Sound from Toshiba 40G300U into Philips MX 5600D stereo (1 Viewer)

[haloslime]

Hi all,
I don't really know anything about home theaters--in fact, until a couple weeks ago when some of my co-workers got transferred abroad and were trying to get rid of their stuff I didn't have a TV at all.
Now I am trying to get the TV sound to come out of the stereo. The TV looks like it only has Toslink out, but the stereo does not have Toslink in. No problem, I thought; I'll get a converter to switch it to the two red/white RCA cables. However, I'm not getting any sound out of this set-up.
I'm pretty sure the RCA is plugged into the stereo right, because I can hear the sound when I tap the other end of the RCA cable. But I don't really know how to check if the problem is with the TV Toslink port, the Toslink cable, the converter box, or if the whole experiment is ill-fated for some other reason.
Thanks for any help!

 

[schan1269]

Well...
Did you turn the volume up on the TV? or...does it have a "fixed audio output"?
In the sound menu you will see options for the digital output. If it "doesn't have any"...you simply turn the internal speakers off...and turn the volume up.

 

[haloslime]

For "Optical Output Format" it has two options: PCM, and Dolby Digital. I tried both but neither seemed to work. How can I turn off the speakers on the TV?
I got it to "seem to work" but the Toslink cable won't stay put in the Toslink->RCA adapter. I guess that means I have a bad adapter? I mean, I can't stand there and hold the connection in place all the time.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Welcome to HTF!
I learn something new every day. I see that there are toslink to RCA converters like this one from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Optical-Toslink-Coaxial-RCA-Converter/sim/B002HWZN4W/2 ,
Now by toslink, you do mean the square port that emits light, and the optical cable (with square plugs) that transmits it?
In my limited googling of the toslink/RCA adapter, it does say that you need to select linear PCM as output from your TV. Have you done that?

 

[haloslime]

The Toslink cable is: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Digital-Optical-Audio-Toslink/dp/B001TH7GSW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343356660&sr=1-1&keywords=amazonbasics+toslink
The Adapter/converter is: http://www.amazon.com/SANOXY-Digital-Optical-Converter-Adapter/dp/B005DIRI6I/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_0
I didn't have PCM, but it left me in the same position where it only works when I hold the cable in place. I guess I will try to rig it with a rubber band or something.

 

[schan1269]

This "tos-link" isn't like the RCA on the other side...
It snaps in place. Just push till it clicks.