Thanks for the replies...

Dr Dave - yes; TV does have optical out and works as required. However, TV and receiver are not close together. Would require cracking the ceiling and walls to hide the cable, which I would like to avoid.

Ex Dilbert - the switch in question had three settings: 2-channel stereo, 5.1 surround, and pass through. Experiment with 5.1 and pass - neither worked. I sent it back to Amazon.