where to take the optical connection from to my AV amp?

[stevegos]

Hi

I have a fairly new Sony Bravia TV plus humax freesat box and Sony Bluray player. All are connected via HDMI. I have a new AV receiver with a single optical input. Baring in mind all components are connected digitally is it best to take the optical output from the TV or the other devices?

I assume that audio is transfered digitally via HDMI and thus stays digital within the TV before coming back out the optical port and as such this would be the best place to connect to the AV receiver. I mostly watch TV via freesat and films via the Bluray player.

Also I'm sure this has been asked before: I've been listening quite happily via a standard analog phono connection to my amp and wonder if there really is that much difference in sound quality between good old analog and the optical digital output?

All help and advise greatly received.

Steve

 

[The_Lhc]

" I have a new AV receiver with a single optical input."

Pretty sure it must have more inputs than that? Usually with an AV receiver you plug all the HDMIs into the receiver and then one from the receiver to the TV.

What AV receiver is it?

 

[Andrew Everard]

I assume that audio is transfered digitally via HDMI and thus stays digital within the TV before coming back out the optical port and as such this would be the best place to connect to the AV receiver. I mostly watch TV via freesat and films via the Bluray player.

You'd hope so, wouldn't you? Unfortunately – and this varies from TV to TV – it's often the case that TVs will only output from that optical socket from their internal tuner( s ), and not from external devices connected to them.

 

[Big Chris]

Also I'm sure this has been asked before: I've been listening quite happily via a standard analog phono connection to my amp and wonder if there really is that much difference in sound quality between good old analog and the optical digital output?

If your TV is compatible, you'll get Dolby Surround via the Optical cable which you won't get through the analogue outputs.

 

[Big Chris]

" I have a new AV receiver with a single optical input."

Pretty sure it must have more inputs than that?

Does seem unusually stingey. :?

 

[stevegos]

Thanks for your replies everyone.

I mistakingly said it was a new receiver. Its quite an old AV receiver by modern specs. I've just moved back to UK after working abroad for 6 years and setting kit up which has been in storage all that time together with a few bits of newer kit.

Steve

 

[AnotherJoe]

You connect the blu-ray and freesat to the amp via hdmi - these should handle the sound & video for those 2 sources. (switch the amp to the appropriate hdmi input).

For the tv, connect the optical out from the tv to the optical input on the amp, and switch the amp to the input the optical is assigned to when you watch tv.

Yes there is a big difference in quality between phono stereo and digital optical. Most noticable is 5.1 sound rather than stereo.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

I mistakingly said it was a new receiver. Its quite an old AV receiver by modern specs. I've just moved back to UK after working abroad for 6 years

Hey, old doesn't necessarily mean bad. But in this case, it might mean that your AV receiver doesn't have HDMI inputs and if it does have HDMI inputs, they certainly won't be version 1.4, they might not even be version 1.3. However, your receiver may well have 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel analogue inputs.

Is there any reason why you won't tell us the manufacturer and model number of your receiver? Then we could put those into google and find out exactly what your receiver is capable of.