Modern TV sound options very poor!

[Reece]

I recently purchased a new Samsung 50" wide tv, I have the following units that plug into it:
DVD player
Blu-ray player (I can use this for DVD's but prefer to use the old player - less wear n tear)
HD HDD recorder.
Each of the audio outs goes to the surround sound system only this is fiddly switching between the various units and have run out of spare inputs since I have a CD player and turntable plugged into it to be able to use the HDD recorder. Another problem is the fact that the sound on the Blu-ray player sometimes seems to lose half it's sound effects, I then have to switch back to the TV sound to finish the movie!! This only happens on some movies.
Now I noticed on the back of the TV an optical audio out for surround sound, so I thought that all I will need to do is plug this into the sound processor that way it wouldn't matter what unit I used it would come out here, problem solved!! Think again!! what comes out is TV only, if I listen to a Blu-ray etc that still comes out the TV!! What a load of crap!!
What a lousy design!!
I suppose I could use the headphones but that probably wouldn't have surround sound!! plus you would have to keep plugging and unplugging the cable.
Any ideas welcome.

[HunterICX]

first of all, odd that a Blu Ray suddently stops playing half the sound never heard that issue before.

anyway, when you have plugged the sound system in the back of the TV isn't there perhaps a switch or setting in the TV's Menu to turn it on?

HunterICX

[Gerald]

The problem with Blu Ray, I have not heard before, can you connect an external amplifier, so that the quality improved in all cases

[Reece]

The Blu-ray problem is weird, this happens if I have a HDMI cable to the TV and Audio out from the player to the main amplifier, if you turn the volume up on both you get an echo effect but funny that half the sound (mainly speech) stops on the amplifier but plays ok on the TV.

when you have plugged the sound system in the back of the TV isn't there perhaps a switch or setting in the TV's Menu to turn it on?

No switch, certainly when the amplifier is plugged into the back of the TV it plays the TV's sound and other units that plug into the TV plays the sound out of the TV but not out of the amplifier that is plugged into the back of the TV!
I will look to see if there is anything in the menu but I don't ever recall seeing anything remotely to do with this in the past!

[longam]

Originally Posted by Reece

The Blu-ray problem is weird, this happens if I have a HDMI cable to the TV and Audio out from the player to the main amplifier, if you turn the volume up on both you get an echo effect but funny that half the sound (mainly speech) stops on the amplifier but plays ok on the TV.
No switch, certainly when the amplifier is plugged into the back of the TV it plays the TV's sound and other units that plug into the TV plays the sound out of the TV but not out of the amplifier that is plugged into the back of the TV!
I will look to see if there is anything in the menu but I don't ever recall seeing anything remotely to do with this in the past!

That's basically what I do, just use the TV as a hub and run a single out to the external amp, no more swapping what I want to listen to. I did have to disable the TV speakers and enable the output, but they were crap anyway.

[Reece]

Originally Posted by longam

That's basically what I do, just use the TV as a hub and run a single out to the external amp, no more swapping what I want to listen to. I did have to disable the TV speakers and enable the output, but they were crap anyway.

In the manual there is part of the menu selection as follows:

Speaker Select (External Speaker / TV Speaker)
A sound echo may occur due to a difference in decoding
speed between the main speaker and the audio receiver. In
this case, set the TV to External Speaker.
When Speaker Select is set to External Speaker, the
volume and MUTE buttons will not operate and the
sound settings will be limited.

So you might be right Wim, though I haven't worked out how to get to this yet but when I do I will give it a try, you need a pilots license to operate this!