Need help for audio output for Pavasonic Plasma

I own the panasonic th-42pz80u, i bought a vizio soundbar that i can connect using either RCA or Optical. i can get sound using both opf those ports but cannot control the volume through these ports, how can i do this?

Basically is it possible to control the volume of the attached soundabar through either the RCA outputs or the Optical????

Thanks for the info, but i actually did mean the RCA (red/White) jacks, is there a way to control those volumes?? or is it like the optical where you can't??

I guess this is why one might need a receiver??? is it true that the receive will get one level and then you use the receiver to control the volume to the speakers hooked up to it??

I know this is naive but im new at this stuff

Yes it does, but it has its own, i am trying to control it either through my TV remote or my Fios box, to eliminate having to use 2 different remotes.

Yeah i can do that too, but heres the bottom line of what i am trying to do.

- i can control the soundbar through the Fios box, when it is directly connected to the cable box, which is great for when i'm watching Cable, or anything through the box.

- But when i do this, if i switch my video input for my TV lets say to my PlayStation for blu ray movies or games, the audio goes through my TV, therefore since the soundbar is connected to the Cable box, the soundbar does not play whats coming through the TV, in this case the PS3

- So i figure if i can have the soundbar connected somehow to the TV and control the volume, then i can have whatever is connected to the TV go through the soundbar, both my cable box and PS3 or whatever else is going through the TV.

- I can get the soundbar to play the TV, using the optical and/or RCA (red/White) cables, BUT....can not control the volume of it except using the soundbar's own remote.

- So if i can figure out how to control the optical or RCA outputs of my TV, then i'm good, but i can't seem to figure this out

This is why i assume the answer is to get a receiver, that will connect from my TV via Optical or RCA, and then i can use the remote for the receiver to control the volume, this obviously does not change the fact that i still need 2 remotes though. But i think this way i could probably buy a universal remote and control everything

I am just trying to save some money and not get a receiver and/or another remote, while at the same time trying to eliminate the need for 2 remotes.

Yeah this is exactly what i was playing with, you're right that it did shut off the TV speakers, but you're right again, when you say that doing this did get the audio through the soundbar, but was unable to control the volume...this is the dilemma i'm facing...ugh!!!