# Newbie questions



## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

Thinking of getting a bolt to start the path to "cutting the cord". Gonna take baby steps and use the Bolt for OTA exclusively and TWC's dvr (Samsung smt-h3090) for cable channels. Id like to get things up & running & get my better half's buy in as to what goes away without the twc cable tv subscription. 
My system is pretty basic but I like to get all my ducks in a row before I tackle anything. 
Here's what I have currently:
TWC SMT-H3090 (DVR) connected to the Cable/Sat hdmi port on a Denon AVR-X2100W then from the Denon AVR-X2100W ARC hdmi out to the hdmi ARC connection (hdmi2) on my Samsung UN40ES6100 tv. I also have a Sony BDP-S550 (blu ray) hdmi out connected to the Denon AVR-X2100W's Blu-ray hdmi port. All hdmi cables are Audioquest Pearl. I also have an optical audio cable from the TV (optical audio out) to the Denon AVR optical audio input because I have trouble getting sound to play when using the Samsung UN40ES6100 smart hub Netflix and Amazon apps (no 5.1). All of this is controlled using a Logitech Harmony 900 remote control using rf (tv & components are in different rooms) 

Everything works now (kind of, don't get 5.1 sound for Netflix and Amazon) but I can no longer update the Harmony 900 on my windows 10 pc (usb connection not recognized. PC sees as network adapter RemoteControl USB LAN LINK and remote control never acknowledges usb connection at all) 

Now for my baby steps plan:
I have an Antennas Direct Clearstream 2V installed and signal reception tested good when connected to the tv coax input (baby step#1)
I have a Harmony Elite remote control being delivered today and will be delving in setting it up to control all as it was with the previous Harmony 900 (baby step #2). 
I then want to initially set up harmony activities to integrate a Tivo bolt for OTA viewing AND Netflix /Amazon viewing while still using the TWC Samsung SMT-H3090 dvr for cable TV viewing (gotta get the wife's approval to ditch or not). 

Now for the newbie questions:
1). Can I just use any open hdmi port on the denon AVR to connect the Bolt hdmi output, connect my ota antenna to the Bolt and veiw ota channels and utilize netflix /amazon streaming? 
2). Will i get 5.1 sound from the Bolt thru the avr?

Sorry if this all seems simple I've never had any Tivo's, I'd like to cut the cable and I'd like to get 5.1 sound for OTA, Netflix and Amazon. 

Thanks 
Rob


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## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

Sorry I left out ill be networking to my Linksys WRT1900AC Wireless router (can use cat6 to open port or wireless 2.4 or 5ghz)


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Rob772 said:


> Sorry if this all seems simple I've never had any Tivo's, I'd like to cut the cable and I'd like to get 5.1 sound for OTA, Netflix and Amazon.
> 
> Thanks
> Rob


Sorry I can't answer most of those questions because I don't have your hardware. I can tell you that most of Amazon audio is DD+. Most of TV is just DD 5.1 or DD 2.0. You're OTA or you could get CNN which is DD EX. The TiVo optical output is the same as the HDMI.

My TiVo boxes feed a Yamaha AVR and if the content is DD 5.1, the AVR has no problem with it. I can also select the TiVo's optical port for testing.


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## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

JoeKustra said:


> Sorry I can't answer most of those questions because I don't have your hardware. I can tell you that most of Amazon audio is DD+. Most of TV is just DD 5.1 or DD 2.0. You're OTA or you could get CNN which is DD EX. The TiVo optical output is the same as the HDMI.
> 
> My TiVo boxes feed a Yamaha AVR and if the content is DD 5.1, the AVR has no problem with it. I can also select the TiVo's optical port for testing.


Thanks, I've been getting PLC II when I use now. Thought ARC hdmi would feed DD back to the AVR but can't get it to provide sound to anything but the center speaker


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Rob772 said:


> Thanks, I've been getting PLC II when I use now. Thought ARC hdmi would feed DD back to the AVR but can't get it to provide sound to anything but the center speaker


I have all CEC/HDMI Control and ARC disabled. The ARC might be a factor on the port used on your TV and/or the AVR.


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## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

The Netflix and Amazon source(s) now is the app on the Samsung UN40ES6100 smart tv so the sound comes from the tv to the denon hence my attempts to use the audio return channel (arc) hdmi connection on both the tv and avr. When that didn't work I added the optical audio cable between the tv & avr but still don't get the sound to be Dolby Digital of any flavor


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Rob772 said:


> The Netflix and Amazon source(s) now is the app on the Samsung UN40ES6100 smart tv so the sound comes from the tv to the denon hence my attempts to use the audio return channel (arc) hdmi connection on both the tv and avr. When that didn't work I added the optical audio cable between the tv & avr but still don't get the sound to be Dolby Digital of any flavor


I would move that optical cable from the TV out to the Bolt out. See if that gets you DD 5.1 and if it does, you may need to decide how important ARC is for your setup. If it was a Sony TV I would feel confident that it will put out DD 5.1 from an HDMI input. I'm not up on Samsung, but older sets did not and converted it to 2ch stereo.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Typically ARC from other inputs is stereo. Use that for smart TV apps and TV's own tuner only. Run optical or HDMI directly from the Tivo to your AVR if you want surround. So the answer to question 2 is yes.

For question 1, you also must connect the Bolt to the internet for streaming (and guide data) via wifi or wired. But I assume you've already done that.


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## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

Got the Bolt installed on my system (hooked it to the AVR DVD hdmi port) and left the arc hdmi between avr & tv. Everything works! Using the Tivo netflix & Amazon apps (instead of the smart tv ones) gets me Dolby Digital sound (a +). My better half is happy and the new universal remote (harmony elite) is a better solution than multiple remotes I'd have to use because my Harmony 900 remote wouldn't connect to update with Windows 10. Now I just need to let my wife drive deciding if OTA, Netflix & Amazon will suffice or does TWC cable package we have now offer channels we still like to view. Don't know if a cable card / tuner is in our future. I notice the improved picture quality the Clearstream 2V has but not sure my wife is as discerning.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

You will have to compare the price of OTA only ($0) against what you will pay for internet if you drop TV. If you go cable card & TA, there is extra aggravation (maybe).


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## Rob772 (Jan 3, 2016)

I've been a TWC "customer" for >10years so I'm not on any of their promotional deals for new customers on the standard internet. I pay $60 vs new customers $20


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