Problems setting up my Blu Ray player and receiver for 5.1 surround sound. I'm confused. (1 Viewer)

[MarthKoopa]

I'm really confused here, because I can't get surround to sound right
My blu ray player is the Samsung BD-P1600, which supports HDMI and Optical out, and internal decoding of lossless formats. In the options, I can set it for "PCM", "Bitstream(Reencode)", or "Bitstream(Audiophile)". None seem to do anything.
I have no idea what my receiver does, and it has no HDMI input, only optical. It's also a basic Samsung model. I can't find the model number so I have no idea what it is.
I have the BD player HDMI going to the TV, and optical to the receiver, with a basic 5.1 setup. I have some other devices: a 360, Wii U, and cable box (all of them are setup with HDMI to TV, and Optical from the TV to the Receiver).
I have various Blu Rays that use either Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, but when I play them in surround, it doesn't sound right at all. It sounds like each speaker is merely playing the same audio as each other, rather than having actual surround effects, and it sounds better in Stereo.
I don't care about getting lossless audio, I just want my surround to sound right, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

 

[gene c]

You want Bitstream and not PCM. I'm not sure what Bitstream Audiophile is (Adobe Acrobat is messed up on my computer and I can't download the manual right now). You may also have to go into the players setup menu and select the correct audio output option and make sure Dolby Digital and DTS are selected (I wish I could get that manual!).
If your receiver is from a htib then it might only accept a stereo signal from an outside source. Otherwise, there should have been a model number somewhere on the silly thing (on the back panel?). It would really help to have it.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by MarthKoopa /t/325535/problems-setting-up-my-blu-ray-player-and-receiver-for-5-1-surround-sound-im-confused#post_4006059
I don't care about getting lossless audio, I just want my surround to sound right, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

The problem is running the audio signal through the TV and then to the receiver. All digital surround information is lost when you do that.

What model receiver do you have? What you should do is leave the HDMI connections direct from each source to the TV for video, but run separate digital audio connections from each source to an input on your receiver (either digital coaxial or digital optical). This will ensure that the receiver gets a digital audio track when it's available.

Connecting your devices this way, however, means that you need to switch inputs on both the TV (for video) and the receiver (for audio) when changing sources.

If your receiver does not have enough digital inputs, then you will need to either choose a source to live with simple stereo/proLogic simulated surround sound, or consider upgrading your receiver to a model with HDMI inputs which will dramatically simplify your connections (and allow you to benefit from lossless audio).

As for the speakers producing the same sound - once you get your system connected in the way described above, make sure the listening/sound mode is set properly - leave it as "direct" or some equivalent, rather than "All Channel Stereo" or any of the other modes. Finally, you may need to properly set up and calibrate your receiver to fully optimize the experience.