ok here's the deal, i have denon 3808 oppo 981 and a optoma hd6800 and there all connected with hdmi everything works very well with playing a dvd, but why is it that when i want to play a regular audio cd i have to have the projector ON. please help
i don't want to have the projector on all the time.

thanks

is the audio set to output to the tv or your speakers only?

I can only thik that the source input setting for the cd is set to something other than CD, like the projector/TV.

it is set to amp and not to tv.
thanks

Can you describe how you have everything connected? It sounds like you're running HDMI from the player to the TV and then HDMI from the TV to the receiver. If so, of course you're going to have to have the TV on to listen to a disc in the player.

I think Ken might have it. If only the HDMI is being used for sourceing to the amp then the TV/Projector must be on or at least the receiver has to be in that mode unless, in the settings screen you can set the input source for the cd as HDMI as well, this should allow you to not have the projector on. I would just run RCA's from the player up to the receiver and it solves the problem.

I would connect everything up to the denon. Then run one cable from the denon to your tv.... unless that is what you are already doing.

the oppo goes to the denon receiver via hdmi and hdmi to the projector, i suppose the easy way now is to find that setting.
but then everytime i watch a dvd i change it then i have to change again for the cd because i don't want to waste the hours on the projector.

Could it be that you have set power control options on the HDMI link? (it is possible to use the HDMI link like a 12V trigger) If that is on, it could make everything "shut off" when you turn the projector off.

so do you have two HDMI outs from the oppo? one to the tv and one to the receiver?

So what happens when you play the DVD and then manually "Just" turn off the projector...what happens to the rest of the equipment?

Yeah, what exactly does it do when you're trying to play an audio CD without the projector on? Is it giving you an error message or anything? There's no reason why any HDMI handshaking should need to go on to play back audio CDs, but that's what it makes me think of, since my HD DVD player would give me an error if I changed video input on the TV or turned off the TV during playback. However, this only affected HD DVD playback, since only they needed the HDMI connection to be complete. It's conceiveable that either the OPPO or the Denon want both the display and the player to have that connection intact at high-def resolutions, though? Try changing the resolution on the player to 480 and see if you can listen to CDs without the projector on, perhaps. I doubt that it's it, but it's worth a shot. Of course it's not a solution to the problem, but at least you'd know what the problem is. Just a shot in the dark!

What else you could try is have an Optical from the Oppo to the receiver's "CD optical in" on the Denon.

problem fixed, the thing is i don't understand why when the oppo and receiver will play sacd ect through hdmi cable why can't it play a regular cd through hdmi? a friend gave me some rca cables to run between the oppo and receiver. why can't you just play a cd through hdmi with the projecter off? that is what i don't understand.

thanks again

In my opinion running RCA cables is not a fix, it's a work around. It bugs the hell out of me when I can't get something to work. I have an Oppo 980H connected to my Denon 3808CI and I have no problems playing audio CDs, but I have my Denon connected to a TV not a projector.

Check these settings on the Audio Setup Page on the Oppo:

Digital Output should be set to Raw
HDMI Audio should be set to Auto
SACD Output should be set to DSD

It must be the handhsake that HDMI requires, without the return signal the oppo won't send a signal, I guess.

I agree with you. I have a Denon 2807 and Oppo 981 which also seem to have some HDMI handshake issues. The Oppo is hooked up to the Denon which is hooked up to the TV all with HDMI. I still get audio when playing a CD or DVD when the TV is turned off. However, if I change the TV input to or from HDMI while something is playing the audio drops out for a second like it’s renegotiating the exchange.

yeah i think jakewash has it right, it has to be a hankshake issue. there should be a setting to get rid of it, so everything can be hdmi and less cords and wires.