iTunes -> digital out

[sebber71]

Hello everybody,

I’m a new user and I can’t get this problem solved:

I have a WD TV Live SMP with a USB drive attached. On the USB drive is my iTunes media collection. Everything is set up nicely and I can see and play the collection from within iTunes on my MacBook. 

Unfortunately, when I play a song the sound is not coming from the stereo, to which the WD TV is attached to via the optical out but from my MacBook. I do understand that this makes sense, however, I want to listen to it on my stereo and wonder if there’s a setting for it. When I access the files from within the WD TV they play via the optical out alright. FWIW, I set the Audio Output to Digital Pass-Throught via Optical Only.

So, I guess the question is: can I control my iTunes collection with my MacBook without streaming the content back to the computer but playing it through the digital audio out?

Thanks for any hints and excuse my funny English - I’m German.

[TonyPh12345]

sebber71 wrote:

… when I play a song the sound is not coming from the stereo…via the optical out .

…When I access the files from within the WD TV they play via the optical out alright. 

I don’t understand.  These two sentences are contradictory.

[sebber71]

When I attach a screen to the WD TV Live and access the files with the remote control with the WD’s own Audio Player they play right through the optical output (which proves that it works).

When I use iTunes on my MacBook Pro the files play through the MacBooks speaker only and not through the optical output. 

The Audio Output is set-up to “Digital Pass-Through via Optical”.

[TonyPh12345]

Oh, OK.

You need to use a DLNA “Controller” on your MacBook if you want to send playback out the WDTV.

[sebber71]

Thanks for your post, TonyPh12345. Would that mean that the sound is being “sent” from the WD TV to the laptop and then back to the WD TV and then to the digital out? 

[TonyPh12345]

No, the digital bitstream is being sent from the Mac to the WDTV where it is then decoded and sent to the digital out.

[sebber71]

Just to make sure I understand you right:

The files are on an external harddrive attached to the WD TV, they are not on the MacBook. When I play the files using iTunes on the MacBook the bitstream is sent to the MacBook, decoded and I hear them through the laptop speakers. Using DLNA I would send the bitstream (without conversion, I hope) right back to the WD TV where they are being decoded and sent to the digital out. 

It would seem much more practical to me if the files could be routed directly to the digital out. 

[TonyPh12345]

sebber71 wrote:

 

It would seem much more practical to me if the files could be routed directly to the digital out. 

… then just play them on the WDTV and don’t use the Macbook.

[sebber71]

Ah, that’s a shame. I was hoping that “Audio Output to Digital Pass-Throught via Optical” would do the trick. I don’t want to attach a screen to the device just to listen to music. 

Alright, now I hope that one of the several remote apps will allow me to sort my iTunes Genre or Playlist.