Running wire issue

Bluestraveler

I recently put up a Samsung 55" flatscreen and connected by HDMI which I ran through the wall since it was new construction. I discovered after the install, that the TV does not support 5.1 surround via the HDMI but will do so through an optical cable which of course I did not run. I did however run a cable line as well as cat 5 line through the wall during the build. I also ran speaker wire that connects to a Polk surroundbar 50. The cat 5 and cable line are obviously not in use. Can anyone suggest how I might be able to snake an optical line along the same route as I did through the wall somehow using the cat 5 or cable line as a roadmap so to speak?

gregzoll

There is no hd set that does pass-through 5.1. The only thing that should be going to the set is a hdmi that connects to a a/v switcher, or a/v receiver that does a/v switching capabilities.

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Ironlight

Just to clarify, the issue is that the Polk unit does not have HDMI but rather needs to connect to your LCD through either optical or mini-plug, correct? So you need a different wire to connect the Surroundbar to the set. Most HDTVs do in fact output a dolby digital bitstream for decoding into surround sound, so this is worth pursuing.

Depends on how the wire is routed through the wall. If it was tacked down hard (a big no no) and is not loose enough to pull through then you are SOL. If not you could use the HDMI cable as a fish but you'd probably need to sacrifice it by cutting the plug off to splice it to the optical cable. If you do not want to sacrifice the HDMI cable then consider an HDMI to optical converter:



http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI%201x1%...Converter.html

You will want to check what HDMI spec your TV supports. HDMI 1.1 does do 5.1 HD audio but HDMI 1.0 only supports two channels. If your LCD is not more than a couple of years old then it almost certainly supports 1.1 or later.

kmpittman

Duct tape the cord you want run through the wall to one that's already in there, pull the hdmi cord through that you don't need anymore with your new cord attached and you've got it