AUDIO CABLE QUESTIOn (1 Viewer)

[pcdoug]

i have a comcast hd box that is run to my onkyo 606 with componet cable and the red and white rca cable. i cannot run hdmi due to my tv not compatible. If i change the rca audio out to optical cable will i get digital sound? and is there a difference than what i am getting now?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Yes, you can run an optical digital cable to your receiver and you'll get digital sound, which is different than the two-channel analog sound you are currently getting. (On HD channels you'll often get full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Some shows, like Numbers on CBS, use really aggressive surround mixes. It also tends to be great for crowd noise in sports. And NASCAR, which I'm not really a fan of, can be mesmerizing when those brightly colored cars whip around the track in HD to the accompaniment of Dolby 5.1 doppler-shifting sound! )

Regards,

Joe

 

[David Willow]

Yes, you will get digital sound and yes, there is a difference.

With optical you will get Dolby 5.1 when available. Now you are only getting stereo that is 'expanded' to 5.1 via the DSP (PLXII or similar) You will most likely need to turn this feature on in your cable box.