Very simple connection : Virgin Tivo to Denon MD30

[cisamcgu]

Hi,

I have a Virgin Tivo box connected via HDMI to my Samsung TV. I have a spare Denon MD30 mini hifi box and was wondering if I could use this to add some speakers to the TV.

I was thinking Tivo -- toslink/spdif -- Denon and then turning off the sound on the TV and lisening to the sound via the Denon.

My question is : how to I connect the Toslink optical cable into the Denon. Can I just plug it into the Denon ? The Denon has an optical connection, but it is labelled as "Digital Optical Out", so I presume I cannot use this as an "In". Therefore could I connect the Tivo Optical Out to a pair of RCA inputs on the Denon using a Toslink to RCA cable (if one exists) ?

I am sorry if this is not clear, I am sort of "waving my hands around" here

Thanks
Andrew

 

[spiny norman]

Therefore could I connect the Tivo Optical Out to a pair of RCA inputs on the Denon using a Toslink to RCA cable (if one exists) ?

No can do: a simple cable can't connect an optical digital signal to an electrical analogue input: you need a digital-to-analogue converter inbetween the TiVo and one of the Denon's line inputs.

These needn't cost a fortune: have a look at eBay, Amazon and the usual suspects, where you can probably find one for £30 or less: something like this. That's an example, by the way, not one I have tried.

Oh, and make sure you have the TiVo box set to output PCM stereo via its optical digital output: you'll need to set 'Dolby Digital to PCM' under Home - Help&Settings - Settings - Audio - Dolby Digital

 

[cisamcgu]

Norman, many thanks; I had a feeling it wouldn't be quite that easy. This is only to test to see if the rest of the family like the idea so I am loathed to spend any money if at all avoidable in the first instance. Is it possible/sensible then to see if I can take the sound from the TV somehow and play that into the RCA inputs on the Denon ? I don't have the model of the TV with me at the moment, but it is about 3 years old.

Andrew

 

[spiny norman]

Could do, or you could buy a cheap Scart-to-phono adapter like this, set it to 'output', and feed audio from the TiVo box to the Denon that way, using the red/white sockets.

 

[cisamcgu]

Thank you so much, I will have a think and a read this evening.

Andrew