Sky + with Dolby Digital
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New member Username: PaulthedoPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | I have a problem receiving the Sky+ DD signal through my DVD amp? I have a Loewe 8116 DVD preceiver which I have connected to the Sky+ box via an Optical TOS through a converter to a Digital Coaxial and into the amp. I have read on various sites that this is the way to do it but the DD doesn't appear to come through. Any suggestions appreciated. Paul. |
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Silver Member Username: MccambleyBREEZY POINT, NY USA Post Number: 155 Registered: Jun-05 | Are you setting up the DVD player to out put Dolby digital and DTS. These digital out puts need to activatd. |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7771 Registered: Dec-03 | Paul, are you having trouble getting DD signal out of your Sky+box or your DVD player? |
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New member Username: PaulthedoPost Number: 2 Registered: Apr-06 | 1.The DVD player is set up for DD and DTS? 2.How can I tell if the DD is not coming through the Sky+box? I presumed it was a problem with my DVD player. Thank you..Paul |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7816 Registered: Dec-03 | 1. Your DVD player is incorporated into your receiver, correct? If it is then you have no worries. 2. If your Sky+box is connected to your receiver via optical connection, you should be receiving digital signals. Look through your manual and set your receiver to receive audio signals automatically. This will prompt your receiver to flag signals that are DD encoded and it will treat it accordingly. I think the problem you are running into would be that you are expecting all signals from your Sky+box to be all DD signals. Please realize that not all programs are broadcast in DD or DTS or some other digital format. If your receiver is already set to automatic, it will only flag signals that are encoded as such. |
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New member Username: PaulthedoPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanks Berny 1 Correct 2 Correct - connected via optical connection via converter via coaxial digital ? I am not expecting DD signals from all channels. I do realize the only channels with Sky Plus are movies 1,2,3 and 9 that occasionally have DD.I'm beginning to wonder if the optical/coaxial converter is a dud. Is anyone out there using a similar converter and having problems (or no problems) Regards Paul |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 904 Registered: Feb-04 | "I'm beginning to wonder if the optical/coaxial converter is a dud." It doesn't seem likely, if you are hearing audio from the Skybox channels. Most people on this forum are not intimately familiar with the Skybox, but it seems to me you should make sure this is not an audio setup issue with it. |
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New member Username: JonnycrebPost Number: 1 Registered: Jul-07 | I am having a similar quandry - because my Sky+ box is in the loft, I am using the optical output via Toslink cable into optical/coaxial converter to good quality digital audio coax cable, into coaxial input on a Denon 2802 amp. The digital-in assignment on my amp is set to coaxial on the TV/DBS(?) input, and is set to Auto to detect any DTS/PCM signal. However, it is lit up as 'Analogue' rather than digital on the amp display panel. I hear what Berny is saying about only detecting DD when a programme is broadcast as such, but I was under the impression that even if there was no DD broadcast that the stereo signal could be played via the Prologic 2 effect to simulate a makeshift surround sound - at the moment I am getting nothing through my rear surround speakers at any time via Sky. The surround sound is obviously fine via DVD and automatically shows as a digital input on the display and works great, and I also get sound from the rears when using terrestial TV signal - but none whatsoever via the Sky+ signal. Does anyone have any advice please....! ? Yours, audibly challenged! |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 1711 Registered: Feb-04 | I agree that this should be working, but I have three questions. Why are you converting optical to coax? After all the Denon has three optical inputs vs. only one coax. If it is a question of distance, optical cable works easily out to 50 or more feet. This may not be the problem, but the Denon needs to detect Dolby Digital, not DTS/PCM. I'm pretty sure that if a channel has a digital audio signal at all it will be DD. At least that is the case on this side of the pond. Are you sure this is not a setup issue with the skybox itself? There may be a setup menu available where you must enable Dolby Digital on the box's optical output. Otherwise it may just send out an analogue signal only. "I was under the impression that even if there was no DD broadcast that the stereo signal could be played via the Prologic 2 effect to simulate a makeshift surround sound - at the moment I am getting nothing through my rear surround speakers at any time via Sky." You certainly should be able to use DPL II on that signal. The amount of sound it sends to the rears may not be large. Is your center speaker working? |
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New member Username: JonnycrebPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-07 | John, thanks for reply. 1. I am connecting to coax because I have to run a cable from my loft space outside and down the side of my house (can't find an easy route down 3 storeys in the cavity), which will run to some 15 metres - I understood that the signal would not be great down an optical cable that length, but you reckon it would be OK....? In addition, I thought that a good quality coax cable for outdoor use would more resilient and robust, unless there are optical cables available for outdoor use..? Maybe I could use some conduit to protect it.... 2. Sorry, I should have said I have already set the Sky box to enable DD signal so looks like it should work. 3. Centre speaker working OK, and I get sound through the rears with terrestial TV, albeit via PL2, and all speakers work via DVD, so the amp and speakers are definitely working. Not being an expert at all this, maybe it is just that the Sky signal does not like/isn't strong enough to be converted..? Is this possible..? I have tried another optical to digital converter and still no signal, but OK with direct optical. So, maybe I should look for a longer optical cable that will withstand the elements and temperatures.....? |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 1715 Registered: Feb-04 | Jon, yes robust optical cables up to 100 ft. exist and I think they would withstand the rigors of the elements. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022901&p_id=3449&seq=1&format=2&style= I am not advocating you do this unless it's a last resort. I have no personal experience with converting a digital optical to coax signal for a relatively long run. But as I said above I still think it should work. However, your last post raises more questions. The question here is why the Denon is reading out "analogue" audio on what is supposed to be a digital input. Signal strength is not the problem here--the digital signal is either there or it isn't. There's no analogue middle ground. So we have to assume that the receiver is actually seeing an analogue signal for some reason. I understand you have the receiver set to AUTO mode, and as page 20 in your manual states "If no digital signals is being input, the analog input jacks are selected." That said, this doesn't answer the problem either since I'm sure you are not running separate analogue audio into the receiver from the Skybox. What could be the explanation? Two points: 1) Maybe not all the channels on your Skybox offer digital audio. This is a long shot as you've probably already tried all the channels available. But I do have to bring this up because I have a similar situation. I have only the digital coax hooked up to my receiver from my cable box. The first 70 or so channels are analogue. I know this because I have configured my receiver to DPL II default on analogue audio. Above channel 70, the receiver reads "Dolby Digital." Sometimes its DD stereo and a few other channels are DD 5.1. This could be the case with Skybox. 2) Are you sure you are using the digital optical®coax converter properly? Elsewhere on this forum I conversed with a young man who wanted to do the same type conversion as you. It turned out he was using the opposite converter for the job--a coax®optical converter. If I remember correctly, he was getting analogue out on it. So, the question is does your converter look like this?  These simple converters are not two-way. If you are using a COAX IN/OPTICAL OUT converter, this is your problem. These are simply guesses on my part. The answer could lie elsewhere. |
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