Question My Hisense U7G won't output 5.1 surround sound from Optical Output.

[boogie_1987]

I read a lot of reviews before purchasing this Tv, making sure the Optical output supports 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS sound

The TV even has an option where you can either choose, Auto, Pass Through, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus!! (DTS is missing on that menu though), neither of these settings work.

I just can't get 5.1 sound from my PC or my Nintendo Switch. Both connected to the TV via HDMI and runing the Optical Cable from the Optical Output of the TV to my Logitech Z906.

In the Properties of the Hisense Device in windows 10, in the supported formats tab, it says it supports all the formats.

In the Nintendo switch TV Options menu, I set it to surround sound but if I do the test, I only get sound from two speakers.

Why is this not working, it is supposed to work. In this RITINGS review it says it support these formats through optical

Hisense U7G Review (55U7G, 65U7G, 75U7G) - RTINGS.com

Any ideas?. Thank you.

 

[boju]

Tv does support optical 5.1 as pass through. Maybe from pc if configured, but not from Switch because it's native audio output is hdmi so it has no reason to compress audio and hand it to tv to deal with. Pc may be difficult to source 5.1 from hdmi intended for optical because optical port isn't used discretely from pc. Not sure if gpu software can manipulate audio for optical processing. If there is it'll be in audio settings.

Optical is flawed, it totally dependant on source audio. Only way to really get what you want is by means of an Avr and use hdmi eArc (your tv supports eArc, moddern Avrs too) if connect devices directly to tv, allowing full channels be passed, bypassing tv audio and the frustrations optical is. Or just connect pc and switch to Avr instead and video to Tv.

 

[boogie_1987]

Tv does support optical 5.1 as pass through. Maybe from pc if configured, but not from Switch because it's native audio output is hdmi so it has no reason to compress audio and hand it to tv to deal with. Pc may be difficult to source 5.1 from hdmi intended for optical because optical port isn't used discretely from pc. Not sure if gpu software can manipulate audio for optical processing. If there is it'll be in audio settings.

Optical is flawed, it totally dependant on source audio. Only way to really get what you want is by means of an Avr and use hdmi eArc (your tv supports eArc, moddern Avrs too) if connect devices directly to tv, allowing full channels be passed, bypassing tv audio and the frustrations optical is. Or just connect pc and switch to Avr instead and video to Tv.

Hi.

I see. Yeah I just read that the Nintendo Switch only supports uncompressed audio. I wonder if an Audio Extractor would do the trick?

As for the PC, I checked all the settings but I have no idea what to do. But I also suspected it must be something on my PC that is not sending the correct audio signal or something. I have no idea. Using optical directly from my MB doesn't work either, apparently it is a windows 10 driver thing. Because if I test the 5.1 audio in the device properties it works, but my games won't send the 5.1 channels, they send Stereo. The only way it works is to use the 3 analog outputs, Orange, Black and Green and plug them into my Logitech Z906.

AVRs are quite expensive. Maybe a 5.1 sound bar set would be a better option?. AVRs seem to be for Audiophiles, the receiver only, without speakers, costs around $1000 dollars, so nope, not doing that. I already spent $700 on this TV.

So what I'm getting from this is that, TV's Optical output only sends 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS as long as the source sends that exact same signal?. TV's Optical device, won't make any processing, separation or compression?, but why give the option in the Sound menu of the TV?, it gives you Auto, Pass Through, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, what is that then?.

 

[boju]

it gives you Auto, Pass Through, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, what is that then?.

Because tv also supports earc, which is full hdmi 7.1 signal (dolby digital plus) successor to arc which is also limited like optical is. It's common for optical outputs on tvs to only transmit 2.1 uncompressed, that is the limits of optical. Compression needs to be done from source end and there are dolby digital live sound cards that can do that on the fly, encoding stereo audio into surround. Pc games use wav format audio so too large for optical to handle. Analog doesn't need to worry about that because each channel has it's own wire and not combined.

Hdmi extractor to extract from switch to line input of dolby digital live sound card might work.

Avrs don't need to cost much. There's no simpler way to go about it but it's your choice.