You’ve just finished setting up your new home theater system or gaming console. You’ve run the HDMI cable from your source to your TV for that crystal-clear video, but then you notice your soundbar or AV receiver also has an optical audio input. The cables are just sitting there, and a question pops into your head: what if I use both? Can you use HDMI and optical audio simultaneously to send audio to two different devices?
The short answer is, it depends, but it’s often not the straightforward solution you might hope for. The real question isn’t just about plugging in two cables; it’s about how your specific devices handle audio output and whether they are designed to allow this kind of dual-streaming. Understanding the interplay between these two popular digital audio formats is key to configuring your setup without frustration.
How Your TV and Devices Handle Audio Outputs
To grasp why using HDMI and optical audio at the same time can be tricky, you need to think like your TV or media player. Most devices are designed to output audio through one primary digital channel at a time. When you plug in an HDMI cable, it’s often treated as the default and preferred connection because it can carry both the highest quality video and audio signals together in one cable.
Your TV’s settings menu is the command center for this. You’ll typically find an audio output section where you can choose between options like “TV Speakers,” “HDMI ARC,” or “Optical/SPDIF.” The crucial thing to note is that these are often selection choices, not combination choices. Selecting “Optical” might automatically disable the audio being sent over HDMI, and vice-versa. This single-stream design is the biggest hurdle to a simultaneous setup.
Can You Use HDMI and Optical Audio Simultaneously?
So, let’s address the core question directly. In the vast majority of standard consumer setups, no, you cannot use the HDMI and optical audio outputs from the same source device to send independent audio streams at the same time. Your Blu-ray player, game console, or streaming stick will generally force you to choose one digital audio output path in its settings.
However, the story doesn’t end there. There are specific scenarios and equipment configurations where a form of simultaneous output can be achieved. This is less about the source device sending two streams and more about how the audio is routed through your TV. For instance, if your audio system is connected to your TV via HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) and you have a separate device connected to the TV’s optical port, the TV might be able to handle routing audio to both, though this is rare. The possibility truly hinges on the specific make and model of your gear and its firmware capabilities.
Practical Scenarios and Workarounds
While a true simultaneous output from one device is uncommon, people often want this for practical reasons. Maybe you want to listen through your high-quality soundbar while also sending audio to a pair of wireless headphones for late-night viewing. Or perhaps you want to feed audio to a recorder while still hearing it on your main system.
Here are a few workarounds that can help you achieve a similar result:
Leverage Your TV’s Outputs: Sometimes, the solution lies with your television. Connect your primary device (like a cable box) to your TV via HDMI. Then, connect your main sound system to the TV’s optical output. In the TV’s audio settings, set the output to “Optical” and disable the TV’s internal speakers. For the second audio device, like headphones, you would need to use a separate output on the TV, like a headphone jack or Bluetooth, if it supports concurrent output.
Use an Audio Splitter or Extractor: A more reliable method is to use external hardware. A dedicated HDMI audio extractor can take the HDMI signal from your source, strip off the audio, and output it simultaneously through different ports (like HDMI and optical/TOSLINK) without the source device ever knowing. This gives you direct control and is the most consistent way to create a dual audio output path.
Check High-End AV Receivers: Some sophisticated AV receivers have multiple output zones. You might be able to send audio from one source to the main room via HDMI and to a second zone using a different connection, like optical, but this is a feature of advanced systems, not a standard capability.
Why HDMI Often Takes Precedence
You might wonder why HDMI is usually the favored child in the digital audio family. The reason boils down to capability and convenience. HDMI supports modern, high-bandwidth audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which are found on Blu-ray discs and some streaming services. Optical audio, due to its older technology and lower bandwidth, cannot transmit these lossless formats; it’s limited to compressed 5.1 formats like Dolby Digital.
Furthermore, HDMI ARC and its newer sibling, eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), simplify setups by allowing your TV to send audio back to your soundbar or receiver over the same HDMI cable used for video. This bidirectional communication makes optical audio feel somewhat outdated for primary home theater use, though it remains a perfectly viable and reliable option for many systems.
Finding the Right Setup for Your Needs
Ultimately, the goal is to get the sound where you need it. Before buying new cables or equipment, take ten minutes to thoroughly explore the audio settings on your source device (game console, streaming box) and your TV. Look for any options labeled “audio passthrough,” “output mode,” or “digital audio out.” Test different configurations to see how the behavior changes.
If your goal is simply to have audio playing from two different sets of speakers at once, an audio splitter is your most straightforward and guaranteed solution. It bypasses the software limitations of your devices and gives you a hardware-level fix.
In summary, while most devices won’t natively let you use HDMI and optical audio outputs in tandem, all is not lost. With a clear understanding of your equipment’s limitations and a potential small investment in an audio extractor, you can often find a path to the audio setup you envision. The key is to manage expectations and focus on the routing possibilities that your specific hardware chain allows.