# Surround sound Setup Question



## satindemon4u (Nov 24, 2012)

Hello all. Yesterday my parents purchased a surround sound system for their room. They bought a Samsung HT-E3500. Nothing fancy, but still. Anyway, right now they have a cable box that hooks into their TV via HDMI. The surround sound system also has an HDMI out port. The TV has two HDMI ports. The question is, how should they hook it up? I explained to them that they should simply buy a second HDMI cable and run it from the second unused HDMI port on the TV to the surround sound port. Is this correct?

What they have now: Cable Box>HDMI Cable>TV
What they want to do: Cable Box>HDMI Cable>TV AND hook up the surround sound with HDMI.

Hope this explains it....thanks!


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## AsRock (Nov 24, 2012)

satindemon4u said:


> Hello all. Yesterday my parents purchased a surround sound system for their room. They bought a Samsung HT-E3500. Nothing fancy, but still. Anyway, right now they have a cable box that hooks into their TV via HDMI. The surround sound system also has an HDMI out port. The TV has two HDMI ports. The question is, how should they hook it up? I explained to them that they should simply buy a second HDMI cable and run it from the second unused HDMI port on the TV to the surround sound port. Is this correct?
> 
> What they have now: Cable Box>HDMI Cable>TV
> What they want to do: Cable Box>HDMI Cable>TV AND hook up the surround sound with HDMI.
> ...



Source HDMI OUT>HDMI IN surround sound system HDMI OUT>HDMI IN HDTV

Which is not possible as it lacks HDMI inputs

EDIT:

How i understand it  would be some thing like this

Cable box optical out and AUX out >optical\AUX IN surround sound system HDMI OUT>HDMI IN HDTV







How i see it would of been better paying a little extra like getting one without a b ray built in like this one
ONKYO HT-S3500 5.1-Channel Home Theater System

Then buying a b ray later when possible.


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## satindemon4u (Nov 24, 2012)

Alright. I guess that confused me haha. How exactly would they have to hook it up? In simple terms I suppose. I am assuming that was simple terms, but still....sorry.


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## AsRock (Nov 24, 2012)

satindemon4u said:


> Alright. I guess that confused me haha. How exactly would they have to hook it up? In simple terms I suppose. I am assuming that was simple terms, but still....sorry.



Post the name and model of the cable box you have


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## satindemon4u (Nov 24, 2012)

It's a Motorola DCX3501-M


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## Mussels (Nov 24, 2012)

speakers before the tv, if using hdmi.


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## Jetster (Nov 24, 2012)

Mussels said:


> speakers before the tv, if using hdmi.



The reason is most TVs only have 2.1 Optical or RCA audio out. So the best quality signal is straight from the wall or source. Then to the sound system then the TV

Keep in mind optical does not support uncompressed 5.1.  HDMI is best


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## BumbleBee (Nov 24, 2012)

1) connect the cable box to the TV via HDMI 
2) connect the cable box to the BD Player via Toslink
3) connect BD Player to TV via HDMI
4) go into the Motorola audio settings and make sure optical is selected

this is the only way to connect it. the BD Player only has one optical input for a device and there is no HDMI input.


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## BumbleBee (Nov 24, 2012)

one more thing.

after you hook it up it all up. hit the Function button on the BD Player remote and select D INPUT or Digital Input.


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## Mussels (Nov 24, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> 1) connect the cable box to the TV via HDMI
> 2) connect the cable box to the BD Player via Toslink
> 3) connect BD Player to TV via HDMI
> 4) go into the Motorola audio settings and make sure optical is selected
> ...



with the TV's i've used, they dont allow you more than stereo output via the TOSLINK, from external sources (HDMI)


its either HDMI sound system before the TV, or the source (the set top box/DVD/BD player) must have its own audio output, straight to the speakers.


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## BumbleBee (Nov 24, 2012)

Mussels said:


> with the TV's i've used, they dont allow you more than stereo output via the TOSLINK, from external sources (HDMI)
> 
> 
> its either HDMI sound system before the TV, or the source (the set top box/DVD/BD player) must have its own audio output, straight to the speakers.



yes but the Motorola box will pass the audio to the BD Player over Toslink and the BD Player will process it all.


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## satindemon4u (Nov 24, 2012)

Ok I will let them know that. Thank you BumbleBee. Hope it works! :O


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## cdawall (Nov 26, 2012)

Mussels said:


> with the TV's i've used, they dont allow you more than stereo output via the TOSLINK, from external sources (HDMI)
> 
> 
> its either HDMI sound system before the TV, or the source (the set top box/DVD/BD player) must have its own audio output, straight to the speakers.



Mine passes whatever from hdmi to the toslink. Not exactly a high end model either.


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## Mussels (Nov 26, 2012)

cdawall said:


> Mine passes whatever from hdmi to the toslink. Not exactly a high end model either.



most of the ones i've tested (samsungs and LG) will pass 5.1 DD/DTS, but only from the inbuilt receiver. it wont pass more than 2.0 if the source is one of the inputs.


You're lucky if yours doesnt suffer that, but beware that a lot of TV's suffer from that 'feature' (its designed to deter piracy or some crap like that, since SPDIF cant do HDCP)


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## Jetster (Nov 26, 2012)

Correct, I have Samsung and this is from a review of my Plasma 51"

"While the TV does output 5.1 sound to the optical cable when watching TV, it does not when the sound source comes from HDMI. The TV recodes the audio to standard 2.0 sound and forwards it. I haven’t been able to find a way to disable this “feature” as of yet."


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## satindemon4u (Nov 26, 2012)

Jetster said:


> Correct, I have Samsung and this is from a review of my Plasma 51"
> 
> "While the TV does output 5.1 sound to the optical cable when watching TV, it does not when the sound source comes from HDMI. The TV recodes the audio to standard 2.0 sound and forwards it. I haven’t been able to find a way to disable this “feature” as of yet."



I am really glad you brought this up. I say that because while I was visiting home passing on my new found knowledge my step sister who likes a little too much to debate and argue was saying that the Toslink cable was not needed. She said all she did on her TV was us an HDMI cable and "It worked just fine, I had sound". I am assuming that she (and doesn't know it) DOES have sound but it is only 2 channel being sent through all of the speakers, correct?


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## cadaveca (Nov 26, 2012)

probably. She might have 5.1..some do pass it through, but not many.


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## satindemon4u (Nov 26, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> probably. She might have 5.1..some do pass it through, but not many.



I see. Well alright then, thank you!


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