Sky+ HD Dolby 5.1 over HDMI

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I know currently the latest Samsung HD boxes (manafactured Jan 09) don't send 5.1 over the HDMI cable and you have to use either the Optical or Coax to get it. The problem I have is that both the HDMI and optical cables are going to the same equipment and the sound from the HDMI takes priority over the optical cable so I'm still not able to get 5.1 from Sky HD.

Does anyone know anything of SKY's future plans to make a box that either does send 5.1 over the HDMI cable or a box that has an option in the software to force sound output only over the optical cable? and can the latter be done with firmware upgrades or will it mean a completely new box?
 

Gerrardasnails

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Silas:
I know currently the latest Samsung HD boxes (manafactured Jan 09) don't send 5.1 over the HDMI cable and you have to use either the Optical or Coax to get it. The problem I have is that both the HDMI and optical cables are going to the same equipment and the sound from the HDMI takes priority over the optical cable so I'm still not able to get 5.1 from Sky HD.

Does anyone know anything of SKY's future plans to make a box that either does send 5.1 over the HDMI cable or a box that has an option in the software to force sound output only over the optical cable? and can the latter be done with firmware upgrades or will it mean a completely new box?

If that is the case, use component for picture instead, you will hardly notice any difference and you will get better sound.
 
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Anonymous

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I have all Sony stuff. KDL-40Z4500 TV, BDP-S550 Blu-Ray, and RHT-G900 Integrated Home Theatre System. Everything is connected to the G900 stand and because it's all Sony it's all linked via Bravia link. When I select the input on the G900 to BD for example the TV automatically changes to the correct input and the sound control is taken away from the TV and is output from the G900 automatically.

I can put the HDMI cable from the SKY HD directly into the TV and just have the optical cable going into the G900 but then I lose all the linked functions and it becomes a nightmare to get everything set to the right input and I'm back to having 4 remote controls. The display for the G900 is in the glass on the top of the unit and you have to walk to it to see what input is selected.
 
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Anonymous

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I don't have the option of using component connections with the G900.
 

Andrew Everard

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Last I heard, we'd alerted Sony to this problem with its RHT-G stands, and the company was looking into it as part of its similar work on the STR-DG820 and STR-DA2400ES receivers, which had the same thing.

Not sure what progress if any was made - I'll have to check when I'm in the office.
 
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Anonymous

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I've spoken to both SKY and Sony, niether has a solution but then I'm not sure I'm speaking to the right people. Sony were very helpful though. I think the problem will only be resolved when SKY make a box that sends 5.1 over the HDMI cable. (I can't think why they haven't already) Ideally for me there will be a firmware update to my box soon that will better manage the sound output over the two cables, but I don't know if that is even technically possible.
 
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Anonymous

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Could you not get a Logitech Harmony remote control? It will control all your devices and change their inputs to how you want? We have the Logitech Harmony One and it's a miracle worker - one button and we have our home cinema, telly and sky on at the same time.
 

professorhat

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Silas:I've spoken to both SKY and Sony, niether has a solution but then I'm not sure I'm speaking to the right people. Sony were very helpful though. I think the problem will only be resolved when SKY make a box that sends 5.1 over the HDMI cable. (I can't think why they haven't already) Ideally for me there will be a firmware update to my box soon that will better manage the sound output over the two cables, but I don't know if that is even technically possible.

Should definitely be Sony sorting it out - as Andrew says, the same issue was true on the Sony 820 and 2400 amps and these were fixed with a firmware update to allow you to select video from HDMI and audio from optical. There's no reason why Sony shouldn't be able to allow the same on your G900.

Blunny89:Could you not get a Logitech Harmony remote control? It will control all your devices and change their inputs to how you want? We have the Logitech Harmony One and it's a miracle worker - one button and we have our home cinema, telly and sky on at the same time.

Good idea, but this isn't an issue of setting inputs unfortunately, when you have the video set to come in via HDMI, the audio comes with it, you're not allowed to select the audio from the optical input.
 
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Anonymous

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professorhat:

Should definitely be Sony sorting it out - as Andrew says, the same issue was true on the Sony 820 and 2400 amps and these were fixed with a firmware update to allow you to select video from HDMI and audio from optical. There's no reason why Sony shouldn't be able to allow the same on your G900.

That sounds encouraging, do you know how I will find out about firmware updates for the Sony G900?
 

Andrew Everard

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The reply we got from Sony was apparently along the lines that there's no solution, and that you should connect your Sky box direct to the TV, and use an optical connection to the stand, to avoid this problem.

Far from ideal, I know - but that's where we're at at the moment...
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for all the replies and thoughts. That's what Sony told me as well. It kind of defeats the object and the idea I had of buying sony generic equipment and a theater system that acts as an HDMI hub with bravia link. I'll keep working on a solution and hope either SKY or Sony upgrade their firmware soon.
 
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Anonymous

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I've just spoken to Sony again, they tell me there are no firmware upgrades available for the RHT-G900 and none planned at the moment. I hope lots more people complain and it forces them into rectifying the problem. What they have effectively produced is an amp that has both HDMI and optical inputs for SAT, knowing that if both are used the optical cable becomes useless.
 

Sorreltiger

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You're right, Professor, in that it's a conflicting input problem primarily. ÿHowever, I think that Blunny is correct in as much as the inconvenience created by connecting the HDMI to a different input on the TV could be circumvented by having a Harmony remote. ÿIt could be programmed to change inputs on the TV automatically when opting for 'Watch TV'. ÿThat would mean Silas, that you could still go from one activity to another with one press - and enjoy DD 5.1 at the same time.
 

professorhat

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Of course! Doh, yes, sorry, I completely misunderstood how the Harmony was being used - thanks Sorreltiger! Blunny is quite correct, a Harmony would indeed solve the issue of inputs if you hook the Sky HD directly to the TV using HDMI and then to the amp using optical, thus negating the requirement for the Sony Bravia link.
 
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Anonymous

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I don't suppose this will help, but I also have a Sony RHT G900 stand, with Sony TV (40W4500) and Blu Ray Player (S350). The difference is that I have a Virgin V+ Box. With the V+ box one gets round the problem described in this thread by setting the HDMI audio override in the V+ menu to "on". This suppresses the HDMI audio output from the V+ box and allows the optical out to pass a 5.1 signal to the Stand, with the video signal being passed through the HDMI port on the stand. (Of course this is of limited benefit, given the paucity of HD Virgin programming, but that is a different matter.) I mention this in case the Sky+ box has a similar HDMI audio override option.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Ianbar, unfortunately the SKY HD boxes don't have any options on contolling the output of the sonud other than normal or dolby and with both options sound is output from both HDMI and optical at the same time. It sounds like either SKY or Sony could fix this problem with a firmware update. I have sent a mail to Sony and I'm waiting on a response. I heard SKY are about to upgrade the firmware on their boxes soon, (the installer suggested first week in Feb), I hope they have addressed this issue with the update.
 

bullitt

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robincoldwell:problem seems the same with freesat

I have freesat hdr and have not had this problem, what excactly is happening with yours?
 

Dan Turner

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I think I may have the answer, or at least an answer that might work for some poeple.

I have an STRDA3300ES receiver, and I found the same thing; when you hook the Sky HD box up to an HDMI input and then select that input as your source, it automatically takes the audio from the HDMI cable and you can't override to assign an optical audio input to supply the audio when you select "HDMI#" as your source.

So what you do is you pick another input (TV for instance), then assign HDMI# as the video source and optical# as the audio source for that input. Then to watch skyHD you select "TV" (rather than "HDMI#" which is what it sounds like people are doing) - it retrieves the video feed from the HDMI input and the audio feed from the optical input - voila. Works seemlessly for me.

Hope that helps some people out there - it should at least work for those with a recent Sony HC receiver. Although I find it hard to believe that Sony themselves don't know that, so maybe they've ballsed up the design of their latest range of amps, in which case I'm sorry for offering a glimmer of hope and then ripping it away.
 

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