Cable Box Digital 5.1 converted to Digital Stereo

The cable box may have 2 channel analog outs that can feed the Tascam. Its DAC is not that good, but for the quality of the music, it is probably OK.

Is your cable box connected to a receiver? If so, you might be able to set the receiver to output 2 channel analog that could go to your Tascam. Given the low rez of the Cable signal, the receiver DAC would probably sound as good as you external DAC. It is also possible that the receiver will downmix the 5.1 Dolby to 2.0 PCM and output that over a digital out port.

The cable music signal is probably 128 kbps or lower. As Kal says, I would not stress over getting the signal to a good DAC.

Gefen makes a optical/S/PDIF DD to analog converter.

http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5980

If you get it working, one trick, at least for non-classical music, is to use Sound Hound on your phone to develop a list of songs being played. It is a manual process but I use it when I get files that are not tagged.

Thanks Dtc, for your info and help. I'll give it all a try this weekend.

FYI, I had to go out of the TV rather than the analog out of the cable box.....I had a nasty ground loop hum that only appeared in that config.

Well guys, I tried the optical out from my Cable and the Denon Receiver and then through a converter to a RCA Coaxial and still I'm getting the static(Bitstream).
I guess I could try the TV optical out, but then I would have to have my 85" 4K Samsung on when I just want to play the music channels.
Oh well, I guess its just not worth the trouble.

If you're with Xfinity, the new One boxes do pcm.

There is a product that will convert the bitstream to pcm, but I have no experience nor think it would work well.

However, lookup an article by Frank Van Alstine who I believe used such a product.