Setting up surround sound with HDMI or digital optical?

- Make sure the speakers are hooked/plugged to the receiver correctly.

- Make sure you configure your receiver correctly (put on A or AB I think, adjust hdmi settings, adjust other audio settings like volume, distance and what decoder to use ect).

- Make sure your playing a surround sound encoded audio file, then make sure your outputting that signal from your output device such as dvr, blu-ray, xbox.ect

- You already using the correct cable and cable setup = hdmi from output device to hdmi input on receiver, then hdmi output on receiver to hdmi input on tv. Make sure you configure the tv settings for video.

Real surround sound formats the receiver should be able to decode.

- DTS-HD Master Audio > Dolby TrueHD > DTS > Dolby Digital.

Fake surround sound formats the receiver should be able to decode.

- DTS:Neo 6 > Dolby Pro Logic II.

Other surround sound formats the receiver may be able to decode.

- DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:X, DTS-ES, DTS 70 mm, DTS Connect.

- Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital EX.

- Receiver may have special effect modes like jazz, gaming, matix.ect not really needed.

Remember the A, AB, B modes is useful if you want to use 2, 5.1 or 7.1 or no speakers.

- Should be able to do stereo or surround sound on 5 channel stereo decode mode.

For receiver audio:

- You need a hdmi cable if you have a 8 channels of audio=7.1 surround sound speaker system and you also want to use a hdmi cable if you have a receiver that supports the dolby-true-hd and dts-hd loseless surround sound formats (Supports higher bitrates/sample rates than s/pdif).

- S/pdif coaxial or s/pdif optical cable is only capable of doing up to 6 channels of audio=5.1 surround sound and only capable of doing up to the lossy compression formats such as dts or dolby digital (16, 20, 24 bit depths, 32.0k, 44.1k, 48.0k sample rates).

You have it connected correctly. But you have made a huge generalization saying all your sources are producing the same sounds from all speakers.

Your DVR - TV shows tend to NOT take full advantage of the 5.1 format. You have to use a modern film on a premium channel like Showtime or HBO before you get real 5.1.

You may also have to setup the xbox to output 5.1. It could be setup to output stereo/ProLogic.

So - test with a BluRay. Pop in either a good effect heavy movie either in DVD or bluray and ... turn OFF the TV!!

Sit and listen. Do the sound swirl around?

Look on the front panel of your AV Receiver. Does something light up about "DD" or "5.1" or does it say "Prologic"? Play with the receiver setup menu so it auto-detects 5.1.

Try the first scene in Toy Story 2 or the pod race scene in the star-wars. Or the lobby shoot out scene from The Matrix. Or the battle scene from The Avengers (some summer popcorn movie).

If things look right but you still think "all my speakers are producing the same sounds" - turn off your receiver and disconnect the front 3 speakers. Fire it back up so just the rear speakers are hooked in. Do you hear dialog from the rear speakers?

I suspect something may be mis-configured or your speakers are not all producing the same sound.

NOTE: Some AV Receivers have special effects like "Hall", Church, Jazz, etc. Make sure these are all turned off because these will do funny things with sounds to create a 'space' effect.

Connect the audio "out" on the TV to the audio "in" on your surround sound receiver if you only have standard RCA connections. Or, if you have optical cable connections, use the digital audio "out" on the TV to the receiver's digital "in". Then make sure you select the proper input on the receiver to access that audio input. Your HDMI cable carries both audio and video signals to the TV. You can "tap into" the audio via the optical out on the TV.

depending if it's a 7.1 or 5.1 the sound on the rear speaker is what it should be, a left over of the surrounding sound.

to get an even sound everywhere, use the settings on the receiver. You should study your receiver , it;s trying to talk to you :-)