Can i use optical cable to get digital sound out of my HDTV?

Question

i got a Samsung 30 inch HDTV and i also have a JVC 5 disc dvd changer that has 5.1 surround sound. the JVC dvd player part of the system broke but i have another DVD for backup i was wonder can i still use the jvc to hook up surround sound to the TV with optical cable, and just use the JVC as a reciever to get surround sound

Answer 1

I think the answer is no, but I find your question very confusing, so I'm not clear what you are proposing.

For example, do you want sound out or in to the TV ... the question appears to be proposing both? Is it the changer part of the JVC 5 disk player that is broken ... and the unit still functions as a normal (1 disk) player or nothing works? How can a DVD player function as a receiver?

The latter part of your question ... "can I ... hook up surround sound tp the TV with optical cable" suggests what you are trying to get surround sound from the TV. If so, let's isolate a fwew things here.

First, if you have an optical input on the TV and one on your backup DVD player you can get surround on the TV ... if the TV has surround speakers connected (which would be unusual). Normally one would take optical (or digital coax) output from a DVD player to an A/V receiver and then feed surround speakers from the receiver. The video from the DVD player would go via composite, S-video, component or DVI/HDMI to the receiver (or direct to the TV if you don't want the A/V receiver to switch inputs) and then via a similar cable to the TV. This setup gives the best sound by bypassing the ususually poor amp and speakers in the TV and using the superior A/V receiver and surround speakers.

That all said, trying to understand your question it appears (???) you want to keep the audio connected via the JVC DVD player and use a substiute/backup DVD player to play the DVD??? This certainly won't work because the backup DVD player will process the video and audio and the broken JVC won't see any of it, so can't pass on the audio.

Can you just substitute the backup DVD player for the JVC (assuming the JVC worked the way you want). I can't imagine it doesn't have either an optical out or a coaxial digital out. Either can give surround audio.

Anyway, there's my best answer ... good luck.

Answer 2

I'm not sure I fully understand what you are asking but I will tell you that you cannot hook up surround sound to a TV with an optical cable. The only thing you should be hooking an optical cable up to is a surround sound receiver. Also, you cannot use your JVC DVD player as a receiver, as that really doesn't make any sense.

Answer 3

Hook up that backup DVD player's digital optical output to the JVC unit. That will give you surround sound

Answer 4

That is something that I already do. I would not use the TV as part of my system as my speakers are better than the TV. I do not know though if the decoder is built into the DVD part of the system or if that would be separate. Try it and see if it works.

Answer 5

It will probably only output the sound that the ATSC tuner receives. If you have a cable or satellite settop box, the tv does not likely pass through the sound from the STB.