How to setup 5.1 to soundbar with multiple devices? Xbox, PC

[KindDino]

Hello,

I recently updated my soundbar from 2.1 channels to a newer soundbar with 5.1 and I discovered that how I was doing my audio doesn't support 5.1. I'm now looking for a good solution to solve this problem.

Before, I had all my devices ( PC, Xbox, etc ) running audio/video via HDMI to the back of my TV, then the TV would send the audio off to the soundbar. This solution is nice as it means I don't have to worry about where the sound is coming from, where as now I have to make sure the soundbar source is set correctly.

But now, to support 5.1 on multiple devices, I'm stuck trying to figure out what I need to fix this. Currently, I have my Xbox doing Optical directly to the soundbar ( which seems to be 5.1 ), but I'm unsure how to hook my TV up to the soundbar directly too.

I was looking into HDMI decoders for audio as I've heard those are good for 5.1, but I'm not sure. And audio recievers seem like overkill for this job.

Can anyone direct me to something that would allow me to plug in multiple sources and make it easy to maintain? Thanks.



For reference, these are the two items I'm using.
Soundbar: VIZIO SB3851-C0 38-Inch 5.1 Channel Sound Bar
TV: Samsung UN46F5000

 

[americanaudiophile]

Check your TV audio menu to see if you can set it to output in surround sound. If so then connecting the optical out of the TV to the soundbar should work.
If it only outputs in 2 channel then you can add an HDMI audio switcher with audio extractor like this one
http/www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5557&kpid=105557&gclid=CPPY2sLnwcYCFYIXHwodhY0FTw
It will provide a direct optical out for the soundbar without going through the TV.

 

[KindDino]

Check your TV audio menu to see if you can set it to output in surround sound. If so then connecting the optical out of the TV to the soundbar should work.
If it only outputs in 2 channel then you can add an HDMI audio switcher with audio extractor like this one
http/www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5557&kpid=105557&gclid=CPPY2sLnwcYCFYIXHwodhY0FTw
It will provide a direct optical out for the soundbar without going through the TV.

Thanks! After reading the reviews and everything this seems like what I really need for this situation.