My smart TV feels like it has more ports than I know what to do with, and that’s actually true. I have a USB port that many people say is underrated, but mine largely collects dust. There are a few ports on my TV that do that. If it isn’t an HDMI port, it’s not getting a lot of use on my TV. However, that doesn’t mean these ports don’t have value.
Let’s take a look at your digital audio out port for a second. I’ve written about how it doesn’t mean a lot to me, but there are still situations where it makes sense to use it. Since I have an HDMI receiver, I don’t get a lot of mileage from it, but your situation might not be the same as mine. If you have older equipment lying around, the digital audio out port has a lot of value, in fact. It’s not going to give you the best experience in the world, but for many people, it’ll be enough. The digital audio out port has lost a lot of value over the years, largely due to HDMI, but it’s still hanging on to life.
Your old equipment might not have a choice
Older receiver, no problem
I didn’t start taking my audio seriously until well into the HDMI era, so I’m lucky enough to have something that connects to modern TV ports. This is great for me since I don’t have to worry about my TV lacking compatibility, and it lets me use my eARC port for the best sound quality I can get. I’m a big fan of Dolby Atmos, and I have a proper setup for it in my living room, so having all this is all I can ask for.
If you have older equipment that doesn’t support HDMI that you still want to use, it probably means you don’t care too much about modern formats like Atmos. The digital audio out port isn’t capable of Atmos anyway, so you don’t even have to worry about that. What it can do is still give a great surround sound experience. While many movies and TV shows come with Atmos mixes these days, that doesn’t mean they don’t sound great in a different format. I’d still take regular 5.1 surround sound over not having it.
It’s not going to give you the best experience in the world, but for many people, it’ll be enough.
The nice thing about audio equipment is that even if it doesn’t support newer formats, it’s still worth using. My dad is still using a receiver that is decades old, and it still works as good as new. Yes, it lacks a lot of selling points you see from today’s receivers, but that doesn’t mean it’s meant to be thrown in the trash.
You don’t need the modern formats
Atmos isn’t completely necessary
As I just touched on, Dolby Atmos isn’t possible through the digital audio out port. What you might not realize is Atmos isn’t the only thing excluded. Other formats such as DTS:X and even Dolby Digital Plus aren’t supported. I don’t think I’d be willing to make those cuts, but other people have differing opinions. If those formats aren’t appealing, then there’s really no reason to upgrade your old equipment.
Atmos isn’t the be-all-end-all of audio formats. There’s a whole world outside of it.
If your TV has this audio port, then go ahead and get your receiver plugged in and start enjoying your movies and shows. It’s never going to be enough to give you the best sounding audio, but if that’s not what you’re going for, then there’s nothing wrong. You’d probably have to upgrade your equipment if you’re considering using this port anyway. Audio equipment can last a long time if you take care of it, so I think this is still an excellent way to give your gear some more longevity.
Give your spare TV some more life
Your TV needs some love too
Believe it or not, I have three receivers plugged in currently, and they all meet different needs. My living room receiver is where I have my Dolby Atmos setup, and that’s where my most modern one is. In my back room, I have a record player plugged into a stereo receiver and a pair of old bookshelf speakers. I paid about $40 on eBay. These serve their purpose well, although I admit that I’m just using the receiver for the Phono port.
My third receiver is something I picked up from Goodwill for $15, a steal no matter how you slice it. I have this receiver plugged into a TV I have in my spare bedroom alongside a pair of bookshelf speakers. It’s an HDMI receiver, so it’s plugged into my TV’s eARC slot. However, this is a scenario where I wouldn’t mind using the digital audio out port since I only have a stereo setup with no immediate plans to go further than that. Since I just have a stereo setup, Atmos and many of the other audio formats are out of the question. Any receiver would work here, honestly, and I think the digital audio out port would be just fine.
