Digital optical cables able to output in 7.1???

Question

Is it true that optical cable are able to output in 7.1?Or am i only going to get true 7.1 THX sound reprouction from HDMI 1.3? Becuse I was sold a reciever at Best Buy and was told that i can get 7.1 out of optical cables if my player(PS3) was able to do so.But my PS3 will only output 7.1 via-HDMI is why I am asking

Answer 1

No, I don't believe an optical cable has enough bandwidth to transmit higher quality 7.1 to a receiver.  This is why the PS3 only supports 7.1 over HDMI.  Even then I'm not quite sure you need HDMI 1.3 to get the 7.1, just simply HDMI.

However, you may want to call the manufacturer, especially if the  receiver specifically supports 7.1 and only has an optical input.

Also, if you buy any further cables, buy them from www.monoprice.com and not Bestbuy and save yourself a ton of money.

EDIT: Yeah I thought something was fishy now that I think about it.  THX isn't an audio codec, it's an acoustic thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THX

So there's no such thing as 7.1 THX, just 7.1 that is in compliance with THX guidelines.

Answer 2

you can get 7.1 THX, load up any THX Approved movie, Like disneys monsters and it gives you the setup guides for THX Speakers and Amps...and there is a 7.1 test on the thx disc.

You can output 7.1 via optical, I do and i use Qunex cables, I dont own a PS3 but my mate is a store manager for a video store and He was mentioning that the HDMI on PS3 is dodgy as they force you to use there cables and no one-elses, which is a pain in the back side!!

so its just sonys way of saying, sorry buy our cables and dont use an Optical!

Bit like the XBOX with the HDMI output, you cant use a standard HDMI cable and Optical as the two dont fit on the back.....