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Pioneer Elite + Playbar — Optical not working, seeking assistance with port switcher

  • 19 October 2021
  • 3 replies
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Hello All — I have researched and read all of the material on Sonos + Pioneer Elite. I have a minor twist on what appears to be a common prob and could use some expertise. I’m trusting this is a no judging zone. :)

My Pioneer plasma is a PRO-150FD, older than dirt but beautiful. I use a Roku stick on HDMI and until recently a Playbar connected via optical cable. I moved the entire setup to a new room and cannot get optical connected with the original or a new optical cable. I have tested the speaker in other rooms and it works with different setups. Could the optical cable port have gone bad?  Is it worthwhile to try a port switcher with digital audio outputs?

I’m hoping the answer to the last question is yes, and if so, can you help me with the setup?  While a simple setup, this doesn’t come easily to me. 
I have spent hours on the phone with sonos and they determined that the plasma is not receiving the optical audio signal. I’m looking for a way to save the TV AND the playbar  

I would sincerely appreciate your help. 

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Best answer by Airgetlam 19 October 2021, 18:51

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3 replies

Airgetlam

Yes, it’s possible that the optical output of the plasma is dead. Unlikely, IMHO, but not impossible. When you connect the cable to that output, is there still a red light coming out of the other end? It seems much more likely that somehow the settings of the TV got changed, and it’s no longer passing a Dolby Digital signal through to the Sonos. At least, that’s where I would start looking. Or that the Roku device is sending something other than Dolby Digital to the TV.

However, as you’ve identified, a HDMI switch with an optical port is the next best thing, and assuming the devices sending a signal to it are locked to Dolby digital, you should be fine. There are many of them available out there, ranging from one connection to eight or more. Find one that matches your need for inputs, and just ensure that it will pass a Dolby Digital signal. You’d connect the output of a device, say a DVD player or cable box to the HDMI input on the switch, and then a cable from the output to your TV’s HDMI port. The Roku would just plug in to an input on that switch. 

Bruce
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Bruce!  Thank you for the response!  There is a red light on the optical cable — that much I know. 
 

interestingly enough, I’ve checked the settings AND restored them to factory. Adjust the audio output isn’t an option on the TV — it is grayed out. Otherwise, nothing was changed. Does any of that info help?

Airgetlam

A bit, yes. I wouldn’t expect the option to be greyed out, but that could be a red herring, I’m not sure, and I haven’t looked at the manual for that TV. 

However, the red light coming out of the end of the cable is a good sign, it greatly reduces the chance that there isn’t something broken in the TV. From my outside perspective, it does throw the majority of the suspicion on the Roku stick, and it not sending only a Dolby Digital signal to the TV. It can’t be Dolby Digital Plus, or Atmos, or really anything other than Dolby Digital (well, it can be stereo,…). 

My guess is a software update on the Roku may have changed some settings, and it is now passing something to the TV that either the TV is incapable of passing, or if it can pass it, the PLAYBAR is incapable of interpreting. So, open up the audio settings on that Roku (again, I don’t own one, nor have I looked at a manual), and confirm that it is sending only Dolby Digital to the TV set. 

I do wonder if the fact that the option is greyed out in the TV’s audio settings is because the TV doesn’t know how to understand/deal with the audio signal it’s getting from the Roku.

Bruce
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