Puck optical audio workaround issue

[Kent+Guy]

As we all know, the puck does not have an digital optical audio out. However, you can buy HDMI audio extractors pretty cheaply that sit between the puck and the TV which do provide an optical out. They typically have switches on them so you can chose between stereo or Dolby Digital.

Here's the problem. My TV is of a certain age, and if the HDMI audio is Dolby Digtal, no sound comes out. My amp of course plays it just fine. So what I need is a way of making the optical feed Dolby Digital, but the HDMI output just stereo so I can still hear audio in pass-through. Yet with all the devices I've seen, that switch affects both the HDMI and optical outs together. Grr.

Anyone here know of a gadget or an alternate method that could achieve the end result? Thanks. 

[Kent+Guy]

Might have figured out a solution with a limitation.

Puck HDMI out -> HDMI 2 way splitter

Splitter out 1 -> Amp input 1

Splitter out 2 ->Audio Extractor, set to 2.0

Audio Extractor - > Amp input 2

Then set my receiver (Denon AVR-X1700h) so that audio pass through is always set to Input 2.  Obviously that's the limitation, but if we watch anything from the Blu Ray or Fire Stick, we have the amp on so I think that should work for me.

[Kent+Guy]

A clever idea which sadly evaportes on first contact with reality.

The problem seems to be that these audio extractors are not capable of downmixing, even though they claim that they are. When the puck is switched to Dolby Digital and the dip switches set to 2.0, it's mute out of HDMI, optical and analogue outputs.

I would say back to the drawing board, but there's nothing else to try - unless anyone else has any brilliant ideas.

[SlenderRobert]

@Kent+Guy 

Why are you not just connecting the puck to the Denon receiver? It has several HDMI inputs which will receive all formats of audio and pass the video through to the TV? 

[Kent+Guy]

Hi @SlenderRobert - as mentioned in the OP,  the problem is pass through. With the puck set to Dolby Digital, the TV's audio is mute - it's old and cannot read the bitstream. So I need two different outputs, one with DD for the amp, one ye olde stereo for the TV.

[SlenderRobert]

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@Kent+Guy wrote:

Hi @SlenderRobert - as mentioned in the OP,  the problem is pass through. With the puck set to Dolby Digital, the TV's audio is mute - it's old and cannot read the bitstream. So I need two different outputs, one with DD for the amp, one ye olde stereo for the TV.

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Ah, I see. Other than updating your TV I can't think of another easy solution I'm afraid. Most folk with AV amps have a dedicated speaker arrangement connected to it and don't need to use their TV speakers. I can see why you might not want to fire up the amp just to watch the news but you'll need to update your TV to one that can happily accept Dolby Digital for that to happen. 

[Kent+Guy]

@SlenderRobert yes, I think probably that's the ultimate answer here. It's an old Panasonic plasma so enerey inefficient too.

This all will, however, require the implementation of a delicate domestic campaign...

[SlenderRobert]

@Kent+Guy 

Best of luck with that! A worthwhile outcome though... my other half now loves the OLED we got to replace an ageing LCD.