Mission (Sort of) Accomplished: We Have Home Theater

The old stereo was from the last century. The old TV was from 2004, and had seen much better days. So, in a shopping spree that started on a drunken whim, I embarked on a nearly two-week transition from the old to the new. It has not been without hiccups, and is not completely solved. But it looks like this:

The TV is a Mitsubishi WD-60738, a DLP system, if that means anything to you.  At 60", it's pretty big, though it replaces a 55" model that was complete with cabinet-on-wheels. The new set actually takes up less space. And the picture is so much clearer, it's like stepping up from our old 26" was back in 2004. Part of the goal of this transition was to get everything connected with HDMI cables. If you don't know, HDMI allows you to connect one device to another with one thin cable, rather than multiple cords with multiple inputs. In theory, with the HDTV, stereo receiver, cable box and Blu-ray player, only three connecting cables are necessary.

Since Ultimate Electronics was going out of business, and our old stereo was so old, I bought a Sony Home Theater System (HT-SS370), which includes the receiver, five speakers and a sub-woofer. And the important part: HDMI inputs. The Blu-ray player we got for Christmas also has HDMI, and happens to also be a Sony that matches the new stereo. Cool, right?  Yes and no.

My first problem is the multiple remotes. I have four. Each has an ability to control more than one device, but none does everything. So, I've got to learn the best combination. My second problem is just to make sure everything is set up optimally, which I'll learn probably this weekend. My third problem is that I haven't figured out which way to daisy-chain the devices together that will allow everything to play through the stereo, while still operating logically. And last--and this is the big one--I have to figure out if my new stereo is broken, or if there's something set wrong.

See, the HT-SS370 turns itself off at random moments. And since the Blu-ray runs through it, when it does this, it turns off the picture. *WINK!* blue screen! With no warning.  It turns right back on, but why's it doing that? To make matters worse, since I bought it at a going out of business sale, I can't take it back!  Sure, Sony will have to honor their warranty, but what a pain in the butt.

So anyway, that's why I haven't posted much in the last several days. I've been quite busy with this stuff!  I'll try to get back into the swing as I settle these issue. Meanwhile, if anyone out there has any advice, I'd love to hear it!