Surround Sound over SCART question

gers1978

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Just setting up a bluray home cinema system for my folks, but their TV only has 2 x HDMI inputs, so I've put the bluray player and Apple TV via HDMI, and the Sky HD box via SCART (since they don't subscribe to the HD package anyway).

The TV is then connected to the bluray player via optical.

All seems to be working ok, but I'm not 100% sure that the Sky HD box is passing the DD/5.1 signal down the TV's optical cable to the bluray player, or if the bluray player is creating a Pro Logic/pseudo surround signal.

Any ideas?
 
They can still get the free HD channels though!
What's the point of connecting BR and TV by optical as well as HDMI?
 
SCART carries analogue signals only so stereo at best which can be decoded into Dolby Prologic type surround.

However only HD channels carry the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (all others are stereo only) so nothing to be gained by using a hdmi switcher... unless the Sky HD box provides HD output for the free to air BBC HD and Channel 4 HD channels where there are a few 5.1 programmes broadcast from time to time.
 
They can still get the free HD channels though!
What's the point of connecting BR and TV by optical as well as HDMI?

The TV doesn't support ARC so how else can I out the audio from Apple TV, etc to the bluray player/receiver?
 
So the BR has its own speakers, better than the TV's?
 
What make and model of TV? Most TVs cannot decode Dolby Digital from inputs and output it via its own optical output - if anything the output will only output DD from its own internal tuner.
 
However only HD channels carry the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (all others are stereo only)

Wrong. The Sky SD movie channels have been carrying DD 5.1 surround sound since long before Sky HD existed.
 
Last edited:
The TV doesn't support ARC so how else can I out the audio from Apple TV, etc to the bluray player/receiver?
According to specs, Apple TV has an optical output (but not the latest model). On my old set-up, I used an optical switch to connect 3 devices to my receiver. You could connect TV, Sky and Apple TV this way.
 

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