Converting female SPDIF to a headphone jack? Sound output via HDMI?

[Luminareo]

I recently purchased a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD700 headphones. They work great on my computer, but I had also intended to use them while watching playing Xbox and watching TV. So, I specifically sought out a television featuring a 3.5mm female audio jack. It works...

But there's a lot of static. The television (Vizio M22OVA) is the only device with which these headphones produce static. I tested the TV with different headphones, and the static is quite loud for all of them. This suggests to me that the headphone jack on the TV is of poor quality. I will be contacting the company to inquire about my warranty, but I do not expect results. For the purposes of this thread, please assume that I will be sticking with this TV, and help me make the best of what I have.

I have thought of two possible solutions to my problem, but I require your expertise to confirm them. Firstly, is it possible to use my laptop as a middleman somehow? My computer is currently hooked up to my TV via HDMI. As far as I know, the computer can only output to the TV, the TV cannot output to the computer. It's far-fetched, and involves leaving my laptop on and hooked up to the TV, but do you think this solution will work?

I have a little more hope in this next idea. I don't know anything about SPDIF connections, but my television's manual suggests that they are used to output sound to a stereo system. There is a female SPDIF jack on the back of my television. If so, would it be possible to convert this to a 3.5mm headphone jack somehow? Would you mind linking me to a product or converter that will allow me to do that? Failing that, would it be possible for me to hook up a speaker system that includes a headphone jack on the speakers? Does such a thing exist? I want to convert a female SPDIF jack to a headphone jack. Is this possible?

Thank you very much for any helpful replies!

I'm also having some other computer issues; would you mind taking a look?
My computer can't use the full area of my monitor through HDMI... will VGA be better?
Laptop will not recognize wired ethernet connection, but can use wireless.

 

[carnageX]

Try going to a Radioshack or something similar and looking in their adapters section for a female stereo 3.5mm (1/8") to male phono adapter. If you can only find a mono adapter, you may have to look for a female stereo 3.5mm to RCA (dual phono) cable or adapter, and then look for a dual phono to single phono adapter (this may convert it down to mono from stereo when it gets plugged into the SPDIF output, but I'm not 100% positive on this).

 

[Luminareo]

Forgive my stupidity, but I'm not entirely sure what that would entail. If I understand you correctly, the converter you suggest basically turns the red and white composite/component cables into a headphone jack. I'm imagining something like this. Would I have to be on the component/composite input channel on my TV for the sound to play, or would it also work while I'm using HDMI, etc.?

 

[carnageX]

You would need something like that as well as a dual RCA to single RCA adapter. Then configure your tv to use use the SPDIF output.

 

[Luminareo]

I'm confused. Would it not work to simply use the male red-white to headphone jack converter and plug that into my composite or component plugs?
Or are you suggesting that I need to convert the dual RCA cable into a single one for the purpose of plugging it in elsewhere? From what I can see, RCAs won't fit into the SPDIF port...

 

[carnageX]

Ok, finally had a chance to look at the TV more closely. Looks like your SPDIF is an optical connection (toslink), not a digital coax (phono) connection like I thought it was. That makes it more difficult... You'll need to adapt from toslink, to digital coax, which gets more spendy.

For only $22.40 each when QTY 50+ purchased - Digital Coax & Optical Toslink to R/L Stereo Audio Converter | Toslink Switch / Converter
You'll need something like that, then an RCA to 3.5mm cable. Could get a little spendy because of this, and depending on where you're able to order from, you might not even be able to get that toslink to RCA adapter.

If your TV is still under warranty, why don't you just send it in for repair?

 

[Luminareo]

I am in communication with the warranty people, but that's moving rather slowly. The television's warranty itself does not expire for another two years, but I'm not sure how well it covers things like this. There's even a chance that the whole line of TVs has badly made headphone jacks. If that's the case, I want to see what my options are for making do.

Why would I need to go via optical? I have composite and component inputs on my television, could I not just plug the red-white to headphone jack converter into one of those? Or would that only work to replace the composite/component sounds (ie it would not work while watching television).

I'm also assuming that a simple toslink to 3.5mm converter does not exist?

 

[carnageX]

You have to have outputs, not go through inputs. Outputs would go to things like speakers and headphones... inputs are for things to go through the TV speakers from things like a DVD player or something like that. The only audio outputs you have on that TV are the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the toslink optical port.

And I couldn't find a toslink to 3.5mm; you can search if you like though.

 

[Luminareo]

So if I converted the red and white inputs to a headphone jack, it would just function like the audio jack beside my VGA port. Ok, that makes sense. Inputs for input, outputs for output.

Huh; I really hope the warranty people come through, or I may have to return the TV and start my search again.