I've always been under the impression that standard RCA audio cables can not carry a dolby digital signal, you need digital coax or fiber optic for that. But if that's the case, why do many plasma HDTV's have a digital audio OUT but no digital audio IN, only RCA audio INs? If one were to hook a satellite receiver to the TV via RCA audio jacks, then hook the TV's digital out to the AV receiver, would the audio signal from the satellite receiver be output from the AV receiver in 5.1 surround? Thanks for your help everyone!
The reason TV sets have digital audio outputs is to output the signal to an A/V for processing. You see, most HDTV programming supports Dolby Digital but only A/V amps/processors can decode it. You are gonna see many more sets with Digital Audio outputs as more manufactors produce TVs with HDTV decoders built in. That would not work. What you would want to do is hook the DSS receivers digital audio connection to the A/V amp. One thing you have to remember is what goes in is what comes out. So analog in (RCA connections) is gonna be analog out.
Thanks for the input. If "what goes in is what comes out", where would the digital audio signal come from? The TV doesnt have a digital in, but it has a digital out, so where would it get the signal?
The digital audio signal is embedded in a HDTV broadcast. In answer to your last question, the only way to get a signal from the digital audio output from a television with a built in HDTV tuner is if there is a HDMI or coaxial cable conected to it that is sending an HDTV signal. I myself prefer using a seperate decoder box so that the only signal I'm sending to my monitor is video via DVI and the audio to my suround sound receiver via optic cable. Hope this clears it up.
Wolf, this does clear it up, thank you very much. Incidentally, I noticed you send your audio signal from the deocder box straight to your receiver. Does that mean you always have to watch TV in surround with the receiver on? Just curious...
Yes, ever since I hooked up my home theatre there was no going back. I love this shit. The bedroom setup has suround sound too, but I do have sound going to the tv itself for night watching.
