So where has the bird been?

[jhawk92]

As in Jhawk92, or me? Well, it has been extremely busy at work the past 2-3 months, such that I had no time at work to lunch-time surf, and when you sit at a computer all day, I had no desire to do the same thing at home.

I was planning for a satellite switch-over and making sure all the customers had a glitch-free move of their signals. BTW, if you didn't notice anything wrong with your HBO on 22-23 Sep, that means I did my job.

Fortunately, while I was doing the satellite stuff, I was required to be in Atlanta. While I was there, I got a chance to go visit Edster and got to hear his K-horn/Moondog system. Wow!! I will try and post a separate review soon, but suffice it to say, he's got a nice system and I really loved his false corners.

Then, in between cleaning up minor satellite issues, I took a long weekend and helped my parent's set up their Klipsch HT (Forte II, Academy, Forte I, KG1.2) with a new Denon receiver and DVD player. I'll post on that one too.

So, I've been busy, but things are easing up a bit, so I might actually get caught up on my reading, in another month or so.

[BBB]

Hey Jhawk , I hate to sound like a wise guy but maybe you can find out why I have had Dolby Digital dropouts on HBO when they broadcast movies.It doesn't happen with the Sopranos. I've contacted my cable co. several times and because the other pay channels I get have no problems with the DD audio they say it's a HBO matter.People are blaming it on my Onkyo receiver but I don't experience this problem with other pay channels airing DD5.1 movies. I was told this was something that should of been handled by home box months ago.I don't seem to be able to get any information concerning this and I know I'm not the only person who has complained. Maybe you have an inside track on this audio drop-out issue. Thanks

[boa12]

welcome back JH. sorry about the F-ball. maybe next year.

Yeah & ask hbo when they'll start broadcasting in dts?

bbb, is it dropping the sound all together, the volume level, or you mean dropping from 5.1 down to 2.0?

[BBB]

Well Boa it drops out on DD 5.1 only and the sound on my tv and the 2.0 on my zone 2 is not interrupted. I'll have all 3 on and the DD5.1 drops out for 8 seconds in 2 to 5 minute intervals just on my main system. I understand that Onkyo has had dropout problems with certain DVDs but I will be watching a movie on HBO with dropouts and can put the exact DVD I own of the same movie in my player and NO dropouts. This was happening on other pay channels and there was a fix sent out by dolby to these broadcating copanies so what I ended up with is all the HBO channels being the only ones with the problem. All HBO channels east ,west ,family etc.are affected except not on Original HBO DD 5.1 programs such as the Sopranos. Its just the movies. I get them in DD 2.0 O.K.

Strange but I'm not alone in this can of worms and the cable company thinks I'm a pain. I have almost given up. I've bought the 989 upgrade that supposedly fixes this but have not sent the unit in yet and I've been trying to find out if the fix solves the problems with broadcasts from other 989 owners that actually experienced the HBO dropouts before having their units serviced and now no longer have them after their receiver has been returned.I think there are many people that did not realize that dropouts were happening with broadcasts along with DVDs before they decided to upgrade.What makes it more complicated is the fact that Starz ,Cinemax ,TMC etc. that used to have the problem ,now don't ,so when you try to compare notes with other Onkyo owners all the facts have become diluted as far as when ,where and how these dropouts begin,end or remain.

[boa12]

bbb, that's odd no problem like that here w/ time warner cable & a scientific atlanta explorer 2100 box connected to the digital input of the pre/pro. only problem here is that we need ppv movies broadcast in 5.1 & those channels/shows w/ 5.1 to use dts over dolby.

sounds like a bitstream detection thang. but i'm not up on it enough to say. may want to get a newer dig box from the cableco anyway - that may fix it. i'm going to trade for the sci atlanta 2200 just to stay updated in the tech.

[edster00]

Good to see you back jhawk! Tell us how you and your folks like the SVS also

[jhawk92]

BBB/Boa-

Unfortunately, I don't have any say in how HBO broadcasts. All my company does is get the signals from the HBO facility in NY to the various cable headends or satellite providers. It certainly takes a bunch of extra BW to broadcast in 5.1, and especially DTS, so that will have to wait a while.

Ed-

Will certainly fill the board in on my SVS experiences. BTW, I forget which Sunfire you have.

Rob

[cluless]

JHAWK...

Glad you broke free of the jesses and made your way back here...I actually dwelled south of atlanta for a very short while ...errrg - 3 months in Jonesboro, not reccommendded..

So what doya think of the PC+ sub?

[edster00]

jhawk,

My Sunfire is the Signature.

[BBB]

Boa/jhawk

I have to agree with you that it is some sort of a bitstream problem but it only happens on HBO. I have the Scientific/Atlanta Explorer 3000 and my cable co., Adelphia, claims the same thing as JHAWK. That it is the signal they get from N.Y. or somewhere else and it must be an HBO problem.I did not want to hassle you J. I just thought you might of heard of something similar happening to other customers while you were on the job.Thanks

[erikjohn]

BBB,

THis may be a stupid answer but I had problems about a couple years ago with my DD. I wasn't getting dropouts but rather I was getting a delay in the sound. The sound didn't match the picture and the sound was lagging behind. This only happened in 5.1 and not in DD2.0 or PCM. It also only happened with my cable/sat reciever. My first instinct was to go and hit the receiver, I would give it a good swat. I would lose signal for a second but then it would come back, OK. I had the Sony receiver checked out and the tech's ran it for like 48 hours and no problems. It ended up being a bad optical cable. I had one of those crappy Rectcon cables. After I replaced that I had no problems. Also wanted to note that you don't want to get those optical cables all looped up or crimped as it seems to affect the transfer. Itry to keep them in as straight as a line as possible.

Just thought I'd share, even though it doesn't sound like this is the problem your having.

EJ

[BBB]

Thanks for the input EJ. It probably is not the problem and I'm using coax for the cable feed and optical for at least one of my DVD players.But you know you remind me of a good point.If it could not possibly be the problem then it has already caused the problem. Rule nothing out when messing with electronics.Keep your pants up kid.

[boa12]

bbb, wow a 3000. you're way up there. i need to check w/ time warner & see what they now have.

does sound like a transmission quirk from adelphia, hbo, or both. though i had a similar problem when i had the analog connections (2.0) from the tv & the digital connection from the box on the same input in the pre/pro. its suppose to sense the signal type & give priority to the digital, but found the analog signal was still conflicting w/ the digital signals where available. so i connected the digital coax to another digital input & all is fine. just have to switch over to tv when i want analog through the system for the analog-only channels.

but if you have analog & digital connected to the same input & your processor is having a problem w/ it, then it should affect the ac-3 2.0 digital broadcasts as well. was for me.

& maybe trying another dig coax cable wouldn't hurt. maybe you have already. but these things would more isolate the problem to upstream from your system.

[jhawk92]

I guess I should clarify, it wasn't just HBO I was involved with. There were many other users on the satellite, but HBO is one of the big names. We also handle most of the credit card authorizations ("pay at the pump") as well as other department stores. It can be a fun, but stressful job.

Edster-

Thanks, I'll get on the review shortly.

Clu-

In a word, WOW. I haven't really finished tweaking the SVS yet, but I can already tell it is a better sub than my PW-2200. Granted, I think the 2200 is an outstanding unit, but for less money, I have a sub that does sooo much more.

Boa-

Guess I'll have to check with my cable company too, as I think I am on the SA2100 for my digital cable. Wonder if they would give me a new unit?

[boa12]

jh, when i took the old 2000 into the tw store they gave me a brand new 2100. it had just come out then.

the challenge w/ them here is they have like 8 different outlets. i got all the store phone numbers (another challenge in itself) & called around 1st to find the closest one that had the new 2100.

[Mike Lindsey]

I have TWC and am using a Scientific/Atlanta Explorer 3100HD box. I too lose the digital signal, especially when watching the HD channels. It's gotten so bad, I don't even bother watching them any longer.

BTW Rob, good to see you back.

Mike

[BBB]

Mike and Boa.

Mike ,you have listed a lot of fine equipment you are using in your HT section on your music systems page.

Are you still using the Denon 4800 ? If so are you using the digital out from your Scientific/Atlanta Explorer 3100 to the receiver and getting audio drop outs in Dolby Digital 5.1 broadcasts from your TWC provider? I experience TOTAL (audio+video ) dropouts and freezing once in a while BUT I mean DD5.1 dropouts with the audio only while still getting a great picture and yet the 2.0 DD analog remains uninterrupted. I do not receive HD channels. That is different than these regular pay channels that include DD5.1 transmissions with their broadcasts. Most of my pay channel that happen to send a 5.1 signal out during a movie are coming in O.K. to the receiver except HBO. I think it has become one of those Ive got to hear it to believe it situations for me. I may be nuts but Im very serious when it comes down to messing with my audio/video thing. Here is what one person posted on the HT forum I own an onkyo 797 and a denon 4800. I have experienced the dropout problem on satellite broadcasts with both units. However I have not had any such problems with dvd playback.

I believe people with the Denon 1600 have complained about this also but mostly Onkyo owners. Some discussion here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=b62be593194e2bfabd3eeb4e1f7f0c5b&threadid=75055&perpage=30&display=&pagenumber=1

[BBB]

Just to follow up. HBO east is broadcasting The Heist as I type this. It started at 8:pm EST. It has Dolby Digital 5.1 audio dropouts. The stereo Digital 2.0 sound is there without a problem. Now at the same time on STARZ2 they are broadcasting K-PAX in Dolby Digital 5.1 .There are NO dropouts in the audio. Some people may be watching these movies thinking that there is not a problem when actually they are listening only to the Digital 2.0 track. When your receiver is getting a 5.1 signal it should say when you ask for a display of the incoming signal Dolby Digital 3/2.1 versus just Digital because the 5.1 signal may not be set as the priority signal over stereo on the receiver. If you isolate the signal to the 5.1 only through your system and leave the sound on the TV only(not a TV signal to the receiver) you will find the stereo sound remains on the TV speakers with dropouts of the DD 5.1 sound track on the receiver. The 2.0 track will play on the receiver without interruption if you set it that way. There is talk that Dolby engineered a patch to fix this problem but apparently only a few broadcasters are using it. HBO is not one of them. The STARZ channels had dropouts but NO longer do. At least in my area. I understand that this is happening with mostly Onkyo products and some Denons but we are talking about quite a few high priced pieces of equipment and pay channels. Has anyone else on this forum experienced this exact problem I have been trying to describe. LOL. Yea . I guess you can tell Im frustrated and I think its possible Im not conveying my thoughts very well due to my bad typing. ARRRRRRRRRR

[jhawk92]

Mike-

Thanks for the kinds thoughts. I've been so busy, I really haven't had much time to enjoy the Chorus IIs. But once I get some good quality time, I'll crank them up and enjoy them and the SVS. Damn, what a sub!!!

As far as HD for me, I would need to get a monitor first, but I am reluctant to do much until things play out. Being in the satellite world, I get a bit of scuttlebutt on HD, and most of the broadcasters still don't know what they will be doing. So, I'll hang with my 27" ProScan and call it good.

[boa12]

bbb, it sounds like the entire digital audio signal is dropping on you all together. before i thought you meant it was dropping from a 5.1 to 2.0 but still ac-3 2.0 (digital).

i just watched some of that "heist" on hboW & no problem - digital 5.1 all the way. but like i mentioned I have the digital audio & s-video cables running to different input jacks on the pre/pro. i did that when i was getting a dropout before & maybe it was just hbo (don't remember.

you might want to try that. only downside is you have to switch back & forth for analog vs digital audio channels. but it cured my digital audio dropout - i think because the analog audio was conflicting w/ the digital audio on the digital channels when both were being run into the same input on the pre/pro.