# Using external speakers for TV



## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

I have a 2004 motorhome which has a DVD player/AM/FM stereo with connections for speakers. This unit is old (2003) and does NOT have HDMI connection etc. I have recently bought a new HDTV which of course has terrible sound from the cheap speakers on it. What I want to know is whether there is some way to connect the TV to the speaker system of the CD player. I have used RC cables etc to no avail. Is there some adapter or extra piece of equipment I need to hook this up. Also, the DVD player works fine, but will not play a music CD. Is that "normal"? When I put the DVD in the machine I only get sound out of ONE speaker, not the others.

I'm obviously in over my head here. Any info appreciated.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

What is the make and model of the new TV?


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Brand name is Hanspree. Don’t have the model number available right now


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

dennislanier said:


> I have a 2004 motorhome which has a DVD player/AM/FM stereo with connections for speakers. This unit is old (2003) and does NOT have HDMI connection etc. I have recently bought a new HDTV which of course has terrible sound from the cheap speakers on it. What I want to know is whether there is some way to connect the TV to the speaker system of the CD player. I have used RC cables etc to no avail. Is there some adapter or extra piece of equipment I need to hook this up. Also, the DVD player works fine, but will not play a music CD. Is that "normal"? When I put the DVD in the machine I only get sound out of ONE speaker, not the others.
> 
> I'm obviously in over my head here. Any info appreciated.







Sounds like the DVD/AM/FM has a problem, and also needs to be replaced with a newer unit that does have HDMI in/out.


Yes, it should play a DVD and a CD, and you should get sound out of both speakers.




As to the TV, *IF* it has audio out, that could require an adapter cable to connect to the Combo DVD/AM/FM receiver.




Honestly, you need model numbers on both the TV and the DVD/AM/FM receiver.


I would also recommend new connection cables, and testing the speakers (maybe use an old stereo receiver for this test).


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I will get the model numbers etc when I’m in the motor home in the next day or two.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Did you say that when you play a DVD you get sound out of both speakers but when you play a CD in the same player you get sound out of just one speaker, with no changes to the knobs or settings?

Try unplugging and replugging each jack in back of each piece of equipment twice, one plug at a time. This cleans the contracts and fixes most loose/oxidized connection problems.

Does the TV have a headphone (earphone) jack? That can also be used to feed an external amplifier or stereo receiver and then feed external speakers. This works for all TV sources including DVD player and antenna received TV stations.

For those eavesdropping who already use a stereo receiver (called an AV receiver if it selects the DVD player or cable box to send matching picture and sound to the TV) then you connect external speakers to that receiver and turn down the TV's own volume control. This does not work for TV sound when using an antenna connected to the TV. 

I do not recommend feeding the TV audio output jacks or earphone jack to the same stereo receiver that feeds DVD sound or HDMI to the TV inputs. Then there there would be a certain combination of settings using the remote that will cause feedback and that might damage something.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Most every HDTV I've seen has RCA (small round plugs) jacks that can port the sound. RCA out from TV to RCA in on the DVD might work. T*he catch is you often have to enable the sound in the TV menu.*


Now the gottcha is that the TV sound amplifier may not have enough oomp to drive the speakers. 



You are going to have to find the manual for your TV. It should be online and it may already be stored on the TV in the menu portion of the TV.


As a last reort something like this may be needed. https://www.ebay.com/i/264578773568...MIivHcj8PR6QIViv7jBx39KwYdEAQYASABEgJBjPD_BwE


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Here is a picture of the TV connections


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Here is a picture of the DVD AM/FM connections


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Sorry for the upside down photos but hopefully you can tell me if these connections will work. 

So if I get the HDMI-RCA adapter cable you mentioned that might work? Thanks again. I can still get the model number of the equipment if needed. I actually have the owners manual for the TV but not the DVD player.

Also someone asked about sound from the DVD player. The sound and picture both work on the DVD, but the CD player DOES NOT WORK AT ALL.


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Audio out from the tv to audio in on the DVD player.
Those are RCA jacks.
And most DVD player will play CD's.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

If you've got any of the four 2004 Hannspree TV/Monitors I just looked at the manuals for, you need a 3.5mm to Dual RCA cable; going from the TV's Earphone jack to your DVD/AM/FM's Right & Left Audio In jacks.

I highly recommend these cables; I've been using them on my computer for like 8 years and never had a complaint about them - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DI89MS...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Whatever brand you buy, make sure the 3.5mm (headphone) plug part has *2 rings* (usually black) on it; that's your right and left speaker channels.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

Mystriss has it right.


Typically,


That connection will disable the TV speakers (it should anyway), so audio level will be dependent upon the DVD/AM/FM/Amplifier combo unit, and you will only get two channel audio.



As to that thing not playing a CD? Let's just say that it should.


Might be time to look for a new toy....


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Mystriss said:


> If you've got any of the four 2004 Hannspree TV/Monitors I just looked at the manuals for, you need a 3.5mm to Dual RCA cable; going from the TV's Earphone jack to your DVD/AM/FM's Right & Left Audio In jacks.
> 
> I highly recommend these cables; I've been using them on my computer for like 8 years and never had a complaint about them - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DI89MS...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
> 
> Whatever brand you buy, make sure the 3.5mm (headphone) plug part has *2 rings* (usually black) on it; that's your right and left speaker channels.


So if I get one of these cables, I would plug the "earphone" part into the tv earphone port, and the other two ends into the DVD player audio in ports. Is that correct? As for the CD player, I guess it has "died". But my main concern is the horrible speakers on the tv. I think anything would be an improvement so I may give this a try. Worst that could happen would be wasting a few bucks on the cable if the DVD player doesn't work. Thanks very much. If I try it I will re-post if it works or not. Might help someone else later on.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

dennislanier said:


> So if I get one of these cables, I would plug the "earphone" part into the tv earphone port, and the other two ends into the DVD player audio in ports. Is that correct? As for the CD player, I guess it has "died". But my main concern is the horrible speakers on the tv. I think anything would be an improvement so I may give this a try. Worst that could happen would be wasting a few bucks on the cable if the DVD player doesn't work. Thanks very much. If I try it I will re-post if it works or not. Might help someone else later on.


As long as I didn't miss some less popular TV from them (unlikely) and your AM/FM/DVD audio input is working, then that should do the trick. I've been using 3.5mm to RCA splitter's for my PC to home theater receiver basically forever. 

Cables explained for further knowledge:

Earphone cables (stereo 3.5mm cables - aka TRS cables) have a right and left channel, so its basically speaker wire, though really thin speaker wire cause ear buds/ear phones don't need to handle the wattage level that wall mount speakers do.

The two rings on the earphone jack plug-in bit actually make separate wire connections inside the cable itself, on the other side those two wire connections are just made with separate RCA plugs.

If you get a 3.5mm with only one ring on it, then it's a TS, which is a single wire connection; typically for recording (like from a mic), but some audiophiles use them for mono audio connection, they're used for IR remote extenders, and some other electronics things.

If you get a 3.5mm with 3 rings on it, then it's TRRS, which plays and records both right and left channel audio. A lot of higher end headphone & mic combos use those, digital recording mics, etc.

TS, TRS, TRRS - the letters literally mean "Tip" "Ring" and "Sleeve" - and those are the bits that make individual connections to individual wires inside the cable.

The more you know


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Mystriss said:


> As long as I didn't miss some less popular TV from them (unlikely) and your AM/FM/DVD audio input is working, then that should do the trick. I've been using 3.5mm to RCA splitter's for my PC to home theater receiver basically forever.
> 
> Cables explained for further knowledge:
> 
> ...


Wow thanks for the education!! Now if I can remember this stuff I can really impress my friends. LOL


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Just thought of another question concerning this DVD player, In my RV there are a total of 4 speakers and a sub-woofer connected to the back of the player.
Is this considered "surround sound" and if so, what activates ALL the speakers at once? Just trying to get more educated. Thanks.


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Actually there are 5 speakers and a sub-woofer. My bad.


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## u2slow (Feb 9, 2012)

Because I've had miserable experiences with TV audio over the years...

The best setup IMHO is not let the TV deal with sound at all. Leave that to a separate receiver/amp device. Let the TV only do video. Even a 20yo receiver is dolby 5.1 capable.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

I'm not sure how old your FM/AM/DVD component is, the ability to do surround sound is tech built into the "playing" equipment - rather than the speakers. 

However, with any "semi-recent" 5.1 enabled component (pretty much everything since the mid-90's or so) you should be able to hook up all your RV speakers for surround sound - presuming they're positioned for an at least decent surround field/experience anyway. This is a general 5.1 layout:










It doesn't have to be exactly right to get a good audio performance, like you can put surround right and surround left speakers directly on the sides of the seating area and it'll sound alright. 

If you have a "down firing" subwoofer (aka the speaker is actually facing the floor and there's no speaker on the face of the sub) you can put it anywhere in the room, closer to the seating area is better.

If you do get a new AV receiver, you would just plug the closest corresponding speaker position's wires into the AVR speaker terminals as named above and you should be good to go. 

---

What do all these numbers mean!?! 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, 5.2.2, 7.2.4, 13.2.6, etc.

It's way easier than you think! Just break it down *13* = 13 satellite/typical speakers . *2* = 2 subwoofers . *6* height or presence speakers.

All the current formats of film/cd/dvd/tv broadcast/pc/etc. dedicate individual audio "tracks" to individual "channels" on the receiver end, which the receiver feeds out to the different speaker locations. 

Every format will have a dedicated front right and front left audio track, nearly all also have a dedicated channel for the LFE or Subwoofer. At 3.1 you add in a center channel. When you get up to 5.1 it adds a right surround, and a left surround. At 7.1 you add in right and left rear surround channels. 

Everything past 7.1 is wizardry inside your receiver because most film/cd/dvd/tv/etc doesn't record audio tracks higher than 7.1 - in fact, you can't even fit the necessary data to run higher than 7.1 on the cd/dvd or TV broadcast coax. Bluray and fiber cable could do more, but Hollywood and music producers aren't onboard with maor speakers yet. However, the wizardry in receivers can be pretty amazing. 

Still worth bearing in mind that the best you're only ever going to get from any receiver is 7.1 - front right, front left, center, surround right, surround left, rear surround right, rear surround left, and a subwoofer. Everything else your receiver bills to you is [currently] just a copy of those individually recorded audio tracks - sometimes with the receiver fiddling with the tracks to try to "simulate" having more tracks, but it's kinda smoke and mirrors. 

Also be aware that receiver companies sometimes include 2 "channels" in their labeling which are actually hardwired to a different zone. So they'll label that it's a 9.1 system, but it's actually 7.1 with 2.0 in Zone 2, and those two channels for Zone 2 are basically a straight up copy of the front right & left audio tracks, which means they aren't even suited to use as duplicate [side] surround channels. Making them essentially a waste of money if you're not going to have a zone 2.


Here have a wall-of-text history; because I love this stuff heh

When they recorded movies between the late 50s or so and the early 70's, they started including duplicate tracks of the audio via magnetic tracks on the edges of the projector film mostly in order to bring the audio to every seat in the theater because originally they just had three speakers behind the screen and folks in the back often complained of not being able to hear it or whatever.

As the tech advanced, the equipment (projector, receiver, whatever else odd components they had back then,) through a process called "sound panning" would automatically adjust the individual volume of those tracks as they were sent to the side mounted speakers; simulating the effect of objects in the movie going past the viewers. I believe Disney's Fantasia was one of the first movies to fully utilize the multiple audio tracks for this purpose. However, this early ancestor only had a single audio track that went to all of the side and rear mounted speakers in the room. The equipment that did the sound panning had to be custom built and designed for the specific theater's room and so forth (and that's when we started getting a standardized size for movie theaters.)

It was in the 70s that we started to get close to "modern" surround sound as we know it. Dolby came out with a multi-channel audio format that included audio tracks for the individual speakers on the sides & rear of the theater. Star Wars was the first movie recorded in this new Dolby Surround and it was the first time that movie producers were able to add in audio tracks that were specifically designed to utilize the physical locations of the speakers in the theater with separate audio tracks. Instead of adjusting speaker volume's onsite via customized and expensive sound panning, they built the side speakers volume adjustments into the actual film itself. This meant they were no longer required to custom build the surround sound system to fit the theater, they just had to properly position the speakers to conform with the Dolby multi channel format. 

In the early 80s "Dolby Sound" was released for home entertainment systems - which had channels for right, left, rear speakers, plus a subwoofer. As our data storage and carrying technology increased, so did the audio track data Dolby could stuff into the slot available to them on the film roll, or contained in our home movies (*cough VHS *cough* and even the data carried in over-the-air TV broadcasting.) In the late 80's came Pro Logic for home entertainment - this added a front center channel to the mix. But there was a bit of a hard cap on how much they could fit on the film tape.

In the 90s came digital surround sound format "DTS" by a company called Digital Theater Systems - this is true modern surround sound. IIRC the first movie to use the new DTS format was Jurassic Park. DTS has 6 separate audio channels; front right, front left, front center, surround right, surround left, and a subwoofer. 

Dolby countered with "Dolby Digital" aka "Dolby 5.1" aka "Dolby AC-3" aka "Dolby SR-D" (they couldn't really settle on a name) - while this had the exact same audio channels as DTS, Dolby encoded those audio tracks as tiny patterns on the film in the spaces between the sprocket holes - basically doubling their film real estate. Later came "Dolby Digital Surround EX" which added in a single channel for any rear speakers. 

The most recent entry was Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) which has better error correction then "Dolby Digital". SDDS brought the possibility of 7.1 audio. 

Now we've hit the same kinda data bottle neck of the 50s, you can't get 7.1 audio through conventional cable TV. However it is the current standard for DVD formatting. 7.1 gives you front right, front left, center, surround right, surround left, rear surround right, rear surround left, and a subwoofer.

Blu-rays atm are doing 7.1 as well, while I do suspect they could easily do more than even 13.2.9, I think the consumer desire for that much audio swag is relegated to us fringes of society known as audiophiles. We have a ton of money to buy all the toys, but, it's still not enough to prompt Hollywood to give us moar stuff. 

Dolby came out with ATMOS which is an actual "speaker based" tech to fire sound upward and bounce it off the ceiling (gives you height/presence speakers without having to drill holes in the ceiling.) ATMOS does.. or did, have the capability to send audio to each of the surround right and surround left speakers separately, and with the up firing ATMOS enabled speakers, it could really pinpoint a sound to a specific location in the theater/home, however again Hollywood and Music producers were not on board. I hear Dolby is shuttering ATMOS now; making me a rather sad audio-fox since I just wired up my office/home theater for 15.2.4/13.2.6 surround :/


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Amazing. Now if I could just remember all this stuff that would be great. Seriously, thanks very much for all the help. I have ordered the cable you suggested and will give it a try very soon and let you all know how it works (I hope).


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## dennislanier (May 21, 2014)

Mystriss said:


> If you've got any of the four 2004 Hannspree TV/Monitors I just looked at the manuals for, you need a 3.5mm to Dual RCA cable; going from the TV's Earphone jack to your DVD/AM/FM's Right & Left Audio In jacks.
> 
> I highly recommend these cables; I've been using them on my computer for like 8 years and never had a complaint about them - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DI89MS...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
> 
> Whatever brand you buy, make sure the 3.5mm (headphone) plug part has *2 rings* (usually black) on it; that's your right and left speaker channels.


I got the cable you suggested on Saturday and hooked it up. Took the rv on a short trip yesterday and the cable works great!! And I can also use the tv remote to adjust the volume. Sounds like ALL the speakers are working now. Really appreciate the help. My wife thinks I’m really smart now. Unfortunately I have to stay at least six feet away from her and wear a mask!!


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

Yay for fixed problems \o/


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