# Toslink Distribution Suggestions



## southsound (Dec 7, 2007)

I recently had a chance to upgrade both my satellite video source (Dish VIP 722) and the TV in our greatroom (Panasonic 50" plasma). I placed the 722 in our dedicated theater so it would drive our projector from the component output and am using a 50' MonoPrice HDMI cable to drive the plasma. I also want to drive the Pioneer AV receivers in both locations using the Toslink output from the 722. We run the 722 in single mode because there are just two of us and we always watch the same thing on sat - so I get PIP and can use the infrared remote in the theater and the UHF remote everywhere else. (All of the outputs on the 722 are live so I also drive several SD sets from the 722's RF output.) 

My problem (opportunity) is with splitting the Toslink output from the sat receiver. If I run a 50' cable from the 722 to the greatroom, it works great. When I add a passive (beam) splitter so I can have cables plugged into both AV receivers, the one in the greatroom does not receive enough signal to work. Neither Pioneer has HDMI and if I use the Panasonic plasma's Toslink output, it scales it back to 2 channel. I tried adding a Toslink repeater, but it died and never did work correctly.

Has anyone had experience with the Inday TLDA-1 Toslink Distribution Amp? It is much more expensive than the passive splitters, but at $67 with shipping, might still be a great value if it works as advertised. Any thoughts or experiences? I have included a link to the Inday website http://www.inday.com/tlda1/tlda1.htm

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

I don't have experience with those, but am interested in the outcome. $70 sounds expensive, though (although it is a low volume, niche product)

Was this the repeater you tried?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=4748&seq=1&format=2

If it was, Monoprice apparently has a very good return policy.

Let us know what works. Good luck!

Edit: misread the original post


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## southsound (Dec 7, 2007)

Anthony,

The repeater was the one you linked to. It never did send a strong enough signal but after about 2 minutes, died totally. What happened next was awesome. I emailed MonoPrice about the problem, expecting to have to brave the snow and send it back. Instead, their customer rep told me they were sorry I had a problem and that I should just throw away the defective item. Then they credited the purchase price of the repeater AND the shipping. No hassles, just a desire to keep a customer happy. Every cable in my theater and greatroom (including 50' HDMI, 50' Toslink, 35' DB15 to Component, 14x2 and 12x2 speaker wires, etc.) was purchased from MonoPrice and I even hung the Panny 50" with their $18.44 mount #4114. As I told the rep who took care of me, "MonoPrice rocks!"


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## southsound (Dec 7, 2007)

I just talked to Tech Support at Inday and they answered my questions about the TLDA-1. It does not use a beam splitter but rather receives the optical signal then blasts it out to 4 indendent senders at the maximum Toslink specification. No degradation of signal at all. I ordered the unit and will have it either Tuesday or Wednesday and hope to give a full report by weekend. Although there has not been much response on this forum, I know others must have a similar need. If the product works as advertised, it would be the ideal solution for those who want to run multiroom audio with full 5.1 quality.


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## southsound (Dec 7, 2007)

Just 24 hours after ordering the Inday TLDA-1 Toslink Distribution Amp I had it in my hands! I realize that they are only 140 miles away in Portland, but with regular UPS as a carrier they must have shipped it before I ordered it :bigsmile: .

Some physical observations - the unit is well made with shutters on all 5 of the Toslink ports. Case material is black plastic with a textured finish. The input and the power connection are on one long side and the four outputs are on the other. No additional heat is generated by the amp. The AC power adapter is fairly small and does not prohibit use of nearby outlets in a ganged outlet box. It is UL listed and has a fairly long cable.

So how well does it work? Using my Dish VIP 722 as a source, I am able to send a signal over a 50' MonoPrice Toslink cable with no noticable degradation or drop-out. I don't have equipment to test signal strength, but it works well and I cannot tell the difference between using the TLDA-1 with50' cable and using just a 3' cable. Bottom line, the TLDA-1 is an elegant and effective way to send a Toslink optical signal to more than one receiver without using a beam splitter or additional equipment. It may cost a little more than the other options, but it seems worth it for a US made, single device solution. Any questions, feel free to reply or PM me.


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