I need a digital connection from my DVD player to my receiver (optical and coaxial connections are present on both components), so I went to RadioShack to buy a cable. The optical cable was more expensive than the coaxial cable, so I chose the coaxial cable, given that it was cheaper and that I heard the jury was out on which type of cable was superior. When I went to the front desk to checkout, the cashier told me I should purchase the optical cable to pass the 5.1 channels, since the coaxial cable would not. I immediately told him he was incorrect and that the coaxial cable would also pass the 5.1 channels. However, I'm now concerned that I may be wrong. The product is called a PCM digital coaxial cable, which implies 2 channel sound to me. Is it possible that the cable I purchased can only, in fact, pass 2 channels instead of 5.1 channels? Please help!
If it is digital signal, then it should still end up in 5.1 channels, not 2. Coax/Optic in this case would still transmit the same digital signal but in different ways.