Am I really getting 5.1 stereo from this setup?

Question

I'll try to make this as simple as possible.

Equipment: Sony PS3, Phillips 52" 1080p HDTV, Yamaha Home Theater System.

Current audio setup: AV cable from PS3 to stereo input on the TV. It's a left and right (white and red) RCA connector. From the TV to the Yamaha theater system is a "Digital Audio Cable" (not fiber optic).

I don't think I'm getting 5.1 surround sound but I don't know how to set it up? What cable do I need? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Run the optical cable from the PS3 directly to the receiver and run your video cable to the TV.  I hope that you are using an HDMI cable so you can get the most out of that HDTV.

Answer 2

NO you are not. I recommend that you route all audio through your Yamaha reciever. Use optical from your PS3 and the digital cable from your reciever (tv, directv, cable etc.). Your reciever will decode this to 5.1 audio. Be aware also that alot of your TV transmission is stereo but most likely your reciever will make it sound like a 5.1 audio feed.

Answer 3

I agree with both previous posts, your not getting surround sound, all your getting is stereo.

For a cheap upgrade, i would buy the Onkyo 605 reciever for about 300-350.00 it has two HDMI inputs is also version 1.3 compatible so it will decode the new lossless audio.  The PS3 already decodes the new formats and sends it via HDMI as a LPCM (Lossless Pulse Code Modulation) signal which is very high resolution audio.

As already mentioned your current receiver wil decode the "core" tracks sent out by the PS3, and even though the "core" tracks are double that of DD or DTS  (DD is at 448 Kbps, DTS is at 760 Kbps, the Core tracks via optical are at 1.5 Mbps)  Which will still sound better using optical.  But if you upgarde the reciever to one with HDMI ver 1.3 you can get audio that is up to 24Mbps.

I would also never ever use the "free cables" that come with any electronic device.  You can go to any store and buy an optical cable for about 10.00,  if you upgrade the reciever, I would not buy cables at stores like Best Buy or Circuit City, their markup is huge.  An HDMI cable from BB will cost anywhere from 50-150.00, at Wal-Mart you can buy a HDMI for about 20.00 on internet sites you can buy a six foot HDMI cable for 4.00 from sites like Monoprice.com, Partsexpress.com or BlueJeanCable.com and they are just as good as the 150.00 Monster brand.

Another thing I would suggest is buying a sound meter from Radio shack (45.00) to calibrate your speakers, best thing anyone who is serious about getting the best sound out of any reciever can do.

Answer 4

Garrett,

Your problem is using the two red and white rca cables from the PS3 to the TV.  Those cables cannot deliver the digital signal you need for 5.1 surround.  You have a few options which will depend on your receiver and tv.  You need to run either 1) an optical cable ("toslink") from the PS3 to the receiver or 2) run an HDMI cable to the receiver if it accepts it (note that HDMI has superior sound capabilities).  If your receiver doesn't accept either optical toslink or HDMI then you're really not in a good position with your equipment right now to get good surround sound.

You said your receiver does have digital audio (coaxial) and there are converters like this one to convert toslink to digital coaxial

http://cgi.ebay.com/Toslink-Optical-to-C...

but your best bet would be to go ahead and get a new receiver if you are serious about your setup.

Then, once you get the correct input into your receiver you can run either the red and white rca cables, optical, digital coax, or HDMI to your tv from your receiver to get sound on your tv.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad new.  Good audio is a journey, not a destination :)

Good Luck

Answer 5

Your audio may be digital but 5.1 stands for a center channel (1) - two "rear" room placed surround speakers (2&3), two front left and right channel speakers (4 &5).......and a separate active "powered" sub woofer = .1  

This is a true 5.1 surround audio system with a tuner that can deliver proper audio direction split which is sound match to your video image.  

Running a dolby digital advertised surround sound through a TV's traditional speaker set up ( built in the TV box ) is absolutely no comparison to a real 5.1 - 6.1 or 7.1 audio system offered by an A/V tuner.