RCA RTD300 hook-up to cable box?

Question

The instructions aren't very specific. I have recently gotten a cable tv box. I need to hook this up to my RCA RTD300 home theatre system. What is the hook-up order?? Do I go from the cable box "out" to the RTD300 "in" then to the TV, or is this reversed? (RTD "in" to cable box "out" to the TV) Also, where does the cable coax connect? To the TV direct, to the cable box, or to the RTD??

Answer 1

Sorry to say this but you wasted your money on that piece of junk RCA. It has no digital audio inputs so there is no way to get surround sound from any other component to it.

In a normal system your cable would hook to a cable box first. The OUTPUT of the cable box would hook up to the INPUT of your receiver and the OUTPUT of your receiver would hook to the INPUT of your TV set and to the speakers. The best way would be to use HDMI cables but that junk RCA does not support HDMI. The second best way is component video. The RCA will pass component video along but since it has no digital audio inputs there is no way to get 5.1 surround sound to it. You will have to settle for analog stereo sound until you get a real receiver.

Note that an output comes FROM something. An input goes INTO something. Your cable (also called a coax or coaxial cable) has to go to the INPUT of your cable box. The OUTPUTS of your cable box have to go to the INPUTS of your receiver (in this case your RCA) and the OUTPUTS of your receiver go to the INPUTS of your TV set and to your speakers.

Since your system does not support HDMI the best way open to you is to use component video (a green-blue-red triple cable). You will also need to run audio cables in addition to the triple video cable since component video does not carry audio. You will need at least 2 component video cables and 3 audio cables (red-white). One set (both audio and video) will go from your cable box (output) to your receiver (input). Another set will go from your receiver (output) to your TV (input)

Then if you want to hear the TV audio through your RCA you will have to run some audio cables from your TV (output) to your receiver (input).

Do not confuse the red audio cable with the red video cable. They are NOT the same and will not work if cross connected.