sound with HD cable

[billw]

What type of audio cable does Comcast provide for its sound?
I have an HD installation scheduled for Friday and I am curious if they provide a toslink cable?

[Classic57]

Bill, they use only a pair of RCA cables to your set. The STB does have a digital audio output but Comcast did not provide the cable.

[billw]

only the best from Comcast!

[57U]

I'm not sure if they use the SA or Motorola boxes. The SA uses a "coax" digital cable which is nothing more than an RCA cable that you can buy for $10. The Toslink cable may set you back $20...

[BigJohn]

They use a fat cable bundle that includes all three component video signals and a left and right audio signal. It's all you need most of the time. The box (Moto 5100) has an optical out if you want to use it.

I have the L/R audio going to my TV, but it's only being used when I have the TV on the DTV input from the cable box. 80% of the time you'll be listening to the sound that comes from the RF (coax) on your normal cable antenna. I'm sure you have read that non-HD content viewed through the DTV input on your TV just doesn't look right. If you want 5.1 sound off a channel that offers it, hook up a toslink to your receiver and listen that way. There are never enough of those channels.


Only the best from Comcast? Jezus, bill, I would rather control the quality of cables in my home theater than them. It would be, I suppose, more ideal for Comcast to give us the option of the type of audio hookup at the install, but they might just charge you double the going rate for the cable, or worse, hit you with a monthly fee for it.

[HiD-ho]

I’m not sure about the various cables, but Comcast in Detroit/Sterling Heights uses a Motorola STB. The cable uses the prpby hook-up if that helps.:confused:

[billw]

What is DTV input?