SurroundBar and PS3

goalie34

Hello. I recently purchased a Polk SurroundBar and am trying to hook it up so that I can hear games and movies from my PS3. I use a cable box and it works perfectly fine when the SurroundBar is connected to that for regular television. However, it does not seem to work with my PS3. I have tried connecting the wires directly into the tv itself but nothing seems to work. I even fiddled around with the sound settings on the PS3 but still no sound.

I know there must be something I have overlooked or a setting I am missing. Could someone please let me know how I can fix this? Thank you!

wutadumsn23

You have to hook the red and white cables from the PS3 directly to the SurroundBar and change the settings on the PS3 audio out to the Composite setting (red white yellow) and you should be in business. I have a PS3 and demo'd a SurroundBar about a month ago and that was the way I did it. Good luck and welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

goalie34

I have tried several different ways to connect the SurroundBar up to my PS3 AND to my television but I cannot get both to work at the same time.

I went to Radio Shack and first bought a distribution amplifier but that did not work out at all. Then I went back and got a "piggy back" cable to tried and plug both the tv and the PS3 into the SurroundBar but that, too, did not work.

It seems as if I can only run one device off the SurroundBar at one time. One person, who works for Polk, suggested I get some sort of switch box where I'd have to manually press a button and switch from one output to another.

Honestly, I'd prefer not to have to manually do it rather than just be able to run both things at the same time. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I've been trying to for two days now and it's getting very frustrating.

Thanks!

wutadumsn23

Which SurroundBar do you have? I am almost 100% positive that you won't be able to do more than one connection at once and you would have to switch the wires every time or buy a box that will allow you to select between the two settings. Kindof crappy, but it's just the way it is. IIRC none of the SurroundBars have HDMI (except the SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater) and the one I demo'd was the IHT. I have a question though, when would you need to be able to use the PS3 and the TV at the same time on different audio settings? I'm assuming it is just for ease of use that you want both at the same time? I replied to your E-mail too, so check that and get back with me.

-Jeff

-Jeff

goalie34

Hi Jeff. Yes, I did get your e-mail.

To answer your first question, I do have the IHT system. It's not that I want to be able to use the tv and the PS3 at the same time, just that it's sort of a pain to switch the wires every time.

The gentleman I spoke with at Polk suggested I get a "switch box" that would allow me to simply press a button on the box to switch from one unit to another, rather than have to manually pull out the wires every time.

It seems very archaic to me that there would be no way to do this, especially with all the technology available. There's gotta be a way in order to switch from one device to other without the need to pull out the wires.

wutadumsn23

Yeah, the switch box would be your best bet then, otherwise you will have to do the old switcheroo every time. Sorry I couldn't come up with an easier solution for you.

-Jeff