Samsung 32F5000 to sound bar noob question - Optical connection and all sorted?

[NeilF]

I have a number of feeds going into a Samsung 32F5000 TV all via HDMI (eg: XBox, Bluray and Boxee Box).

I want to add a Sound Box such as the Denon DHT-T100. If I simply connect the TV to the sound bar via an optical lead - the TV has an optical out- is that it?

So questions:-
1) Will anything played on the TV automatically be fed to the sound bar?
2) What format will the transmission be from the TV to the sound bar? ie: If I tell the Boxee to transmit in DTS will that then get fed via HDMI to the TV and into the sound bar (over optical) for it to then process?

 

[NeilF]

Bump!!!!

I'd still like an answer to this...

If I tell my Boxee (or bluray player) to transmit in DTS to the TV, with that audio signal (DTS or dolby 5.1 for example) then simply pop out of the optical output on the TV, thus offering it to a soundbar?

Or is that optical output on the TV only for broadcasts received?

 

[NeilF]

All the above is academic though when the sound bar is stereo anyway. That's what many basic sound bars are. Even if you could get DTS5.1 to it via the TV, the soundbar will simply convert it to stereo in the end regardless so does it matter whether the signal is converted in the TV or the soundbar or at the source device.

I think I've just got to that conclusion myself.

So any average soundbar or sound stage is simply 2.1 (stereo). So if I feed a regular stereo signal to the TV (from my blueray or boxee as I currently do), I can then simply plug a optical cable from the TV to the soundbar (which will be transmitting all its stereo signal down that cable)?

So there will be stereo out of the TV and stereo out of the sound bar? So just turn the sound bar on, and the tv volume down?


My only concern would be, is that optical output definately going to be transmitting all (stereo) audio, even stuff in via HDMI?

 

[NeilF]

Stereo in digital format is called PCM. A simple PCM signal is the lowest common denominator; it's the signal that all digital audio devices will understand. Your Blu-ray player will default to stereo PCM at 44.1kHz when connected direct to the TV because that's likely to be all the TV can accept via its HDMI inputs.

In very simple terms then, if you can hear the audio from the TV speaker, then you'll be able to hear the same sound but louder and better quality from a soundbar connected via optical. It's really that simple.

If you can't hear it from the TV speakers then it won't be heard from the soundbar, and that's because the TV is stopping the signal getting through.

OK.... So given the TV has an optical out, I'll plan to use that to connect to a soundstage unit. And all I'll do is keep playing files into the TV in the same format (stereo/PCM) and all the soundstage will do, is give a better version of that stereo than the TV.

Thanks!

 

[NeilF]

you have to set to external speakers in the tv options (after connecting the optical cable)

you can pick external/internal & external or just internal,you can also adjust the lag from the tv speakers and the soundbar if your using both together

Ahhh OK!

I notice some allow you to "pass-thru" one or more HDMIs through the soundbar/soundstage to the TV. I guess that's just a variation/reverse of the same mechanic really...