Had to cancel my ATV4 because no optical audio, question...

[kkr0nn0s]

So I had ordered a 32GB Apple TV 4, but then realized that it has no optical audio port which is what I use on my current Apple TV (Gen. 3) to hook up to my Sony Sound-Bar w/ Subwoofer system.

Is there any other way I can hook it up to sound system? I mean, what is the point of getting the new Apple TV when if there is no way to hook it up to my sound system, I would have to depend on my TV speakers not the sound system. To me that is a big downgrade!

I have a Samsung OLED TV, which only has two HDMI Ports, and component inputs. It has no Outputs, which is mind boggling to me because it is only two years old, but I got it at a good price. So unless there is a way I can get the ATV4 hooked up to my sound system I cannot buy it until I get a new TV with sound outputs.

First Apple product I have ever had to cancel.

Thanks in advance for any answers/help!

For your setup, agreed, no optical is definitely a drawback. But HDMI is more widely used nowadays for audio, and you know apple drops ancient technologies fast. With the popularity of soundbars these days, I would think they would have HDMI connections? I use AV receivers all over the house, so i'm not sure what connections sound bars are making use of these days. Ironically, I had the opposite issue - had a great Yamaha receiver that didn't have HDMI, only optical connections, so it wouldn't work with things like my 9.2 surround setup and was limited with what it could do with my XBone. So I had to replace it.

 

[kkr0nn0s]

Optical digital ( or coaxial ) is still the preferred digital connection for high end 2 channel ! I only know of one quality DAC that uses HDMI ( NAD 51 ) and that is more of an additional feature as it still runs optical and coaxial.

HDMI is notably worse for jitter that optical and is not in any way a better connection for music.

For the cost of a few cents in production Apple have lost and entire, but small market, those who use external DAC's or DAC equiped 2 channel amplifiers.

Adapters, as posted are a pain and typically made of cheap components and sound poor.

Those saying that optical is old tech are demonstrating a very incomplete knowledge of the audio world.

There are / was a reasonable group of "audio" guys hoping that this ATV would have HiRes, 24bit, audio, and that apple might enter that area perhaps with a higher fee as some others have done, seems that instead they had gone backwards.

well, if you're running a soundbar, as the OP is, you're not talking high end audio, so that's irrelevant to this. and then with a streaming device like the ATV, you're most likely using some sort of surround sound, not 2 channel. adapters sounding poor - probably right, but soundbars will not reproduce hi enough fidelity to notice?

 

[kkr0nn0s]

So I have so more questions on this topic. It seems that my tv is not passing 5.1 through the optical port, rather that the ATV4 is converting everything to 5.1 if I select the Dolby Surround option. Not sure if this is a feature or a bug...

Anyhow, this has me thinking of how to get proper sound into my system. The options seem to be to buy an HDMI extractor to convert to optical to go separately to my receiver, or to buy a new receiver.

Question 1). I like the HDMI CEC feature of the new ATV. If I use one of those HDMI/optical converters, do I lose that feature?

Question 2). If I buy a new amp, and connect all of my HDMI sources through the amp, with a single cable to the tv, how does the CEC function work? Does it power on the amp and the tv and switch to the correct input? What if I just want to watch tv and don't really want the audio going through the amp? Can you turn on the tv and listen through the tv speakers without turning on the amp? Can you switch HDMI sources that way?

Thanks!

May depend on the receiver, but my Onkyo works flawlessly with an LG with ARC. One HDMI cable from Onkyo to the ARC HDMI port on LG. Everything else connected to specific HDMI port on Onkyo. If i turn the TV on first, the Onkyo fires up with it and switches to the cable/satellite source that my cable DVR is connected to automatically. If its all off and I fire up my PS4, it turns on the TV and Onkyo, and Onkyo goes to the GAME 1 source that my PS4 is connected to. All devices that support CEC HDMI should work like this.

 

[Surf Monkey]

My Onkyo TX-NR646 arrived a couple days ago and it's bliss. Eight HDMI inputs, three of which are HDCP 2.0. I've got my PlayStation, Apple TV, Roku, cable box and Blu-Ray player hooked up to it and feeding my TV. Works like a charm in most cases. HDMI is sending the correct on/off/standby signals to my chain and the Onkyo remote, while an ergonomic nightmare, is already more capable of handling all my components better than my Logitech learning remote (the Siri remote is nevessary for the ATV, obviously). Looks like it's time to upgrade my 8 year old 1080p Sony...

 

[seadragon]

My Onkyo TX-NR646 arrived a couple days ago and it's bliss. Eight HDMI inputs, three of which are HDCP 2.0. I've got my PlayStation, Apple TV, Roku, cable box and Blu-Ray player hooked up to it and feeding my TV. Works like a charm in most cases. HDMI is sending the correct on/off/standby signals to my chain and the Onkyo remote, while an ergonomic nightmare, is already more capable of handling all my components better than my Logitech learning remote (the Siri remote is nevessary for the ATV, obviously). Looks like it's time to upgrade my 8 year old 1080p Sony...

Glad to hear about your new receiver. It sure is nice to have an HDMI switching receiver. Having just one cable going to the TV and no optical audio cables really cleaned up my setup. Enjoy!

 

[Surf Monkey]

Glad to hear about your new receiver. It sure is nice to have an HDMI switching receiver. Having just one cable going to the TV and no optical audio cables really cleaned up my setup. Enjoy!

No kidding. I've gone from RCAs to composite to optical+s-video to DVI+optical to HDMI. Every step has reduced the number of cable involved.

 

[kkr0nn0s]

My Onkyo TX-NR646 arrived a couple days ago and it's bliss. Eight HDMI inputs, three of which are HDCP 2.0. I've got my PlayStation, Apple TV, Roku, cable box and Blu-Ray player hooked up to it and feeding my TV. Works like a charm in most cases. HDMI is sending the correct on/off/standby signals to my chain and the Onkyo remote, while an ergonomic nightmare, is already more capable of handling all my components better than my Logitech learning remote (the Siri remote is nevessary for the ATV, obviously). Looks like it's time to upgrade my 8 year old 1080p Sony...

Nice choice! Have had the TX-NR818 for about a year and it is bliss. Word of advice, use the Onkyo remote app for iOS...it is great.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Nice choice! Have had the TX-NR818 for about a year and it is bliss. Word of advice, use the Onkyo remote app for iOS...it is great.

Agree. The software remote is far better than the physical one.

 

[EMarty]

I have seen on a number of blogs that you can buy a device adapter where you go from ATV HDMI and out of the adapter is a HDMI pass thru to your TV and an Optical Out to your sound system. I do not remember the brand but I think they have them on Amazon at a reasonable price. Very surprised your TV does not have Optical Out. All of my TV's do. My latest VIZO 70" 4K had both Optical Out and HDMI-CEC (type) out.

 

[EMarty]

Hi- no adapter is needed, I plug the optical cable from my Sony Bravia to my Bose system. Works great with atv4 and Siri remote. Only issue I have, it will not power on the Bose.

 

[thisismyusername]

My Onkyo TX-NR646 arrived a couple days ago and it's bliss.

Good choice. I recently got a TX-NR646 myself so I could pass 4K from my Roku 4 to my TV. It's been working great for me.

The only thing that was slightly annoying is that I couldn't get it to pass/upconvert the component signal from my Wii through to the HDMI output even though Onkyo says it can do this (tried with the Wii outputting 480i since the manual says it only works with 480i or 576i inputs and not 480p or higher). It's not that big of a deal though since I can connect the Wii directly to the TV and use the TV's optical output to get the audio back to the receiver but still. Plus, we rarely use the Wii anyway.

 

[ender78]

If your TV supports it, it works quite well, I assure you. It is the ideal setup actually...I can connect as many HDMI devices to my TV as desired, and all will output over the single optical cable to the soundbar, with no headache of switching inputs or any of that bla bla. Good luck!

Turns out the TV does support this, worked like a charm. If one could send a six pack across national borders one would be on its way Thanks again for the tip, never had a clue that my TV had the optical out.

 

[TurboPGT!]

Turns out the TV does support this, worked like a charm. If one could send a six pack across national borders one would be on its way Thanks again for the tip, never had a clue that my TV had the optical out.

Haha enjoy! Glad it works. It definitely is the best setup whether you have just a sound bar or a fancy receiver.

 

[Furman]

Hi- no adapter is needed, I plug the optical cable from my Sony Bravia to my Bose system. Works great with atv4 and Siri remote. Only issue I have, it will not power on the Bose.

How did you get this setup to play DD 5.1 on the Bose?

 

[JamerG]

Can I just say a big thank you to everyone who weighed in with practical advice on this thread. I've got exactly the same problem as the OP and am not very literate with all this audio / TV stuff, so it was very useful.

I've just ordered one of these which, if I've understood all of the above correctly (!) I think means I will be able to take the HDMI output from the new Apple TV when it arrives and split it to a visual HDMI output to go to the (8 year old no optical output) telly and an optical output to attach to my (no HDMI connection) soundbar:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H8T1DJ8/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

I'll try this out with my old ATV 2 and report back before I risk ordering ATV 4.

If anyone thinks this isn't what I need please let me know while there's still time to cancel the Amazon order!

Thanks all again.

This arrived today and worked perfectly. £30 on an adaptor is certainly cheaper than a new TV and / or soundbar.

ATV4 here I come (yay!).

Thanks again everyone - I would have been well and truly stumped without this forum.

 

[d21mike]

imore.com posted this.

http://www.imore.com/how-hook-fourth-generation-apple-tv-optical-audio-speakers