HDTV Audio Optical Output

[ds_tx]

Under what conditions (if any) is the audio output signal (digital/optical/toslink connection) limited or blocked by an HDTV (specifically an LG 42LV3500-UP)?

I want to output audio from anything played on LG HDTV to DAC connected to mini amp with stereo speakers (and possibly a subwoofer).

Yet, I'm being warned by Schiit tech support (maker of Modi DAC) to check with TV manufacturer and by LG service repair center, that commercial copyright protection may block signal.

But LG itself makes soundbars that connect by toslink and claims that audio can be output to them to play anything that plays on the HDTV. If there was "fine print" to that claim, LG should make it known in their advertising for soundbars.
Also, Bose makes soundbar and other types of sound systems that connect by toslink and their sales told me there was no problem with sound output from movies played on my model of LG HDTV.

Is this business about digital audio blocking for real or some more of the same tech support confusing BS?
If so, please explain with detailed specifics.
For instance, how does Cinavia affect audio ouput through toslink? What else might effect output?
I can't get on with deciding what system I want to buy or not until this issue is cleared up. LG service center made it sound like the only way to be sure was to buy a home theater receiver that connects with HDMI whereby the TV communicates to "know" that the connected device is not capable of recording. But I don't like 5.1 surround sound or care about terrestrial radio, and don't want to buy an expensive, bulky home theater receiver with tuner when a DAC and stereo amplifier are all I want/need.

I connect my MacBook Pro to LG HDTV as second monitor with mini display port to HDMI cable, and it works fine for movies played in VLC Player and music played in iTunes 10 which has coverflow display for album art and track readout.
I got rid of my Sony DVD player because the picture output wasn't as good as from my MacBook Pro.

All I want to do is upgrade sound output, and now I get this red flag about how the sound from anything I can play on the HDTV might not output from the optical audio output.

 

[JoeMcJoe]

No idea what you're saying...

But modern HDTVs will output audio through the optical and HDMI (using ARC), only sound that is generated by the TV, not from an external device.

 

[DesiPower]

First of all i would like to say that I have the same setup on a 7 year old Sony TV and I do not have any problems, I always get sound. Now I do use entry level Yamaha speaks and receiver in 3.1 configuration so I wont be able to tell if the quality is being compromised.

Is there some kind of digital right thing that forces TV makers to prevents flow of audio through optical port when its some sort of copyrighted material? idk, but its very possible. I know for sure that it does not happen for anything played via desktop computer (Amazon video, Netflix etc), Blu-ray player, DVD player or OTA channel.

 

[ds_tx]

@DesiPower - what do you mean by "the same setup"? How are you playing movies and music over your TV? Is it HDTV?

Are you saying that if I connect my MacBook Pro laptop to my LG HDTV, that the digital (optical) signal won't be out put for any DVD or CD I play from the laptop, or any Netflix movies, etc. I play in Safari browser?

So when WILL sound output through digital audio out? Only over the air TV signal? What about DVD/CD player connected? What type of connection? HDMI only? RCA? etc.

 

[ds_tx]

@Joe - so when a movie is played from a DVD player connected to an HDTV, is it the TV that's generating the sound?
When I connect my MacBook Pro laptop to the HDTV and play a movie with the DVD player on the laptop, is the TV generating the sound then?
When I connect a media player to the TV and play movies or music from digital files on a hard drive connected to the media player, is the TV generating the sound?

If these are all "external devices" from which the HDTV outputs no audio signal, how is a toslink soundbar useful?
How does sound output with HDMI connected home theater receiver vs. optical audio output?

 

[DesiPower]

OK, so I might have misunderstood what you are trying to do. Here is how I have everything setup.

I have Sony LCD HVTD, it has 3 inputs
HTPC connected via HDMI
Blu-Ray player connected via HDMI
Antenna connected via Coax.

TV has optical out port, that is connected to AVR (Old AVR, does not have HDMI). In the TV there is a setting to select audio output, external or internal speaker. I have set it to external and that plays all the audio via AVR

I do not won or ever used any Aphail products, so I have no idea about MacCrook works or what kind of ports its has and all that, sorry cant help you in that area.

 

[ds_tx]

So you have a computer and a DVD player connected with HDMI, and you are able to output audio signal through the HDTV optical audio output (toslink) to an AVR.
From what? copyright protected movie DVD and music CDs? digital audio and digital AV files?
Have you ever encountered any digital, DVD or CD source for which audio output was blocked?

I want to do the same but with an audio (stereo) receiver not an AVR, but the LG tech told me that audio output could be blocked. The fact that you can do that with toslink as opposed to HDMI gives hope.
Do you think the computer OS has anything to do with signal? Aren't PCM and ACM the same regardless of what OS is serving up the digital audio or AV file? See -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC#Mac_OS_X
MicroSh_ or Aphail, six of one half dozen of the other. Both suck for different reasons, like the 2 choice 1 party system of American politics.

 

[DesiPower]

I do not or rarely listen to music on that, if I do its never CD, my sources are Pandora, youtube or copyright/DRM free MP3 files stored on my NAS.
Blu-Rays (I stopped using DVD few years back) are rented from Netflix or Redbox.
Other video soruce are Netflix, Amazon Prime, youtube or similar sites.

I have NEVER encountered any issues with anything getting blocked.

I dont think copyright or DRM will be impacted by OS, its mostly the software that plays it. For example if VLC can play it, it will play on all OS equally, but I might be wrong.

Lastly, do you already won the TV? if so just give it a try. It's never gonna lock up your TV or anything like that. Worst case scenario, there will be no sound, at that point just switch back to TV speaker. But I highly doubt it, I don't think you will have any issues.