Surround speakers aren't working?

I just installed my new Samsung 1590c blu-ray player. So, I put in my old calibration disk. Is it normal that my surround speakers don't work. I have an old Onkyo 6.1 system. So far, it has been great. It doesn't have a HDMI interface, so I hooked it up with the DVD player via an optical cable. I think the Blu-ray discs work fine. But my old DVDs don't sound right. Is that normal? Thanks.

Check the audio settings on the player.  Make sure it's set to bitstream out.

Hi, I was reading in the Samsung 3600 the pros and cons of the connections it said if using an "Optical Cable" you may NOT hear sound from the surrounds?? Perhaps this is the problem or as Stephen had said??

The manual states that the surrounds don't work with SD DVDs. That is why I was wondering if that was normal for other Blu Ray players.

I think you may have misinterpreted the manual.  I think what you read was "Secondary and Effect audio will not be heard with regular DVDs" when Bitstream is selected.  (Source: Samsung troubleshooting guide).  Secondary audio, in this case, refers to audio associated with menu selections, etc. that are NOT part of the movie's soundtrack.

The ENTIRE movie soundtrack (5.1) is a SINGLE stream.  There must exist a problem elsewhere.  All Blu-Ray players MUST support legacy Dolby Digital 5.1 audio streams.

Have you verified that your player has the latest firmware?  The current version for your player is 2.04 and instructions for downloading and installing it can be found here (click on Downloads and Firmware).

NUTS!!!! 
I was testing a variety of options with my Fantasia 2000 DVD. It was just there and I put it in. It has a set-up feature that is in the menus. NOT part of a movie. Anyways, I tested it with PCM and Bitstream on and the surrounds didn't work. I think those tracks are associated with the menu.
I was just setting it up, so I haven't checked for the firmware updates yet. In any case, I returned it today. :( .... But that doesn't mean that I can't get another one. :) Any suggestions?

Here's an excellent one: http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/
It has the 7.1 multi-channel analog outputs. If your Onkyo has those inputs, you'll be able to hear the HD audio tracks from blu ray movies, which wasn't possible with that other player you had. I'm getting this one myself, at the end of the month. I can't wait!

Funny you mention that one. My last DVD player was the upconverting OPPO that was their first product. When I bought it, a $200 upconverting DVD player was a great deal. I liked it. If it didn't stop working I would have stuck with it. It lasted 5 or 6 years. I guess I shouldn't complain.