WD TV... No Sound on 5.1 Optical Output

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live & Live Plus
1

I connect Component for Video (tried HDMI as well)

and Optical Out to my Sony AV (it’s a old AV so no HDMI)

I tried multiple MKV files with AC3, DTS, AAC, audio

but NO AUDIO came out.

The same Optical Out connection/cable works perfectly fine

when i connect it with my PS3 & XBox360.

I did change sound output to Digital in the options menu.

However, “Stereo” sound works ok but that’s just 2.0 using TV speakers and not what i want.

Any idea how to make 5.1 work in my scenario? Thanks.

2

Remember that your receiver needs to perform the 5.1 decoding (the Live won’t do it for you, unlike the PS3 and 360).  Since your receiver is old, I suspect that’s the problem.

Any new A/V receiver will have all the decoding codecs built in.

3

I see… ok, I will take it as a possibility and try it out on another AV. Sony AV Model = HT-DDW830 (year 2001) Above is my A/V Model, in-case anyone is familiar with it. Anyone else face a similar scenario stated by mkelley? Old A/V issue. Thanks.

4

The DDW-830 does support DTS.

5

I actually even tried  2-ch AC3, MPEC, AAC, etc… files using Optical Output

with no success.

I tried both the “Digital” and “Stereo” option.

However, the HDMI and the RCA cable is able to produce “stereo” sound.

Too bad i can’t try if HDMI Audio works for 5.1 sound, since i don’t have a HDMI receiver.

Possible my WDTV unit is faulty?

I know it’s unlikely, which is why i want to find out the issue

before returning it.

6

shchoy wrote:

I connect Component for Video (tried HDMI as well)

and Optical Out to my Sony AV (it’s a old AV so no HDMI)

 

I tried multiple MKV files with AC3, DTS, AAC, audio

but NO AUDIO came out.

 

The same Optical Out connection/cable works perfectly fine

when i connect it with my PS3 & XBox360.

 

I did change sound output to Digital in the options menu.

 

However, “Stereo” sound works ok but that’s just 2.0 using TV speakers and not what i want.

 

Any idea how to make 5.1 work in my scenario? Thanks.

 

 

Hey based on  this (page 30 and 31) your should be able to do it. Set it to AFD mode and try again, and if it does work, force the receiver into decoding DD or DTS only.

I am intrested on your problem because I am setting up my system as well and I have and Non-HDMI receiver too.

I am just wating for my local Bestbuy or Costco to put the Live Plus on the shelfs before getting it.

If it does not work I would look into the ripping set ups even tho your PS3 is decoding the audio ok, so it is unlikely.

Good luck and Let me know.

Thanks.

7

Yup, I did set the AV to AFD settings.

I am not sure how i can “force” it to decode DTS, etc… It doesn’t show in the manual either.

The AV usually just picks it up and decode.

It’s funny even a 2 channel AAC, MPEG, AC3, (i tried several AVI & MKV vid files)

can’t be sent over Optical Output.

It’s beginning to  feel the Optical Output just doesn’t work.

Anyone had any luck using the Optical Output on AV?

8

shchoy wrote:

 

It’s beginning to  feel the Optical Output just doesn’t work.

 

Anyone had any luck using the Optical Output on AV?

I use optical out with my ancient Pioneer VSA-E03 AV amp (c.1999).  Doesn’t even decode DTS!  :D

Works great with AC3 though.  I re-encode the DTS streams to AC3 (using HeartWare’s Audio Converter) and leave the DTS tracks intact for future use when I upgrade my home cinema setup.

But the basic point is that I have no issues using Optical Out when Audio Output set to Digital.   That applies to both the WD TV Live and new Live Plus; never had any optical issues with either unit I own.

It’s possible you could have a broken optical connector…  

Is the cable firmly in the socket?  Tried wiggling it during playback?

9

As an easy test to check your optical wire, connection and data

set up the AV into 2CH ST (page 29) and test, if your connection, data and wire are working then you should get a least audio coming trhu the main Left and right. If no audio then one of the 3 are wrong.

Also connect the PS3 back to the AV and play a 5.1 game, with this test also you will narrow down the possible failures: data (rip) or a faulty optical output on the TV live.

Good luck again.

10

All… i FINALLY got it working!

The solution is rather… simple actually… borderline weird.

For some reason, if I do NOT fully plug in the Optical Cable

but rather leaving it hanging a little “lose” in my AV connection, it works perfectly.

Funny, because the cable works fine with my Xbox or PS3 when i connect it normally.

Conclusion, I fault either the Cable or the AV optical connection.

I have no idea why it’s this way, perhaps it’s the way the signal frequency

travels from xbox/ps3 versus WDTV true the cable a little differently… “shrugs”

I will try getting a “New” cable and see if it works properly for WDTV

without resorting to “daggling / adjusting” the cable.

Thanks all for the help.

11

Good to heard it worked.

One more idea, try flipping the optical connection:

A: tip connected to the WDTV

B: tip connected to your AV

Do an AB and BA test.

I think one end of your optical cable is no longer aligned, the plastic probably got twisted this AB-BA test will let you know which end is partially damaged.

12

I have the exact same problem, and I’ve already tried 3 different cables with their 6 ends and it’s the same with them all, so I suspect it’s the internal connector inside the WD TV Live that somehow is a bit sepparated from the cable connectors.

I am wondering wether or not send it to RMA because all the cables, receiver and my PS2 and PS3 work flawlessly. On the other hand it works no problem letting the cable a bit loose, and I have two years warranty so maybe I keep it.

What would you do? How long usually takes to RMA a product in Europe? I live in Spain and I read the support center is in the UK.