SPDIF (1 Viewer)

[what4]

so i bought one of the many android streaming media boxes with Kodi installed on it off of Amazon.
i plugged the HDMI output of it directly into the back of my TV while and audio/video has been fine. Once i got everything working (apps, addons, etc..) I decided to integrate it into my home theater in the basement.

i have an older sony receiver (~2008) that accepts two types of digital inputs - orange RCA and optical connectors (see image below) and one analog type input (red-white RCA connectors).

so my Kodi box also has a SPDIF output (3.5mm) and I tried to connect that using an optical cable to the optical port on my receiver below without success (used a used a male Toslink to male Toslink cable + 3.5mm adapter). i adjusted settings on the Kodi box to output via SPDIF but could not get it to work. Support for the Kodi box was non-existent and I learned through some sleuthing that many of these crappy android boxes from china have problems with the SPDIF outputs. I don't know if that is the case, but i decided to go another route because that optical port in the back of my receiver was used for my PS3 anyway.

I bought an HDMI A/V signal splitter because I knew the audio signal was good there (see splitter below). The splitter takes an HDMI input signal and splits the audio from it and provides a SPDIF output and an HDMI output. So the HDMI output from the Kodi box goes into the splitter and the HDMI output from the splitter goes on to my projector. Now this is where I am having trouble. Initially, I took the the SPDIF output of the splitter and used a 3.5mm connector x RCA male cable to output the signal to the orange RCA input on the receiver (one of the two digital inputs). The audio didn't work. My Sony receiver did not output anything..? However, I removed the cable from the SPDIF output on the splitter and plugged a pair of earphones into the output. I got sound coming in. After figuring out that an analog signal was coming through (headphones gotta be receiving an analog signal right?), I used a male 3.5mm plug x (2) RCA male plug adapter cable from the splitter audio output to the analog inputs on the back of my Sony receiver. It works, but the sound quality is of course not that great.

Any thoughts on this? I am kind of at a loss about how SPDIF works. I thought it was a digital signal - but how do my earphones work on this?

i am going to try to connect my toslink - toslink +3mm adapter cable from the splitter to the optical input on my receiver next to see if that works.

http://www.amazon.com/PORTTA-PET030...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

 

[schan1269]

The Kodi has a full size SPDIF.

Have no idea why you think the 3.5mm is mini-toslink.

 

[what4]

Hi Schan, so like i said, I am not too familiar with SPDIF. My Kodi box has a SPDIF output that accepts one of these...

I thought these were mini-Tosslink and i've seen them referred to as such at sites like Monoprice. I think I've seen them randomly referred to as 3.5mm tosslink/mini optical as well. Anyway, the manual for my HDMI audio splitter has pictures that show you can connect a SPDIF connection to the SPDIF output (no surprise there) but also has a picture showing a pair of headphones can be connected as well.... I guess this is the part I don't understand. I thought SPDIF was some kind of optical digital connection. I wasn't sure how my analog headphones could plug into the same outlet and work. Well I did try the optical toslink cable with the mini-tosslink on one end connected from my HDMI splitter output to my receiver's optical input and it finally worked!

I'm still at a loss as to whether a connection can be made between the RCA digital input on my receiver and a toss-link connection (be it mini, full size, 3.5mm or whatever you call it).

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I'm still at a loss as to whether a connection can be made between the RCA digital input on my receiver and a toss-link connection (be it mini, full size, 3.5mm or whatever you call it).
------

The RCA digital input on your receiver is a Coaxial input, the Toslink is Optical. You can't connect them. If you want to connect to the coaxial input, you would need to convert the Toslink to Coaxial.

http://www.amazon.com/C2G-40019-Optical-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B0002GV876

 

[schan1269]

Hi Schan, so like i said, I am not too familiar with SPDIF. My Kodi box has a SPDIF output that accepts one of these...

I thought these were mini-Tosslink and i've seen them referred to as such at sites like Monoprice. I think I've seen them randomly referred to as 3.5mm tosslink/mini optical as well. Anyway, the manual for my HDMI audio splitter has pictures that show you can connect a SPDIF connection to the SPDIF output (no surprise there) but also has a picture showing a pair of headphones can be connected as well.... I guess this is the part I don't understand. I thought SPDIF was some kind of optical digital connection. I wasn't sure how my analog headphones could plug into the same outlet and work. Well I did try the optical toslink cable with the mini-tosslink on one end connected from my HDMI splitter output to my receiver's optical input and it finally worked!

I'm still at a loss as to whether a connection can be made between the RCA digital input on my receiver and a toss-link connection (be it mini, full size, 3.5mm or whatever you call it).

Since you obviously have zero idea what you are looking at/doing.

Across the top of your Kodi...from left to right...

Top left is red/white RCA analog.

Next to that is a 3.5mm analog/headphone jack(which has absolutely, nothing at all, to do with digital anything). It is simply a "miniature version" of the red/white to its left.

Next you have...

Optical SPDIF. What you should be using.
Coax SPDIF. The alternative to using the Optical SPDIF.

Next you have...

Yellow composite video and component video(neither of which you should be giving a crap about).

 

[what4]

SChan, you are confusing the rear of my receiver with the Kodi box. That picture above is my receiver. I never posted a a picture of Kodi box. That 3.5mm jack is for a microphone for autocalibrating the speakers. thanks for trying to help though.

 

[what4]

I'm still at a loss as to whether a connection can be made between the RCA digital input on my receiver and a toss-link connection (be it mini, full size, 3.5mm or whatever you call it).
------

The RCA digital input on your receiver is a Coaxial input, the Toslink is Optical. You can't connect them. If you want to connect to the coaxial input, you would need to convert the Toslink to Coaxial.

http://www.amazon.com/C2G-40019-Optical-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B0002GV876

Thanks Peter!

 

[schan1269]

SChan, you are confusing the rear of my receiver with the Kodi box. That picture above is my receiver. I never posted a a picture of Kodi box. That 3.5mm jack is for a microphone for autocalibrating the speakers. thanks for trying to help though.

That pic is a "receiver"?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[citywalker]

That pic is a "receiver"?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Great question! Same here, #%#&@# is this?!

 

[what4]

Great question! Same here, #%#&@# is this?!

yeah, believe it or not - that is one component of a mini home theater system. as i said above, it's an older Sony one. for such a tiny system, it pumps out some nice sound. why all the disbelief?

i never said that was my Kodi streaming box.

 

[what4]

 

[Dr Griffin]

Those teeny surround(?) speakers are cute. I like how they are one step down in size from the fronts. A DOR A BLE!

 

[what4]

haha, what's up with you people. got nothing better to do than to make fun of an old home theater system?

 

[Dr Griffin]

haha, what's up with you people. got nothing better to do than to make fun of an old home theater system?

Bingo. No, sorry. I've just never seen a mini system like that. Perfectly fine for a small area. Did you resolve this, or can you post a pic of the Kodi box?

 

[Dr Griffin]

Have you tried something like this: coax (orange RCA) to 3.5?

http://www.adorama.com/FIL21.html?gclid=COeMr4-4o80CFdgRgQodFb8Bbw

 

[what4]

DrG, i did resolve it. I connected the mini end of one of these to my HDMI A/V signal splitter and the other end to digital optical input on my receiver and it worked. the part i still don't get is that i can also connect a pair of earbuds to the same mini jack on the signal splitter and listen to sounds. it's like this port on the signal splitter outputs both digital and analog audio signals from the same port...?? I guess it's good to know but i'm not sure if that is always the case or if the unit i bought has some special hardware. whatever the case, it works!