Surround Sound Question for Techies and Audiophiles

Okay so my first question is wether running the surround sound from PS3 to Reciever through Optic cable reduces the sound quality compared to using an HDMI cable, and if so how do you guys run your setup cuz PS3 only has one HDMI cable slot..? THANKs

Okay so my first question is wether running the surround sound from PS3 to Reciever through Optic cable reduces the sound quality compared to using an HDMI cable, and if so how do you guys run your setup cuz PS3 only has one HDMI cable slot..? THANKs

Coolboy420x

[QUOTE="Coolboy420x"]

Okay so my first question is wether running the surround sound from PS3 to Reciever through Optic cable reduces the sound quality compared to using an HDMI cable, and if so how do you guys run your setup cuz PS3 only has one HDMI cable slot..? THANKs

jshaas

I just have an hdmi cable from my ps3 to my tv, then connect the "audio out" connection on my tv to my receiver. My tv in the basement has optical audio out so I use that, but the tv in my room only has a headphone jack lol, so I use that to connect to my stereo in my room. My stereo in my room is old, so I'm not really worrying about maximizing quality (although it does sound awesome), but I like just using hdmi and audio out in basement because it's very convenient. I just leave my receiver on the one audio input and then whatever sound is coming from my tv plays through my surround sound, whether its gaming, tv, etc, with no need to change inputs on the receiver. As far as I can tell there is no loss in quality either.

[QUOTE="jshaas"][QUOTE="Coolboy420x"]

Okay so my first question is wether running the surround sound from PS3 to Reciever through Optic cable reduces the sound quality compared to using an HDMI cable, and if so how do you guys run your setup cuz PS3 only has one HDMI cable slot..? THANKs

Coolboy420x

Okay so my first question is wether running the surround sound from PS3 to Reciever through Optic cable reduces the sound quality compared to using an HDMI cable, and if so how do you guys run your setup cuz PS3 only has one HDMI cable slot..? THANKs

Coolboy420x

The only difference would be with Blu ray movies that use Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio formats - they can only be transmitted through an HDMI cable. I don't think any games use those audio formats, but I may be mistaken.

Any receiver that has inputs for HDMI cables will also have an HDMI output, so you connect your components via HDMI to the receiver, then run a single HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV.

Anyhow, there are two different types of receivers that have HDMI inputs and outputs on the back. The first, more expensive ones, actually decode the audio track coming through the HDMI cable, so you can hear your Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks through your speakers. The second, less expensive ones, just pass the signal through to the TV without reading it. With the second type of receiver, you need to have a separate digital audio cable running from your components to the receiver, and you will get the standard Dolby or DTS surround sound tracks - not the Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio hi-def tracks.

So if you're looking to buy a receiver for use with a Blu ray player, you want to make sure it actually decodes the audio from the HDMI cable, and doesn't just act as a pass-through.

I just have an hdmi cable from my ps3 to my tv, then connect the "audio out" connection on my tv to my receiver. My tv in the basement has optical audio out so I use that, but the tv in my room only has a headphone jack lol, so I use that to connect to my stereo in my room. My stereo in my room is old, so I'm not really worrying about maximizing quality (although it does sound awesome), but I like just using hdmi and audio out in basement because it's very convenient. I just leave my receiver on the one audio input and then whatever sound is coming from my tv plays through my surround sound, whether its gaming, tv, etc, with no need to change inputs on the receiver. As far as I can tell there is no loss in quality either.

pjacobson21