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Getting surround sound from 4k devices to 1080p receiver?

Kawaii Koneko
By Kawaii Koneko
in Home Theater Equipment
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Well, I finally bought a 4k HDTV, a Sony X900E. With the XBox One X right around the corner, I just couldn't hold off any longer. Unfortunately, I don't have a 4k surround receiver.  I currently have a Denon AVR-3808CI which is only a 1080p receiver. Between the TV, the mount, and the upcoming XBox One X, I just dropped over $2k USD. So I'd rather not buy a new surround receiver right now.

 

However, I just can't live without my surround sound. I know I could use the the optical out on the XBox One X but then I wouldn't get HD audio. So it seems like I'm going to need some kind of HDMI audio extractor so I can run the audio over HDMI to my receiver and bypass the receiver for the video. So in addition to that, I'll also need a 4k splitter. I would very much prefer a splitter that strips the HDCP for game capture purposes. This isn't that important though. If the price gets too high, I'll hold off on something that can strip the HDCP as I don't currently have a 4k capture device anyway. 3D support is not at all required, HDR is support is required, and of course, it needs to be able to handle HD audio.

 

The thing is, I'm really not sure what to get. As this will only be temporary until I'm ready to upgrade my receiver, I really don't want to spend that much.

 

Here is what I'm considering:

Splitter:

ViewHD VHD-4k1X4: This is a bit overkill in terms of outputs however, based on the comments, it does strip HDCP. I currently have a VHD-1X2MN3d which I use for my 1080p game capture and it works great so I have experience with ViewHD and it is good. At just a little over $30 USD, it's priced reasonably. I'm not sure if it supports HDR though.

https://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-Splitter-Programmable-Settings-Outputs/dp/B01L0R639I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509555701&sr=8-1&keywords=viewhd+4k+splitter

 

This one is dead cheap and is a number one seller on Amazon. I'm not sure if this can strip HDCP but it does support HDR.

https://www.amazon.com/Bi-direction-Manual-Switch-Passthrough-Supports-DotStone/dp/B01L8LLP2G/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1509556100&sr=8-10&keywords=4k+splitter

 

Audio extractor:

This seems to support both DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD and is reasonably priced at $50 USD.

https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Extractor-Converter-Bandwidth/dp/B074HHSJVN/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1509556678&sr=1-3&keywords=4k+audio+extractor&dpID=41jtTlo-OAL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

This one is a little cheaper at $30 USD. 

https://www.amazon.com/AV-Access-Extractor-Converter-Amplifier/dp/B01IHBG458/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1509556678&sr=1-4&keywords=4k+audio+extractor&dpID=41YxmsSGUAL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

What do you guys think? Would you recommend any of these or do you have any other suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance!

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2 minutes ago, Kawaii Koneko said:

That is a 1080p splitter, not 4k. Like I mentioned in my post, I actually own that very splitter. I use it for 1080p and under game capture.

Sorry, didn't get :) 

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If anyone could chime in, I would REALLY appreciate it. The X comes out in five days so I need to get this stuff ordered fast.

 

Sorry, didn't get :) 

That's okay bro. :)

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Well, I guess I failed to read properly when I was selecting a device to help me with my audio issue. None of the devices I linked to will actually pass audio over HDMI by itself. Those devices just split the audio and send it over the TOSLINK or S/PDIF.

 

It turns out there is a device that will do what I want but it is pretty pricey. It is called the AVR Key. https://www.hdfury.com/product/avr-key/

 

It is pretty pricey at $150 USD but I really don't have much of a choice. It will take the HDMI signal and split it. One signal will carry the video and one will carry the audio. So now one will go to my TV and one to my receiver. I had to pay for 3 day shipping to get it in time for the X so the total cost was like $173. Ouch. Fortunately, this allowed me to delete the 4k splitter from my setup, at least until I'm ready to start recording 4k gameplay.

 

$173 to solve my problem sucks but my receiver, a Denon 3808CI, retailed for $1,700 USD. When I buy a new 4k receiver, I need something comparable to what I have now and after dropping $2k between my TV, the X, and all the misc hardware and cables needed, I'm not ready to drop that much money on a receiver lol.

 

Thanks for the help though. Hopefully this thread will help someone else in a similar situation.

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