# sound out of cable box



## amakarevic (Apr 12, 2007)

i am asking this question because i am wiring a room for sound but i do not use TV and do not have a cable box to see first hand.

does the sound come out of the cable box or out of the TV ? and in case the sound is output through TV, will a single RG-6 cable deliver both video and sound from the cable box to TV? 

this is why i am asking: i am setting wiring so that TV can hang on top of the wall. to avoid unsightly loose exposed cables, i set wiring behind drywall. right now, all i planned is that a single RG-6 cable runs from the bottom of the wall (where the cable box and receiver are planned to be) to an outlet on top where the TV will be. the question is will this setup provide for both outputting sound through the TV as well as optionally through a receiver and speakers if i choose so later. i am *HOPING* that in the former, simpler, scenario, both video and sound go from the box to TV and in the latter, more sophisticated scenario, just the video and another cable (monster or HDMI) from the cable box to the receiver directly because they don't need behind-the-wall wiring cause they'll be stacked in proximity to one another.

thanks


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## Evstarr (Nov 15, 2011)

IF it is a halfway recent cable box. It will have at least a left/right audio with video (composite) and a single coax connector that takes both audio and video to the tv on one wire. 

Some Newer tvs lack that input. 

Newer still cable boxes will have. Component video as well as the stereo out for audio ( totaling 5 wires to the tv or 3 to the tv and 2 to a receiver. 

Some will have hdmi connections and digital audio outs. 

Best bet would be to find out what the boxes used by your cable company offer. Should be diagrams and pics on the cable company web site.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Yes, go get a soundbar like the Vizio 206, which is what I have. It has two inputs, one uses a 3/8" stereo plug, and the other uses RCA for left & right. I have it connected both to our Blu-Ray player & ATT U-Verse box for audio, since the speakers on our tv are not that great. Before, I had the audio going through our 2 channel stereo receiver, with the speakers playing back the audio.


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## av-geek (Jan 15, 2012)

If you are using a newer flat-panel TV, you have several options:

You can use the RG6 cable from the converter box to the TV, but this is the "lowest common denominator" This will give you standard-definition picture with mono sound with a maximum of about 300 lines of resolution. You just tune the TV to analog channel 3. 

Second option is to use the Red, white and yellow RCA jacks and run the signal into the video input on the TV. Again, this will be standard definition, but with a little bit better (about 400 lines) resolution. You will also get stereo sound. Yellow carries the picture, red, right audio, and white left audio.

Third option is to use the analog component video. This uses separate red, green, and blue lines for the individual colors. You will also need a separate audio cable to carry the stereo sound. This works very good and will deliver up to 1080i HD resolution and stereo sound. A good option if you have an older flat-panel TV too without an HDMI connection.

The fourth option, and probably the best for you is HDMI. This is a connector that looks like a wide USB cable. It carries digital picture and sound on one wire. Resolution here is up to 1080P with digital stereo sound

...now, if you are dealing with an older tube TV, you will typically only have the first two options avaliable.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

For any modern display you cannot feed it straight coax from a cable box. You won't get any hi-def picture. No cable boxes provide an output via coax in hi-def. Mainly because hi-def RF modulators run at least $700 and up. 

What you need to plan for is running an HDMI cable to the TV. If you're going to use a receiver then you'd run HDMI out of the cable box into it, and then from there to the TV. 

Also consider you can get HDMI to CAT5 adapters. These will allow you to run just CAT5 cables to the TV. Some systems use one CAT5 but two wire devices are, at present, a fair bit less costly. Monoprice makes some fine units for this purpose. Using this sort of setup would allow you to put the cable box and receiver up to 100' or more away. But you'd need to have power for the HDMI/CAT5 adapter, at both ends.


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## eminense (Apr 28, 2012)

Another issue to consider is whether you will be using a receiver.

I did the same thing a few years back (TV hanging over fireplace and all components located in an "electronics closet").

I went way overboard and wired 2 HDMI, 2 sets of component, 1 Cat6, 1 RG-6, 2 fiber optics...yeah, turns out this overkill wasn't necessary.

Like other posters, I would suggest running an HDMI (and maybe an RG-6 as backup) - This should have you covered for hi-def video and audio. You can always use a receiver in your closet to select inputs and outputs (just bear in mind, you may not be able to convert between component and HDMI). For this reason, I also recommend running at least 1 set of component (you don't need to use it, but you can have it sitting behind the dry wall - it's always easier to just pull it out of the drywall than to try to re-run it should you end up needing it later).

If you haven't already purchased the cabling - I typically use monoprice - super cheap and high quality. When running HDMI through drywall, bear in mind that there is a limitation on how far the signal can be transmitted depending on the grading of the cable.

Good luck!


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## eminense (Apr 28, 2012)

Also, another thing you may want to consider is USB (if you ever use a local storage/streaming functionality on your TV). USB is one of the few things that is a real pain to convert via other types of cabling if you want high-speed USB 2.0 or 3.0. I learned this the hard way because I wanted to connect a Playstation eye camera in front of the TV without having to run an unslightly repeater cable coming out of my closet. In retrospect, my ideal setup would have been 1 hdmi, 1 component, 1 RG-6, 1 Cat 6 and 1 USB. This all may be overkill depending on your uses, but its something to consider if you ever want to hook up a hard drive to your TV, or if you have gaming systems you use.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

eminense said:


> Also, another thing you may want to consider is USB (if you ever use a local storage/streaming functionality on your TV). USB is one of the few things that is a real pain to convert via other types of cabling if you want high-speed USB 2.0 or 3.0. I learned this the hard way because I wanted to connect a Playstation eye camera in front of the TV without having to run an unslightly repeater cable coming out of my closet. In retrospect, my ideal setup would have been 1 hdmi, 1 component, 1 RG-6, 1 Cat 6 and 1 USB. This all may be overkill depending on your uses, but its something to consider if you ever want to hook up a hard drive to your TV, or if you have gaming systems you use.


USB is less of a hassle these days. Monoprice here again makes some decent extenders allowing for quite long distances. Some with, some without requiring local power. 

But for game consoles you're pretty much better off finding a way to have them 'local' to the display. Controllers and other accessories don't always lend themselves to being extended. Sometimes you're better off keeping the console near and running audio/video back to a receiver and then up to the display. Seems counter-intuitive but AV signals are a lot more portable than all the controllers and other widgets you might have connected to a game console. Yes, you "can" set them up remotely but think it through before making the leap.


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## eminense (Apr 28, 2012)

wkearney99 said:


> USB is less of a hassle these days. Monoprice here again makes some decent extenders allowing for quite long distances. Some with, some without requiring local power.


Just a quick warning about the extenders though - the ones on Monoprice are 1.1 compliant only and will not carry high speed USB. I've tried numerous low cost extenders, and they are fine for minor tasks requiring only 1.1 speed; but for a high-speed 2.0+ extension, you will need a high-speed balun such as those manufactured by Gefen or Icron (easily $300+ and also may or may not work optimally). If you're already running cable, I don't think it would hurt to have a USB repeater cable behind the wall "just in case." 

I agree that the ideal scenario is to put the console by the TV and run AV back to a receiver - just doesn't work in my case since it's mounted over a fireplace.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Am I the only fan of optical audio on here?

I run HDMI from the cable box to the TV to provide the picture, but optical audio from the cable box straight to the amp. Any newer cable box should have optical out.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

CoconutPete said:


> Am I the only fan of optical audio on here?
> 
> I run HDMI from the cable box to the TV to provide the picture, but optical audio from the cable box straight to the amp. Any newer cable box should have optical out.


Sure, that's a good choice too. Provided your TV or local source devices properly handle it. I had used it when I had a Tivo local to the TV. The video went to the TV via HDMI, but it also sent component video and optical audio back to the receiver. This way I could watch using the local speakers or the whole 5.1 setup. Later at night it was usually less noisy to just use the built-in speakers rather that rattle the whole house with the 5.1 setup.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

wkearney99 said:


> Sure, that's a good choice too. Provided your TV or local source devices properly handle it. I had used it when I had a Tivo local to the TV. The video went to the TV via HDMI, but it also sent component video and optical audio back to the receiver. This way I could watch using the local speakers or the whole 5.1 setup. Later at night it was usually less noisy to just use the built-in speakers rather that rattle the whole house with the 5.1 setup.


Works this way w/ the optical audio too. I just mute the TV and fire up the receiver if I want more oomph.


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