Sound problems

[tyler811]

I have a Spectre 32 inch 1080p that is awesome as far as color quality and picture clarity. It actually has enough hook ups for my Wii, Blu Ray Player, cable box and my laptop when I want to watch HULU. The only problem I have is the audio. The tv will give me Dolby 5.1 surround sound from over the air stations (outdoor antenea hooked into tv with coax cable) when the audio is hooked into my HT by an optical plug. I have a choice in the audio part of my menu of my tv to change the SPDIF from PCM to RAW. When I change it to RAW is when I get the Dolby Digital 5.1.

But when I hook my blu ray and/or HD cable box into the tv with the sound (using component or HDMI) and using an optical plug back to HT all I get is Dolby 2.1 with the rear speakers reproducing the front speakers sounds. I cannot change the audio in the tv, it stays to PCM and is greyed out. If I hook the blu ray video into the tv with component cables and hook the audio directly (with optical plug) into the HT system I get DTS digital 5.1 surround. Same with the HD cable box, video to tv and audio into HT, I get DTS digital 5.1.

Any ideas on what the problem would why I cannot switch the sound from PCM to RAW in the audio portion of my tv menu when when the BR/HD cable boxs are hooked in?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

That seems to be the case with many TVs. They'll only output bitstream when using the internal tuner.

As you've already discovered, the solution is to run just video to the TV and run audio to the receiver.
You should be able to hook up HDMI to the TV and digital audio to the receiver though (you shouldn't need to use component)

 

[JoeBleed]

I've read before on avsforum that this is likely due to licensing requirements for hdmi and its built in security protocols.

Seems like anything hdmi input will only output 2.0 sound unless its going to a proper hdmi receiver. but other inputs will usually allow output of the full available audio.

 

[vshah]

what type receiver do you have? does it not have HDMI inputs?

 

[tyler811]

That seems to be the case with many TVs. They'll only output bitstream when using the internal tuner.

As you've already discovered, the solution is to run just video to the TV and run audio to the receiver.
You should be able to hook up HDMI to the TV and digital audio to the receiver though (you shouldn't need to use component)

Yes that is what I have right now. HDMI from the B/R to tv with audio going to receiver

 

[Modelworks]

Blame the MPAA. There are so many restriction built into HDMI that it makes me want to strangle someone.

 

[tyler811]

Blame the MPAA. There are so many restriction built into HDMI that it makes me want to strangle someone.

So I spent the money a blue ray player and LCD. Hook it up like it is suppossed to be with an HDMI cable from the B/R to the LCD tv. Then from the TV run a toslink back to the audio receiver and I get screwed because the tv audio cannot reproduce the sound correctly because of copyright infringements.

This is basically what you guys are telling me right?

 

[JoeBleed]

That is how i remember it when i read about the copy protection for HDMI. Its depressing really.

and from what i've seen and read about current a/v receivers with hdmi ports it is also sad. You can input multiple hdmi devices in to it, but you can only output one to the tv. This keeps you from setting other device picture settings individually per input on the tv to get and keep the best picture for each device/input. I haven't looked hard, but i haven't seen or read about an a/v receiver that has matching outputs for each input to allow this.

But you may just want to search avsforums or send an e-mail to your tv's manufacture just to ask if this is the case. I could be remembering wrong.

Edit: so, there goes the "convenience" of less cable clutter and easy hook up if you have a HT sound system.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Yes that is what I have right now. HDMI from the B/R to tv with audio going to receiver

Just to be clear...

The audio connection should go from the blu-ray player to the receiver directly, not through the TV at all.

 

[tyler811]

Just to be clear...

The audio connection should go from the blu-ray player to the receiver directly, not through the TV at all.

Yes it is. The video goes to tv via HDMI from the BR and the audio goes directly to receiver via toslink. I am getting DTS 5.1 so I am happy. Thank you for your help Sir (I was going to give you a thumbs up but they appear to gone again from the selection.)

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Yes it is. The video goes to tv via HDMI from the BR and the audio goes directly to receiver via toslink. I am getting DTS 5.1 so I am happy. Thank you for your help Sir (I was going to give you a thumbs up but they appear to gone again from the selection.)

Ok good. I wasn't sure what your other response meant and if you had things worked out how you wanted them.

No "thumbs up" necessary

 

[tyler811]

Ok good. I wasn't sure what your other response meant and if you had things worked out how you wanted them.

No "thumbs up" necessary

LOL okay

I have them worked out but not the way I want. Ideally everything would into the tv and then using the toslink taking the audio back to the audio reciever I would get the DTS 5.1 from the blue ray and the Dolby 5.1 from the HD Cable box. As now I have the HD cable box and Wii going to into a component switch and am only getting Dolby 2.1 but then hooked into the tv that is all I would getting also.