Hookup for TV streaming media (1 Viewer)

[Chpsen]

Hi all. First time poster. I have a "kid cave" with a TV, 5.1 amp and speakers that all came from the dump. Did I say I'm on a tight budget? Mostly this works - works quite well for DVD/Blu-ray Discs. The problem is, the TV can stream media from the internet but it only does so via its own speakers. No surround even when the streamed media is 5.1 or better. I'd like to know the usual way to connect a smart TV to a 5.1 amp to take advantage of the streamed 5.1 content. I can't seem to figure out if there's an HDMI output on the TV but if that's the normal route, I'd like to know. My current HT amp doesn't handle HDMI inputs from a TV. But I could perhaps replace that if I could get the entire system to work.

Our current dump-sourced amp only has one set of 5.1 RCA inputs (I don't see an HDMI option). Those are currently connected to my Sony BDP-S300 blu-ray player. But...if the blu-ray player could connect via HDMI to the TV and if there were then a way to connect the TV to the amp, maybe that would work? Again, just wondering how the normal connectivity would work to take advantage of both the player and any streamed content to the TV. I'm pretty sure I can connect the stereo RCA outputs from the TV to the amp, but I'm hoping there is another way to accomplish this to take advantage of the 5.1 content.

OK, enough for now. The 5.1 amp is an old Sony that works quite well other than this issue. OK, plus the fact that my kids can't connect their phones to the amp for basic stereo output - but I can fix that; I have a Bluetooth board that I can eventually build into a BT receiver for one of the amp's RCA inputs for that.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

First, welcome to the Forum!

The only way the TV will give 5.1 with your current Sony amp is if it has a digital optical or coax (RCA) output. If it only has HDMI, you will have to replace the amp with a newer model that accommodates HDMI.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Chpsen]

I thought maybe so. I'll check for the optical and/or coax outputs. I don't recall seeing them but maybe I'll get lucky and find at least one of them. Thank you!

 

[Chpsen]

Turns out the TV does have an optical out and the amp has an optical in, and on testing it works perfectly. Not sure why I hadn't noticed nor thought to look at that option. Thank you again!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

^IF it's working perfectly fine and exactly the way you want/like it, then just leave it that way.

Just that going that way sometimes doesn't work quite right for some due to whatever compatibility issues relying on (e)ARC, maybe CEC, etc. It's probably also more susceptible to failure at some later point even if it's working fine now -- you can of course change it at that point.

_Man_