[mythtv-users] Digital Pass-through Using HDMI

[Joseph Fry]

>> I helped my son set up a new MythTV setup for his new home (yes, he
>> finally moved out, but no, he didn't want to leave the MythTV scene!).
>> Figured the easiest solution was to use MythBuntu.  The setup was pretty
>> straightforward (as much as any piece of this project can be :) ).  The one
>> piece we cannot solve is the sound.  He has a Logitech 5.1 system with
>> digital coax.  Unfortunately, his MB only has analog output :(.  However,
>> his new 60" Panasonic plasma TV has audio pass-through :) .  When we try to
>> test the audio through the MythTV audio setup (he is running current 0.27)
>> we cannot get anything to "pass-through" except 2 channel stereo.  There are
>> other choices that include 5.1 but we get "No digital signal" from the
>> Logitech controller.  Has anyone else tried this or have any ideas beside
>> buying a sound card?

> Common problem, with probably no solution.  The TV itself only has two
> speakers, so it reports two channels as the maximum it can handle.  HDMI
> will not transmit more audio channels than the device it is attached to can
> handle...  At least that was the situation when I looked into a similar
> problem a couple of years ago.

I have a $200 42" Emerson black Friday Walmart special from 3 years
ago that has HDMI audio pass through... works great!  I just have to
go into the TV menus and tell it to pass through "surround sound"
rather than "PCM" and it passes the entire encoded signal (even DTS
HD, which the TV doesn't decode at all).