Pioneer 5040HD HDMI input optical output issue

[msebae]

Just bought a Toshiba 46H84 HDMI HD-Upconversion DVD player to take advantage of the 2 HDMI inputs on my 5040HD, and got a rude awakening: When the Pioneer switches to HDMI input, it stops optical audio output!!! I read a post on another forum that Pioneer asserts this is for digital copyright protection. But this is ridiculous, as I can still have optical out from the DVD player to my receiver.

The whole point of having HDMI input to the Pioneer media box (as opposed to DVI to TV and optical to receiver) is so I can output both terrestrail/cable HD and DVD HD audio out on one cable and do not have to make an extra switch on the a/v receiver remote. What gives Pioneer? Seems like the HDMI inputs were a recent add-on, and Pioneer just didn't have time to properly split the DV signal from the DA signal. Shame!

[Ratman]

No need to cross-post.

[msebae]

I'm a newbie here, and don't want to ruffle any netiquette rules here, but I don't how this is construed as a crosspost wrt my other post:

http://hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?p=77473#post77473

That post is primarily about Toshiba 46H84, and since I have a gripe really with the way Pioneer handles HDMI (and not with Toshiba's HDMI), I figure I start a new thread in the appropriate topic forum to prevent an off-topic discussion. Isn't that the appropriate netiquette?

[57U]

This one isn't, but the other two were, I deleted one of them. No need to worry, no ruffled feathers here, especially with Newbies.

[bbh]

I am considering the 5040 myself. I like the media box. Are you suggesting that if you feed the Pioneer Media Box with an HDMI feed from your Cable Box, you cannot feed your receiver with the optical digital output from the Media Box?

Upon reflection, I guess you have to use the optical output of the Cable Box to feed the Receiver. Apparently, the cable company doesn't have a problem with the digital output. How else are we supposed to get 5.1 into our audio system?