can cable broadcast 5.1 surround?

[admin_exported]

s any cable or sky programes available with 5.1 surround or is all broadcast tv stereo?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, there's plenty of 5.1 programming on Sky via the Sky+ or Sky HD box, and AFAIK the same is true on the Virgin platform, too.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers andy, so i guess i would be better off using the optical output rather than analogue?

 

[Anonymous]

oh yeah andy, how do i know what is going to be 5.1? is bbc hd?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes in every case - in fact on Sky HD still use the optical out rather than the HDMI for sound, as the sound from Sky HD on HDMI is stereo only.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a V-Box from Virgin, which I like. It upscales crappy cable to 720i and it seems to help. That said, I am having issues with the sound (Virgin are coming back on Saturday....) It seems to have problems with the Dolby 5.1 and some guy at the Virgin call centre (who didn't exactly fill me with confidence) told me that they didn't support Dolby Surround or DD. Even though there's a Dolby Digital logo on the front of the V-box.

A second opinion is needed, I suspect......

I do know that Virgin must have substantial capacity issues going forward with HD and multi-channel sound. The old C&W and ntl networks were at capacity when I managed a project for them a few years back, so God knows what's happening now. I can't imagine that there's been major investment in fibre in last year.....