then go into your settings once the initial setup is done and change the sound to run out of your red/white cables.  The TV will play sound until the change is made but it is required by the PS3.  If you say no, the screen goes black and then goes back to full HDMI because it won't detect any other video output.  PS3 will use the best output it detects.

Answer 2

The hdmi cable is for both, video and audio. Tha hdmi cable is the same thing as the 3 cable( red, white and yellow ) except its all in one.

Answer 3

HDMI can carry  both video and audio.

The red and white audio cables do NOT carry a surround sound signal.  If you want Dolby Digital 5/6/7.1 surround sound goodness  from the PS3, you need to use an optical audio cable.

In short: Connect the PS3 to your TV with an HDMI cable for optimal video.  Then connect the PS3 to your surround sound system with an optical audio cable for sound.  Finally, go into the Settings menu for Sound, and turn HDMI Audio OFF.  This will let the PS3 use the optical audio cable for sound.  This is how my PS3 is connected, and will give you the best of both worlds.

The PS3 is quite stupid in that it won't output audio on both the HDMI and optical audio outputs simultaneously.  The 360 can do this.  My DVD player can do this.  Even my satellite box can do this.  Why can't Sony?

Yes, the PS3 can output digital audio (optical cable) and analog audio (red/white cables) simultaneously, but that's just silly as it would mean I would have more cables dangling out of the back of my PS3 than I do out of the back of my receiver.