Home Theater Forum - View Single Post - Can hdmi video and optical audio output of cable box/receiver work simutaneously?

Stephen Tu · 05-04-2008, 06:05 AM

Source devices (cable box, sat receivers) generally are capable of simultaneous HDMI & optical output. This is useful for people with old receivers without HDMI, so they can send optical to the receiver for the audio & connect the HDMI direct to the TV for the video.

I'm not quite sure what your question is for the AV receiver though. Are you asking about the *inputs*, not the outputs? What about it do you want to be simultaneous? Generally with an HDMI receiver that processes the audio from the HDMI (as the 663 does) you just connect the sources to the receiver with HDMI, and the HDMI output to the TV. Optical wouldn't be needed. You could connect it anyway, but in the setup you pick one or the other for the receiver to assign to a particular input source. The receiver doesn't/can't use them simultaneously, and there wouldn't be any particular reason to. Save the optical input for some older equipment like a DVD player that doesn't have HDMI, or if you get more stuff & run out of HDMI inputs.

05-04-2008, 06:05 AM	#2 of 9
Stephen Tu Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Local Time: 01:45 AM Local Date: 10-08-2008 Posts: 1,049	Re: Can hdmi video and optical audio output of cable box/receiver work simutaneously? Source devices (cable box, sat receivers) generally are capable of simultaneous HDMI & optical output. This is useful for people with old receivers without HDMI, so they can send optical to the receiver for the audio & connect the HDMI direct to the TV for the video. I'm not quite sure what your question is for the AV receiver though. Are you asking about the inputs, not the outputs? What about it do you want to be simultaneous? Generally with an HDMI receiver that processes the audio from the HDMI (as the 663 does) you just connect the sources to the receiver with HDMI, and the HDMI output to the TV. Optical wouldn't be needed. You could connect it anyway, but in the setup you pick one or the other for the receiver to assign to a particular input source. The receiver doesn't/can't use them simultaneously, and there wouldn't be any particular reason to. Save the optical input for some older equipment like a DVD player that doesn't have HDMI, or if you get more stuff & run out of HDMI inputs. Last edited by Stephen Tu : 05-04-2008 at 06:07 AM.