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Cheapest way to play TV audio through Hi-Fi? |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Cheapest way to play TV audio through Hi-Fi?
As modern televisions don't have analogue audio out sockets, what's the cheapest way to play the sound through a traditional, analogue stereo Hi-Fi?
PS - I don't want the expense of a Digital To Analogue Converter |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Apr 2009
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Probably through either the headphone or scart socket on the TV.
Depends of course on the TV. "Modern television" isn't specific enough. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
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Other possible options (all of which my modernish Samsung TV offer)
Headphone socket; SCART 2 socket (designed for connection to a recorder). Telling us the make and model of TV would help. Another approach would be to get a PVR that *does* have RCA (red and white analogue) output as well as HDMI. I have that so I can listen to Freeview / Freesat radio without needing to have the TV turned on. But TBH the cheapest option in the absence of those *is* going to be a DAC which don't cost that much compared to the cost of interconnect leads. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Sep 2010
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Buy a sky box at the boot sale, sky+ ones are under a fiver, use the optical out into a home cinema/DVD player optical in. You can now play all the DAB stations on sky through the DVD player speakers.. The TV audio can be played through the sky box on audio out to audio in on the home cinema/DVD player.MP3 and tablet can be played through the USB on the home cinema/DVD player.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Thanks for the help everyone.. Here's the telly:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/...sams-ue48j6300 PS - no scart socket. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,789
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Quote:
As modern televisions don't have analogue audio out sockets, what's the cheapest way to play the sound through a traditional, analogue stereo Hi-Fi?
![]() So modern TV's DO have analogue audio outputs, you just have to be aware of which do and which don't - Samsung in particular are very poor, even dropping SCART now as well (not that SCART would do what you wanted anyway). |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,206
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Quote:
Buy a Sony TV - which have a combined Headphone/Line Output socket
![]() So modern TV's DO have analogue audio outputs, you just have to be aware of which do and which don't - Samsung in particular are very poor, even dropping SCART now as well (not that SCART would do what you wanted anyway). |
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#8 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Reading
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Quote:
Thanks for the help everyone.. Here's the telly:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/...sams-ue48j6300 PS - no scart socket. The downside to using the headphone socket is that it might mute the speakers in the TV with no option to disable this. So you would have to plug and unplug the lead depending on how you wanted to listen to the TV. The upside is that the headphone volume is likely controlled from the remote so you don't have to get up and tweak the amp's control or use two remotes (one TV, one amp) just to alter the noise level. The DAC would sit between the optical out and the amp. Whether the sound quality would be any better is something you can only determine by listening. Downside is that you would almost certainly need to use the amp's volume control to adjust noise levels as the optical out is very likely to be fixed level. Upside is that you can easily switch from amp to built in speakers, depending on your mood, to listen to the TV. A DAC doesn't have to be expensive. This one is 13 quid and gets a lot of 4 & 5 star reviews http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Opti...dp/B009ZR7IB8/ Or slightly dearer http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Digita...dp/B002AKXG5E/ |
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#9 |
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Join Date: May 2004
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Quote:
SCARTs on the Panasonic TVs do. AV in/out still.
OK if all you ever want to do is watch telly programmes but a bit limiting if you want to do anything else. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Quote:
SCARTs on the Panasonic TVs do. AV in/out still.
Which probably isn't what's wanted - listening to BBC1 sound while you watch a BluRay ![]() Unlike Chris suggested, TV's commonly output the internal tuner audio at all times (and video for that matter), they don't mute it when using external inputs. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Quote:
Buy a Sony TV
(let's not go there again).So will this DAC http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Opti...dp/B009ZR7IB8/ work fine, playing whatever source I'm watching, and not just whatever channel is selected on the internal Freeview tuner? PS - I knew there was something else i didn't like about DACs. Power supply isn't included and has to be bought separately, so forget DACs. |
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#12 |
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Quote:
PS - I knew there was something else i didn't like about DACs. Power supply isn't included and has to be bought separately, so forget DACs.
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#13 |
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Quote:
I have to draw the line somewhere, especially after my experiences with the very disappointing (returned) 42 inch 706 last year
(let's not go there again).So will this DAC http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Opti...dp/B009ZR7IB8/ work fine, playing whatever source I'm watching, and not just whatever channel is selected on the internal Freeview tuner? PS - I knew there was something else i didn't like about DACs. Power supply isn't included and has to be bought separately, so forget DACs. From the Product Description on your link Quote:
Package included: As to your main question. Any halfway decent telly will send audio from whatever source you are watching to the optical out. However you have to ensure that it sends PCM stereo and not something like Dolby Digital Surround otherwise the DAC won't have a clue what to do with it. Most sources have an option to set the audio output format and PCM Stereo is pretty much a bog standard option.
1 x Optical Coax to Analog RCA Audio Converter 1 x UK Standard Power Adapter 1 x User Manual (In English) |
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#14 |
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Quote:
Except they almost certainly only output the sound from the internal tuner, not sound from HDMI's etc
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#15 |
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Quote:
The SCART on my Samsung TV outputs audio from all sources in to the TV.
- not least in that you have an old Samsung that actually has a SCART socket ![]() Outputting all sources via SCART isn't common, so isn't something you should assume. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Quote:
As to your main question. Any halfway decent telly will send audio from whatever source you are watching to the optical out. However you have to ensure that it sends PCM stereo and not something like Dolby Digital Surround otherwise the DAC won't have a clue what to do with it. Most sources have an option to set the audio output format and PCM Stereo is pretty much a bog standard option. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: S.West England.
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Quote:
As modern televisions don't have analogue audio out sockets, what's the cheapest way to play the sound through a traditional, analogue stereo Hi-Fi?
PS - I don't want the expense of a Digital To Analogue Converter My "modern" Sony has rca Phonos for analogue audio out (red + White). Recently installed a brand new Samsung for friend of the family (not technically minded) and I believe that also had audio out via rca Phonos. Scart sockets on the other hand are getting very rare. That new model Samsung didn't have one or even a scart adaptor. |
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#18 |
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Quote:
Outputting all sources via SCART isn't common, so isn't something you should assume.
Sony will not be on the shopping list of candidates though.
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#19 |
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Quote:
My "modern" Sony has rca Phonos for analogue audio out (red + White).
Recently installed a brand new Samsung for friend of the family (not technically minded) and I believe that also had audio out via rca Phonos. Scart sockets on the other hand are getting very rare. That new model Samsung didn't have one or even a scart adaptor. |
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#20 |
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Quote:
My "modern" Sony has rca Phonos for analogue audio out (red + White).
![]() Quote:
Recently installed a brand new Samsung for friend of the family (not technically minded) and I believe that also had audio out via rca Phonos. Quote:
Scart sockets on the other hand are getting very rare. That new model Samsung didn't have one or even a scart adaptor. ).
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#21 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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I had to deal with a somewhat older Samsung (they'd bought a soundbar without considering how it's connect to the TV) and it definitely only had optical out, no RCA phono for output.
Fortunately the soundbar had optical too (no HDMI) so it was only a case of buying a toslink cable. |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Nov 2001
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Quote:
But check what audio signal is present on the SCART out though. I've seen plenty of TVs where the output is only from the built in tuner. If you switch to watching from an HDMI input (eg PVR, DVD, Blu-Ray player etc) you get nothing.
OK if all you ever want to do is watch telly programmes but a bit limiting if you want to do anything else. just tried it now on the CR852 TV and only the internal tuner comes out. Even the apps that the TV runs such as YouTube don't come out of the SCART any more. Rubbish progress!
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#23 |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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I assume you don't own the TV yet?
A quick look at the online manual shows both analogue audio out (via RCA phono) and optical. (page 20) http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/t...UE48J6300AKXXU |
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#24 |
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Quote:
I assume you don't own the TV yet?
A quick look at the online manual shows both analogue audio out (via RCA phono) and optical. (page 20) http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/t...UE48J6300AKXXU But even though the e-manual may show such a connection it does not mean there actually is any such feature. Note the get out clause at the bottom of the page saying features may be specific to certain models or regions. The specs make no mention of any analogue out. And posts on DS and elsewhere from owners of other Samsung TVs tend to suggest that optical digital is all you get, or at least on TVs made in the last couple of years certainly. |
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#25 |
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That's quite worrying Chris!
I would be annoyed, if after reading the manual for a TV and then finding that it didn't do a function I was specifically after. I'd probably reject it as not as described (irrespective of any warning or disclaimer) It's the equivalent of saying "here's your TV on our website". "Here's the link to the manual" (disclaimer - please note the TV shown may not be able to display a picture) I knew there was (another) reason why I don't buy Samsung products. |
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(let's not go there again).

Rubbish progress!