In order to get the 5.1 soundtracks from Netflix, I have to set the Audio Out to Digital Passthrough via HDMI Only. However, I also use the Stereo Analog outs to power the transmitter for a pair of wireless speakers when listening to music outdoors. Is there any way to simultaneously drive both outputs, so I don’t have to constantly switch between them?
Hello.
It is unlikely that would be possible as it would introduce a lot of design issues at the chip and trace (circuit) level…
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syncronization of the dual audio streams
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you’d have to power both audio circuits
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you’d have to lay out the traces on the board to insulate from EMC/cross talk when you had signal on both circuits
It’s just unlikely to see that in a $150 - $200 product.
I offer that I could be completely wrong, but that’s my gut reaction.
Well, Jim, that makes sense, but here’s an anomaly: Even with the output set to HDMI, Netflix and YouTube both trigger the stereo analog outs (I know, because the remote-speaker transmitter has a big honkin blue LED that lights when it’s active). These are the only two services I found that do this, and music and videos on the internal HD don’t either. Weird, huh?
You can buy an audio extraction box with HDMI in and HDMI out plus optical and RCA out. I bought one of these because the 2 or 3 year old INSIGNIA TV would not output 5.1 digital from any of it’s HDMI inputs.
ViewHD VHD-H2HSA HDMI to HDMI + Audio with SPDIF & L/R Outputs.
I think I found it for sale on AMAZON. It works great and is a nice little package. I only used the optical output.
I don´t have Netflix,
but I also use HDMI passthrough and RCA stereo output simultaneously.
Newer had any issues.
Anyway, I am guessing that your TV has TOSLINK audio output,
you can by cheap DAC adapter
and get RCA stereo output.
? Playing music always works through the analog stereo outputs regardless of your HDMI settings. If I play music through my WDTV Live Hub the signal passes to the TV via HDMI and my Reciever/Amp via analog audio.
Its not clear what kind of content you want to play simultaneously? If it’s 5.1 content on the WDTV Live Hub It will play through both.
Perhaps this crude schematic will help:
If I set the WDTVLH to Stereo out, all of this works to output signals from everything on the internal HD and Services. If I change the output to HDMI out in the WDTVLH [necessary to get 5.1 from Netflix], I can still listen to FLACS that are on the internal HD on my living room speakers. BUT, the signal on the RCA analog outs to the wireless speaker transmitter is disabled. That’s what I want to do: stereo jacks and HDMI output at the same time (jimpreis sez that’s impossible, but foetus claims it works for him all the time). Note that the RCA connectors go to the wireless transmitter only; the main system connection is HDMI only, but can be set in the WDTVLH to Stereo or Digital Pass Through via HDMI Only. I think it is that Only that is preventing this from working as I want it to.
I have been trying to do the same thing.
I wanted the SPDIF Digital out to work along with HDMI so I could have a seperate connection only to play Music and still have the HDMI connected to the AVR and TV.
Seems they are limiting this capability but the chipset design is capable of it. Let’s see if WD Engineering will bother to help us or not.
