New HWS installed a few weeks ago. Have one TV hooked up with HDMI thru an older Harman Kardon receiver, which is working great. Wanted to mirror to a second TV using the component video and optical audio, but there is no audio output over the optical. Is this normal, maybe only allowed to have one digital audio output at a time? Or is my Hopper broken? Got around the problem by plugging the optical cable into the optical out on the HK receiver, but I'd like to be able to use the second TV independently without turning on the receiver.
No optical output
- Thread starter bradwynn
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Maybe on your TV
Please do not make assumptions. I spelled it out exactly as it is right here in front of me.
Are you absolutely sure? Most TV's optical connections are outputs, not inputs, as they are not capable of reproducing surround sound. So, they are equipped with optical outputs, which can be connected to the inputs of AVR's and HTIB's.
What is the make and model?
Optical audio is actually going to a sound bar under the second TV. It came as a bundle. Its an LG.
But as I originally said, the audio works just fine when the optical cable is connected to the output on my receiver which gets the audio via HDMI, but not when connected directly to the hopper.
So it's not going to a TV, but to a soundbar?
Do you see the light on the Optical cable coming from the Hopper?
Well, you did not since you later introduced the sound bar into the mix. Need to be looking at it, since you've already proven the optical from Hopper works with your HK.
Many sound bars cannot process Dolby Digital, you may have to set the TV or Hopper to PCM only.
You are still not being 100% clear. So, to be sure we understand:
-You do get sound from the soundbar when the Hopper's optical output is connected to the HK AVR input, and the AVR output is connected to the soundbar input.
-You do not get any sound when the Hopper optical output is connected directly to the soundbar.
Is that it? Or, does the audio from the Hopper go to the AVR via HDMI, and then to the soundbar via optical?
Doesn't the TV connect to the soundbar in some fashion?
TV has nothing to do with it. It's optical out only processes DD from IT'S OTA tuner, not any other input devices.
I will have to take you to task on that. Produce brands/model #s, specs, etc. Early days (10 years ago a few did..mostly Sony, ironically...but dropped it because of DRM).
EDIT...save yourself some time and just GOOGLE it.
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My vizio 47" xvt series, before I bought a new receiver, was connected that way. Sat box to tv via hdmi, Xbox to tv via hdmi, wdtv to tv via hdmi, and had to use the optical out from the tv to the receiver since optical was the only way besides coaxial to get digital into the old receiver. TV passed through DD 5.1, DTS, and PCM to the receiver. Worked a charm.
Don't need to. Personal knowledge and experience makes it unnecessary.
Yup. At least one of my three Panasonics do it. Probably all three.
The hopper was never connected to the HK avr with optical in any of my above descriptions, but just to make you happy I tried it and guess what, no audio.
2nd question from above - no
This is not an issue of improper connections. Years of experience tell me that.
Let me repeat. There is no optical output from my HWS. Anyone know why, or is it malfunctioning?
I was told by a CSR that the HWS is having problems with the optical output. I have HDMI from HWS to TV and always get sound on the tv. I have optical from HWS to a Pioneer audio receiver. Each time I jump forward or back or pause I loose the audio receiver sound. When I hit pause again the sound usually returns. Sometime after a jump foreward I have to do a jump back to get sound. I have my remote programmed to control the audio receiver sound. So i usually keep the TV sound off. I wish Dish would add a both option to the remote control volume option so the volume buttons conrols both AVR and TV sound.
