HDMI to Surround Sound (5.1)

[mbillow]

OK so I am seriously thinking about getting a rMBP and was wondering if it would be possible to use something like this to still be able to use my 5.1 surround sound system while watching movies?

So, I guess the real question would be: Does the rMBP allow you to change the audio output to the HDMI port?

Thanks,
Marc

 

[rWally]

OK so I am seriously thinking about getting a rMBP and was wondering if it would be possible to use something like this to still be able to use my 5.1 surround sound system while watching movies?

So, I guess the real question would be: Does the rMBP allow you to change the audio output to the HDMI port?

Thanks,
Marc

Does your surround sound system not take in HDMI? Why bother converting it? Your rMBP is capable of putting audio out through the HDMI port. Just change the output in the system settings.

 

[mbillow]

Does your surround sound system not take in HDMI? Why bother converting it to optical?

Because my 5.1 set is meant for a computer not a TV/Entertainment system it only uses optical audio. The question still lies unanswered does OS X allow you to use the HDMI as an audio output?

 

[rWally]

Because my 5.1 set is meant for a computer not a TV/Entertainment system it only uses optical audio. The question still lies unanswered does OS X allow you to use the HDMI as an audio output?

Yes, it does.

The rMBP already has optical out capability as well through the headphone port. Just buy this adapter and you can hook up to your entertainment system.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1556&seq=1&format=2&ref=cj

 

[Alameda]

Because my 5.1 set is meant for a computer not a TV/Entertainment system it only uses optical audio. The question still lies unanswered does OS X allow you to use the HDMI as an audio output?

So if you can only use optical audio, why do you care if the Mac can output audio in HDMI? Just connect an optical cable from the Mac to your AVR. It will work a lot better than that lame box you saw on eBay... Look at it again:
If the audio is PCM, the box outputs analog audio
If the audio is Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1, the box outputs optical audio
If the audio is Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, the box outputs HDMI audio, which is pretty stupid because the audio was HDMI to begin with.

By the way, it's common for a title to have stereo PCM, Dolby 5.1 and high bitrate audio all on the same title, amongst the previews, credit roll, main title and foreign language tracks. That box does no format conversion, so you'd have a mess on your hands trying to get it to work well.

It's an especially lame audio solution if you have Blu-ray content. You're better off buying a budget Onkyo or just using optical from your Mac to your AVR.