ATV2 and old school HDTV connections...

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I just bought an ATV2 and figured my HDTV had an HDMI connection. Wrong! It has a DVI - HDTV IN connection and audio component cables. I attached a diagram from the rear of the TV. The TV is an old Sony WEGA KV-36XBR800 tube type TV. It has a very good picture and works perfectly. So, I assume I need an HDMI to DVI IN, but how do I connect the audio? The ATV2 has an optical digital audio port, but my TV does not. I saw a conversion box, but it was $100.00, plus the cables. Do I have any other options? Any help would be appreciated.

KV 36XBR800 DVI connections.png
 
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Alright, how does this sound. I found a manual for my TV online and was surprised.

I found (Amazon) a digital (Dolby 5.1) audio to RCA (left/right) components adapter that I can use from the ATV2. The main questions is, will the ATV2 work with an HDMI to DVI input (Apple tech said no, but some people say yes) in the back of my TV (Sony 36XBR800). In the original Sony TV literature, it states it supports HDCP. Has anything changed in HDCP since 2001-2002 to today? The literature also says the DVI input converts 720p to 1080i. Is that going to be a problem? I have attached a few more screenshots to look at.

I think this is the fix, HDMI to DVI cable (~$20.00) and digital (Dolby 5.1) audio to RCA component cable adapter (~$100). Is the price to steep for the adaptors?

Has anyone had any luck, good or bad with either of these adapters?

This TV is huge, but the super-fine pitch (HI-Scan) look very good. I just want some advise before going this route and wasting money.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 

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bobtomay

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You've got the right idea, but I'm about to save you some money here.

HDMI to DVI cable- $3 to $6 depending on length - it is HDCP compliant, so you should not have an issue

Optical to RCA converter - $26
Check the reviews, the latest one is using with their ATV2.

Should be <$40 incl'g shipping.
(You won't be inclined to buy cables anywhere else without checking monoprice after this. ;D)


Edit: cable correction made
I do not have an ATV to test, but I see no reason to believe the HDMI to DVI won't work as it does on any other HDMI port. Apple techs are typically not that knowledgeable regarding cabling in my experience. I would advise that you open the manual for the TV and verify the resolutions the TV will accept through the DVI port to alleviate any disappointment. PC inputs from TVs during that time frame, quite often did not have a full range of resolutions available. I would think that it's going to need to accept a 1280x720 or you may not get a picture.
 
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Sounds good...

Thanks for the help.

It looks like I was going down the right road. That pricing is great!
 

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Only other thing to note, is that you will need a power outlet for the converter. All converters for optical to coax, coax to optical, analog to digital or digital to analog will require power.
 
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Thanks again...

It will take a week or so to get the parts and then I will try. A few people are also saying I may wind up with 480P instead of 720P with this old set. I guess this is a lot cheaper than buying a new TV (KDL-55HX800), but it may give me the excuse I am looking for. Best Buy has it for $1.998.00 and 0% financing for three years. In all reality, I hope I do not have to buy a new TV just yet. I really like this 36XBR800. Even just a digital signal from DirecTV looks great. I have never even connected up the HDTV feature as the standard digital looks so good.
 
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Back to 480p...

Well, it hooked up and worked great. Picture from ATV2 was clear as a bell. Full functionality of everything and no HDCP errors. I was streaming Netflix and iTunes. After everything was up and running fine, I figured I would do the newest update and get more functionality. Well, update done and everything works, except my picture is not as clear. ATV2 after update says 480p output out of ATV2. I was afraid that might happen, but I wanted Airplay. Now, I cannot go backward and remove the update. I love the ATV2, but I now have only 480p or standard digital resolution. I will have to wait, like a lot of other people, until Apple resolves the issue with an update for the update. Other people are having new HDCP errors and blue or red tinting problems on the screen. I consider myself lucky, that everything works, just at 480p. Come on Apple, where is the love. I cannot afford a new tv, we are having a recession!
 

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That Sony and it's wide screen cousin were top notch sets back in their day. Only competitor they had at that time for picture quality was Panasonic. Sony had a big advantage when it came to text on the screen - end credits, the rolling dialog at the beginning of Star Wars, etc.... while Panasonic had a slight edge in color and blacks.

The new ATV doesn't have a menu that allows you to change the output resolution on it? Or is the 480p a result of the set not supporting HDCP?

Got my test Roku set up now and it's pretty nice for web streaming.
 

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