Center channel sound only

You need to treat your AVR as the hub for all components.  Meaning, all source components connect to the AVR...and ONE connection from the AVR to the TV.  Right now, you're relying on your cable box to process and route all audio...but cable boxes are not processors.

Reroute HDMI from Cox to TV...to Cox to AVR

Disconnect optical cable

Connect new HDMI from AVR to TV

Bruce,

Thank you.  My issue is that the AVR does NOT have HDMI inputs or it would be an easy fix.  

NOTE:  the Denon AVR-3803 does not have HDMI inputs.

wildbill77: "I can not figure out how to get my Denon AVR3803 to produce sound out of more than just my center channel speaker when watching HD tv.  My connections are: Cox to LG TV via HDMI; Cox to Denon via Optical.  Sound only comes from center channel in Dolby Digital surround mode while watching TV.  I do get sound from other speakers when watching my BluRay that is connected in the same fashion as my cable box (HDMI to tv and Optical to Denon).  If I change from DD Surround setting to 5 Ch stereo, I get sound out of my other speakers.  Problem is only when watching TV in DD surround.  Any help is very appreciated.  Thanks."

Disconnect the HDMI cable to the TV. What sound is your Denon receiving now? What model cable box are you using?

Okay...no HDMI.

To get VIDEO from the cable box to your receiver, pick a compatible cable, which are listed in decreasing signal quality:
  -  HDMI
  -  Component video
  -  Component
  -  S-video
  -  Composite video
  -  RF (Yikes!)

To get AUDIO from the cable box to your receiver, pick a compatible cable, which are listed in decreasing signal quality:
  -  HDMI
  -  Digital (coaxial or optical)
  -  Analog RCA

...or leave the HDMI connecting the cable box and TV...but disconnect the optical from the cable box and reconnect to your TV.  The TV will limit your surround processing and you may need to adjust the delay on your AVR for proper lip-syncing.

I recently moved and was using Verizon, now Cox.  I moved and brought my center and L,R fronts; no rears or sides. At my old residence I had the system up and running without any issues.  Complete surround with no speaker output issues at all.  The above options have already been tried and are implemented.  None of them produce multichannel Dolby Digital via cable. Again however, I can get multichannel DD from my BluRay.  Could it be Cox is not sending out a DD signal? It's an additional HD box tethered to the main Multi-room DVR upstairs.  Extremely frustrating.  

I will try this when I get home and let you know. Thanks.  I do know it's Cisco and it's an additional HD box that works in conjunction with the main multi room dvr that is upstairs.  

Did you fix it?  If so, what did you do?

I was able to fix the issue by going into settings on my HD box and changing the audio to surround mode from it's original ping mode setting.  Now I need to adjust the lip sync issue as it is slightly off.