Can I get TV Audio out of my Samsung M5300 ("Smart" TV) to my retro receiver thru Chomecast

Jul 29, 2018
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Here is the deal!

Turns out my "smart" TV can hook up to my home WiFi and access the internet, but has only a digital (0ptical) audio out, and does not have even a simple 3.5 hedaphones jack. I understand (correct me if I am wrong), that if I hook up the TV's optical audio out to my 1970's amplifier thru a converter to analog RCA audio, I will not be able to control the volume of the TV thru the TV's remote.

So I am wondering if my "smart"TV would be able to hook up to a Chromecast Audio so that to send the TV's audio to Chromecast, which I will hook to the retro amplifier and hopefully would be able to remotely control the volume thru the TV's remote or thru Chromecast. Would the chromecast audio be beneficial in achieving my goal?

Thanks!

Ivan
 
Solution
I would like to combine the above comments.
1. Chromecast is useless in this application.
2. All the audio outputs of your TV are fixed level so you can't control it with the TV remote.
If your retro receiver has remote control then you would get a Logitech Harmony remote that would let you control both the TV and receiver (plus other av gear) with one remote. When the remote is set up online you designate the receiver as the system volume control.
If the retro receiver doesn't have remote control then you would need one of these
https://www.amazon.com/MCM-CUSTOM-50-8394-CONTROL-IR/dp/B01CX82KH2
if you look at the "frequently bought together" you will see a Harmony remote.
Jul 29, 2018
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What sort of converter could control the volume remotely? I have managed to find only one type of converter from digital (optical) to RCA, and it does not allow such control.

On the other hand, Chromecast likely can be controlled from a smartphone. The more important question is can the TV send audio wirelessly to Chromecast at all? Would anyone have any idea or better yet experience?
 
Jul 29, 2018
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I just noticed that I also have an HDMI (ARC) on the TV, which just learned could be get audio out from the TV, somehow. Not sure though, if I can use this somehow to make the sound from the TV to be played thru the retro amplifier? Would there be a converter from this HDMI (ARC) to RCA? Would the TV remote control the sound volume is such case?
 
Chromecast is Google-proprietary protocol, and is not universal. If your TV has Chrome browser, the sound from that bworser could be sent to Chromecast.

A universal remote like the Logitech' Harmony series could be programmed in such a way that all keys go to the TV, but volume control go to your receiver. As you have found out, optical audio from TV is not affected (Thanks, God) by TV' volume control.

HDMI / ARC needs supporting receiver or soundbar to operate properly. No cables / adapters.
 
Jul 29, 2018
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If I understand correctly, the Chromecast is not really a solution if only the sound from the browser could be transferred, but not the sound from the say Netflix app on the TV. The issue with the receiver is that it is quite old and it does not support any remote.

I did some reading on the HDMI (ARC) and it seems that the TV remote will not affect the sound volume thru the HDMI (ARC) either. But please correct me if I am wrong - I just found it in a single post.

The other thing I was wondering was whether a HDMI to RCA audio extractor would work for transfering audio from the TV to the receiver. Below is an example. Or should I go with a optical to RCA convertor? Which would be better assuming that neither option would give me remote control over the volume of the sound?
Thanks for your help so far!

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06VVTQY8D/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B06VVTQY8D&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_p=8388029361661241912&pf_rd_r=SWXACSTH78579ADBTHYT&pd_rd_wg=zcGYh&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=ytlxt&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=61852dc3-9398-11e8-a9b7-f9452d2c743a
 
I would like to combine the above comments.
1. Chromecast is useless in this application.
2. All the audio outputs of your TV are fixed level so you can't control it with the TV remote.
If your retro receiver has remote control then you would get a Logitech Harmony remote that would let you control both the TV and receiver (plus other av gear) with one remote. When the remote is set up online you designate the receiver as the system volume control.
If the retro receiver doesn't have remote control then you would need one of these
https://www.amazon.com/MCM-CUSTOM-50-8394-CONTROL-IR/dp/B01CX82KH2
if you look at the "frequently bought together" you will see a Harmony remote.
 
Solution
Jul 29, 2018
5
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Thanks a lot for your summary and recommended solutions. Big Help indeed. I suppose my only dilema at this point is which port to use to extract the digital audio from the TV and to transform it to analog - the optical port, or the HDMI (ARC).

I understand that the latter option could be tricky to make work, so I suppose the optical out is the better choice. Would you ave any recommendations for the gadget that would take the digital audio thru the an optical port and will transform it to analog audio to RCA ports. I found several similar looking boxes for the purpose on amazon (with only the printed brand being different):

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B075Q4QX3C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A3GES9IA7UE877&psc=1

Also should I expect loss of audio quality when using such a "digital to audio transformer".