Not getting 6.1 on Blu Ray - Yamaha RXV1065

[roger06]

Hi

I decided to add a third rear speaker to my set up to get 6.1 instead of 5.1. The manual states that on doing this the extra speaker outputs the combined L & R rear channels. OK.

However, despite adding this speaker in the config and being able to hear a test tone from it etc (and I can hear it when switch the tuner into 7 channel mode), it's totally silent when playing a Blu Ray and is not listed as being active on the amp's display...

Any ideas?

 

[Andrew Everard]

The amp display usually shows the incoming channels, so it could be that the disc doesn't have it. You may need to add Dolby Digital EX processing to send signal to the sixth channel

 

[roger06]

Thanks Andrew

By 'add' - is this applied to an HD soundtrack such as DTS Master? or instead of it? The manual states that this channel downmixes rear left and right so surely what's going into the amp is correct ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, but the processing is needed to extract the extra information when there isn't a dedicated surround back channel on the soundtrack.

The processor will decode as usual, but the EX setting puts an extra 'layer' of processing in place.

 

[roger06]

Cheers

Will this compromise sound quality ? Would you add the third rear (the other two are quite far apart due to the room layout) - or stick with 5.1?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Shouldn't compromise it at all. If the speakers are well apart, as yours are, adding one or two rear surrounds can help fill in the soundfield very well.

 

[roger06]

Cool - thanks. Will try it when I get home...

 

[Andrew Everard]

See manual p48 or thereabouts - the only version I have on file is for the 'general' model, and the page numbering may be slightly different for the European-specific one.

Anyway, what you have to do is turn on Extended Surround, and then either set it to 'Auto' or choose one of the other modes. Selecting 'EX/ES' will force the receiver always to use the surround back channel.

 

[roger06]

Morning Andrew

I tried this with the TV - well I'm not sure what I did - I just kept pressing the surround mode button until the extra rear speaker activated.

However I tried it with BD yesterday and no decode mode buttons work - it just reads 'straight' on the display whenever I try to change it...

??