Don Lindich’s Sound Advice Blog

August 3, 2002  

 Q:   I have an audio system and I want to play my TV sound through it.   My receiver has an input, but my TV doesn’t have an audio output.   Is there any way I can play the sound through the stereo? Joe August, West Newton

A:   You can if you have a satellite dish, digital cable, or a VCR.   If you use a satellite service or digital cable for your TV programming, the satellite receiver or cable box will have audio outputs on the back.   You can connect these outputs to your stereo’s input.   (Connecting the S-Video or the yellow video outputs of the box to your TV’s video inputs rather than using the one cable “channel 3″ antenna connection will give you a much better picture, as well.   Just make sure you connect the audio outputs too as there are not any audio signals carried on the video cable.)   If you have regular cable or an antenna, you can use your VCR to play the sound through your stereo.   Stereo VCRs have red (right) and white (left) audio output jacks on the back.   Connect these outputs to an input on your receiver.   Turn your TV to channel 3 (or 4, if that is what you use) and select “VCR” on your VCR.   When you change the channels on your VCR, it will send the picture to the TV and the sound to your stereo.   If your VCR has only one audio output (non-stereo) you can get a Y-connector to split the signal for both right and left audio connections.   The audio won’t be in stereo, but it will sound much better through an audio system than through your TV’s small speakers.

Product of the month:   If you need a new computer printer or want to make beautiful photographs from your digital camera without going to a photo lab, be sure to check out Epson’s Stylus Photo 820.   This printer produces absolutely beautiful, high quality photographs that must be seen to be appreciated, as well as crisp, clear text.     It’s superior to its competitors by an order of magnitude or more, and at $99.00 represents a real breakthrough in terms of quality and price.   The 820 is based on the Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX, a color inkjet that can make prints directly from your camera’s memory card as well as from the computer.   (The 820 does not have this feature, which is the primary difference between the two.) To print from a memory card with the 785EPX, you insert the card into the printer using a supplied adapter, You can then print an index print, which is a page with thumbnails of the pictures on the memory card.   Referring to the index print, you select the photograph, size, and quantity, and the printer does the rest.   It’s almost like having your own photographic minilab, and a good option for those who don’t consider themselves savvy with photo editing software.   The Stylus Photo 785EPX is priced at $199.00.   If you buy either of these printers, be sure to use Epson brand photo paper when making photographs.   The Epson paper and Epson inks are chemically formulated to work with each other, and in my own use I have seen a tremendous difference in prints made on Epson’s paper compared to other brands.

Have questions about audio, video, computers, or photography, or need some help using and enjoying what you already own?   Don Lindich welcomes your questions and will be answering them in this column.