Topmusicanswers
Make sure the home theater or stereo system is set to the appropriate input and mode for the optical connection. Make sure the optical cable is firmly connected to both the TV and the home theater or stereo system. Try changing the channel on the TV to another digital broadcast.
How do I know if my optical cable is bad?
An optical audio cable should have a red light at each of the connectors when it's in place and working correctly. If you don't see the light at either of the ends, the cable isn't connected properly, is broken, or you might just have a faulty cable.
Do optical wires go bad?
Unless you've done something specific to damage the cable, the answer is not likely. Most damage to cables happens due to repeated plugging and unplugging or poor manufacturing. Using quality cables and disturbing them as little as possible can go a long way to getting as much life out of your cables as possible.
Is optical cable dying?
And while the optical cable was the digital audio transfer method of choice for decades, it has started to disappear. More and more products are dropping the optical connection. This once cool cable is dying a very slow death.
