Surround sound question i want to buy a home theater system?

Question

if i buy the system with the speakers and the dvd player does the surround sound only come in when i watch a dvd or does it work for cable also if so is there a special way of hooking it up thanks

Answer 1

CAREFUL:

The cheap $300 units with a built-in DVD player do not let you hook up external devices. Samsung, Philips, Sony, Bose all make these neat-looking units.

You want to buy a HTIB (Home Theater in a Box) from Yamaha, Denon, Kenwood and even Onkyo.  But you need to make sure:

- The receiver is a big, black box with lots of extra connections on the back

- The subwoofer is self powered

- The DVD player is a totally separate box

These systems allow you to replace parts later and usually have lots of extra connections for the CATV box, Game system, etc.

Answer 2

The surround receiver will have inputs for your tv and/or any of your other stereo eqipment to plug into. Have the salesman at the sore where you are going to purchase it show you the options. That is his job.

Answer 3

It depends what system you are purchasing, but most will allow you to hook up different sources to the reciever.  Keep in mind not all sources (tv, cable, dvd, cd, vhs) are capable of surround sound.  When you look at the reciever look at the back for audio in, this will let you know how many components you can hook up to it.  Look for a round red and white thing that sticks out about an 1/8 of an inch,  also look for an HDMI, and optical input.  The latter two should be labeled.