Connection problems with Samsung LCD TV (LA40N8) & Panasonic Home Theatre thru HDMI?

Question

I have just gone and bought a new Samsung LCD TV and want to connect it to my existing Panasonic Home Theatre (SC-HT850). I also bought an HDMI cable to do this.

I've set it all up as per the instructions, but at present have two problems:

I can't hear TV audio through the home theatre speakers, only through the TV. I thought that HDMI was two way, so I'd only need the one cable to get TV sound through the stereo speakers. I've fixed this by using the red and white audio cables, but should this be necessary?

Now that I have sound through my work around, I have no sound in the back speakers. Is this again due to the HDMI cable?

is there a way to fix this, or should i just go back to audio and video in and out cables?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

HDMI is a 19 conductor cable that does do two way communication, but not for audio and video. They are downstream (source to sink) only. The two way is for EDID, Y2C, Hotplug Connect, Key Identification, etc. All things to help your components talk to each other better, and to keep you from stealing the signal. There are no plans to send audio or video backwards in the HDMI spec. HDMI will however pass the data needed for your surround system to play Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. If you have an HDMI input on your Panasonic, you can connect a PS3 via HDMI and play games in surround.

If you use a cable or satellite box, connect it's audio outputs to your Panasonic instead of your TV. If you are running antenna or straight cable, then you have already found the best option. In order to hear your rear speakers you will have to find a simulated surround field in your Panasonic since your TV is not sending surround, only stereo.

I could not find your Panasonic's model number on their web site for some reason, and you didn't list your TVs. You might be able to make a digital audio connection from your TV to your Panasonic, which would pass Dolby Digital, but I can't tell for sure.

Answer 2

Hdmi is supposed to carry audio, but apparently at the moment, the hdmi cables on the market do not yet carry 5.1 digital sound.  Your best bet is to get a digital audio cable and run it from your cable or satellite box to the receiver to get full 5.1 surround sound.  It would be either a coaxial cable (orange RCA input) or a optical cable (digital input, kind of looks like a phone jack, or that's the closest I can come to describing it.)  If your cable or satellite box does not have a digital audio output, I think your TV would.  Using the red and white audio cables will only ever give you stereo sound, not the full surround sound.

Answer 3

I would call the place you bought this from and ask a pro...make sure its alll plugged in and the wall switches are on too first.