[cbrian3]

Hi everyone. I'm having a frusterating experience with my LG 55LW5700. I've had it for a week now (purchased at cosco) and for the life of me can't get it to output in 5.1 digital surround to my Sony Stereo. Here's some background info...


- Using HDMI cable from my comcast cable box to TV

- Using HDMI cable from my XBOX 360 to TV

- using OPTICAL output cable to my SONY Receiver.

- TV speakers set to OFF (which greys out all audio adjustments for tv)

- If i use the optical cable directly from cable box (or xbox) to tv- I get 5.1 surround so something is happening during the input / output from the tv


This is the same setup I used when I purchased a Vizio 55" LCD 3D - and had full surround sound from comcast box and the xbox(which later returned to Costco because the terrible 3d mode).


I called LG's helpdesk and after the guy had me fiddle with a bunch of settings in the SETUP menu - he put me on hold and came back saying that the TV will ONLY output a 5.1 surround sound signal if I use a CO-AX cable from my comcast cable box to the TV and said my current HDMI cable is messing up the "direct connection" of audio and that it will only send a PCM signal. I can't wrap my head around this but basically he said my tv is covered under Warranty and a service technition needs to come out and will make an update to the tv so HDMI cables can be used - but I will risk having Lip-Sync problems from my comcast cable provider.


Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Is there a firmware update that can fix this? I absolutely love the 3d imaging the LG has and I'm doing everything I can to resist the temptation of giving up and returning this for another brand of TV.


Please help - with specific instructions (or links) if this topic has been covered before. I spent 30 minutes browsing this website for the answer.


thanks -


Brian

 

[argonauts]

I have the same situation, with pretty much the same equipment. I'd love to hear of a solution if you come across one.

 

[turbobuick86]

Yep, same thing on the 55LW5600. After 4 hours of trying to figure out what was wrong with my receiver, I called LG. The tech told me the TV optical out was "digital 2 channel stereo" and I said I wanted to read it myself. He said it wasn't in the manual or online. It was only stated on "internal documents".


Why take a signal and degrade it before it leaves the tv? It's too absurd to rationalize. I wrote LG a scathing email last week after the discovery, but of course, I haven't heard anything back.


I suppose if you have the latest greatest HDMI switching receiver it's not an issue. My LG TV also has a huge lip sync issue when I do use optical out from each source with HDMI and/or component. My older flagship Yamaha receiver can't delay the audio and never needed to until I got this LG. I'm currently forced to use the 2 channel optical out for Xbox360 and my TiVo. Fortunately, my LG blu-ray plays in sync, but that's the only part of my $6K surround system that's being utilized. Not sure if it's just LG or if all the newer LCD or 3D are slower to process the HD video, but my sound is at least 50ms ahead of the video.


Hence, I'm forced to make a decision. I don't want to remove my beloved receiver, so it's either return the TV or purchase a separate audio delay box. I'm enjoying the TV, but not all the drawbacks...


When I spent $1500 for a new picture, I didn't expect to need to spend another pile on audio just to get back what I had previously.

 

[gregzoll]

I do not know of any tv that does 5.1 as pass through from HDMI or component. This is why if you want the best sound, use the optical directly from the device doing the audio/video feed, not the device you are viewing on.

 

[cbrian3]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gregzoll /forum/post/20827009


I do not know of any tv that does 5.1 as pass through from HDMI or component. This is why if you want the best sound, use the optical directly from the device doing the audio/video feed, not the device you are viewing on.

I'm not sure exactly what "pass through" means - but I originally purchased that vizio 55" 3d LED tv and later returned it back to costco. I ran all my hdmi cables to the tv - and ran a single optical cable to my Sony receiver. So I'm assuming Vizio uses "pass through"?


Does anyone know of any other TV's that work like the vizio? - where I run everything to the TV and send one optical audio cable to my receiver?

 

[gregzoll]

Pass through means exactly that. The signal is passing through the tv audio circuitry, which in turn can be blocked due to hdcp, especially since you are going in from the cable box & xbox with hdmi. As I mentioned before, you can not pass 5.1 through the set, and that is how it is with all hd sets these days. Blame it on Hollywood. Only choice you will have is to feed the optical directly from any a/v device to the sony receiver. If you do not have enough optical inputs on the a/v receiver, you can get a optical splitter.

 

[uni_panther]

There are some tvs that will pass out 5.1 from the optical port from a different components input to the tv however it is extremely rare. The majority of tvs optical outputs are for the purpose of passing 5.1 from the internal QAM or ATSC tuner. Again it would be rare for a tv to process HDMI and output 5.1


TVs aren't designed to be switchers. That is what AVRs are for. You would be better served running audio directly to your AVR to avoid these type of hiccups or other issues like lip sync problems.

 

[uni_panther]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cbrian3 /forum/post/20851672


I'm not sure exactly what "pass through" means - but I originally purchased that vizio 55" 3d LED tv and later returned it back to costco. I ran all my hdmi cables to the tv - and ran a single optical cable to my Sony receiver. So I'm assuming Vizio uses "pass through"?


Does anyone know of any other TV's that work like the vizio? - where I run everything to the TV and send one optical audio cable to my receiver?

I don't know models offhand. It is rare. Vizio started doing this on some models in 2010. I'm not aware of any Samsung models that do it and it even states in the manual. I haven't checked every Sony but I know many do not. I'm not as familiar with LG.

 

[gregzoll]

Only with direct output from the set receiving through the NTSC, ATSC, or QAM tuner, will you be able to send the audio through the optical, but no set that I know of will allow, due to the HDCP. Even with AVRs, there are some that do not play nicely with some carriers, such as U-Verse for instance, if you try to use either the optical or hdmi through the receiver.


I mostly just listen through the tv set, due to we do not have a AVRs, and the wife thinks, that we do not need one, even though we watch a lot of Netflix & BD. It is something on my list, but until U-Verse gets their Surround Sound/5.1 issue dealt with, which I am thinking is more of a problem with the user in front of the set, but unable to verify.


I have not found anything on which AVRs work better in hand with what tv carrier device, which would actually be nice to know, especially since issues such as the OP have been going on for quite some time, not just because of the Sunset rules. I know that before the Sunset rules, you could do a pass through, but that was also before HDMI became the norm, and component was being widely used at the beginning of hd sets starting to become more main stream.

 

[Otto Pylot]

This is all very interesting. I have an LG 47LD520 but do not have cable or sat. My tv reception is OTA only so I use the optical out from the tv to the AVR and I get DTS 5.1 clear and clean because that's the "default" audio for OTA ATSC/8vsb digital transmission. I leave the tv's speakers off. My BD player and AVR can output lossless audio so I just use High Speed HDMI cables to connect the BD player to the AVR and from the AVR to the tv. We also have an ATV2 (Apple TV2) connected to the AVR via High Speed HDMI and audio is whatever Netflix or the other services provide. There are no lip sync issues using any of the devices.The LG's HDMI inputs are High Speed as well. In fact, we connected our MacBook Pro via HDMI directly to the LG, streamed Burn Notice last night via Hulu, and listened to it thru the AVR which I'm assuming was 2.1 (or 3.1) because it sure sounded clear and clean with nice separation.

 

[uni_panther]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot /forum/post/20852787


This is all very interesting. I have an LG 47LD520 but do not have cable or sat. My tv reception is OTA only so I use the optical out from the tv to the AVR and I get DTS 5.1 clear and clean because that's the "default" audio for OTA ATSC/8vsb digital transmission. I leave the tv's speakers off. My BD player and AVR can output lossless audio so I just use High Speed HDMI cables to connect the BD player to the AVR and from the AVR to the tv. We also have an ATV2 (Apple TV2) connected to the AVR via High Speed HDMI and audio is whatever Netflix or the other services provide. There are no lip sync issues using any of the devices.The LG's HDMI inputs are High Speed as well. In fact, we connected our MacBook Pro via HDMI directly to the LG, streamed Burn Notice last night via Hulu, and listened to it thru the AVR which I'm assuming was 2.1 (or 3.1) because it sure sounded clear and clean with nice separation.

As stated you are pulling in the signal OTA and using your internal tuner. That is exactly what the optical output is for. All of your other equipment is connected directly from your equipment to the AVR first, the way it is supposed to be. You have a normal setup.


However what you are talking about is different than what they are doing. They are routing HDMI directly to the tv, and then letting the tv process the audio and then output it from the optical output in the back in 2 channel stereo. Completely different scenario.

 

[Otto Pylot]



Quote:
Originally Posted by uni_panther /forum/post/20852923


As stated you are pulling in the signal OTA and using your internal tuner. That is exactly what the optical output is for. All of your other equipment is connected directly from your equipment to the AVR first, the way it is supposed to be. You have a normal setup.


However what you are talking about is different than what they are doing. They are routing HDMI directly to the tv, and then letting the tv process the audio and then output it from the optical output in the back in 2 channel stereo. Completely different scenario.

Understood. I was just pointing out the "normal" setup in case there was some confusion as to what HDMI can and can not do. It sounds like in their scenario, HDMI with ARC would be useful but that too is limited because all of the devices have to support ARC; receiver, tv, and cables. But I don't know what audio format ARC supports.

 

[cbrian3]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot /forum/post/20852787


This is all very interesting. I have an LG 47LD520 but do not have cable or sat. My tv reception is OTA only so I use the optical out from the tv to the AVR and I get DTS 5.1 clear and clean because that's the "default" audio for OTA ATSC/8vsb digital transmission.

I've often thought about cancelling my Comcast service - and often wondered how good the OTA signal is. I don't even know how to go about getting OTA signal. I'm sure I need to buy a box or something? How many channels can expect to get from it? Is it possible to hook up a Tivo so I can record my weekly fav shows?

 

[gregzoll]

Since you have a hd set cbrian3, you do not need any extra equipment. As for a dvr to record off the air, there are various units.

 

[Steve S]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cbrian3 /forum/post/20853545


I've often thought about cancelling my Comcast service - and often wondered how good the OTA signal is. I don't even know how to go about getting OTA signal. I'm sure I need to buy a box or something? How many channels can expect to get from it? Is it possible to hook up a Tivo so I can record my weekly fav shows?

To recieve Over the Air broadcasts you'll need an antenna connected to the antenna coax terminal on your tv. You can go to Antennaweb.org and plug in your zip code to find out what type of antenna will work best in your area and which way to point it.


OTA will limit you to reception of your local broadcast stations only--no CNN, ESPN, etc. The good news is that those HD channels you do receive will have only been compressed once, by the tv station itself, with no additional compression done by your cable or satellite provider so pq should be at least as good, usually better. If your familiar at all with antenna reception of old-school analog you know that as the signal gets weaker the picture deteriorates proportionally. With today's digital broadcasts there's a sort of "cliff effect"--the picture will be flawless down to a certain signal strength, then it just craps out almost entirely. In my experience with digital and analog ota, at the point where a digital signal starts to break up an analog signal of the same strength is a sea of snow with colored shadows moving around in the background. LG sets should have very good OTA tuners since LG bought out Zenith and got their patents--Zenith pretty much invented the digital broadcast system adopted by the FCC.


Your set also has a QAM digital cable tuner. This will receive any digital channels off your cable system that are not scrambled by the cable provider. Just run the cable directly from the wall to the tv's coax input, bypassing the box. Most cable systems scramble all channels except the local broadcasters, so again this will mean giving up CNN, ESPN, etc.


After connecting the antenna or cable to the set you have to go into the setup menu and do a channel scan--you'll be prompted to select either ant (or sometimes "air") or cable prior to the scan actually taking place, be sure to make the correct selection. After scanning channel numbers will be different from what you're used to on the cable box. OTA channels will be the local stations actual channel number with a -1,2,3 etc after the main number. -1 is the HD feed, the others are subchannels with different programming that you did not get on your cable box.






Tivo does make an HD dvr that will operate from OTA signals--I have one, having given up satellite a couple of years ago and it works very well, much easier to use than the Comcast box my brother-in-law is dealing with.

 

[Otto Pylot]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cbrian3 /forum/post/20853545


I've often thought about cancelling my Comcast service - and often wondered how good the OTA signal is. I don't even know how to go about getting OTA signal. I'm sure I need to buy a box or something? How many channels can expect to get from it? Is it possible to hook up a Tivo so I can record my weekly fav shows?

OTA reception can be hit and miss depending on where you are located and what is between you and the transmission towers. Multi-path is a big problem in urban areas. The absolute best way to receive OTA broadcasts is to put a good UHF-VHF (high band) antenna on your roof. For a single story house that would be about 30' from ground level. A rotor is also helpful. You can receive good signals inside your home but it will take some tweaking to find the correct orientation and area in your home. Some folks have even been successful putting an antenna in their attic space. You don't need a special tuner because most tvs have built-in ATSC tuners. If you want to record OTA HD then there are some suggestions above. The number of channels you can receive depends on your market area and where their antennas are located. I live in the SF Bay Area and am about 60 miles away from the antennas (that's about the limit). We get 30 odd stations (most are HD) including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Ion, etc. and our reception is excellent all of the time and weather is never a factor. RG-6 cable from the antenna to garage where the cable is connected to the existing RG-56 cable that was installed when the house was built.


Usually the OTA reception is better than cable because the compression is considerably less depending on how many sub-channels your local OTA stations has. OTA ATSC/8vsb transmits at up to 19Mbps at 6Mhz. Comcast in our area will transmit a home MLB game from the park at 19Mbps but will heavily compress it by the time it gets to your house. On a large screen tv, that can be noticeable. The same signal originating from the same truck transmits OTA at 14Mbps virtually uncompressed (at least the last game did). OTA is not perfect and does have some issues, but it is free

, and the alternative is cable or sat........

 

[cbrian3]

Very good input from all of you- thanks...


Although I'll be loosing my MTV, Versus channel, VH1 & Sci-Fi, doesn't Hulu or some similiar companies rebroadcast what was aired recently? I'm begining to think the sattelite and cable companies are completely unnecessary when I can wire my PC to my 55" and watch rebroadcasted shows from the web.


Any reccomendations on that?

 

[gregzoll]

cbrian3, keep in mind, that if you do decide to go "unplugged" from satellite or catv, some programs online may not be available for a week or so after they air on tv. I would though if you are going to use the computer as a media PC, get a good video card that does HDMI, and have a large enough hard drive space to save programs on the computer, so you can watch later.


You just have to pick your poison in what you want to do, but it all should work out. Our church is running a server with Dual Xenon's, raid array of three drives 8gb RAM, and top of the line dual Nvidia Quadro video cards. The joke when we first got it, was that we were going to have a WOW tournament on it, due to it blows everything away that most of us have in our homes.

 

[gregzoll]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gavinfree101 /forum/post/20855611


I'd love to hear of a solution if you come across one.

As in not able to do 5.1 pass through on hd sets? The only solution is to use a AVRs and feed the audio through it.

 

[Otto Pylot]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cbrian3 /forum/post/20854994


Very good input from all of you- thanks...


Although I'll be loosing my MTV, Versus channel, VH1 & Sci-Fi, doesn't Hulu or some similiar companies rebroadcast what was aired recently? I'm begining to think the sattelite and cable companies are completely unnecessary when I can wire my PC to my 55" and watch rebroadcasted shows from the web.


Any reccomendations on that?

gregzoll has good advice if you want to cut the cable. There are some shows on pay tv that I'd like to watch but can't justify the cost and headaches. Our BD player has built-in WiFi so we can stream Netflix, VuDu, Pandora and the Apple TV2 does Netflix, Vimeo, etc. Both have MLB if you want to subscribe to that. As far as the pc goes, we just connect the MBP via mini-HDMI to HDMI and watch Hulu or anything from the iTunes library or almost anything we can download. In fact, if it's in the iTunes library, we can just stream it to the ATV2 wirelessly. Unfortunately, the ATV2 can only output 720p. We can even do homework, use the internet on the 47" and it looks just like the laptop, only bigger and better. Keep in mind that a lot of online "tv" content is slowly becoming a paid service and services like Hulu are getting their shows later and later because of the networks. So, there are lots of options for watching tv for "free" if you're willing to give up some things or wait for awhile for something to appear.