Do I connect video out thru receiver or to TV?


I just got a denon AV and set up a Home theater to my TV. I have my psx2,dvd, and direct tv hooked to it. I see all the video inputs in the rear and wonder if it makes for a better connection or have any advantage to run the RCA, s.video connectors through the receiver or should I run directly to the tv? I have often wondered why the video connections should be through a sound receiver but didn't want to ask a dumb question. I'm asking now. Also what is the best connection to make, an optical, coax or RCA. Thank you for any help, Chas
sailinfla93c2
I just retired a Denon AVP-8000 preamp and used its internal switching with S-video cables as a convenience. On my EAD preamp I replaced the optical connection with a good coaxial cable and it sounds much better.
Entech (Monster) makes a neat little product (Director AV4.1) for S-video (which can be adapted to component) but I just got the JVC JX-S777. It does S-video and composite matching as well as having component and digital I/O. I wanted something where I could record from Direct TV to TIVO, then to a VCR if I liked the program. Still playing with it.
The audio RCA connection should go to the receiver so it can amplify the sound and do home theater for you. When I tried to connect Direct TV to the TV but run the audio thru the preamp there was a slight but noticeable delay in the audio.
My post may have been a bit confusing, but its kind of irrelevant if you aren't going to use anything but component video and s-video. The canonical line is that component (R, G & B RCA connectors) is the best video link, so it makes sense, if you have component outputs on DVD and SAT to run them directly into your TV. (I haven't seen any A/V receivers that actually "switch" component video). A/V receivers that have both s-video and composite video (single Y RCA) typically don't convert between transmission formats, so if you have s-video going from your A/V receiver to your TV and composite video only from your sources to your receiver, you won't see anything.

So, if you have both s-video and composite sources, you need to run both s-video and composite to your TV from the A/V receiver. A lot of TVs have "auto-sense" that detects which inputs have incoming signals and automatically switch to that input. On some other TVs, however, you may have to manually switch from the composite input to the s-video input--hence playing with the TV remote in addition to the receiver remote. You know, the "TV/VCR" button on your TV remote.

The Casablanca is basically an A/V preamp made by Theta Digital. Even though its state of the art/high end/quarter inch aluminum plate gear, it still doesn't switch component video. So, for example, I run the component outputs of my DVD directly into the TV. Since my TV is an XBR with god only knows how many outputs, I have to switch the TV to "video 5" when watching DVDs, and switch the Casablanca to the DVD input to get the sound. This is where my Pronto comes in. Its a programmable touchscreen remote control where you can create graphic screens and associate macros with buttons. So, the "DVD" button on my Pronto switches the TV to VID5 and the Casablanca to "DVD". One button only. Means I only have one remote on my coffee table and the other eight in drawer in my study.

Good luck!
The Denon 5803 "converts" all video signals (svhs and composite) to component out. It is the only one I have seen that does this.

I am trying to dig out a whitepaper on how it actually achieves this though......