New to this! Need help to get best out of my setup.

[snowball_iv]

Ok i got a few years old plasma tv with one hdmi input, and i have a onkyo ht-r550, 7.1 surround sound, and it has 2 hdmi inputs and one output, and also i have a sony blu-ray S300. The blu-ray i got connected to my tv thru hdmi and to my reciever with optical. I know there has got to be a better way to hook all this up, to get the true 7.1 sound. Also is ther anyway to get xbox 360 in true 7.1? I need all the help i can get. Thanks.

[BStecke]

From what I can find about your receiver, you've got it hooked up the best way you can because that receiver does not process audio sent via HDMI. So, the best you're going to get is going to be Dolby Digital/DTS/stereo PCM, not TrueHD or DTS HDMA, which I think also means no 7.1. Time to upgrade your receiver for Christmas!

[andyman1970]

You can not get HD sound with an optical cable. You need to run the HDMI from the Blu-ray player to the receiver and then from the receiver to the TV. IF, your receiver has the internal decoder, which depending on how old it is it may or may not you can bitstream through HDMI and let the receiver decode. Most receivers made before the last year do not have the internal decoders. check our owners manual or the Onkyo website. If not you will need to set the audio setting on the player to PCM and let it decode in order to get the Tru HD audio.

No, the XBOX 360 can not decode Tru HD sound. It is a DVD based system and only Blu-ray disc have the Ttu HD sound capabilities.

[Driver_King]

The receiver you have only would be able to accept MPCM through the 7.1 analog connections with a player that has 7.1 analog outs and decodes all HD audio codecs internally (like the Sony BDP-S550 or Panasonic BDP55K). There is no way to get discrete 7.1 from your 360 either. You can, however, martix the signal into 7.1 with post-processing modes.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by andyman1970

You can not get HD sound with an optical cable. You need to run the HDMI from the Blu-ray player to the receiver and then from the receiver to the TV. IF, your receiver has the internal decoder, which depending on how old it is it may or may not you can bitstream through HDMI and let the receiver decode. Most receivers made before the last year do not have the internal decoders. check our owners manual or the Onkyo website. If not you will need to set the audio setting on the player to PCM and let it decode in order to get the Tru HD audio.

You can get HD sound with optical, however, it will only be 2.0 and only certain receivers could matrix the PCM signal. I have that receiver in my living room and can tell you from experience there is no way to get any audio through the receiver with HDMI as it is HDMI Pass-through- the reason I have my 805.

[snowball_iv]

well thanks for all the help. Pretty much i am S.O.L. Well maybe time to buy a new one. Do you suggest a new receiver or a new blu ray?

[Driver_King]

I'd suggest an Onkyo 606.