Hey,

My system consists of a Beovision 7 (with Beolab 7) and a pair of Beolab 5.

I have for a long time had my computer connected to it (through DVI and digital coax inputs on the back of the TV).

When I want to listen to music, I have to press PC on my Beo4 remote (TV and Beolab 5 speakers turn on) and then P.Mute to make the screen go black (it still glows a little, so it's not entirely off).

So the question is, is it possible to play an external audio source (AC-3) on the Beolab 5 without having to turn on the TV? Does Beolab 5 have built-in AC-3 decoding? According to the manual I should be able to connect my PC directly to the Digital In on the back of Beolab 5, change the Audio Options on the remote, and then use the Radio button on the remote (to only fire up the speakers). I've tried this, they turn on but there's no sound- shouldn't the speakers be able to decode AC-3 like the Beovision 7 handles it?

Thanks! 

Btw, if anyone got curious- I have it setup so that all sound from the computer (FLAC, OGG, AAC, MP3 and also sound from DivX/XviD movies) is sent through the digital out connection in the AC-3 digital format- using a regular sound card, NOT Dolby Digital Live enabled.

No, they don't support an AC3 input. Sorry!

You need something that outputs Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) protocol (IEC 60958).

S/PDIF is the connection type, not the data format.

S/PDIF and TOS-Link are the two major digital connection methods.

PCM, AC3, and MPG spring to mind as common data/encoding formats.

BeoLab 5s will only accept PCM, for good reason, much higher quality than anything else.

Alex:

S/PDIF is the connection type, not the data format.

S/PDIF and TOS-Link are the two major digital connection methods.

PCM, AC3, and MPG spring to mind as common data/encoding formats.

BeoLab 5s will only accept PCM, for good reason, much higher quality than anything else.

RCA, BNC or TOSLINK are the THREE major connection methods for ...

... the S/PDIF protocol ...

... which can carry a number of different types of digital information.(AES/EBU is another such protocol).

RCA and BNC are termination connectors for coax cables; where the TOSLINK standard and plugs are intended for optical signals. 

B&O have chosen the coax RCA connector.
 

Corrected!