How to get sound from a HTIB to TV via Optical Cable?

[dru_tom]

I have a 5.1 home theater in a box connected to a TV via RCA (red & white) and strictly use the HTIB for audio. I have other components connected via HDMI to TV (DirecTV, Roku, PS3) and I get sound through the 5.1 speakers no problem. I just bought an optical cable to replace the old analog RCA connection from the HTIB receiver to the TV and after changing the receiver input to D-IN and without changing anything else, I have no sound. I then went through the receiver settings and it's already set to HTIB speakers, not TV speakers (makes sense as it worked before). I then went into the TV audio settings and there's not much there to change (PCM or Dolby Digital) and Fixed or Variable. I tested each component to see if it was just one, but none of them provide sound thru optical. I then tried getting sound from the 5.1 via HDMI from receiver to TV with no luck. The optical cable is brand new and yes I removed both clear caps. I can see a solid red light from either end of the cable and the connections are good. It seems RCA is the only way to get sound from my 5.1 unless I'm missing something. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Here is my equipment:
Video: Sharp LC-60LE600U 60" HDTV
Audio: Samsung HT-5500W receiver with 5.1 Surround
Components: DirecTV Genie via HDMI, Roku Premiere+ via HDMI, PS3 via HDMI

 

[americanaudiophile]

The optical output has been turned on in the TV menu? The fixed and variable may only apply to the analog audio output.
The TV should be set to output Dolby Digital. You may need to turn the TV speakers off too,
You can try connecting the optical cable directly to the DTV Genie. Make sure that it's set correctly in the audio menu. That will tell you if the problem is the TV or HTS.

 

[dru_tom]

The TV's menu is terrible and the audio settings are very minimal. I don't think there's an option to turn the optical output on or off. The only audio settings I've found in the TV's audio menu is to choose between PCM or Dolby Digital and then another part allows to choose Variable or Fixed.

What if I was to go all HDMI and connect DirecTV and Roku to receiver's HDMI IN, then go from HDMI OUT on receiver to HDMI IN to the TV? Basically doing a pass-through with the receiver. Would this work or does the TV have to have an ARC-ready HDMI port? Also, if I do this scenario, would I still need to connect optical from TV back to receiver to get 5.1 surround? Thanks.