Just wondering if there is a cable out there that would allow you to connect a componet with a optical out to a receiver that only has a digital coax input??
Not a cable, no.
It would have to interpret light-fluctuations and translate them into electrical current. That's something that can only be done by an active component (a black box requiring a power connection).
His HD Cable box doesn't have the coax out (only optical) and his receiver doesn't have an opictal in (only coax)
Have him call his cable company and see if they can replace the box with one that has coax out. Often the cable company carries both kinds or the box has popouts on the back for installation of optical/coax.
What cable box does he have that ONLY has Optical and not Coax? If you are in Chicago I assume you have Comcast Cable....which would imply that it is the Motorola 5100, 6200 or 6208 all of which have Digital Coax. It should be labelled SPDIF though and I believe it is colored orange.
