Not secure in terms of Russian agents/Nigerian princes etc hacking into your webcam and sharing images of you with your Y fronts on your head and pulling a face like Bernard Manning having a heart attack secure, more in physical security in terms of the connectors and sockets.
Intending to buy a soundbar which will sit in a cabinet and be connected to a TV on an electric lifter. The soundbar I’m looking at doesn’t have a HDMI port as it’s an older model, I’m thinking that an optical cable moving up and down every day might not be great both in terms of the fragility of the cable itself and also the general looseness of the optical connectors/ports which I have always thought are a bit crap. Anyone have any experience on this?

They are ok but not hugely secure. But it’d be fine if given enough slack I’m sure.

Surely both soundbar and TV are on the same lifter though?

Should be fine if you aren’t plugging and unplugging – like any cable.

Ta.

Won’t be on the same lifter as if mounted on top the cabinet would need to be higher to accommodate the bar and I (well, my wife) doesn’t want that, if on the bottom the TV would need to be lifted even higher to lift the bar clear of the cabinet and I (well….)

Clip the cable somewhere so the connector doesn’t take all the strain?

We had some mil spec fibre optic samples, manufacturer reckoned you could tow a car with them and they’d be ok…

Q Acoustics M4 it is then! Although I would really like a Samsung MS650…..

Do people still wear Y fronts?

Only on my head.

How much is a TOSlink cable these days, a fiver? If it wears out after a year, stick a new one in.

Also, this:

Clip the cable somewhere so the connector doesn’t take all the strain?

Just as an asside. I don’t think optical connections can support HD audio streams. Probably not the end of the world with a soundbar, but if you are thinking about something that can do pseudo Atmos, I don’t think that’ll be possible.

Although I would really like a Samsung MS650…..

I have one of these – its great. Just bought the wireless sub to go with it too – also excellent.

I went for that one because I have an older Samsung TV which doesn’t have HDMI ARC, so I would need to connect it by the optical cable. This would mean that I couldn’t use HDMI CEC – which would mean that the TV/input remote wouldn’t necessarily control the soundbar.

I looked at loads of soundbars, and although many claimed to work with various remotes, it all seemed a bit sketchy. My current setup is fantastic, everything just works with no fuss whatsoever – and it sounds great.

Also – you can buy a bracket for the MS650 to bolt it directly onto the bottom of a Samsung TV. Not sure if you have a Samsung TV but if you do, it might be a good option.

Optical cables are dirt cheap these days just buy and try

More a case that if it does keep pulling out then I will have bought the wrong soundbar as it doesn’t have HDMI. Should be ok with slack, some sticky pads and cable ties as suggested though

batfink – yeah all the reviews say it’s great and sounded really good in the shop but the alcove by the chimney breast is 102cm and the Samsung is 106. I did suggest bringing the cabinet along the front of the chimney breast 10cm or so but that fell on deaf ears…..

that fell on deaf ears…

What do you need a sound bar for, then?

I can confirm that the veal is delicious, thanks for the recommendation.

Why do many expensive sound bars only have optical connections? ( been looking a Kubik, Sonos etc). Why not HDMI?

I don’t think optical connections can support HD audio streams.

Why not? It’s carrying digital info along a fibre-optic channel, what’s different to an HDMI connection? I use TOSLink connections from my Mac Mini to my a/v amp, and also from my minidisc recorder and my Sky box to the same amp. I can’t see a difference.

We had some mil spec fibre optic samples, manufacturer reckoned you could tow a car with them and they’d be ok…

I snapped the pull cord on my large petrol air compressor…halfway through a job blowing fibre. I used the only thing to hand, a length of ruggedised fibre optic jumper (jumper as its fusion spliced rather than connectorised) Its glass, some kevlar strands and the plastic coating. It was also too short so whenever anyone else started the compressor it would hit the stop and pull the toggle out of their hands. It was still going strong when I gave the compressor to a colleague when I changed jobs…I should go and find it and run a loss test on the fibre, I bet if I cut the knotted ends off it will test fine 🙂

I thought most of them did have HDMI now, surprised to hear otherwise. The Q Acoustics one I’m looking at is a few years old which I thought is why it doesn’t have one

Not all, certainly the Sonos one doesn’t although it’s a few years old as well, but then I have no idea why it’d be needed. Swap the tv to audio out not speakers, works off the optical and will adjust volume with tv remote, satellite remote and a phone with the Sonos app.

Dab from the glue gun would hold it in the socket.

Why not? It’s carrying digital info along a fibre-optic channel, what’s different to an HDMI connection?

Bandwidth. It’ll support DTS / Dolby Digital or stereo PCM, higher than that (eg, DTS-HD) and it’ll crap out.

What’s the real world difference? I’m no audiophile, would I even notice? Don’t want to buy something that will soon be obsolete though

Bandwidth. It’ll support DTS / Dolby Digital or stereo PCM, higher than that (eg, DTS-HD) and it’ll crap out.

Interesting, I honestly thought that fibre optic would have greater bandwidth than a copper wire.