Hoping someone can help me with an issue I'm having trying to get my friends system up and running.
We have an LG LH-T550TB home cinema system, a Sky+ digital receiver and have just purchased a Sony Vaio living room PC. At the moment we don't want to replace the home cinema system with the PC because the surround speakers run from the LG. He's never had surround sound from the satellite receiver (its connected to the DVD unit with red/white phono cables) but he does get sound from the front speakers only. If we plug in the new Sony with the phono cable, again we only get sound from the front speakers and not the complete surround. The only time we ever get surround sound is when playing a disc through the DVD player.
My question is, is this just a limitation of this unit or a general thing that you can't do? What else do we need to buy to get all of the devices working with surround sound?
Both the satellite receiver and the PC have optical outputs but the DVD player (which controls the surround) doesn't have any inputs other than the analogue red/white. I'm assuming this means we need to invest in a new surround system with the right amount of optical inputs?
Unfortunately the lack of digital inputs are prevalent in a lot of all-in-one units. You will need a receiver with the proper inputs to enjoy other peripherals that are capable of surround sound outputs.
Check the output capability of the Sony VAIO as well, and see if it has a digital audio output. And check with your cable provider if you are getting digital sound as part of your subscription, the outputs may be there but if there are no signals coming through, then you still just get analog.