Freeview IDTV's with AC3 passthru?

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sbiddle

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#29360 4-Jan-2009 21:17

Does anybody out there know what (if any) of the Freeview|HD IDTV's in NZ that have 5.1 AC3 output via SPDIF?

I have a Samsung 7 series here at present for review that doesn't do AC3 via SPDIF - infact it's not possible to select AC3 at all all, the TV just defaults to AAC for all Freeview|HD channels. The downside of no AC3 passthru is that you can't get 5.1 output to an external amplifier for shows that are broadcast in 5.1

Does anybody have a TV that does support switching between the audio formats and does support 5.1 AC3 via SPDIF? I'm just curious if there are sets in the NZ market that do this - not supporting this is a rather significant downfall as it means you can't get 5.1 without buying an external STB.

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#187381 4-Jan-2009 21:20

ouch, thats pretty much useless - its a standard feature on iDTV's in the rest of the world....

Richard rich.ms

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#187405 4-Jan-2009 23:39

I'm pretty sure the Sony Bravia W series we have is working with 5.1 over toslink spdif? Though it might be mixing down like the samsung...
Let me know if theres anything 5.1 on tomorrow night or the next and i'll test it out.

openmedia

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#187406 4-Jan-2009 23:40

sbiddle:
Does anybody out there know what (if any) of the Freeview|HD IDTV's in NZ that have 5.1 AC3 output via SPDIF?

I have a Samsung 7 series here at present for review that doesn't do AC3 via SPDIF - infact it's not possible to select AC3 at all all, the TV just defaults to AAC for all Freeview|HD channels. The downside of no AC3 passthru is that you can't get 5.1 output to an external amplifier for shows that are broadcast in 5.1

Does anybody have a TV that does support switching between the audio formats and does support 5.1 AC3 via SPDIF? I'm just curious if there are sets in the NZ market that do this - not supporting this is a rather significant downfall as it means you can't get 5.1 without buying an external STB.

Ouch..

Does it have an SPDIF at all?

If it does then you should just need a software update to select the correct audio like elsewhere in the worls.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

sbiddle

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#187420 5-Jan-2009 06:23

The issue with the Samsung isn't that it downmixes - it's simply the fact there is no way to sleect the audio format for channels that broadcast in both AAC and AC3.

It does downmix HDMI inputs to 2ch via SPDIF output but the manual mentions it ouputs 5.1 via SPDIF when using the tuner but there is no way to switch between audio sources when viewing Freeview.

I'm really just interested to know if other TV's have a way of switching between AAC/AC3 when viewing a channel with multiple audio streams.

richms

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#187511 5-Jan-2009 14:10

Every tv I have had which is even stereo has an audio select button. If thats not working on dvb mode then I would say that its an oversight or fault with the firmware. In anycase, selling a HD digital tuner that gives you no access to the 5.1 audio is definatly grounds for return with the manual saying that.

IME the nz samsung agents know about as much about their products as the salespeople at bond and bond, so I wish you luck and hope you get a resolution.

Richard rich.ms

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#187518 5-Jan-2009 14:23

Yes Sony should have

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#187534 5-Jan-2009 14:55

richms:

IME the nz samsung agents know about as much about their products as the salespeople at bond and bond, so I wish you luck and hope you get a resolution.

It's not my TV - it's a review model I've got here for a Geekzone review which I'll have done by the end of the week. I don't need the issue fixed personally but it's certainly something people who are buying the TV's need to be aware of. For that reason I just wondered is the Samsung was unique or other IDTV's suffer from the same issue.

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richms

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#187540 5-Jan-2009 15:02

Does the audio button do anything when pressed on a digital channel?

Does it work ok on a nicam analog channel so you know its not the button being stuffed?

Richard rich.ms

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#187609 5-Jan-2009 18:11

Okay, for our sony 32" W series, when tuned to TV3 i can press the audio button to change the stream. When i change it to AC3 on the TV i get the dolby logo on the home theatre system , and when changed back to he-aac it disappears. Haven't tested with 5.1 but i imagine it would work perfectly fine.
Also i would guess the V series as well of all sizes would do the same.

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#187615 5-Jan-2009 18:45

richms: Does the audio button do anything when pressed on a digital channel?

Does it work ok on a nicam analog channel so you know its not the button being stuffed?

I'm not doing anything wrong, it's simply that the TV doesn't support changing streams. Psycik also got a Samsung Series 6 just before Xmas and contacted Samsung about this as well. Their tech support advised that you can't switch between AAC/AC3 but that they would pass it on to their technical people.

It really is a downside for what is a fantastic range of TV's.

mruane

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#187618 5-Jan-2009 18:51

I use the Panasonic TH50-850Z with the Freeview tuner. I can select one of two audio streams on TV3, but just a single stream on TV1 and TV2. The streams are not identified as HE-ACC or AC3 but display as "eng" and "eng Dolby D". The "eng" steam is the only one selectable on TV1 and TV2. So I assume that "eng" is HE-AAC and "eng Dolby D" is AC3.

Interestingly, when the "eng Dolby D" stream is selected, the sound field "expands" significantly compared to the "eng" stream. The AC3 stream is definitely better to listen to but in both cases the Home Theatre system indicates that it is using the PLII (Pro Logic 2) decoder! (I use a Panasonic BT-105 Home Theatre system with Viera control).

I am using an optical cable to connect the TV to the sound system.

So, if AC3 sounds much better, what is the point of the HE-AAC stream?

Cheers Mike

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#187634 5-Jan-2009 20:25

mruane:So, if AC3 sounds much better, what is the point of the HE-AAC stream?

I believe HE-AAC is a requirement, however AC3 is optional for broadcasters. Whether they decide to use it or not depends on how they choose to spend the available bandwidth as i believe 2 channel AC3 uses a lot more bandwidth than HE-AAC. TV3 have decided to constantly transmit AC3 whether it's a 5.1 source or not. TVNZ seem not to be bothered with 5.1 support.

Marmion

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#187644 5-Jan-2009 21:04

Sorry to hijack, but I've got a Sony KDL32W4000 32" etc etc hooked up to a sony bravia home thatre system via hdmi with sound using the digital optical out from the TV. The movie playing now is Alien v Predator which is HD and 5.1. TV shows Dolby Digital 3/2.1

Question:

I can hear audio from the front L & R speakers as well as base. Should I be hearing anything from my rear L & R speakers and the centre speaker?

I presume everything is set up correctly. Home theatre system shows the Dolby Digital sign (as well as HDMI)

DEC mode on home theatre is set to AFD Standard, changing this to DD does nothing as already selects DD.

Audio comes through home theatre system automatically through TV set up.

Any ideas or is this the way its suposed to be?!

Cheers

Andrew

Edit: Movie is not actually in 5.1, just HD

How pathetic TV3!!! I want to test it out!! (PS3 & Blu Ray rocks though!)

mikerussellnz

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#187660 5-Jan-2009 22:59

AvP on TV3 tonight was HD Stereo, not 5.1, so the AC-3 stream would really only have 2 channels and silence on the center an rear speakers.

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#187711 6-Jan-2009 09:03

mikerussellnz: AvP on TV3 tonight was HD Stereo, not 5.1, so the AC-3 stream would really only have 2 channels and silence on the center an rear speakers.

More likely to be Dolby prologic rather than two channel stereo. That's what it sounded like on my system last nite..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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