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Bought this because for some reason Panasonic decided to not put any other audio out beside Digital Optical, and this probably would have been ok for my main tv but since this was going in my den, I needed RCA out. After being burned and buying one that did not work when a Digital Optical output is 5.1 this took care of it and works great! The only thing that bothers me is that its on all the time, so im worried about longevity. I guess I could put a timer on the outlet and have it auto shut off at night. I try to remember to unplug but usually forget. If you have a panasonic or any other tv with 5.1 optical out then this should work.
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As noted by others, Panasonic NOT having audio out for use in older stereo (two channel only) systems is a bother. I had looked a couple of times for digital-analog converters, but hadn't found one that suited 'til I found this. Other converters either worked only with PCM (my Panasonic output is 5.1), they converted digital 5.1 to analog 5.1, or they cost more than I preferred to spend.The one downside to the unit is the headphone output. It's noisy...hums. It is from the unit, as I hear it even with the TV off The noise is not heard through my stereo. IF the primary use in my case was to be the use of that output, I would likely return it.
A note that may apply to others' source, not this adapter: My Panasonic has a FIXED optical output. With non-powered headphones (powered headphones likey have their own volume control), that could likely be a problem. Some TVs have a setup change that allows volume control..not mine.
The included power supply is rated at 1.0A, 5VDC. That made me curious about the available USB power input due to USB jacks being limited to 500ma of 5VDC power. Using the USB jack for power works fine, though. Unlikely the unit would need more than 1/2 an amp, but knowing it works beats wondering about it. Using the USB power input from my BD player means the converter is not 'on' all the time, as it would be if I used the included AC power adapter.
Glad I found this converter. Now, all it has to do is work flawlessly for years!
**edit** 1-30-13
Well, THAT didn't happen.
Unit has continuing fades in the left channel..then there is a bit of a 'click' and the level comes back.
Changing from my DVD player as a source to the TV, the unit SCREAMS a very loud racket...sounds like a burglar alarm or something.
From time to time, the output simply disappears. No sound. A change of channel (if watching TV) brings it back.
All of the above have occurred with both the AC adapter and the USB input for power, and using both the DVD player and the TV for audio source.
I don't know that it's worth sending it back for another. The sorts of problems it has seems more likely to be design/chip errors and would probably be present in another unit.I decided to purchased this converter after going through quite a bit of researching a few others. I must say, i am very pleased with the decision i made. I was expecting some humming and or nothing close to what this little device was able to put out based on some of the reviews i had read in general about this type of product. The sound is immaculate with no humming or distortion what-so-ever. I mean, i am blown away and will absolutely recommend this converter to anyone out there looking for a solution like this. This is my first review ever, and i decided i would share my experience with everyone else from the first day i plugged it in. I've had it for about a month now and its flawless. If you have any issues with this product, i will suggest you take a second look at the receiver/speakers you are connecting to or you probably received a defective one. I'm converting from my LG7600 tv that only comes with the Optical SPDIF audio out.ViewHD Converter was plug and play as advertised allowed me to hook up my wireless Sony headphones to an LG TV that only has an optical output am very happy with this Converter also arrived very quickly. I ordered a MediaBridge 6ft optical cable to go with it. Both products and delivery get a five star.I had a specific use case for this device and it fit the bill perfectly. I wanted to extend the life of my older Denon AVR-4800 receiver after getting a deal on a DVDO Edge Green and used that device as my A/V hub instead of the Denon. I have a Toslink cable from the DVDO to the Denon.
However, as part of my transition to an all-digital system and the old receiver's inability to do a digital-to-analogue rec-out I lost the use of my Sennheiser wireless headphones. At best I had a Toslink rec-out that I could use to drive a digital->analog converter.
I had found a multitude of digital->analog adapters but most did PCM only, or had other show-stopper problems.
The feedback of the GefenTV GTV-DD-2-AA Digital Audio Decoder made it clear that device wouldn't work for me. I only had an optical-out available so a device that required a physical button push to switch from co-ax back to optical after a power cycle was not acceptable.
A PCM-only device wouldn't work either because I was using digital audio pass-through all the way to the receiver. The device was going to be receiving a PCM, DD or DTS bit-stream at any given moment, because I needed the receiver to be able to decode DD and DTS.
As for this reviewed device, it is unremarkable in its simplicity and the "it just works" factor.
Pros:
* It has a physical switch to select the input (vs an electronic push-button on the Genfen). It doesn't forget its source on a power cycle.
* Small form factor.
Cons (minor, but they're all I can think of):
* It is a warm to touch, but far from hot.
* The shell gives perception of being thin but it is probably my imagination. I almost want it to have a metal case.
* Bright white you'll definitely want a place to hide it in an dark or black AV system.
I have not heard any noticeable clicks or noise when switching between PCM or Dolby-D or DTS audio modes but keep in mind that it is downstream from both a DVDO processor AND a Denon receiver.
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