Humming (Panasonic plasma)

[stanydozwolone]

I have a sky box. It is connected to my telly (Panasonic Plasma TH42PZ80) with a euro rgb. The picture is OK, but what worries me is that the sound is week, flat and it hums. The problem disappears completely when I switch to freeview or a DVD player (DVD is connected by HDMI). I want to upgrade to Sky+HD - will the sound improve or will the annoying humming continue?

[Smithy99]

This sounds like a poor earth or bad connection. Have you tried changing the leads or connecting via SCART?

Is it just one side of the audio? if you pull one connector out at a time does it stop?

The sound on SkyHD comes via the HDMI port so different connections and I have no problems with audio hum.

You can also connect via the optical out if yo want 5.1 sound.

[stanydozwolone]

Originally Posted by Smithy99

This sounds like a poor earth or bad connection. Have you tried changing the leads or connecting via SCART?

I tried different configurations with various cables, but the problem persists.

Is it just one side of the audio?

No. It's stereo.

if you pull one connector out at a time does it stop?

I don't quite understand It is connected by only one plug - AV1 eurorgb video.

The sound on SkyHD comes via the HDMI port so different connections and I have no problems with audio hum.

I hope so that I will get the same when I get my SKY+HD box.

[Smithy99]

So you have it connected via SCART?

Have you tried a different SCART socket at the TV side, and also checked that it is plugged into the correct socket on the back of the Sky Receiver, it should be in the TV one not the VCR.

[Isitme]

No. It's stereo

I assume you are connection with a twin red/white cable, what happens when you remove the red plug and vice versa?

A single Video plug does not carry sound so it is unlikely to be the problem. If you connect with a scart cable you do not need the stereo cables, so disconnect these and the AV plug.

The sound on flat screen TVs is never very good, even the expensive ones, you should consider investing in a set of speakers. It will make a big difference to your enjoyment.

I too find that the HDMI delivers excellent sound quality.

[AndyJG]

For the benefit of people trying to help the OP eurorgb is a SCART socket.
Scroll down here for a pic of the back of the TV Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review: 42" Viera Plasma HDTV .

stanydozwolone do you have to turn up the TV volume in order to hear this weak,flat and humming sound?
I presume this problem has been with you since the system was set up rather than since.

If I was trying to fault find this I would

1) Change the SCART lead
2) Try the AV2 input on the TV (assuming you are using AV1)
3) Take the SCART lead from the Sky box and plug it into the SCART output socket on the DVD player (assuming it has one)

If this doesn't produce good sound you probably have a TV problem.
Are there menu options to allow for different sound inputs for the AV inputs and are they correctly set?
The Freeview and HDMI sound inputs are digital.It may be that the analogue input circuits in the TV are faulty.Possibly the input switching or the A-D converter.

If it does it is probably the Sky box.
You don't say which one.I don't know about Sky+ but the ordinary boxes have a volume setting in the setup menu.Has this been turned right down?
Try the VCR output on the Sky box,it may be that the TV output socket sound circuit is faulty.

Hopefully you are using a good quality,fully screened SCART cable.The cheap unscreened ones can cause all sorts of picture and sound problems.

Some ideas for you to think about.

Andy

[stanydozwolone]

Thank you for your answer and help.

I did not have to turn up the TV volume in order to hear this humming sound. Yesterday, I replaced the SCART lead with a better one and connected Sky box to the AV2 input. And what is more interesting my wife changed option TV to Auto (I'm still trying to locate it in the menu, because she doesn’t remember where it was ) . Now it seems to be ok, I don't hear humming sound until I turn up the TV volume very high.

Earlier yesterday, I also tried to connect my SKY box to the DVD player's SCART but after switching the TV only the player's menu appeared. Never mind, I hope the problem has been solved.

There’s one more, but minor problem – sometimes grey hardly visible stripes appear on the screen. Is it normal (ordinary sky box)?

[Smithy99]

The lines are due to interference, either you have another poor scart lead or the TV may have a fault. I have a Samsung 46 Lcd and if I run the scart lead the wrong way I also get interference, try to keep the lead as far away from any electrical leads as you can.

You may find it is just a poor scart socket on either the TV or the satellite receiver, HD uses HDMI so it should be better.

[murdock]

I once had a humming sound on my Toshiba.
This happened when watching Sky or Freeview.
After weeks of trying various solutions, I eventually tracked
the fault down to my terrestrial signal booster.
When I switched my signal booster off, the interference went away.
I think it was caused by a conflict with the inbuilt signal
booster of the Toshiba, for use with Freeview.

[stanydozwolone]

Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately, the humming was back and I really wanted to send my TV back. But finally I found the solution which turned out to be surprisingly easy. The problem was a ground loop. When I disconnected the aerial from Sky Box humming was almost gone. What is more interesting, having connected the Sky Box with my Panasnonic telly (using Audio Output (red and white )), the level of humming dropped. Since it has no influence on the quality of the image, I left it. I have also ordered an aerial ground loop isolator and I hope it will help reduce the noise.
I noticed to strange things:
1. When I stand very close the TV some programs stop blurring (some programs I don’t watch are always blurred) – I go back and they start blurring
2. Sky Box and my plasma are connected using a scart cable but when I change option RGB to Pal in the box’s menu the picture is getting a bit worse but the humming is much much smaller.