VPFET HDMI Audio Extractor 4K HDMI to Optical 3.5mm AUX Audio Adapter Splitter Converter Support HDCP Digital DTS 5.1 PCM

AppleTv, Old Tv meets Soundbar!!
Old tv + new sound bar was a challenge! Hooked this little sound amplifier (which I lovingly call “gizmo”) up to the soundbar using an 3.5mm av cord (not included) and HDMI (1x included) to the AppleTV (which hooked up to a second HDMI to the tv) and it worked absolutely perfectly!! Literally took me 5 min to install. Had to look up what setting to have this gizmo set at and learned “PASS” was neutral for sound. I immediately ordered another gizmo for my folks who have the same issue hooking up a soundbar but to a new tv. I’m hoping they too find the same result.

Some XBox Series S/X compatibility issues
I bought this since the XBox Series X doesn’t have a built-in TOSLINK port (thanks, Phil). Unfortunately, while the device clearly physically supports 4k and DTS Digital, with the XBox I have to choose one or the other. With the audio selector switch in “Pass” and an optical cable connected to my Denon receiver, the XBox detects (incorrectly) that only stereo out is supported (no surround sound), but it will output a 4k signal to my projector. When I shift the selector switch to the manual 5.1 position, the XBox now offers Dolby and DTS Digital Surround options, both of which work with my receiver and sound amazing, but the video resolution drops to 1080p. There’s still an option to switch to 4k, and it works (projector detects and displays a 4k input signal), but when I click the “Keep” button to maintain that resolution everything shifts back to 1080p, and the XBox “Video Info” dialog incorrectly reports that my display doesn’t support 4k at either 60 or 120 Hz.To be fair, the root causes here are typical Microsoft arrogance: saving maybe a buck per console by dropping a port that most customers never use (but that they supported on the 360 and XBox One, and for which a lot of gaming-specific accessories (headphones) exist), and then failing to provide a manual “Trust me, I want DTS output” option when their auto-detection fails. And I can’t think it’s anything but a bug that the Series X will let me select, and correctly display, a 4k resolution, but then insist that it’s unsupported and auto-shift back. However, I think there’s also a flaw in the way VPFET implements the audio EDIDs; when the selector switch is in PASS the extractor doesn’t correctly report capabilities of the downstream optical device, while when it’s in 5.1″ option it doesn’t correctly report capabilities of the downstream video device. There may well be a technical reason for the former (I’m not an S/PDIF expert), but the latter is surely avoidable: either overwrite just the audio portion of the EDID coming from the downstream display (leaving the supported resolutions intact), or simulate some maximally-capable UHD device. Whatever they are reporting when the switch is in 5.1 clearly isn’t satisfactory for some game consoles.Anyway, aside from this the device works great, even with other 4k sources, but I wanted to put a warning out there for anyone thinking of connecting it to an XBox that you may want to go with one of the more expensive name brands with verified support.

worked well to split HDMI into optical out
HBO Max informed me on the screen the it could no longer be accessed with my current Roku device I upgraded to the new Roku device, but since that no longer had an optical output (required for my system) I bought this adapter. It worked well to split the audio from the HDMI input into optical out, while passing on the video output from the HDMI.

Good device
Great device. Did not work on my electronics. Returned