New TV: Switching up the input/output (1 Viewer)

[Clark Bradley]

Tell me what if this sounds right:

TV: Samsung LN40A550
DVD: Toshiba SD-5000
Surround Sound Receiver: Pioneer VSX-D412
Cable: Time Warner: Explorer 8300 HD

My main concern is the audio. In the past, I ran the DVD audio to the surround receiver via digital coax (TV/Cable used the TV speakers via component cable). This time I'm going to run the cable and DVD to the TV with HDMI, then run the audio from the TV to the surround receiver via optical digital.

Does that setup sound right? Any draw backs?

New TV only has L/R or optical outputs for audio.

Rear of TV:
http://www.abt.com/images/products/B...1_ln40a550.jpg

 

[JohnRice]

This is a very common misconception. For every digital TV I've ever heard of, the digital audio out is ONLY for the internal digital tuner. So, you still have to run digital audio from your source (DVD player, cable box, etc.) to the receiver, plus you can run the digital audio from the TV, but that only works for the TV internal digital tuner. If your TV comes from a cable box, there is no reason to use that connection.

Since your receiver doesn't have hdmi switching, you will need to run hdmi direct from sources to the TV, which on your TV limits you to 2 hdmi sources unless you get a new receiver or hdmi switcher.

 

[Clark Bradley]

Thanks for the quick reply John.

For the DVD:

The receiver has no HDMI input or output. The DVD has not digital optical input or output. My old setup was coax audio to the receiver and component video to the TV. Is there a way to get HDMI to the TV and audio to the receiver? My DVD gives the audio option as ("Off", "PCM", and "BitStream"). It's a bit vague, but with the setting on OFF there is no audio out of the DVD. PCM goes with HDMI and BitStream is anyone's guess.

My receiver only has two inputs for audio (one digital coax and one digital optical). Is there a way to split the inputs on the receiver to allow more than one?

 

[Ed Moxley]

On page 83 of the owner's manual, under "Listening through a receiver (Home Theater", it says,

You can listen to sound through a receiver instead of the TV speaker.
1. Press the TOOLS button. Press the ▲ or ▼ button to select “Receiver”.
2. Press the ◄ or ► button to select to “On”.
Now you can listen to sound through the receiver.
3. Press the EXIT button to exit.
If your receiver supports audio only, it may not appear in the device list.
The receiver will work when you have properly connected the Optical IN jack of the
receiver to the Optical Out jack of the TV.
When the receiver (home theater) is set to On, you can hear sound output from the
TV’s Optical jack. When the TV is displaying a DTV(air) signal, the TV will send out 5.1
channel sound to the Home theater receiver. When the source is a digital component such as a DVD and is connected
to the TV via HDMI, only 2 channel sound will be heard from the Home Theater receiver.
When using the WISELINK feature, sound may not output properly through the receiver.
When listening through the receiver, there are restrictions for using the PIP and audio-related (MTS, Preferred
language) menus.
If there is a power interruption to the TV when the “Receiver” is set to “On” (by disconnecting the power cord or a
power failure), the “TV Speaker” may be set to “Off” when you turn the TV on again. (see page 32)

Hope this helps.

 

[Clark Bradley]

Thanks Ed!

I haven't bought the TV yet (waiting until Black Friday), but should have reviewed the documentation online. Thank you.

So, I don't quite understand the bit about "only 2 channel sound will be heard". Will the optical digital output of the TV not send the 5.1 or DTS signal?

Currently, I have coax digital out from the DVD to the receiver. In this setup, the receiver automatically recognizes the DTS signal.

It sounds like I may have to continue to send the audio from DVD to receiver (via digital coax) but I'm not certain the DVD allows this (doc is a bit vague).

 

[Ed Moxley]

That's basically saying that if you try to piggy-back the connections (go through tv first, then out to receiver), it's going to down convert the 5.1 signal to stereo.

The optical output of the tv will send 5.1 surround signal, but only from the built in tuner. So, if you have an antenna hooked up to the tv, so you can get local stations in HD, you can hear them in 5.1 surround. That is the ONLY purpose of the optical output on the tv. You cannot send signals from dvd or cable, through the tv first, and then out to the receiver, and get surround.

 

[JohnRice]

Clark, just get rid of the idea of sending audio from the DVD (or anything else) to the TV, then on to the receiver. That is NOT the way to do it. since your receiver does not have hdmi, you send video (along with audio) to the TV with hdmi, but the audio going to the receiver goes through either a coax or optical cable from the DVD to the receiver. You should use the optical out on the TV ONLY for audio from the built-in tuner.

If you get a receiver with hdmi audio and video, then you run hdmi from the DVD to the receiver, then on to the TV.

 

[Clark Bradley]

Excellent input, thanks guys!