tv not working with my surround sound

metathran

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first, here's my setup:

tv - samsung LN-T5271F
receiver - denon AVR-S540BT
set top (verizon) - QIP7100 2
speakers -sony center console and subwoofer, samsung front and rear speakers
dvd player - sony bdp-s1700


my tv is connected to the receiver by both an hdmi and a toslink cable. i also have an hdmi connecting my tv and set top box. another hdmi connects the receiver and dvd player. i have no issue with dvds, the surround sound works fine with dvds. here are my questions:

1. why won't my tv use the surround sound? (i can only adjust tv volume to get sound higher or lower, changing volume on receiver does nothing)
2. does connecting the tv and receiver with both an hdmi and digital optical cable help or hurt or do nothing?
3. should i have a digital optical cable connecting the tv and set top box too?
4. what sound mode should i use on my receiver? these are the options: virtual, direct, stereo, dolby PL movie-music-game, DTS neo:6 cinema-music, multi channel stereo.

thanks in advance for your help!
 
Welcome to the Forum.

Just connect the TV by optical. You will have to configure the audio output in the TV's set up menu under audio (perhaps SPDIF), it will either show Dolby Digital, Bitstream and Normal. Select either DD or Bitstream. You will then have to assign the optical setting in the Denon's menu. Connect everything else by HDMI to the receiver. If the receiver isn't capable of pass through whilst in standby then you would have to connect the set top box to the TV by HDMI, the audio would then be relayed by optical back to the receiver.
 
hi, thanks for the swift reply! just need some clarification cuz I'm new to this. it seems like you want me to connect the tv and receiver with just a toslink connection, right?

when u say connect everything else by hdmi, what are you referring to exzctly? i alrdy have the dvd player connected to the receiver by hdmi. i can't connect the set top and receiver by hdmi cuz it only has 1 hdmi port and that's going to the tv (without that connection i can't access tv).

finally in the tv menu i changed the "srs trusurround setting to "on" but i don't see any options that refer to Dolby digital or bitstream (its an older tv). can you advise how to change the optical setting in denons menu? i find it really hard to navigate
 
That appears to be a circa 2008 TV from North America. It's too old to have apps so when you say your TV won't output surround sound are you talking about the internal tuner? Do your local TV services broadcast surround sound?

2008 would also pre-date ARC support so the HDMI connections on the TV are only capable of accepting audio data rather than sending it to the receiver.

The normal setup would be to connect all your external sources (DVD, Set top box) to the receiver and the receiver runs the speaker and passes the video onto the TV to be displayed.
 
That appears to be a circa 2008 TV from North America. It's too old to have apps so when you say your TV won't output surround sound are you talking about the internal tuner? Do your local TV services broadcast surround sound?

2008 would also pre-date ARC support so the HDMI connections on the TV are only capable of accepting audio data rather than sending it to the receiver.

The normal setup would be to connect all your external sources (DVD, Set top box) to the receiver and the receiver runs the speaker and passes the video onto the TV to be displayed.
yes it's def an old tv lol.
okay, thanks. so it sounds like i should have toslink connections running from both tv and set top box to the receiver?
 
The problem lies with your old TV. I doubt it would pass through 5.1 even via optical. Your set top box is your friend here as it would or should have all your TV channels on it and perhaps access to Dolby Digital audio. I would connect the set top box and DVD player by HDMI to the receiver and then connect the receiver by HDMI to the TV. At least in this way you would have 5.1 audio available for the receiver to use. Or as you've just said optical out from the set top box.

New TVs have come a long way since 2008, especially in audio.
 
That appears to be a circa 2008 TV from North America. It's too old to have apps so when you say your TV won't output surround sound are you talking about the internal tuner? Do your local TV services broadcast surround sound?

2008 would also pre-date ARC support so the HDMI connections on the TV are only capable of accepting audio data rather than sending it to the receiver.

The normal setup would be to connect all your external sources (DVD, Set top box) to the receiver and the receiver runs the speaker and passes the video onto the TV to be displayed.


i just want the tv to use the surround sound. i have no idea if the tv im watching is actually broadcasting that way (i don't know what the internal tuner is)
 
yes it's def an old tv lol.
okay, thanks. so it sounds like i should have toslink connections running from both tv and set top box to the receiver?

You'd normally just use HDMI from source devices like the set top box as it carries both audio and video in that direction, rather than an additional audio connection like S/PDIF.
 
The problem lies with your old TV. I doubt it would pass through 5.1 even via optical. Your set top box is your friend here as it would or should have all your TV channels on it and perhaps access to Dolby Digital audio. I would connect the set top box and DVD player by HDMI to the receiver and then connect the receiver by HDMI to the TV. At least in this way you would have 5.1 audio available for the receiver to use. Or as you've just said optical out from the set top box.

New TVs have come a long way since 2008, especially in audio.
that makes sense, thanks! i actually can't connect the set top and receiver by hdmi (not enough ports on set top). will get another toslink and try that. thanks so much for your help man
 
that makes sense, thanks! i actually can't connect the set top and receiver by hdmi (not enough ports on set top). will get another toslink and try that. thanks so much for your help man

Why can't you connect the set top box to the receiver instead of the TV?
 
Your Denon has audio and video pass through when the receiver is in standby which means you can connect the set top box directly to the receiver via HDMI. This means that you can watch the set top box without having to have the receiver in full operation.

 
Your Denon has audio and video pass through when the receiver is in standby which means you can connect the set top box directly to the receiver via HDMI. This means that you can watch the set top box without having to have the receiver in full operation.

are you saying there's a way to connect the receiver to the set top box and have the tv pull channels from the receiver?
 
Yes. When you connect the set top box by HDMI to the receiver you can elect to have HDMI by-pass initiated by the Denon, see the link above. When you then turn the receiver off it will go into a stand-by mode and the green light will then turn to red on the facia. Now the video and audio will pass straight through the Denon and to the TV via HDMI and you can watch and use the TV's speakers as normal. That's exactly how I have my Denon receiver and TV set up.

On the set top box you may have to set SPDIF to bitstream.
 
Yes. When you connect the set top box by HDMI to the receiver you can elect to have HDMI by-pass initiated by the Denon, see the link above. When you then turn the receiver off it will go into a stand-by mode and the green light will then turn to red on the facia. Now the video and audio will pass straight through the Denon and to the TV via HDMI and you can watch and use the TV's speakers as normal. That's exactly how I have my Denon receiver and TV set up.

On the set top box you may have to set SPDIF to bitstream.
okay but why would i do that? won't the surround sound only work if the receiver is on? lol
 
You would need the receiver on for surround sound. It's just a more convenient and neater way of connecting a set top box to the TV and a receiver by a single HDMI cable and removes the need for an optical cable. One less HDMI cable going to the TV. The receiver would just be in standby if you just wanted to use the TV's speakers.

Now I assume you have the set top box connected directly to the TV by HDMI and optical out to the receiver. If your set top box has the ability to play Dolby Digital Plus then that HDMI is better sent via the receiver especially if it is also Atmos capable and you are thinking of any potential upgrade to Atmos.
 
because then the tv channels won't work, it gives me a "no signal" message

If by 'TV channels' you mean the output from the set top box then it's just in a different place. Rather than being on it's own input on the TV you should set the TV to the same HDMI input you use for DVDs and then change sources on the receiver to swap between the DVD and set top box.

If you're talking about the TV's internal tuner not working when the set top box is connected through the receiver then I'm not sure. Presumably some sort of standby issue? Do you have the aerial/satellite/cable feed connected to the set top box first and out of that to the TV?
 
If by 'TV channels' you mean the output from the set top box then it's just in a different place. Rather than being on it's own input on the TV you should set the TV to the same HDMI input you use for DVDs and then change sources on the receiver to swap between the DVD and set top box.

If you're talking about the TV's internal tuner not working when the set top box is connected through the receiver then I'm not sure. Presumably some sort of standby issue? Do you have the aerial/satellite/cable feed connected to the set top box first and out of that to the TV?

okay so with help from all of you i got it to work. i just needed to connect the tv to the hdmi out port on the receiver, then connect the set top and receiver with both hdmi and digital. optical, then set the input on the digital optical receiver port to "cbl/sat"

edit: actually the toslink is irrelevant haha $25 down the drain!

thanks so much to all of you and happy Thanksgiving!!
 
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