So I am interested in hooking up my MacBook to my HDTV so I can watch movies with it. I know for video I need to get a mini-DV to HDMI cable. That's easy. But what about audio? I would ideally like to have playback in surround sound. I have read that the headphone audio output also doubles as an optical output. Is this true? If so what cable can I buy and will it output surround sound from a DVD movie?
Yes, the audio port doubles as an optical in and output. You will need a optical cable from your macbook to your sound system to have surround sound/dolby digital, and when you play the dvd it should automatically convert the output to a digital signal. I have this setup on my iMac and Macbook. I have the logitech Z680 (now Z-5500), and when I play a DVD, the screen on the controller says 'digital'.
The cable you'll need is a optical audio cable 3.5mm (for the macbook) to a toslink (square shaped with two corners tapered). You can buy cables which are toslink to toslink that come with adaptors for 3.5mm jacks.
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