Brianastell:Thanks for reply. I run LG 37" TV into Sony HDD...with Freeview in both components.Scart lead to AV on HDD.This is linked to a Sony VCR with Scart + necessary aerial in/ out leads. This works well. Have bought LG cinema 5.1 i linked it with TV via both HDMI and optic connections. Should I take out optical and substitute it with a Scart lead? Should i disconnect the HDD recorder and VCR and just connect the home cinema to TV? i bought LG 5.1 to match the TV with Simplink, but I can't get the 5.1 to work with the TV programmes...just front L + R. All 5 work with DVD films. i notice i am not only person with problems of connectivity -at least 6 on first 2 pages of this site. Hope you like a challenge....Brian
I think the problem is that you're looking at it the wrong way round. You seem to be regarding the TV as the source, it isn't, it's the destination.
First things first, I presume you record on the HDD recorder from its internal Freeview tuner? Or are you trying to record on the HDD from the TV?
the LG 5.1 "thing" (model number would be useful), I guess you're connecting the TV optical OUT to an optical IN on the 5.1? The HDMI is carrying video from DVD to the TV, I wouldn't have thought it's involved in carrying audio from the TV to the 5.1.
Either way, you WON'T get 5.1 from the TV out to all the speakers, Freeview doesn't carry 5.1 audio. The best you can do is enable some kind of surround processing on the 5.1 box, either Dolby Pro-Logic or Pro-Logic II, depends how old the 5.1 box is. You get 5.1 from DVDs because DVDs have 5.1 soundtracks (99% of the time).
Basically you can't play what isn't there, Freeview is stereo (sometimes carrying a mono surround channel), but it ISN'T 5.1.