Sky HD+ and HDMI Dolby Digital

[NewsreadeR]

Glad you got it sorted out.

[Warfield]

Someone first raised this issue back in 2006, Sky, big, big investors as they are, have apparently not addressed this issue. Yet what I find so amazing is, the prospect of 3D via HDMI when they can`t even get the basics sorted....Four years on and NOTHING learnt!

People slag Sky off all the time but how many suppliers have a complex product that just works straight out of the box in millions of ordinary homes as well as Sky HD? Sure you can do all this stuff on a PC but how easy is it to setup a PC with a twin satellite receiver card, a video card, surround sound and a hard disk for PVR functions all with an EPG that is even usable? Sky has a product which is simple enough the masses and yet provides the advanced features desirable to the techies. You have decided to have a surround sound system so straight away your configuration is non standard. It's not Sky's fault that you don't understand your Sony AV.

[Alavana]

Thanks for slagging me off, Warfield.

I guess it is my fault that Sky do not advertise they do not produce Dolby Digital via HDMI?

No worries my friend, the problem is sorted now and I posted the solution here to help others who might have the same problem. (The solution being, to read and understand the manuals, and, to be advised that even though you can`t find in any literature that Sky do not support Dolby Digital via HDMI - including the manual that comes with Sky HD+ - it is a fact of life.)

Thanks for your help, by the way.

[Warfield]

...you can`t find in any literature that Sky do not support Dolby Digital via HDMI - including the manual that comes with Sky HD+ - it is a fact of life.)

On page 72 of the manual for my DRX895 Sky+HD box it states

Connecting other devices

To connect your box to an audio system, you can use:
Either a coaxial digital-audio cable
OR an audio (L/R) cable
OR an optical digital audio cable...

The manual even has diagrams for Basic setup 1 and Basic setup 2 but connecting an AV is not part of the basic setup and the diagram clearly shows that a coaxial digital audio cable or optical digital audio cable is required.

On page 73 of the manual for my DRX895 Sky+HD box it states

Switching on Dolby Digital audio

With the digital-audio outputs you can connect your Sky+HD box to a compatible home cinema system and listen to programmes broadcast in Dolby Digital audio. For this you need an optical or coaxial cable (not supplied) and you need to change the default settings on your Sky+HD box:...

Is there anything similar in your manual for the DRX890 box, after all they are very similar spec boxes?

[Alavana]

You are getting very confused my dear Warfield.

I specifically quote on the subject of "SKY" and you quote on the subject of "SONY."

The information is on page 100 of the Sony STR-DN 1000 manual
Enjoying the sound/images from other inputs

Another contact has helped me resolve this issue, just as I have previously stated.

Here is part of the information. I hope you don`t find this confusing, too?

"Normally in such AV amps you can configure it so that a logical source on the input selector can combine different physical inputs.

e.g. on my Denon.
For my 'Sky' input (I can name them), it is configured as HDMI input for video, optical input for audio.

The amp then plays the audio via the speakers, whilst the video goes out the HDMI output to the TV (which has its speakers turned off). The amp detects as usual whether the audio in is DD or whatever."

Whatever...... problem resolved and all previous facts remain unchanged.

Enjoy!

[Old_nick]

It doesn't matter if the manual mentions it or not - a system that does not support Dolby Digital via HDMI can hardly be called "SuperTelly" IMHO.

[Alavana]

The vast majority of us know what the definition of HDMI stands for.

The "multi" part of the acronym applies only to the image in this instance, as in all fairness, it is in High Definition carried via the HDMI cable, as for the sound, it`s two channel only, hardly High Definition.

So maybe we have here a case of High Definition Single-Media Interface.

[simon194]

The vast majority of us know what the definition of HDMI stands for.

The "multi" part of the acronym applies only to the image in this instance, as in all fairness, it is in High Definition carried via the HDMI cable, as for the sound, it`s two channel only, hardly High Definition.

So maybe we have here a case of High Definition Single-Media Interface.

If you read the full HDMI spec there is the "basic specification" which is only requires 2 channel PCM audio. This is the minimum audio specification required for HDMI licensing compliance, any multichannel formats are entirely optional and don't have to be implemented.

[Alavana]