Video Asylum

If your TV accepts HDMI�

123.211.89.174

David Aiken

In Reply to: RE: Need Help with 2 Channel System - but Dolby Surround Input posted by Mel on September 11, 2011 at 08:06:00

and it has a digital out, which my Panasonic plasma does, simply feed the signal from your cable box directly to the TV by HDMI and feed digital audio out from the TV to your current DAC. The TV will do the decoding and output PCM for you. No cost at all, apart from the HDMI cable if you need one.

David Aiken

Follow Ups:

Is that right, Kal? - The Duke 09:43:38 09/12/11 (3)
That sounds like the solution!
The TV will do the conversion from DD to PCM. FIOS box HDMI to my Sharp LCD. The TV toslink out to my Bechmark DAC1.
Right, Kal?
- RE: Is that right, Kal? - David Aiken 13:38:19 09/14/11 (1)
  All I can say is that there's a menu option for my Panasonic V20A plasma which allows you to set the optical digital out to PCM so it should be possible on my TV. I can't test it since I don't have a DAC I could try this setting with.
  
  The OP can check his TV's manual, or even just try the experiment. Since it requires no gear he doesn't have it's a cheap thing to try�only his time is at risk and very little of that.
  
  David Aiken
  - it's impossible - Joe Murphy Jr 14:42:56 09/14/11 (0)
    At least with the current display in his system listing: the Panasonic PT-50LC13 has no digital audio input or output. If his display has changed, perhaps it is now an option.
- Dunno. - Kal Rubinson 15:07:11 09/12/11 (0)
  I have heard of digital (coax or optical) output from a TV with an HDMI source but I have no idea if the output is PCM or DD. What I have also heard is that this function (HDMI to coax/optical) varies greatly from TV to TV so I advise you to check the user's manual of the TV. I have never used such an arrangement.
  
  Kal
only if it's acceptable to leave the display on [nt] - Joe Murphy Jr 14:03:33 09/11/11 (3)
.
- Surely� - David Aiken 13:42:01 09/14/11 (2)
  since we're talking about the output from a cable box which also includes a video signal, he'll want the display on in order to view the video.
  
  If there's no video signal in the output so there's nothing to view, then my Panasonic plasma allows me to turn the display off while still playing an audio signal. I have some digital radio stations in the digital TV frequency band here in Australia and I listen to them using the TV but with the panel turned off.
  
  David Aiken
  - mine provide better options - Joe Murphy Jr 14:27:06 09/14/11 (1)
    "Surely... since we're talking about the output from a cable box which also includes a video signal, he'll want the display on in order to view the video."
    
    I purchased my own tuners for the cable feed (not FIOS). The signals they accept are NTSC, ATSC and clear QAM (SD and HD digital from the cable company that's not scrambled). The tuners have various analog video outputs and a DVI output. The boxes have L/R analog audio outputs as well as optical outputs to feed downstream components with Dolby Digital or 2.0 PCM. I know where the digital music channels are, so I just punch in the station that I want to listen to (there's a numeric display on the front panel of the tuner). The DAC gets 2.0 PCM and the display doesn't have to be turned on when I want to listen to music that the cable company provides. For regular programs, the display is turned on.
    
    Obviously, with his Motorola FIOS box, because the douchebags aren't providing Dolby Digital-to-2.0 PCM capability, he doesn't have this option if he wants to send the optical output to a stereo DAC. Hence his predicament.
    - RE: mine provide better options - David Aiken 00:08:19 09/15/11 (0)
      I'm in Australia and the pay TV options here are very different from what you have. Actually I don't use pay TV. I rely on free to air transmissions for my TV viewing.
      
      As far as I know, you don't get a choice about what box you use with pay TV here in Australia, you simply use what the service provider gives you though they may provide some options, for example if you want HD programs, but they charge more for that as well.
      
      There's also some variation in the tv models offered by Panasonic here compared to what you get in the US.
      
      David Aiken

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