Digital Audio Out Just Buzzes ("Motorboat")

MongoSmash is right: this HDTV has no analog outputs. Just a single digital output. I am using a high-end audio cable that I've used before for S/PDIF recording. Is that adequate or correct? I bought the cable quite some time ago. I don't know if it was labeled "coaxial digital audio".

I reckon I can buy another cable that's properly labeled "digital coaxial audio". I had tried my S/PDIF cable and a standard RCA audio cable and both just made that sharp "fluttering" sound. I'll need to pick up another converter. I had sent the one back to amazon thinking that for some reason it wasn't compatible. Would an inexpensive convert such as this one be appropriate: http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DIRI6I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ?

I know the difference between all the connectors, and I know which ones are supposed to connect to which ones. It's simply not working and just making a noise.

I think this hits the nail on the head, in that (a) I couldn't get any information out of anyone (including Sanyo support) about different forms of "digital audio output" and, specifically, what does the Sanyo HDTV output, and (b) I already did a lot of experimenting to get where I'm at now which is try two different TVs, a couple of different cables, and two different converters (the one in the link, and a $40 converter that RadioShack sells). I finally tried direct connect of my TV to the digital input of a sound bar that does support digital audio input and still go the buzzing. This just left me with not knowing whether the problem was that there were simply different digital audio formats (and none of the equipment was identifying which one it used) or wrong/bad cable or maybe both. I had bought the sound bar with digital audio input as a test to see if my problem was trying to do the conversion, but that test result was negative (I since returned that sound bar). I was just about to return the new Sanyo HDTV to the store for a refund, thinking it was defective, until I had tried my other HDTV and found it did the same thing with the "loaner" sound bar.

I wouldn't call the noise I hear in these tests white noise at all. It's a very choppy sound, several Hertz in frequency (8-ish? not sure).

So I'm back to square one: my Sanyo HDTV with a connector labeled "digital audio output" and a sound bar with RCA L/R inputs and a fair amount of uncertainty regarding whether I can make them work together. I tried the little black converter I showed in the link I posted in the above tests. But what format(s) does it support? If I knew that I could perhaps try a different converter that supports different or more formats. What throws me is that the one I linked, that has the disclaimers, says it supports S/PDIF and a variety of sample rates (I'm not sure how each end decides which rate to use), and the CE Compass also says S/PDIF. So to my feeble, mind, these would behave roughly the same way in my setup. I'm still confused why a new HDTV won't play with a new sound bar if the former has a "digital audio out" and the later a "digital audio in" and neither company can tell me that there are specific formats that their gear supports that I need to be concerned about when shopping to match them up. I read a thread somewhere in which someone described exactly the noise I experience, and their solution was to go to the audio settings in their TV and set it to PCM, which fixed their problem. But my TV doesn't have any such settings. :-/

And what if I had a fancy home theater unit with digital audio input? Would I still get a noise? I'm left wondering. I'm not wanting to buy such a system just to see whether it's true.

This seems like it shouldn't be this complicated. Or maybe I'm making it complicated. :-/

That seems to make sense. I didn't think to try a non-HD channel (we have some).
It's frustrating that this sort of information isn't spelled out in data sheets for the different devices so the unsuspecting consumer stands a vague chance of making the proper selection. I can see why the 'dumb' converter wouldn't work. But why wouldn't a sound bar with digital audio input work? This is the one I tried: http/www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28494046. Of course, the specs just say 'digital audio in' and nothing else. It's inexpensive so perhaps it's also just PCM.

So I'll order up one of the CE Compass devices and see what happens. I'm quite hopeful that will work. The rationale is quite logical.

**UPDATE 2/18/2014**

Received the CE Compass device today and plugged it in. Worked perfectly.