Speakers + cable box help please

hardhat

Senior member
Dec 4, 2011
433
117
116
For my birthday someone gave me a sound bar for my television. It is an iLive 37" sound bar with inputs for optical digital in, line in, and stereo RCA L & R input.

I have an LG 42LB5600 television connected with coaxial cable to the wall. This isn't a smart tv, and I don't think it has Wifi or Bluetooth. It does have a built in digital adapter, though, so I haven't had to use a set top HD cable box. On the back it has an optical digital audio out, but that doesn't seem to work with the sound bar as I think the TV outputs in dolby digital audio format and the sound bar only seems to accept PCM audio. I tried connecting it with digital optical cable and it only gives static.

So I bought an AV receiver in hopes of getting compatible output. It is a Harman Kardon 1510 AVR. But that doesn't seem to have the right outputs either, and it doesn't seem to have a coaxial analog input. It has analog video connector plugs and HDMI inputs

At this point I don't really care about the sound bar, but I would like to get some decent speakers if possible. So what do I need to buy to get the AV receiver connected, and what should I do about speakers/sound bar? I am in an apartment, so I don't really want a full surround sound setup as I couldn't wall mount them or crank them up anyways. I wouldn't mind spending $250-$300 for decent speakers and some way to use the receiver I bought. I also have a blueray player, but it is a cheapo one and doesn't have any inputs. Please forgive me as I haven't ever messed with this stuff before.
 

Fallen Kell

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,161
510
126
Well, your first option to get audio working with your sound bar would be to go get a cable box and connect it to your sound bar directly.

The second option is to buy some speakers which can be powered by your receiver and then go get a cable box and connect it to your receiver.

Reading the reviews on the TV you have, I don't think the audio out will be useful at all since I believe it only even works when the TV receives a dolby digital signal in the first place, and most TV channels do not use dolby digital format (just movie channels for the most part).
 

hardhat

Senior member
Dec 4, 2011
433
117
116
Thanks, that's about what I was expecting. Do you have any recommendations on a cable box? I searched on Newegg, but maybe I don't know the technical name for them.