Need help: HDMI or Digital Coaxial for Blu-ray and/or DVD?

[Rango]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question?

I'm wondering why I've got a Digital Coaxial socket on my player alongside both the standard HDMI socket and a dedicated "audio only" HDMI socket, and whether Digital Coaxial carries a better quality audio signal than HDMI?

Should I favor Digital Coaxial over HDMI...?...or maybe I should be using the dedicated Audio HDMI socket?

I read the manual for my disc player but it doesn't say anything about sound quality...?...it seems to suggest digital coaxial is there for receivers without HDMI sockets and that the dedicated Audio HDMI socket can be used to run the audio to a receiver while the video can be run directly to a screen via the main HDMI socket...

...is there any difference in sound quality between these sockets...?...or is it purely to allow for different hardware configurations?

I'm reading my Onkyo receiver manual to try and get a better understanding of this stuff but it's not really helping...?...

The HDMI socket description says: "HDMI connections can carry digital video and audio"

...and for Coaxial digital audio, it says: "Coaxial digital connections allow you to enjoy digital sound such as PCM, Dolby Digital or DTS".

...but I thought HDMI did that too?

If someone could help clarify this stuff for me it would be really helpful.

[Edit]
My receiver manual also states:

"Available sampling rate for PCM input signal is 32/44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz. In case of an HDMI connection, 176.4/192 kHz is also
available."

Not sure which is better?

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

"Available sampling rate for PCM input signal is 32/44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz. In case of an HDMI connection, 176.4/192 kHz is also
available."

That part right there. Use HDMI. HDMI is fully able to pass through Dolby and DTS digital streams, as well as uncompressed streams that coax/optical can't handle.

 

[Rango]

That part right there. Use HDMI. HDMI is fully able to pass through Dolby and DTS digital streams, as well as uncompressed streams that coax/optical can't handle.

Brilliant thanks, that saves me a lot of reading; the complexities involved in trying to switch my receiver to digital coax has set me to reading its manual cover to cover.


...I'm basically new to this stuff (I bought my rig in 2019 but it's been in storage until just recently).

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

Brilliant thanks, that saves me a lot of reading; the complexities involved in trying to switch my receiver to digital coax has set me to reading its manual cover to cover.


...I'm new to this stuff: I bought my rig in 2019 but it's been in storage until just recently.

NP, there's a definite learning curve to this stuff, you're going to have plenty of questions for sure.

I spent the last two months trying to find hardware that *isn't* a Windows PC that would play back 5.1 channel PCM FLAC files from my Plex server correctly. Finally my better half told me to try a Chromecast we haven't used in over a year along with the Plex mobile app. Of course, it worked instantly.

 

[Rango]

NP, there's a definite learning curve to this stuff, you're going to have plenty of questions for sure.

I spent the last two months trying to find hardware that *isn't* a Windows PC that would play back 5.1 channel PCM FLAC files from my Plex server correctly. Finally my better half told me to try a Chromecast we haven't used in over a year along with the Plex mobile app. Of course, it worked instantly.

Thanks, I think that might be advice I can use...?

...I've not been able to get a 5.1 of Smells Like Teen Spirit to play from a USB via my Blu-Ray player...?...and was going to dig out a brix-mini-PC to make into a dedicated server.

Also, I bought some discs from surround-musik.de that my Sony UBP-X800 just doesn't recognise.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

Thanks, I think that might be advice I can use...?

...I've not been able to get a 5.1 of Smells Like Teen Spirit to play from a USB via my Blu-Ray player...?...and was going to dig out a brix-mini-PC to make into a dedicated server.

Also, I bought some discs from surround-musik.de that my Sony UBP-X800 just doesn't recognise.

When in doubt, bust out a Windows laptop hooked to your receiver via HDMI. Foobar2000 can play absolutely any audio format you throw at it. USB audio file playback on Blu-Ray players is spotty at best in my experience. I just the other day tried .ac3, .dts, and .flac files on both USB and on burned discs in my parents' Samsung Blu-Ray player and it wouldn't play back a single one of the six. They're the ones who'll be getting the Chromecast now.

 

[Rango]

When in doubt, bust out a Windows laptop hooked to your receiver via HDMI. Foobar2000 can play absolutely any audio format you throw at it. USB audio file playback on Blu-Ray players is spotty at best in my experience. I just the other day tried .ac3, .dts, and .flac files on both USB and on burned discs in my parents' Samsung Blu-Ray player and it wouldn't play back a single one of the six. They're the ones who'll be getting the Chromecast now.

Thanks, that's brilliant; I've actually got a spare laptop laying around; I'll re-purpose that. :0)

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

Thanks, that's brilliant; I've actually got a spare laptop laying around; I'll re-purpose that. :0)

Lemme know if you need any configuration help!

 

[Rango]

Lemme know if you need any configuration help!

Thanks, that would be fantastic!

It won't be tonight but defo might need some help. :0)

Hopefully be able to get to it tomorrow.