Solved! How does connection type affect how the sound is processed in a 5.1 sound in home cinema system?

[EnDy_S]

Hello everyone,
I don't have any experience building home cinema systems, so I'm looking for some explanation in layman's terms. Not all of these questions will be applicable to my situation, but I want to get a clear picture of how this works nevertheless. I already have a few assumptions concerning the topic that I couldn't confirm. I'm looking to be corrected if I'm mistaken.

I have a new Samsung smart TV with a cheap Denon 5.1 AVR (connected with HDMI ARC), and upon researching I realised that newer Samsung TVs cannot process DTS sound anymore, so I'm looking for the easiest way to play those files.
-Does this mean that when I want to play a file that contains DTS sound the player has to be directly connected to the AVR and never the TV, so that the sound can be processed by the AVR, or is the TV capable of passing through the data to the AVR?
-I don't actually have a bluray player so, for the time being, I was thinking about playing such files using my tablet that can only connect to the TV through Samsung's remote access feature (via wifi direct). Will I be able to play DTS sound that way? I'm assuming it would be processed by the tablet's motherboard, and that should sort it out, right? Does data transfer through wifi direct affect sound quality to a noticeable extent?
-Another question I have on an unrelated note is: How does a 5.1 system play a video file that only contains 2.0 sound? Is it affected by connection in any way? Is there a way to mirror the sound to the rear speakers? Is there a merit in doing so in your opinion?

 

[americanaudiophile]

All processing is done in the receiver. Since the receiver does the sound there is no reason to pass audio through to the TV unless the receiver is off. Check the manual to see if yours' does that.
Lossless audio codecs require connection to the receiver with HDMI to work except for new TVs with eARC which will pass them to the receiver.
If the TV won't pass DTS to the receiver via ARC or optical then the source has to be connected to the receiver directly. You use wifi by connecting a Chromestick or Apple TV to the receiver.
Wifi should not affect the audio.
If the tablet supports MHL you could use a USB-HDMI converter/cable.
All receivers have different surround modes to synthesize 5.1 from 2.0 sources. The modes will often be labeled for the type of source they are optimized for but you can try all of the to find the one you like. Most receivers have an all speaker stereo mode that gets you sound from all the speakers all the time. It's not surround sound but some people like it.
If you leave the receiver on Dolby Digital it will go to Dolby PrologicII automatically when it receives 2.0.

 

[EnDy_S]

Thank you so much for your answer, it really did clear things up a lot!
I didn't think about connecting a Chromestick to the AVR, that should make a few things easier.