Here is the situation, I just got a Digital Cable Box, and it has SPDIF Coax Output (no Optical). To make the story short, it'd be ideal if the Cable Box had Optical Out because the TV/Sat Input from my receiver will only take Optical and not Coax.

What I'm looking for is either a converter for Coax to Optical, or a discrete code for choosing "CD-Audio" as the sound source in TV/Sat whenever I pick TV/Sat.

I have a Sony 777ES and if you're familar with it, you know you can switch the video/audio source around so it can be DVD for video, but listening to CD music as sound source. That's what I have done to get around the digital problem. Using CD-Coax as the sound source. I have one problem with this configuration, because not all channels are in digital, so if I'm watching analog, I need to switch back to analog. Do you think there might be a discrete code for selecting the sound source directly?

Thanks

Simon,

I'm not certain I understand your problem correctly, but I'll give it a try: I have a Yamaha DSP-a1 surround amplifier and a Pioner DVL-909 combo LD/DVD/CD player. When I watch a LD with Dolby Digital or an old LD without digital sound at all I need to use the LD RF/analog outputs from the player, but otherwise I prefer the digital output. I have therefore plugged the digital outputs into the CD input on my amplifier, and kept the RF and analog for the LD input. Since switching to LD involves video switching, but selecting CD does not, whenever I'm using a DVD i send a LD switch signal first, then a CD signal, for LD I send only a LD signal and for CD only a CD signal. I do not need discrete codes for this, simply a macro for the DVD selection. It sound you could do the same as I do for my DVD selection. Have the button first choose TV/Sat, then send a CD signal for your digital channels (I guess you could do this directly under the channel logo if you use these), and for your analogue channels drop the CD signal.

Christopher

Simon,

I asked a similar question on a home theater newsgroup when I also got a digital cable box.

Here is the response I got regarding the converter.


Jack
===================
Hi Jack,
You can get a coax to optical converter box for
$79.95 or you can get a coaxial cable switcher.

I you have any other question, please let me know.

Brad Marcus
[email protected]
http://www.bettercables.com

Christopher and Jack,

Thanks for the responses. I was playing around with the receiver yesterday, and I now have the Digital Cable plugged to DVD Input and DVD is now using TV/Sat.

This solves my problem as the receiver has both Coax and Optical for DVD Input. My DVD player has Optical so I can use another input. The reason I didn't think of it was because I use S-Link between all Sony equipment and I was told the DVD Player has to be plugged to DVD Input or else it won't switch on properly. Well, I just have to plug the DVD S-Link cable to TV/Sat S-Link In instead of DVD. It works better now but I still have a problem. For channels that are in mono, it doesn't auto switch back to mono from digital (I set it to auto switch from the receiver). I guess somehow there is still digital signal passes through the digital line and preventing switch to mono.

Thanks again