After a little checking on my own PS3, if you go over to System, then down to Audio Settings (or something like that) you should be able to select some kind of multi-output option, and also be able to select optical audio as the output method of choice. Between those two, I would think you could make it work.
Otherwise, a cheap alternative to a new receiver is a source selector. Adds a little complexity to the whole setup, but it lets you connect multiple devices to a single set of inputs. You can get these things for probably around $50 for a decent one. Compared to a new receiver, it's definitely a cheaper alternative, though not free.
Okay, I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this, and yes, I did lurk through the forums to see what everyone else thought, but given the sheer number of machines available, I just wanted to make sure.
So, we got the 120GB PS3, a Samsung plasma (full 1080p), and an old-*** JVC RX-6042 5.1 channel receiver (ie: no HDMI inputs). After endlessly fiddling around with the inputs with the most obvious solutions, I'm still not getting anything coming out of the rear channels.
A quick glance at the official website indicates that if we are using optical output, we should actually NOT be using HDMI output. From the website...
"Note: To utilize the DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) feature of the PlayStation 3 system, you should plug in the "Video" connectors only (yellow if using Composite AV Cables; red, green and blue if using Component AV Cables). You should also disconnect the Left and Right Audio (white and red) connectors that may be installed into your television/stereo. Every setup can vary depending upon the make and model of your equipment, so there may be exceptions to this. One such example would be when you may be using an RFU adapter to relay the video and sound information to the television."
This seems kinda, I dunno, stupid, which seems to suggest that I have to take a step back and use component cable (YCbpR or however you say it) in order to get 5.1. I even changed the BR/DVD audio settings to BitStream (recommended on this forum) and it's still not getting full surround.
So, the immediate option I'm seeing is stepping back from HDMI to component video and optical out, but I'm not really geeked about that one because I already have both component inputs occupied on the back of the TV (Wii and PVR, FYI). There`s also the more expensive option being dropping a couple hundred for a new receiver with HDMI inputs, which I`d really like to avoid.
Thoughts?

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