Discussions

[WhiteRose]

Good evening all,

I recently got a Roku Streambar and would like to hook it up to play sound from other sources via my older Panasonic TX39a300b TV (I have an XBOX Series S, which doesn't have an optical out). The TV doesn't have an optical output, nor an ARC HDMI, only an SPDIF output. I bought an SPDIF to Optical converter box (shown in picture below) and put it in the middle of a coax and an optical cable but it doesn't work. Is there anything I might have done wrong before assuming it's a duff converter?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[dathead2]

Don’t take offense but you are plugging box in?  Are there any switches on side we can’t see?

can you see red light coming out of optical end of box when cable unplugged?

[WhiteRose]

It's a fair question. The box is powered by a USB plug, which is plugged in, and the optical cable shows a red light.

[dathead2]

The plug I see in picture looks like a ac/dc converter plug. I’d recommend using that instead of usb 5v power.  You may be getting an under voltage situation. 

[dathead2]

Does your tv have non arc hdmi output?  I have an hdmi / optical splitter I’m giving away that I know works 

[WhiteRose]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have a look to see if I have one to try. I was using the USB output on my TV with the cable supplied, so I've tried plugging the usb cable into a wall adapter to see if that helps but unfortunately not. 

[WhiteRose]

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@dathead2 wrote:

Does your tv have non arc hdmi output?  I have an hdmi / optical splitter I’m giving away that I know works 

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Yes, both hdmi outputs are non-arc. With such a splitter, do I understand well that the cable would come out of the Xbox, with the hdmi part going to the TV and the optical splitter bypassing the TV to the Roku bar?

[dathead2]

I’m surprised it didn’t come with an AC wall wart.  Just be sure to match one you buy with the volt/amp specs printed on unit.  

I would try above route before attempting to use the hdmi/optical splitter I referenced.    But yes point is that then changes route of things although I don’t completely understand your setup. 

you have tried diff hdmi and optical cables I presume?

[WhiteRose]

I'll try to hunt one down to see if it makes a difference. If the USB input was too weak, would the optical cable still light up red? 

Yeah, I've tried a couple of other cables too just to check.

[WhiteRose]

Hi, a little after the event but do you still have the splitter available?