Korean Job Discussion Forums

rmparent · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Location: Gangnam

Need some great advice from the tech heads once again.

I just bought a 5.1 surround system off the boards here. I recently purchased a 46" Samsung LCD as well. I have the TV connected to my PS3 via HDMI. The amp on the surround system doesn't have HDMI but has optical audio which I've connected to the TV.

When I play games (such as MLB The Show 2010), the amp automatically sets to Dolby Digital and I get great surround sound. Does the TV (which is a 2010 model), automatically decode the sounds for the game and output 5.1?

I guess what I'm really asking is if I should buy another optical audio cable to connect the amp to the PS3 and get even better sound.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

noky · Joined: 14 Jul 2010 Location: Yeongcheon

I don't know if they changed the game but TVs never used to pass 5.1 digital signal from other sources through their optical lines. They would downgrade the sound as a copy protection measure.

I would run a test using the PS3 to make sure you're actually getting surround sound. If you happen to have Star Wars Episode III, there's a sound test on the disc.

If you're sure the signal is true surround sound then you're getting the best audio possible. It may/should be possible to have the PS3 handle the encoding in order to decode Dolby TrueHD and pass the raw PCM audio rather than stick with Dolby Digital. I however, can't walk you through that.

rmparent · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Location: Gangnam

Thanks for the reply. So you're saying that I probably wouldn't get true surround sound through an optical line connected from the PS3 to the amp?

When I play MLB The Show, dialogue comes out of the center speaker and surround noise comes out of the 4 main speakers (front and rear). It's the same for GTA4. I have the movie "Cars" on Blueray and it does seem to have surround when I have the PS3 set to bitstream audio.

However, when I watch movies on TV from my set top box that have the Dolby 5.1 logo, doesn't seem to get true surround sound, unless of course I set the amp to the theater setting which obviously isn't 'true' 5.1.

noky · Joined: 14 Jul 2010 Location: Yeongcheon

No, I am saying you'll definitely get true surround via the optical.

rmparent · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Location: Gangnam

noky · Joined: 14 Jul 2010 Location: Yeongcheon

I would unhook the TV to the amp and use the cable do a comparison test for the STB and the PS3 by hooking those devices directly to the amp. However, getting the extra cable(s) definitely won't hurt your sound.

rmparent · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Location: Gangnam

Thanks for the advice!