Can hdmi video and optical audio output of cable box/receiver work simutaneously?

tommy1010 · 05-04-2008, 03:10 AM

Can hdmi audio output and optical audio output of a cable box and/or of an audio/amp receiver work simutaneously?

My DirectTV receiver has hdmi and optical audio output. Can they work simutaneously?

I am considering to buy a receiver (Yamaha RX-V663 is on the top of the list). Does it (or any other receiver) have the hdmi output and optical audio output working simutaneously.

I want make sure make that home theater (5 speakes) work when I watch TV uisng HDMI input (with TV speaker off).

I have 1080P TV, and it has optical audio output, but is has to work with cable(the most common cable/antenna plug) input not HDMI. I have 5 speakers which have been never used because I don't have receiver.

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.

tommy1010 · 05-05-2008, 02:43 AM

My installation work of Yamaha RX-V663 today proved that. One bad thing is that my TV (Vizio 47") is not good enough. It doesn't have sound after connection through HDMI. Intial study made me suspect that the TV doesn't support HDCP on HDMI. Also, after connection, I feel TV's sound system became a waste.

Jeff Gatie · 05-05-2008, 08:06 AM

I think the OP wants to use HDMI for video and optical for audio, but is trying to use the optical out on the TV, which is a no no. Every HDTV I've ever seen limits the optical out to DD 5.1 only via the internal ATSC tuner ("the most common cable/antenna plug" mentioned above). There is no pass thru of DD 5.1 from the HDMI or any other inputs, the most you will get is 2.0 PCM. This is a limitation on all HDTV's I've seen, not just the Visio.

Tommy, use the optical out on the cable box to get DD to the receiver and the HDMI out to get video to the TV. That is the proper way to connect a cable box to a HT system with no HDMI on the receiver. Unless you are using the internal tuner on the TV, the TV's optical out is useless.

Stephen Tu · 05-05-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

My installation work of Yamaha RX-V663 today proved that. One bad thing is that my TV (Vizio 47") is not good enough. It doesn't have sound after connection through HDMI. Intial study made me suspect that the TV doesn't support HDCP on HDMI. Also, after connection, I feel TV's sound system became a waste

You aren't being crystal clear on what you are complaining about here. TVs with HDMI always support HDCP. There are some DVI monitors/projectors that don't have HDCP and there would be some error message displayed, but that's not your problem here.

The TV speakers when you have a home theater system aren't used, and yes whatever TV sound system is wasted, but what's the problem? Your receiver + speakers should sound much better than the TV sound; the TV sound is for people without home theater systems.

Are you complaining that the Yamaha doesn't relay the HDMI audio to the TV, only outputs through the speakers? That really shouldn't be an issue, you don't want sound out of the TV.

You should be connecting HDMI from sources to receiver, and receiver HDMI monitor output to the TV. Shouldn't need any optical with the equipment listed. (Exception is if you are using the TV's built-in tuner for OTA or cable TV reception, then you need optical from TV to receiver).

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tommy1010 · 05-06-2008, 10:15 PM

Thanks Jeff and Stephen.
In the beginning, I thought I would have to use a dedicated audio output for the sound, not through HDMI. That's why I started this thread. I was wrong. The reason is some saying like this one in the Yamaha manual, "Audio signals input at the HDMI in jacks are not outputs at the AUDIO output and DIGITAL OUPUT jacks, and I thought that speakers were such a kind of audio output above.

TV lost sound, and I refered to Yamaha manual, which suggested two reasons. 1. The HDMI components connected to this unit do not support the HDCP copy protection standards. 2. The HDMI component does not accept the multi-channel audio signals.

It doesn't matter for TV sound sys become waste. I was not complaining about it, I was just telling my feeling. I could buy a "monitor-only" TV if there is to save a little.

Sorry for all the confusions. I didn't know what 5.1 was two weeks ago.

dany · 05-08-2008, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommy1010

Can hdmi audio output and optical audio output of a cable box and/or of an audio/amp receiver work simutaneously?

My DirectTV receiver has hdmi and optical audio output. Can they work simutaneously?

I am considering to buy a receiver (Yamaha RX-V663 is on the top of the list). Does it (or any other receiver) have the hdmi output and optical audio output working simutaneously.

I want make sure make that home theater (5 speakes) work when I watch TV uisng HDMI input (with TV speaker off).

I have 1080P TV, and it has optical audio output, but is has to work with cable(the most common cable/antenna plug) input not HDMI. I have 5 speakers which have been never used because I don't have receiver.

I have my Directv HR21 HDMI to my receiver and the components and audio L&R going to my TV.
Suggestion, buy a receiver.
I think that dig out on the tv is if your only have an antena and want to use your receiver for the sound.

tommy1010 · 05-19-2008, 02:31 AM

TV sound sys can still work with the receiver. I figured out that receiver has a setting to allow the TV to play the HDMI audio.

robert bartsch · 05-19-2008, 01:09 PM

I have an optical out from my cable box connected to my receiver. In addition, I have the HTMI cable from the cable box to the TV. This is so I can listen to the TV without having the reciever on.

If you do this, however and have the TV and receiver on at the same time, you will notice an ecco time delay. Therfore, you must turn the TV sound to mute or off.