Optical audio setup help
lubated
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hello.  I started up with FIOS tv last week.  Was not home during installation.  The tech hooked up an IPC4100 (mini) to our main TV with HDMI cable.  However, we have a home theater setup in that location that we used with our prior service but he ignored.  It has an older Marantz receiver, that has an AC-3/PCM optical input port that I used in my prior setup.  I saw an optical out 3.5mm port on the back of the IPC4100 so purchased a Toslink to mini-toslink optical cable, plugged them in, but no sound.  Is there a setting that needs to be changed to make this work?

BTW, he set up a VMS4100 DVR on our second TV (that has no home theater setup).  I see that box also has an optical out port (standard toslink) just in case swapping the boxes would help.

thanks

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Re: Optical audio setup help
clem21
Community Leader
Community Leader

@lubated wrote:

Thanks again.

Yes, HDMI settings are correct on the TV and I do have sound out of the TV speakers.

But, strangely, as you can see on page 21 of the TV manual you sent me a link to,  the Digital Setup menu that allows the selection of PCM or Dolby Digital is available only for TV input 1-3 (component) and not for inputs 4-5 (HDMI).  I have confirmed that that menu is not available.

Sound like it is time for a new TV.

Thank you

Ed


Well, there is another way. If you get one of these, you can get optical from the HDMI stream and keep your TV. It goes on the HDMI cable between the Fios box and your TV and extracts audio from the HDMI stream. This is just one for an example, there are MANY on the market. This one needs an external 5V power supply(USB).

https://www.amazon.com/Musou-Extractor-Toslink-Converter-Supports/dp/B07SQQZYDK/ref=asc_df_B07SQQZYD...

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Re: Optical audio setup help
clem21
Community Leader
Community Leader

@lubated wrote:

Hello.  I started up with FIOS tv last week.  Was not home during installation.  The tech hooked up an IPC4100 (mini) to our main TV with HDMI cable.  However, we have a home theater setup in that location that we used with our prior service but he ignored.  It has an older Marantz receiver, that has an AC-3/PCM optical input port that I used in my prior setup.  I saw an optical out 3.5mm port on the back of the IPC4100 so purchased a Toslink to mini-toslink optical cable, plugged them in, but no sound.  Is there a setting that needs to be changed to make this work?

BTW, he set up a VMS4100 DVR on our second TV (that has no home theater setup).  I see that box also has an optical out port (standard toslink) just in case swapping the boxes would help.

thanks


First are you sure the input the HDMI is plugged into is setup to use Optical for audio, not HDMI? Check in the Input menu and make sure that input is set to use optical, not HDMI for audio. If that wasn't the problem, you need to go into the Service menu on the IPC 4100 and change the output to PCM. First turn off the IPC with the switch on top of the box. Then quickly press OK 2X on the remote. You should see a B&W info screen. Hit the left arrow on the remote, go down to User, hit OK. Then look for audio output, change it from DD to PCM. Hit Ok, hit power on the remote. You should be ok.

Re: Optical audio setup help
lubated
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hi, and thank you for your response.  My Marantz receiver is old enough that it does not have HDMI input.  So I have the HDMI port of the IPC connected to the TV, and the digital out port of the IPC connected to the digital in on the receiver.  I changed the setting you mentioned from Auto to L-PCM, but still no sound out of the receiver.  I then realized my TV has a digital audio out port which I then connected to the receiver (unplugged the cable from the IPC of course), but still no sound.  The Tv has a menu setting to allow digital audio out, but for some reason that option is available only for the non HDMI inputs.  If you have any other thoughts let me know.  Otherwise I will try to play more with it this weekend and see what I can figure out,.

Thanks again

Ed

Re: Optical audio setup help
clem21
Community Leader
Community Leader

@lubated wrote:

Hi, and thank you for your response.  My Marantz receiver is old enough that it does not have HDMI input.  So I have the HDMI port of the IPC connected to the TV, and the digital out port of the IPC connected to the digital in on the receiver.  I changed the setting you mentioned from Auto to L-PCM, but still no sound out of the receiver.  I then realized my TV has a digital audio out port which I then connected to the receiver (unplugged the cable from the IPC of course), but still no sound.  The Tv has a menu setting to allow digital audio out, but for some reason that option is available only for the non HDMI inputs.  If you have any other thoughts let me know.  Otherwise I will try to play more with it this weekend and see what I can figure out,.

Thanks again

Ed


First I should have caught this before but the mini (IPC) doesn't have an optical out. That 3.5 mm Jack is for an analog out adapter that comes with the box. Only the VMS has optical out(Toslink). That means you have to use the digital out on the TV.  I'm assuming the digital out is optical, not RCA (orange center). Do you get sound from the TV speakers? If yes you may have to switch them off in the TV audio menu to get the output to work.

That TV optical out doesnt make sense. Is it a newer smart TV? Can you hook its optical out to the receiver and try one of the apps on the TV to see if you get sound through the receiver? It really sounds like a wrong setting on the receiver. Have you also checked the optical cable for a red light at the end when plugged into a source? No red light is either a broken cable, or non-functioning output. Please tell me the model of the receiver and TV too. In order to swap the boxes you need coax and ethernet in the location the VMS will be used. If you do in both places, you could also try a box swap.

Re: Optical audio setup help
lubated
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks again. Sounds like some of my problems may come down to old equipment.

Receiver is a Marantz SR880.  Since it was working a week ago with the optical cable coming out of a Spectrum TV box, I would doubt the settings need changing.  Since it was working and is all hooked up to my speakers, I would like to get away with keeping it if possible.

TV is old too (not as old as receiver), a Sharp LC-52D62U, so no "smarts".  If there is any one part of the chain I wouldn't mind upgrading if I had to, the TV is it.

Optical cable is the one I have been using for many years, don't remember lights on it, but have to check.

And sounds like box swapping is out, since I have coax but no ethernet in that location.

Ed

Re: Optical audio setup help
clem21
Community Leader
Community Leader

@lubated wrote:

Thanks again. Sounds like some of my problems may come down to old equipment.

Receiver is a Marantz SR880.  Since it was working a week ago with the optical cable coming out of a Spectrum TV box, I would doubt the settings need changing.  Since it was working and is all hooked up to my speakers, I would like to get away with keeping it if possible.

TV is old too (not as old as receiver), a Sharp LC-52D62U, so no "smarts".  If there is any one part of the chain I wouldn't mind upgrading if I had to, the TV is it.

Optical cable is the one I have been using for many years, don't remember lights on it, but have to check.

And sounds like box swapping is out, since I have coax but no ethernet in that location.

Ed


First do you get sound from the TV speakers when watching from the Fios box?

Check this for the correct input setting for watching from HDMI source. You need to choose digital in the audio select, not analog.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/151597/Sharp-Aquos-Lc-46d62u.html?page=31#manual

Also look here and make sure PCM is chosen as the output.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/151597/Sharp-Aquos-Lc-46d62u.html?page=29#manual

Hopefully that will take care of the problem. 

Again,  check the end of the optical cable and make sure you see a red glow when its plugged into the tv.

Re: Optical audio setup help
lubated
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks again.

Yes, HDMI settings are correct on the TV and I do have sound out of the TV speakers.

But, strangely, as you can see on page 21 of the TV manual you sent me a link to,  the Digital Setup menu that allows the selection of PCM or Dolby Digital is available only for TV input 1-3 (component) and not for inputs 4-5 (HDMI).  I have confirmed that that menu is not available.

Sound like it is time for a new TV.

Thank you

Ed

Re: Optical audio setup help
clem21
Community Leader
Community Leader

@lubated wrote:

Thanks again.

Yes, HDMI settings are correct on the TV and I do have sound out of the TV speakers.

But, strangely, as you can see on page 21 of the TV manual you sent me a link to,  the Digital Setup menu that allows the selection of PCM or Dolby Digital is available only for TV input 1-3 (component) and not for inputs 4-5 (HDMI).  I have confirmed that that menu is not available.

Sound like it is time for a new TV.

Thank you

Ed


Well, there is another way. If you get one of these, you can get optical from the HDMI stream and keep your TV. It goes on the HDMI cable between the Fios box and your TV and extracts audio from the HDMI stream. This is just one for an example, there are MANY on the market. This one needs an external 5V power supply(USB).

https://www.amazon.com/Musou-Extractor-Toslink-Converter-Supports/dp/B07SQQZYDK/ref=asc_df_B07SQQZYD...