Volume How do I connect the speakers to this TV? Currently, there is a background 'hissing'' sound, and the volume must be at 95 - 100% output in order to hear anything. Also, the TV freezes occassionally.

Headphone socket connection fault. Not cuts off the internal speaker. Replace the socket with an identical one.
Electro help

If the TV has audio output available, there will be RCA jacks somewhere for that. The standard colors are red for the right channel and white for the left, and they'll be clearly marked as audio outputs. Not all sets have audio outputs, though, while they usually have audio and video inputs. So if you find RCA jacks on the set be sure to see how they are marked.

If the TV has output jacks, all you need is a cable with the appropriate plugs at each end. The TV needs RCA plugs, while the input connector to the speakers varies by manufacturer. Typically the speakers will use a 1/8-inch stereo jack if they were made to be used with a computer, and RCA jacks if they were meant to be used in a home-theater setting. In TV sets with audio outputs, the output may be fixed and independent of the TV volume, which means you can turn the TV volume down and use just the external speakers. Or the audio output may vary with the TV volume, meaning you'll always need to have the TV volume on as well. Some people find this annoying.

If the TV doesn't have an audio output available, you can't hook the speakers to the TV. What most people do in that case is use the TV as a video display in conjunction with an AV receiver. The audio and video sources connect to the receiver, which in turn drives the speakers and provides a video output to the TV.

in the tv setup menu there should be an item that will allow you to change the volume from variable to fixed on the output of the tv

open volume control & remove check from mute button.

start-program-acessories-entertainment-volume control.

This is the only way a bose works

I found out that if I manually turn the speakers down on the tv and then turn it up with the remote control the hissing sound goes away

Hello!
Try the audio out. Run the audio to a receiver to see if the audio is there. If it is, then I'd leave it hooked up to the receiver and save yourself some money. If there is not any low level audio out then I'd fix the set. The only Sony set I've ever seen that was not worth fixing was a 32" model from the early 1990's that had bad picture tubes after only 5 years. I am a Sony factory trained tech. Good Luck!

barneyluc

Plug the TV to an open channel on your receiver via this output:
*Rear, 1 x Digital audio output (coaxial) ( TOSLINK )
This will look like a single RCA output plug.
Set that input channel on your receiver to some sort of virtual surround mode because it doesn't look like your HDTV has a decoder in it (meaning it will come out stereo and the receiver will have to fake it).
Turn the volume all the way down on the TV and use the receiver to control TV volume just as you do with DVDs.

*Substitute this with the digital audio output on your set top box if you are sending video only to the TV from the set top box (component, DVI or s-video connections). So video goes to the TV, audio to the receiver.

Sorry I dont have a manual but it is available at http://www.servicemanuals.net If you put your ear close to the speaker, with the volume turned up, do you hear any hiss or buzzing? If you dont it could be a bad speaker,headphone jack(if there is one), or the audio output IC or ascoiatated componets. If there is a hiss, then theres a problem with the audio processor or switching IC. If your not a tech, you should not be experimenenting around inside this TV set!

Check first if theres a speaker cutoff in the menu of the set or the back of the set. Next see if theres a headphone jack and plug in a set of phones to see if you get sound. If you do a connection on the jack is bad. if you put youe ear right next to the speaker and hear a little background noise or a little sound then its probably in the volume control curcuit. if you hear nothing at all its the audio output IC or the speaker itself is defective. Good Luck