Question about home theatre connectivity...

[Farshid420]

Hey guys and gals! I was thinking about buying a second hand home theatre system, and I had a question before I did so, and I thought, "who better to ask than the experts?"

If the main unit is a receiver/dvd player (ex: VENTURER STS31AAST20) and I already have a dvd player that I like using, could I hook up the dvd player that I already have (Philips DVP642) to the receiver and use the 5.1 system that way? Or is that impossible? Also, would I require any extra wires/connectors in order to acheive this hook up?

Any and all help/suggestions would be much appreciated, and please try to refrain from any comments about how shitty the home theatre system described is, unless it pertains to the issue at hand. Thank you!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

can you provide pictures of the connectors on the back of each unit?

[Farshid420]

I'll try my best to get an image of the Venturer unit, but for now, here's the back of the DVP642:

http://www.techtastic.ca/reviews3/dvp642/dvp642-3.jpg

http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/c5/2c/f67192c008a0303546a55010.L.jpg

[Xylob the Destroyer]

as long as your receiver has the necessary inputs all on one button, I don't see why not.
I'd go with component video and a fiber optic conncetion from that particular player

[ROF]

the DVP642 can be hooked up to most any home theater system. In some cases you can get a better deal by buying a home theater with a DVD player/recorder, sell the DVD player/recorder, and use your existing one.

[Farshid420]

Ok, so here's my next question, if I had the speakers and wires, etc, could I just connect everything directly to the DVP642? Or do I still require a receiver for 5.1? Thank you so much for all the help so far!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

no, you will still need a receiver.
the audio output(s) from your player are not amplified -- they output a line-level audio signal only.
If you connect the player directly to your speakers, you will get no sound.

[Farshid420]

Ok, thanks, that's what I thought.

Xylob, where would I get more info on the component + fiber optic cables that I need?

Keep the suggestions coming!