Home audio & video forum: Sony LCD TV, PS3 and Sony Surround Sound Setup

I think Sony may have fixed this problem with a Firmware update, and their audio menu looks like it's been solved, but I can't get it to work yet. Here is the age old PS3 audio issue: You must choose (in the Audio Setup Menu) how you want to output the PS3 audio, meaning you must choose HDMI or Optical. The system hasn't allowed audio to be output from both simultaneously. If you want to hear the PS3 audio from you Surround, and your receiver doesn't have an HDMI Input, then you must use an Optical audio cable from the PS3 to the receiver. This works beautifully, but to get it's audio back through the TV, you must go back into the Audio Setup Menu and choose HDMI again.

What's wrong with hdmi from PS3 to TV then Optical audio from TV to the surround?

Actually the system is going all to plan now. I've got an HDMI from the PS3 to the TV. One from the surround sound to the TV and RCA cables back from the TV to the surround sound, although I'm going to replace those RCA cables with an optical. The sound from the PS3 is coming out of the surround sound already so it looks like I won't need to have any additional cables from the PS3 to the surround sound!

This one has been discussed on the web before. I can't quite get the picture of your setup in my mind but the usual is to run the HDMI from the PS3 to the HDTV. It is possible that better receivers like Onkyo (see google and ask them) have guides about setup using their products. The same goes for other makes but I read your reply in this discussion and can't see if you reveal the make, model of things in other posts due to the forum bugs.

The optical cable is under 5 bucks, example at http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optical-TosLink-MiniDisk-recorders/dp/B003LVDKF2

So all that's left is for you to google (research) use of said cable and settings for the PS3 and your system.
Bob

I appreciate the help guys. I didn't know the setup either til I went over there. This guy had an Onkyo 'A/V' receiver, which allowed me to run HDMI from PS3 to receiver, cable box to receiver, and from the receiver out to the TV... TV only has one HDMI running to it and can switch between cable and PS3 now. I had to hook RCA's up just long enough to get to PS3's settings where I changed audio and video settings to HDMI (I'm completely floored that the PS3 cannot detect this automatically). Once those settings were chosen from the PS3 settings menu I was able to unplug the RCAs and switch between inputs using the receiver's remote only. I did not get the receiver's model but I now want one. I hope this helps someone, I'm fairly sure that this requires specifically an 'A/V' reciever, since in the past I've had to run cables from both the sound and video devices.