connect TV to surround sound for best digital sound

[c00der2]

Hi ,

Just got Tivo. Currently connected to TV via HDMI i.e.

Tivo - TV via HDMI

Tv is already  connected to surround sound via digital (toslink) cable

So, is the best connection for digital audio:

Tivo via HDMI to TV then audio out from TV to surround sound via toslink

or

Tivo via HDMI to TV and

Tivo digital audio out to Surround sound via toslinlk?

Oh, and which channels broudcast iin digital 5;1 sound ? and is it any good?

[zeke · Accepted solution]

I believe only selected HD channels have true 5.1 sound, with ITV1HD not being one of them.

As for best hookup to get surround sound from TiVo, it all depends on how your TV handles things on the HDMI inputs and optical output.  For example, via HDMI my TV can decode 5.1 DTS and most other surround formats but only stereo output comes from the speakers.  The optical output is stereo only, too.  Remember, just because you get output via toslink optical cable that doesn't mean you're always getting 5.1!

So yeah, if your TV can't pass 5.1 from HDMI to it's optical output and only gives you stereo, you need to hook the TiVo to the 5.1 capable amp directly to get true 5.1 surround from the HD channels that feature it.

And trust me, true 5.1 surround is miles ahead of the faking options for the same from a stereo source into a 5.1 system.  Once you've compared the two you will almost always be able to tell the difference, whereas most casual viewers (i.e. the majority) cannot.

One more thing: true 5.1 surround sound is AWESOME, well worth the effort.  I pity those who can't get access to it, from time to time at the very least!

[rasobey]

I went from 2.0 to 3.1 a couple of years ago. Just having the centre channel available was enough of an upgrade. My living room isn't well suited to having surround speakers but I could probably hook something up if I was bothered

[ozsat]

Don't forget to set TiVo to output as 5.1 dolby digital in the audio settings.