DTS/Dolby & AVR Issues

[francorosso]

OK, let me start off by saying that I do like the InfiniTV, and it works great most of the time. The biggest problem that has been buggin me is with trying to extract DTS/Dolby digital and and use the "auto decode" function on my AVR. I invested a lot of money in a new computer, a new sound card and have had no success. I do realize that this may be a WMC problem, but it still takes away from my enjoyment of the system. Other things that bug me are the jitter that happens when you rewind a program to the beginning (requires a reboot to fix). Occaisionally the WMC will open in a smaller than normal window which you have to shut the application down to fix. Every once in a while it just freezes. Sometimes I get a message on the screen which says there is no tuner available (when nothing is being recorded or watched). Sometimes it displays a message that the proper files are missing or not installed to display video.
I think that's most of them. Don't get me wrong, it is great for me because I know how to fix it when something goes wrong, but it is unuseable for my family.
The Echo got me in a lot of trouble with the wife when I replaced the kitchen Tivo with it. I taught her how to unplug the power and that usually gets it going again, but not always. I travel, and it usually only misbehaves when I'm on the road!

[Moderator note: topic split from: http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =68&t=4282]

[barnabas1969]

Franco,

It sounds like you have many problems going on, and most of them are not related to the tuner. You may have hardware problems, and you may have something messed up in Windows and/or some other software you have installed on the PC.

You posted another thread about your audio problems. The problem is/was that you were trying to use the optical audio output from the TV (which can only output 2-channel stereo) instead of using the optical audio output from the PC (which can bitstream DTS or Dolby Digital). You resolved to using the analog audio outputs, instead of installing an S/PDIF adapter in your PC. I suppose that's OK, but I would not have chosen that route. I would have spent the $15 or so for the S/PDIF adapter. The analog outputs can only output analog, and the decoding is done by the PC in this configuration... not by your AVR.

I suggest starting a new thread about your other problems.

[francorosso]

Barnabus,
Actually, I meant to post an update on the other thread but never got around to it. I checked my Panasonic owners manual and found out that the digital audio output on the TV DOES output DTS/Dolby, and then I verified it by playing a Blueray DVD with the same connections as my WMC PC (HDMI into the TV and digital audio output from the TV). The Dolby Digital light came on the front of the receiver and the surround sound was awesome. So I know for a fact that the problem is in the audio output from the WMC PC. My next adventure with this topic is to buy a receiver with HDMI and see if surround sound auto-decode works. I would love to hear from anyone who has had experience with auto-decode of Dolby digital through an HDMI capable AVR.
Lastly, yes, I know I should start another thread for some of the other issues, and I will. Thanks for your thoughtful input, as always.

[barnabas1969]

I use an AVR with HDMI inputs, and auto decode works fine. Maybe the problem is your video card (or the video on the motherboard if that's what you're using). Does your video chip specifications say that it will pass Dolby Digital and DTS? Ever tried a video card like the nVidia GT-430?

[francorosso]

What does the video card have to do with it? I thought that the InfiniTV card decoded the audio/video signals from Fios and passed them through the HDMI port on the card? My WMC PC uses onboard video, I think. Damn, something else to buy....

[Tracer]

What does the video card have to do with it? I thought that the InfiniTV card decoded the audio/video signals from Fios and passed them through the HDMI port on the card? My WMC PC uses onboard video, I think. Damn, something else to buy....

The InfiniTV isn't a decoder, it just captures the digital signal from the Cable company. Any audio decoding would either be done by your computers audio hardware or an external amp. The newer video cards have HDMI output these can also pass the audio to your amp or TV.

I currently use the GT430 but, because my audio receiver doesn't hand audio from HDMI, I use the S/PDIF output from my computer connected to my reciever so all the audio decoding is handled by the receiver and not the computer.

[foxwood]

What does the video card have to do with it? I thought that the InfiniTV card decoded the audio/video signals from Fios and passed them through the HDMI port on the card? My WMC PC uses onboard video, I think. Damn, something else to buy....

The InfiniTV card has nothing to do sending audio/video signals to the TV. You can unplug the card from the PC, and the recordings will still play (or to be a little less dramatic, copy the files to another Windows 7 PC, and play them there).

The InfiniTV card just takes the signal, does whatever Cable-Card secret handshake is required, and gives the content to WMC so that WMC can save it to disk, along with any necessary DRM as requested by the cable company (as a FiOS user, most of your content, except for HBO and similiar premium channels, probably doesn't have much ancillary DRM).

[barnabas1969]

Yeah, what they said above. If you want to pass your audio signals through the HDMI port, then the video card has to be able to do that. The video card is also responsible for detecting what audio formats your TV and/or AVR can accept. Based on the information in your other thread, your video card doesn't think that your TV can accept Dolby Digital or DTS. But, if your Bluray player sends that information to your TV and your TV outputs that on its optical audio output, then your Bluray player must think that your TV can accept Dolby Digital and DTS.

Also, it's possible that your TV can accept Dolby Digital on one HDMI input, but not another. Did you try connecting the Bluray player to the same HDMI input on the TV that you are using for your PC?

So... like I said before... this should be in a different thread. Lots of people here can help you figure it out. But you need to post the information about your PC. You said in your other thread that it's a Gateway PC. You posted the model number of the Gateway, but Gateway uses different chipsets from time to time, even in the same model. So, you need to post the information about your video chip if you want people to be able to help you.

[richard1980]

I checked my Panasonic owners manual and found out that the digital audio output on the TV DOES output DTS/Dolby, and then I verified it by playing a Blueray DVD with the same connections as my WMC PC (HDMI into the TV and digital audio output from the TV). The Dolby Digital light came on the front of the receiver and the surround sound was awesome.

I'd like to know exactly which Panasonic TV allows encoded audio pass-through from HDMI to S/PDIF. I've owned 4 different models of Panasonic TVs in the last few years, and I've yet to come across one that would do this. I'd also like to know what Windows has to say about this....does Windows detect DD/DTS as supported formats on the HDMI output?

[francorosso]

My TV is a Panasonic TH42PZ77U. The owners manual says this: You can enjoy your home theater by connecting a Dolby Digital (5.1 channel) decoder and "Multi Channel" amplifier to the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT terminals. You tell me what that means, but I understood it to mean that it passed through the DD 5.1.......

[richard1980]

That is not pass-through. Pass-through occurs when a TV is able to pass encoded audio from the HDMI input to the S/PDIF output. Most TVs are not capable of doing this, and yours is no exception. At the very bottom of page 41 of the manual, it states "When audio from other equipment connected to this unit via HDMI is output using “DIGITAL AUDIO OUT” of this unit, the system switches to 2CH audio.", which is what I told you it would say when you posted in the other thread.

There's only one way you are going to get encoded audio to come out of that S/PDIF connection, and that's if the source of the encoded audio is the TV's internal ATSC tuner.

[francorosso]

I feel so dirty.....

[francorosso]

So my best option at this point is to buy a new AVR with HDMI inputs? I already bought a cheap 5.1 sound card and tried outputting the audio into the receiver through it, still no decode.

[richard1980]

Your best option is to use try to get your current setup working before you go out a spend money on more components. If your sound card has S/PDIF output, connect the S/PDIF output directly to the S/PDIF input on the AVR. Then open Control Panel and go to the Sound applet. Open the properties for the S/PDIF output. Go to the Supported Formats tab and check the boxes for Dolby Digital and DTS. Highlight Dolby Digital, and press Test. You should hear a Dolby Digital test tone come out of all speakers, and the Dolby Digital indicator on your receiver should light up. Repeat the same process for DTS. Then go to the Advanced tab and ensure both boxes are checked for exclusive mode. Apply the changes and close out of the S/PDIF properties, the Sound applet, and Control Panel. Open WMC and go to Tasks > Settings > Windows Media Center Setup > Set Up Your Speakers. Select 5.1 speakers, and you'll hear another set of test tones playing through each speaker (and again, the Dolby Digital indicator on your receiver should be lit). Finish the WMC sound setup, and then try to play some content that contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

[francorosso]

Richard, I actually tried everything you suggested above, and I made a video of the process. Maybe you could take a look and give me your thoughts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hd4W1jJ ... e=youtu.be

[barnabas1969]

I agree with Richard that most TV's can only output 5.1 audio on the optical cable from the internal tuner. However, Franco said that he tested it with his Bluray player. Franco, did you actually test this, and used the optical output from the TV and NOT the optical output on the HDMI player?

Now, from what I remember... Franco looked at his motherboard (and even took detailed pictures of it). There was a place for an S/PDIF header, but there was no header on the board. I imagine that Franco is probably not a skilled solderer, so I wouldn't recommend trying to solder a header into a multi-layer PCB. Franco was going to find out if one of the stereo mini jacks on the back of his PC also had a mini-optical output in it. He never replied back about that, but I would guess that it doesn't.

So, at this point, his options are:

1) Buy a sound card that has an S/PDIF output. Make sure to get one that matches your AVR's input (optical or coax).
2) Buy a new AVR with HDMI inputs/output.

Obviously, a sound card is cheaper than an AVR. But, if Franco plans to replace his AVR soon anyway, that might be the way to go. It all depends on Franco's plans and budget.

[barnabas1969]

Franco's video proves that he did not connect his Bluray player to the HDMI input of his TV, and then get 5.1 audio out of the TV's optical output.

[barnabas1969]

Then, at 3:20 in the video, Franco proves that he does indeed have an optical cable connected to his AVR from the PC!!!! He selected the S/PDIF audio output in the Windows Sound properties, and he got sound!

Hey, Franco... follow these steps:

1) Leave it set to S/PDIF in the Windows Sound properties.
2) Open Media Center, go to Tasks -> Settings -> General -> Windows Media Center Setup -> Setup Your Speakers
3) Go through the Speaker setup wizard, and on the "connection type" screen, choose "TOSLINK"
4) When the setup wizard asks what kind of speakers you have, choose 5.1 or 7.1, depending on your AVR's capabilities, and the number of speakers you have connected.
5) Finish the setup wizard.

Now, on your AVR, choose "DVD/LD" as the input.

That should do it. Nothing to buy.

EDIT: Actually it looks like you selected MD/DAT after you moved the camera away. So that's the input you need to select after following my steps above.

[richard1980]

Just a couple of quick thoughts (sorry, I can't really spend much time analyzing the video right now because I'm at work):

1. You can clearly see why HDMI doesn't output anything more than 2-channel audio. In the Supported Formats tab, no multi-channel formats are listed as supported by your TV. That's because the TV is telling the computer that the only acceptable audio format is PCM.
2. You are trying to change the Windows audio settings while audio is playing. That won't work (hence the error messages you received when you tried to play the test tones with WMC still playing in the background). Stop all media playback before you make changes to the Windows audio settings.
3. Set the S/PDIF output as the default Windows audio output device, AND LEAVE IT ALONE. Don't bounce back and forth between S/PDIF and HDMI.
4. If you can't get Windows to output the DD test tones correctly, you'll never be able to get WMC to output DD. So your first step should be to get DD from the Control Panel Sound applet. Once that works, you can move on to configuring WMC to output DD.

[barnabas1969]

Franco,

I think your confusion is that there are two separate audio settings. One is in the Windows Sound applet in the Control Panel. The other is the "Setup your speakers" wizard in Media Center. You should have them both set to the same audio output, but you should set the Windows Sound settings to stereo (2-channel audio) and set the wizard in Media Center to 5.1 or 7.1.

The "TOSLINK" option in the Media Center wizard is the S/PDIF output that you see in Windows Sound settings.