I have a Panasonic Viera Plasma TV with digital out and I'm wanting to be able to use the digital out from the tv to an external speaker system (amp or soundbar, etc.).I'm confused as to the type of connectors the tv and external speakers would take. I've heard terms of SPDIF and optical but the manual for both items I've researched aren't clear. I know the difference between optical coax and SPDIF. I want to make sure I get the right cable with the correct connectors w/o having to make that extra trip.Thanks everyone!!
SPDIF is a file format, not the name of the connector. The connectors are coaxial(RCA style)) or optical(fiber optic) both digital connections use the SPDIF format to transfer the digital audio stream. Most soundbars and receivers lately are coming with optical inputs, some with both. The Panasonic plasmas have 1 optical output. Find a soundbar(should be easy) with optical inputs. If you have cable or satellite, use the optical output from that box instead of the TV because it will be a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. TVs only output Dolby Digital 2.0 which is stereo only. Either way, you want to buy an optical audio cable. Hope that helps.
