New TV

[DC_MC]

We added a new TV. our old one had 3 HDMI plugs and the new one is only 2. Can’t figure out a way to hook it up to surround sound. Do we need to return this TV and buy one with 3 hdmi or is there another way?

[Retired_JSO]

Gdetrailer wrote:

2oldman wrote:
Look for an optical output.

MANY newer TVs do not have a "optical" output, in fact many do not have ANY output what so ever, no physical jack, no wireless BT, not even a headphone jack.. In fact I have TWO 50" flat screen TVs that were given to me that fall into to no output group..

OP has never come back to the thread with a model number which would be far more helpful than a bunch of random guesses.

I suspect that is the reason they were gifts.

[2oldman]

Gdetrailer wrote:
MANY newer TVs do not have a "optical" output,

Fine. The ones I buy do. 2 others also said this.

[Gdetrailer]

2oldman wrote:
Look for an optical output.

MANY newer TVs do not have a "optical" output, in fact many do not have ANY output what so ever, no physical jack, no wireless BT, not even a headphone jack.. In fact I have TWO 50" flat screen TVs that were given to me that fall into to no output group..

OP has never come back to the thread with a model number which would be far more helpful than a bunch of random guesses.

[2oldman]

Look for an optical output.

[Gdetrailer]

DC&MC wrote:
We added a new TV. our old one had 3 HDMI plugs and the new one is only 2. Can’t figure out a way to hook it up to surround sound. Do we need to return this TV and buy one with 3 hdmi or is there another way?

Brand of TV?

Model number of TV?

Band and model of "surround system"?

Unless everyone is "clairvoyant" they have no information as to what you have and what it will take to get your setup to work..

Two HDMI jacks, I suspect it most likely does not have the HDMI-ARC which is a newer way of extracting audio out of the TV.. Not all "surround systems" will accept HDMI-ARC directly and may need an intermediate "Interface" that converts that to a different audio output that your surround may need..

Some TVs have optical digital audio outputs, some don't.

Very old TVs sometimes had analog audio on RCA jacks or stereo 1/8" headphone jacks.. Some had digital audio on coax..

Some TVs have ZERO audio output connections..

You could have a surround that takes RCA analog only, Optical digital input.. WE don't know.. To many possibilities to give a good answer without at least model numbers..

[wildtoad]

Read the documentation for the new TV for audio out capabilities AND the input options for the device you’re using for surround sound. My Vizio TV in our living room has an optical output that goes directly to the Vizio sound bar. It also has other audio out capabilities. The LG TV in the RV ONLY supports optical out for external audio. So it may just be a matter of a different cable.

[rlw999]

DC&MC wrote:
We added a new TV. our old one had 3 HDMI plugs and the new one is only 2. Can’t figure out a way to hook it up to surround sound. Do we need to return this TV and buy one with 3 hdmi or is there another way?

I believe that what you need to hook up your surround sound via HDMI is not just a regular HDMI port, but an "HDMI out port" (also called an ARC port). This is an output port that sends the audio to your surround sound system. So just having 3 (or more) HDMI ports doesn't guarantee that you can connect it this way.

Sometimes the sound system has an HDMI passthrough -- you can plug the HDMI device into the surround sound system and then it will have an HDMI out port that goes to the TV.

I've seen breakout boxes that you plug in between your HDMI source and the TV that will split out the audio signal as a digital output which you could plug into your sound system, but haven't seen any that split to an HDMI output. Or your TV may have a digital audio out port that you could plug into your surround sound system. But of course, those options require that your sound system support a separate audio connection.

[Lwiddis]

Try an adapter that plugs into one outlet and provides two or three outlets. Don’t buy the cheapest.