Audio hookups

RBaker - If using the BR player for 3D movies, or any movies, it sounds like an upgrade to the receiver and speakers may be warranted. 3D video with 2 channel audio is a bit of a mismatch.

If the receiver does not have a coax digital input, then you need some sort of external DAC, as tls49 suggested. Just make sure the BR down mixes any multi-channel signal to 2 channel.

Dtc, in your first post, you said to use the optical or coaxial digital audio out. The link I provided for the Sony verified that this is only a 2ch PCM signal or bitstream.

Question - the Sony spec for coax/Toslink is 2 channel for 96/24. Are you sure it does not do multichannel for 48/24, which is what Dolby Digital uses? I will say I do not use this type of very entry level BR.

Here is another link for the Oppo BDP-105, check the specification for "Output - Coaxial/Optical Audio - up to 2ch/192kHz PCM"

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/blu-ray-BDP-105-Features.aspx

For HDMI output, it does list 7.1ch PCM. I believe multichannel PCM is only possible through HDMI, not an optical or coaxial digital out.

Can you provide any documentation that shows any player that will do a multichannel PCM out through an optical or coaxial digital output?

As far as the 48/24, Dolby Digital, that's a bitstream signal.

Also, any 2ch PCM signal from an optical or coaxial digital output will be down mixed.

Pentangle, let me clear up one last bit of misinformation.

If he bit streams to the TV then he needs a TV that can decode the bit stream and send it to a digital out.

Not exactly true.

Retired now, but worked in the A/V industry for over 20 years, and Sony was a brand I dealt with. The first year or two when HDMI was added to TV's would be a problem, however if your set is less than 8 years old, then the Dolby Digital bitstream signal is just a pass through from the HDMI input to the digital audio output. So again, this is my recommendation,

If he connects the Blu-ray player and cable box to the TV with HDMI, and they are set for bitstream, he will get a bitstream signal from the digital audio output on the TV, and this can be connected to a digital input on the RX-V1400. Also, changing inputs on the TV will change sound from the RX-V1400 at the same time, rather than having to make an additional change on the RX-V1400 to select the appropriate sound for the picture.

My mistake, he needs a TV that can ACCEPT the bitstream, not necessarily decode it. I ran into a situation just this week where the TV would not accept a 5.1 signal. Yes, it is an old HDMI TV, but they are out there. Hence the caution. I agree that most new TVs do this.

You are correct that coax does not carry 5.1 PCM. It has been a while since I dealt with this. When needed I just bitstream 5.1 over optical or coax, which is what Pentagle should do.

I would still prefer to go directly to the receiver rather than the TV. However, if the TV is a new "Smart" TV with access to Netflix and the like, then going optical from the TV to the receiver also allows you to use 5.1 from the streaming services. Then I would agree that doing everything on one digital input to the receiver is the way to go.

If you go BR to TV only, do you have to have the TV on to play a CD? Not sure how the pass through of 5.1 works on most TVs these days. Does it need power?