FreeView|HD and Coax sound

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sneakattack

36 posts

Geek

# 36268 22-Jun-2009 13:48

I have a Logitech Z-5500 which supports Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and a DSE FreeView|HD box that has digital coax sound output, according to the manual.

As my optical input is taken up by the PlayStation 3, I went and got a digital coax cable from DSE over the weekend, and while it works, it only outputs Stereo sound. I tried this last night, with TV3 The Simpsons which according to TV3 is in HD and has 5.1 Surround, but the Z-5500 reported Stereo output.

Am I missing something (i.e. an incorrect setting?) or does the Freeview box not actually output 5.1 surround through the coax? I did read through all the manuals before purchasing, which all said that 5.1 surround was indeed possible over coax.

Thanks in advanced.

butlerboy

430 posts

Ultimate Geek
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# 227377 22-Jun-2009 14:38

Have you changed the audio output on the Zinwell from aac to ac3 on TV3? (or is it ac3 to aac? can't remember which.)

Jaxson

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# 227380 22-Jun-2009 14:51

Yeah two things you need to check:

a) make sure the digital audio output is configured as AC3, probably hides in the menus somewhere.

b) make sure you actively select the Dolby soundtrack on TV3 as your box might default to the standard mpeg/aac audio track on TV3.

(9/10 times you can get a away with a basic rca-rca cable too for digital coax sound. Saves a bit of coin if you're a student or similar.)

sneakattack

36 posts

Geek

# 227560 22-Jun-2009 22:32

Cheers guys, I must've needed to reset the box or something, because I've tried it again and now the speakers are saying they are outputting in Dolby Digital, at least on TV3 (so I assume it'll be working for TV One and 2, although they seem to lack HD content).

jonathan18

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# 227620 23-Jun-2009 08:36

It's worth noting that, while TV3 broadcasts in Dolby Digitial, nearly all programmes are 2.0 - so receivers etc will output to the main front speakers only. This can cause issues when sitting off-axis, as dialogue comes from the wrong place! This is the reason I have TV3 defaulting to the other audio format, and only switch to Dolby if in 5.1.

Jaxson

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# 227633 23-Jun-2009 09:43

jonathan18: It's worth noting that, while TV3 broadcasts in Dolby Digitial, nearly all programmes are 2.0 - so receivers etc will output to the main front speakers only. This can cause issues when sitting off-axis, as dialogue comes from the wrong place! This is the reason I have TV3 defaulting to the other audio format, and only switch to Dolby if in 5.1.

Isn't the normal audio 2 channel stereo anyway, so you'd have exactly the same problem with that?

Sorry sneakattack but only TV3 offer any form of surround sound at the moment, every other TV channel is 2channel stereo stereo audio only. And then as mentioned as well, only the 5.1 shows are surround sound on TV3, the rest are 2 channel stereo.

It is worth sorting the 5.1 dolby signal though as this really makes the shows that have this soundtrack. Biggest benefit personally is having the speech through the front centre channel, really helps with hearing the dialogue properly. All good.

jonathan18

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# 227672 23-Jun-2009 12:13

Jaxson: Isn't the normal audio 2 channel stereo anyway, so you'd have exactly the same problem with that?

No, I don't have the same problem.

Dolby Digital offers discrete sound, so there is no control how it is decoded - if it's only the front two channels being broadcast, that's all that will be decoded. On the other hand, if it's a different format to DD, eg standard stereo or maxtrixed sound, the receiver can easily be set to any number of sound formts such as Pro Logic, Pro Logic II etc.

Don't forget that many programmes are not "stereo" per se, but are broadcast in Pro Logic - and that programmes in standard stereo or even mono can still be decoded as Pro Logic, thereby ensuring dialogue comes from the centre channel - a crucial aspect to me of a listenable home theatre set-up.