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seoirse2002
24-04-2012, 00:35
Hi Guys,
Just a little problem...
My surround sound amp has just one toslink input which I use with the ps3...
If I want to have surround on my pvr I have to unplug the ps3 toslink and plug the pvr toslink in...not a major problem as Ive easy access to the back,but I was wondering if there is an adapter that will go into my amp that I can plug both toslinks into?....like a 2 into one? Ive seen splitters on fleabay,but that doesent seem to be the same thing....any suggestions?

MartinT
24-04-2012, 06:07
You need a TOSlink selector switch and there are some around, either electronic or a mechanical lightbeam switch.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=TOSlink+selector&safe=vss&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=684311394631922364&sa=X&ei=ykKWT6vnMIeC8gPb8NGRCg&ved=0CHAQ8wIwAw#

Stratmangler
24-04-2012, 06:22
Does your TV have Toslink out?
You could use it as a source switch of it does.

seoirse2002
24-04-2012, 09:54
I think so...
I have the tv connected via hdmi to the ps3...the pvr is connected to the TV by scart.....so watching tv uses the tvs own sound as none of the stations broadcast in surround,so I never bothered trying it out before...and for dvds etc. we switch on the surround.... and the toslink out from the ps3 to the amp.
so you mean just use the toslink out from the tv?
Will that not affect the surround signal from the ps3? will I still get surround although its passing through the tv?
Ill have to dig out the TV manual
thanks so far

Reid Malenfant
24-04-2012, 16:33
Some of the splitters you have seen on ebay for about £2 can combine signals as well. In which case if you fed the PS3 into one side & your PVR into the other, just make sure that only what you want to watch & listen to is switched on.

This one for instance (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Way-Toslink-Optical-Cable-Audio-Splitter-PS3-5-1-UK-/350556979015?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item519ed2ff47) ;) While it doesn't mention it can be used as a combiner I'm 99.99% sure it can...

Jac Hawk
24-04-2012, 16:51
I think so...
I have the tv connected via hdmi to the ps3...the pvr is connected to the TV by scart.....so watching tv uses the tvs own sound as none of the stations broadcast in surround,so I never bothered trying it out before...and for dvds etc. we switch on the surround.... and the toslink out from the ps3 to the amp.
so you mean just use the toslink out from the tv?
Will that not affect the surround signal from the ps3? will I still get surround although its passing through the tv?
Ill have to dig out the TV manual
thanks so far

Depending on your TV, it's probably got an SPDIF output, and most A/V amps have toslink and SPDIF, so you could just used that from your TV to your amp, meaning whatever is on your TV, the audio will be transferred to your amp along the digital cable, the only thing i'm not sure about is A. after the 5.1 goes into your TV from your PS3 will it come out the other end as 5.1 encoded and B. will it degrade the sound quality very much after going through your TV.

seoirse2002
24-04-2012, 17:28
Yes,
Thats what I was worried about and although I can get a splitter on ebay for 2.99 I can only have one input in use at a time...so thats no good as if I want to say, record on the pvr and watch a movie on the ps3 it wont work without disconnecting the toslink from the pvr....and thats what Im trying to avoid....
Anyway,I think I have found a solution...its a 3 way toslink splitter!!
its here:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190511016814?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2 Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp4712.m570 .l1313%26_nkw%3D190511016814%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1
No disconnecting of cables,just use the selector for whatever source I want to use....Thanks all for the help and Ill report back when I get it....
GT

Reid Malenfant
24-04-2012, 17:32
Yes, that will do the job admirably :)

dave2010
24-04-2012, 21:49
Yes,
Thats what I was worried about and although I can get a splitter on ebay for 2.99 I can only have one input in use at a time...so thats no good as if I want to say, record on the pvr and watch a movie on the ps3 it wont work without disconnecting the toslink from the pvr....and thats what Im trying to avoid....
Anyway,I think I have found a solution...its a 3 way toslink splitter!!
its here:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190511016814?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2 Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp4712.m570 .l1313%26_nkw%3D190511016814%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1
No disconnecting of cables,just use the selector for whatever source I want to use....Thanks all for the help and Ill report back when I get it....
GTI have a couple of these things. You might need more than one if you want to do more than one thing at a time, as has been suggested, and you'll need a few more optical cables to "wire" your circuits together. Try not to get too complex. The switches are slightly bulky - good for hiding under units, but less good for frequent reconfiguring. If you were really bothered about neatness then electro optical switches might be better, but could cost a lot more.

Stratmangler
24-04-2012, 22:44
Depending on your TV, it's probably got an SPDIF output, and most A/V amps have toslink and SPDIF, so you could just used that from your TV to your amp, meaning whatever is on your TV, the audio will be transferred to your amp along the digital cable, the only thing i'm not sure about is A. after the 5.1 goes into your TV from your PS3 will it come out the other end as 5.1 encoded and B. will it degrade the sound quality very much after going through your TV.

Why would the sound be degraded?
It should provide a digital passthrough.

dave2010
25-04-2012, 04:49
One thing to note is that it's hard (impossible?) to get a multi channel output via TOSLINK. Most playera will only output. 2 channel audio via TOSLINK, if they even do that, which may depend on the source. OTOH many new systems can do multi channel via HDMI. it's possible that HDMI might be the way to go rather thatn SPDIF/TOSLINK

Actually to clarify the multi channel capabilities of SPDIF see here - http://ac3filter.net/wiki/How_to_playback_multi-channel_(AC3/DTS)_AudioCD
This shows that multi channel PCM audio should not be possible with SPDIF, but compressed audio using DTS/AC3 can be.

MartinT
25-04-2012, 07:53
I linked to something very similar in post #2!

dave2010
26-04-2012, 05:52
I linked to something very similar in post #2!A bit out of step here though! Your original link suggested a headline price of £17 - perhaps not a great recommendation, though most of the suppliers had lower prices. It should be possible to get mechanical/optical switches for a fiver or less.

MartinT
26-04-2012, 05:59
My link was to a Google shopping search. I was suggesting the idea of a TOSlink switch as well as pointing to a likely device. I'm sure the O/P, having seen my suggestion, could find one at his preferred price. And since when was £17 a 'not great recommendation'?

seoirse2002
26-04-2012, 20:13
So all this time with my toslink running from the ps3 to the amp,and the amp telling me "optical surround" from a blue ray disc,Im only getting stereo?
Yet I hear the helicopters flying from speaker to speaker? (at least 4 of them,I think the centre one is for voice only)
I can hear a huge difference when I have the pvr plugged in...even in "movie" mode...not so much seperation...
I have just tried running the toslink direct from the screen...i.e
hdmi from ps3 to plasma....plasma toslink out to amp....depending on what mode I use, pcm,movie,dts, etc its all different so I dont think the tv is interfering.....now..if only I could find the user manual...
thanks to all for the interest so far
GT

Reid Malenfant
26-04-2012, 21:16
Toslink will happily do multichannel, the only thing it doesn't like is 24 bit 192KHz simply because the transmitter & receiver have problems at this speed. They simply can't react fast enough.

There are loads of AV amps that'll accept a Toslink input & output the multichannel sound they have been sent. Just don't expect quite the same bandwidth as a coaxial cable connection.

Jac Hawk
26-04-2012, 23:28
erm I send 24bit 192khz from my pc to my A/V amp via a toslink cable it's only in stereo though, and the amp will only output in stereo not pseudo 5.1

seoirse2002
27-04-2012, 03:26
Hello all,
Found the manual for my tv at last!!
Seems I can use the toslink as the book says:digital audio output for passing on digital soundtracks received via the HDMIs(3)
Problem solved! ps3 to tv via hdmi,pvr to tv via hdmi,
toslink to amp!
And this was after I bought a splitter...never mind,Im sure Ill find a use for it...
Thanks a lot guys
GT