Connecting Apple TV to HDTV and/or Cable Box

Alley_Cat wrote:
2) can't see it working unless these cable tv boxes have HDMI inputs not just outputs

For certain, these cable TV boxes have HDMI outputs, but I think they have only one...or perhaps two of them. My DVD, therefore, is already connected via component cabling...as I recall.

We have *Charter.net Cable TV*, and this is from their online description of their cable box.
The HD Receiver Ports

The back panel of the HD digital receiver has a number of different ports for connecting the HD digital receiver to the wall, your TV and other devices. The HD Digital Receiver you received may vary in port layout and labeling. The diagram below describes the most common ports used.

[diagram will not display here]:

Refer the numbered ports in the text below

1. Cable In/ RF: Connects to the coaxial cable from the cable wall outlet.
2. Cable Out: Connects to the coaxial cable from the cable wall outlet.
3. YPbPr: Connects the digital receiver to the component video input (YPbPr) on the HDTV. (Green, blue, red connectors)
4. Digital SPDIF Audio Out: Connects an RCA cable to the digital audio input on a surround sound receiver.
5. Audio Out: Connects RCA cables (left and right) to audio inputs or to a TV with stereo outputs.
6. Optical SPDIF Audio Output: Connects an optical cable to send a digital audio signal to a surround sound receiver or other digital audio device. (optional)
7. S-Video Out: Connects the S-Video cable to your TV or VCR. (optional)
8. HDMI: Connects an HDMI or DVI cable to the HDMI/DVI port on an HDTV
9. AC Outlet : Supplies AC power to another device such as a TV. (optional)
10. AC IN: Connects the power cord for the HD receiver to the wall outlet.

With this many options, I still wonder if I cannot just connect Apple TV to one of these outlets rather than directly to the HDTV, where I'd have to route the HDMI through the same PCV tube that all the other cables and wires use.

My friend has an HDMI switcher that works with his AppleTV, but that model is no longer available for sale. +QUOTE: It's an Ultra 5x1 switcher with 3 year warranty. I got it from TigerDirect.com for $79. The item number was ULT40183. I've had it since September of last year, and it works like a charm. END QUOTE.+ I understand the iMac and/or AppleTV will not work with every HDMI switcher. Does anyone know which ones do work and where to find them?

Thanks, but I'm not sure you're telling me something different from what I said. Is a multiplexer different from an HDMI switcher? And, do you recommend one over any other? From my situation described earlier, I have no reasonable way to connect AppleTV directly to the HD TV, rather I'd like to use something that allows me to connect the AppleTV to an HDMI switch and not mess up my cable TV or DVD player inputs to my current cable box.

Thanks for the inputs, but I have to get very specific at this point.
1. The PVC tubes in the wall are filled already with long HDMI cables that connect the HD TV to my cable box. My BluRay DVD is also plugged into the cable box.
2. For several convenience and cost reasons, I don't want to try to put another HDMI cable through those PVC tubes in the wall.
3. What I hope to do is to find the means to connect my AppleTV to one wall-mounted HD TV and sacrifice neither cable TV capability nor AppleTV capability.
4. Forum mentors speak in favor of HDMI switches and Multiplexers as suitable, but cost-differing, options. As I read the Internet descriptions of HDMI switches, however, I cannot find anything that suggests they will work properly with AppleTV or with Mac computers. Is it fair to assume they will, or are there certain products or specifications that eliminate them from being a proper solution?
Please help me understand what I can do to solve my dilemma.

Winston Churchill wrote: I may have misunderstood your set up, I was under the impression your cable box fed more than one tv, is this not the case, I also wasn't aware that your BRD was plugged into your cable box, this isn't usual and perhaps an tv could be plugged straight into it. Your previous link to your equipment doesn't work, is there anyway you can let us see exactly what you do have.>

My HD TV plugs directly into the cable box using an HDMI cord; there is a separate cable box for each TV in other rooms, but that's just for your information. These items are packed tightly in a closed cabinet, making it difficult to investigate connections...hence the expected difficulty in making too many different connections. It appears my BluRay DVD is connected directly to the cable box, rather than to the HD TV in any direct way.

Switches can be hit and miss with all appliances, not just the tv, in most cases they should be just fine and indeed you could always post details of any switch you are considering to see if anyone has any issues with it. Just ensure that you can easily return any HDMI switch you purchase in case it doesn't work. It might help if you could provide a little more detail about how your set up works currently.>

I take your precautions about purchasing the right switch with guarantees for returning a non-useful one. What I do not want to do is undermine or eliminate the DVD or cable TV capability I now have by installing the AppleTV or an HDMI switch.

Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to provide an image of the cable box, as it is a graphic file and won't append to this forum note. I did enclose the online description in the previous posts.

Winston Churchill wrote:
Could you confirm a couple of points please.

You seem certain the BDR is plugged into the cable box yet the specifications you posted before only mention a single coax input, you mentioned that the BDR was connected to the cable box by component yet I would have expected it to be connected by HDMI.

I am unable to confirm anything beyond my supposition that the BRD is plugged into the cable box rather than the HD TV. If it were plugged into the HD TV, I'd expect a second HDMI cord within the PVC tubes so as to reach the HD TV. I don't recall having another lengthy cord to accomplish that, so I suspect it is in fact connected to the cable box instead.

If it's the case that the BDR is plugged into the cable box then a simple switch is all you may need and you wouldn't need to push anymore cable through your conduit.

I hope this is the case. And, if it is, how are the AppleTV, HD TV, and BluRay DVD connected to ensure each capability persists...I assume all into the HDMI switch, with the single output from the switch connected to the cable box? Is that right?

By the way, how did you append your kitchen image to your note? I can't seem to figure that out either.

Message was edited by: Bronco 01