[nukemonkey]

i just got a home theater but the cheap digital coax it came with doesn't to output anything other than 2.1. the dvd player itself doesnt have an optical output but it does have digital coax as i mentioned. the player is connected to my lcd tv via hdmi and the tv has an optical output and my receiver has an input. should i buy an optical cable to run to the receiver from the tv or is there going to be too much loss if applicable? should i just buy a decent digital coax to connect directly from the player to receiver? i really want to enjoy 5.1 since i paid for it.

[John Garcia]

If your receiver doesn't have HDMI, then you need to run a coaxial digital cable to the receiver. This WILL give you 5.1 for sure. Your set MAY pass 5.1 through via optical from the HDMI in, but that is hard to say as I have seen people say that some TVs won't pass 5.1 this way, so you might have to check for your particular set.

Configure the player for bitstream and make sure dts is turned on also in your digital audio setup in the player and you should be good to go.

[Ed Moxley]

The optical outputs on tvs, are usually just for getting 5.1 from HD programs received on the built-in digital receiver. It's not for a pass through, like you were asking about.

Do what John said, and you should be ok, even with the cheap cable you have. Most dvd players don't come with DD or DTS turned on. You have to do that, in the setup menus.
Good luck!