+Mystic MVC Posted September 25, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 25, 2009 So I hooked up my friend's 360 to my TV by way of HDMI. On my 360 (the broke one) I had an optical cable being plugged into the video cable which allowed me to get Dolby Digital. With the HDMI connection the Dolby Digital light no longer comes up. I still have an optical cable going from my receiver into my TV though, so would I technically still be getting 5.1 Dolby Digital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary2MBz Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 HDMI does not always have Dolby Digital. I think the 360 has HDMI 1.2 which does not support 5.1 dolby but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dnast Subscriber² Posted September 25, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted September 25, 2009 AFAIK most TVs don't pass the 5.1 signal from an HDMI input to the optical output. The TV usually converts it to stereo before outputting the audio. I wish I had known that before I misplaced the optical adapter that came with my Elite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remysaus Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh, this is good to know, was planning on getting an arcade with HDMI to replace my current one with VGA. Just ordered some HDMI cables already. Guess I'll cancel the order :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mystic MVC Posted September 25, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted September 25, 2009 So wouldn't it be better to just use component 1080p so you could at least do Dolby Digital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahhell Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh, this is good to know, was planning on getting an arcade with HDMI to replace my current one with VGA. Just ordered some HDMI cables already. Guess I'll cancel the order :) Just get the MS HDMI pack. comes with an HDMI cable and a dongle for the audio with an optical out. Optical to the amp for 5.1 and HDMI to the TV for 1080p (unless of course you have an amp that will passthrough 1080P then you just need to the HDMI to the amp). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoadorable Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 not sure about this but looks like you got your answer, mystic. remy, don't cancel anything, HDMI is so much better than VGA - trust me, i was against the hype at first. but that one tiny cable saves you a lot of clutter, and i like the HDMI look better, even if the difference is marginal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMan Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 HDMI does not always have Dolby Digital. I think the 360 has HDMI 1.2 which does not support 5.1 dolby but I could be wrong. yes, you could, and you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhav Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 HDMI does not always have Dolby Digital. I think the 360 has HDMI 1.2 which does not support 5.1 dolby but I could be wrong. :blink: lolz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew S. Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 you have to set it up to use the optical out in system settings when using the hdmi cable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_onion Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 not sure about this but looks like you got your answer, mystic.remy, don't cancel anything, HDMI is so much better than VGA - trust me, i was against the hype at first. but that one tiny cable saves you a lot of clutter, and i like the HDMI look better, even if the difference is marginal. marginal really? I've always thought the difference between analog and digital signal was pretty big. although I haven't seen VGA for a while so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remysaus Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 remy, don't cancel anything, HDMI is so much better than VGA - trust me, i was against the hype at first. but that one tiny cable saves you a lot of clutter, and i like the HDMI look better, even if the difference is marginal. Hm ok, didn't know about that official HDMI set, but I'll wait with buying cables until I actually have the new arcade now. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoadorable Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 honestly i can't point to a real difference between HDMI and VGA, been on VGA the first two years with the 360. It's just that HDMI has this warmer, less PC-like look. reminds me of the old arcade screens, you know, the spritey look. Could be in my head tho. Remy the official HDMI kit? Why? Unless you have a kick ass sound setup and live somewhere you won't terrorize your neighbors, a basic HDMI cable'll be fine. You don't need any extra audio connections, if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted September 26, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted September 26, 2009 Talk about the thread of misinformation :p Of course the 360 does DD 5.1 over HDMI. Mystic does you receiver have HDMI inputs AND outputs, or just inputs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted September 26, 2009 Veteran Share Posted September 26, 2009 honestly i can't point to a real difference between HDMI and VGA, been on VGA the first two years with the 360. It's just that HDMI has this warmer, less PC-like look. reminds me of the old arcade screens, you know, the spritey look. Could be in my head tho. Remy the official HDMI kit? Why? Unless you have a kick ass sound setup and live somewhere you won't terrorize your neighbors, a basic HDMI cable'll be fine. You don't need any extra audio connections, if you ask me. At this point in the game, HDMI audio is better than optical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unrealistic Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 At this point in the game, HDMI audio is better than optical. Incorrect statement when dealing with the xbox 360. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted September 26, 2009 Veteran Share Posted September 26, 2009 What am I missing about the 360 then? I'm not being sarcastic, I'd just like to know the details if I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMan Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 As long as you aren't talkign about audio standard only HDMI can do, optical and HDMI are for all itnents and purposes identical. in fact optical could do anything hdmi can do, it's just a standards thing, it'd be a bitch to explain peopel why their blu-ray player sends TrueHD audio and their non trueHD receiver can't receive it, when it's the same connection (problem already exists with DTS though). of course it's funny they chose that reason not to create a new optical standard when they do the same multi generation split with HDMI :facepalm: In any case Dolby digital/AC3 and DTS o audio over optical from the 360 is the same signal and audio as on hdmi. in fact it is on all devices :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted September 26, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted September 26, 2009 What am I missing about the 360 then? I'm not being sarcastic, I'd just like to know the details if I'm wrong. HDMI is only beneficial on a technical level when considering HD audio/7.1, 360 can't do HD audio. Optical/HDMI are the same for DTS/DD 5.1/AC3 5.1, so the only benefit is less cabling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unrealistic Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 As Hawkman/AB stated, there is technically no difference in specifications between optical and HDMI when regarding the xbox. Microsoft doesn't support any of the advanced features HDMI provides over optical, as the console itself is limited. The PS3 though has many HDMI only features that optical cables simply cannot do (PCM 96/192, 7.1+). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted September 26, 2009 Veteran Share Posted September 26, 2009 Thanks for clarifying, guys. Didn't realize the 360 lacked HD Audio and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mystic MVC Posted September 26, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted September 26, 2009 Talk about the thread of misinformation :pOf course the 360 does DD 5.1 over HDMI. Mystic does you receiver have HDMI inputs AND outputs, or just inputs? It is an older Onkyo with no HDMI ports. If it did, I'm sure I wouldn't have posted. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoadorable Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 most of what you're saying is wasted on people like me who settle for the most basic audio. i'm 25% deaf after all. guess for audiophiles it's important. i just invest in good headphones and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 most of what you're saying is wasted on people like me who settle for the most basic audio. i'm 25% deaf after all.guess for audiophiles it's important. i just invest in good headphones and be done with it. arent there things like surround sound headphones for people like you? http://www.buy.com/prod/pioneer-se-dir800c.../203022389.html this headphone does dolby digital 5.1 decoding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted September 26, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted September 26, 2009 It is an older Onkyo with no HDMI ports. If it did, I'm sure I wouldn't have posted. :p Then you can't do DD/5.1 audio over HDMI then. If you're somehow routing it through your TV it will be in what your TV outputs in, which is 2.0 stereo. That's why your DTS light isn't going on. Your 360 will need to do it over an optical cable. Just leave the optical cable in your 360, plug it into the receiver, and select optical output on NXE. Doesn't really matter as already pointed out in this topic, there's no audio benefit on the 360 to using HDMI over optical, for those that can it's just one less cable in your setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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