Help with HDMI/optical audio passthrough..Toshiba TV, Xbox 360

[murphy55d]

Here is how my setup is currently:



Xbox 360 and DirecTV box both via HDMI to back of my TV(32AV500U), with optical audio into my Onkyo receiver for passthrough.



TV has no issues passing the 5.1 signal it receives from the DirecTV box to the receiver, resulting in 5.1 Dolby digital. However, I put a DVD in my Xbox which does both DD and DTS, and it does not pass through the true 5.1 signal, instead, my receiver is only receiving the PCM signal, and then runs it through either Pro Logic II or DTS:Neo processing.



I tried multiple DVDs, at first I thought it was the movie itself, but it seems to be every DVD. The options to select PCM or Digital in the TV Menu are greyed out, it will not let me select the option to change it.



Am I overlooking something? Obviously the Xbox supports 5.1 and the sound is being sent to the TV in 5.1 format, but for some reason it is not being passed through as such.

thanks

 

[Emulex]

welcome to DRM! and hell.

TV's only output stereo because it is unencrypted. HDMI is encrypted.

most people have a spiffy expensive receiver that can switch the audio and pass through the hdmi video and audio to the tv. cheap receivers generally bungle this process and make life miserable.

 

[murphy55d]

Why does the tv pass the signal from the directv box properly then? What's the difference?

 

[Emulex]

you mean using toslink? because thats a limited signal. blu-ray can do 10x more precise audio over hdmi and they don't want you stealing that. the 384kbps 5.1 DD is hardly quality from directv and they are cool with you sending that junk via toslink unencrypted. the TV still does what it does since the whole HDMI connection is encrypted. thus the audio stream is encrypted and easier to follow the rules.

 

[murphy55d]

Ok so for this to work properly I need a set of Xbox AV cables with the optical dongle, and then go HDMI ----> TV for video, and then the optical out directly into my receiver, right?

 

[RaiderJ]

Ok so for this to work properly I need a set of Xbox AV cables with the optical dongle, and then go HDMI ----> TV for video, and then the optical out directly into my receiver, right?

Yup, exactly what I had to do. Going to get a decent receiver in the future that will strip out HDMI audio.