Can anyone help with console video/sound?

[SoulBlazer]

I'm having a curious problem here and I'm hoping that someone can help me out, especily those of you with many consoles hooked up to one TV and/or with a receiver.

I bought a Yamaha receiver about six months ago to go with my new 5.1 speaker system. I'm still on a old TV set, though (only one S-Video and one set of AV plugs). What I did was that I got a selector box, plugged in the AV cables from the TV into the output area of the selector, and then plugged in the AV cables in the input areas from each console. (I assume the receiver is hooked into this SOMEHOW, but in all honesty my Dad was the one who set it up and I have'nt torn it out to look)

So, even though the TV, the receiver, and the selector box all have S-Video plugs, none of them are in use.

Anyway, I went out today and picked up a Advanced AV pack for my XBox. No problem plugging in the audio plugs and my optical cable, but the cables that came with it only has the S-Video plug, not the yellow video cable.

So, I tried to plug in the S-Video instead of the yellow video cable on my selector switch -- and no picture. I can hear it, so the audio is fine, but I can't get a picture, when it was working fine with the yellow video cable before I got the AV Pack.

So what the hell is wrong here? :angry:

I don't want to have to go out and buy more AV cables, I'd like to use the advanced pack since I want to use my optical cable, and everything SHOULD be plugged in correctly. I hope I explained this clearly enough, I can answer questions if anyone has one.

[tholly]

do you have an s-video cable running from the selector box output to the tv input????

[Gamereviewgod]

Yeah, the way you wrote it, it sound like you have only one S-video plug going into the box, but none coming out. The box won't take a S-video signal and downgrade it to composite. You need to have another S-video cable running out from the box.

Enjoy the X-Box in 5.1 glory!

[SoulBlazer]

Ah, okay. That make sence. I'll have to go out and buy a S-Video cable, plug one end into my TV and the other into the output area of my selector box, and cross my fingers. :)

What's curious is that I have the XBox running fine right now, but now that I have the optical cable plugged in, it AUTOMATICALY changes my receiver to Dolby Digitial when I turn it on. O_O

Is that the best setting for it? My receiver has a ton of options, and I don't even know what all of them do. What's the best setting to leave the receiver on for the XBox? Or for the PS2 and GC, for that matter? For those two I've just always left it on Pro Logic II.

[Flack]

Dolby Digital is 5.1 channels of audio -- center channel, 2 front, 2 rear, and subwoofer. If your receiver is set to 5.1 and the game is putting out 2 channels of audio, you're only going to get 2 channels of audio (left and right). If you set your receiver to pro-logic, it's going to take 2 channels of audio and convert it to 5.1 channels for you. Especially for older gaming systems that only put out 2 channels of audio, Pro-Logic will probably give you more interesting results.

[optic_85]

dolby digital 5.1 is a great for XBOX games. I reccomend that.

[Kamino]

personally i just use a set of KOSS PRO4AA studio monitors for all gaming from atari to xbox :rocker:

[SoulBlazer]

Okay, so you're saying for best results I SHOULD leave the receiver on Doly Digitial when playing the XBox?

So how about the GC and the PS2? I know the sound options for that are lacking, and only a few games have support for Dolby Surrond Sound. What's the best setting for those two systems? Pro Logic II? I have others like a generic game setting and DVS that don't seem to sound any different. (the only one that really does is six channel and I use that for normal TV watching, since it makes everything nice and loud).

I'll have to stop at Radio Shack or Best Buy and pick up a S-Video cable.

[Kamino]

actually, i would suggest walmart for an svideo cable! theyre much cheaper around those parts.