HDMI 5.1 surround sound.

[JE99]

My U-verse STB is currently hooked up to a RX-V663 Yamaha AV receiver thru HDMI cable, however, I have learned that the sound coming from STB is 2.0 PCM only.

In order me for me to enjoy the 5.1 surround sound and at same time the crystal clear picture of HD, I have to do the following setup:

1) Connect the HDMI from STB directly to my plasma TV.

2) Connect fiber optic cable from STB to Yamaha AV receiver.

But with above setup, I’m having trouble in playing with my DVD/BD player as I also use my Yamaha AV receiver a switcher. In other words, I’m using my Yamaha AV receiver as AV source selector going to my plasma TV. Now my question is, is there any option from STB to change the HDMI sound from 2.0 to 5.1 ?

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

No option, the HDMI sound from the U-Verse STB is 2.0 currently, with no way around it except to use the optical.

You can do one of the following as a work-around:

1. Leave the U-Verse STB connected to the TV directly on HDMI for video, and optical for audio, and then you will have to switch the source on both the TV and the Yamaha AV receiver whenever you want to switch from TV to BD and back.  A programmable remote like the Logitech Harmony will handle the source switching for you.  This is the setup I'm currently using.

2. Your Yamaha AV receiver may be programmable to get the audio from the optical while allowing HDMI video to pass through, and ignoring the HDMI audio.  A lot of AV receivers can't be programmed like this, they will lock into the HDMI audio if it's present.  But some AV receivers allow this, so you might check and see if yours can.

[JE99]

Hi SomeJoe7777,

Thanks a lot for the advice. . .

I'll definitely check your advice #2. Actually while reading from your respond, it gave me an idea that I can use HDMI #2 of my TV as a dedicated HDMI video source for U-verse STB. While HDMI #1 is for my Yamaha AV receiver and this way I can play my AV equipment to my setting preferences. The only drawback is that I need to use my TV remote to switch between HDMI inputs plus an additional HDMI cable which I'm trying to minimize. Well, I think I can live with this setup for now. 

But I'm still wishing that in the near future ATT can have firmware upgrade for U-verse STB HDMI audio option that can be selected as 2.0 or 5.1.

Again thanks for your time.

[oz_1 ACE - Wizard]

I still notice an ocasional hiccup in the sound not as much this month as last but I was told that a firmware for CE would fix this but that it will not happen till Q1 of 09 all I can say

way to go Microsoft. 

[jimfitzgerald]

Message Edited by jimfitzgerald on 02-02-2009 02:25 AM

[SkykingUSA_1]

Holy cow.  It's unbelievable that these STBs cannot send 5.1 over HDMI.  I didn't even realize it until I read this thread. Duh.

Uverse sure has its high points, but still has a lot of growing up to do too.

[acruther]

I have that same remote. I think a Harmony remote is a must for any halfway decent home theater system.

One remote to control them all!

...or something like that...

[acruther]

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SkykingUSA wrote:

Holy cow.  It's unbelievable that these STBs cannot send 5.1 over HDMI.  I didn't even realize it until I read this thread. Duh.

Uverse sure has its high points, but still has a lot of growing up to do too.

---

Isn't that the truth. For having been around 2 years, they should be better than this. They're like M$. Spend all the money on advertising and none of it on fixing their problems - which aren't all that complicated by the way.

I mean, HDMI audio? Are you kidding? Who screws that up anymore? Oh yeah - nobody.

You can charge less for an inferior product. You can't charge the same and that's what AT&T does. The only reason I haven't switched back to DirecTV is we're likely moving out of the city in about 3 months - so what's the point?

[wiltshp]

I have a question about my setup.  I am currently running HDMI from my DVR into my receiver (Onkyo TX-SR705).  My reciever passes the video thru to the tv(via HDMI), however I am getting surround sound out of all of my speakers.  My question is, is my reciever doing this?  I am positive I am not getting the same sounds out of every speaker, so is my reciever decoding the dolby digital audio or do I have a flukey DVR that is outputting in 5.1?

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

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wiltshp wrote:
I have a question about my setup.  I am currently running HDMI from my DVR into my receiver (Onkyo TX-SR705).  My reciever passes the video thru to the tv(via HDMI), however I am getting surround sound out of all of my speakers.  My question is, is my reciever doing this?  I am positive I am not getting the same sounds out of every speaker, so is my reciever decoding the dolby digital audio or do I have a flukey DVR that is outputting in 5.1?

---

If your receiver is using the 2.0 audio feed from HDMI, it could be applying Dolby Pro Logic II, which will give a simulated 5.0, or 5.1 with the receiver's bass management.

However, the channel separation is not near as good using Dolby Pro Logic II processing as it is when you're getting the actual discrete 5.1 channels via Dolby Digital.

[wiltshp]

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SomeJoe7777 wrote:

If your receiver is using the 2.0 audio feed from HDMI, it could be applying Dolby Pro Logic II, which will give a simulated 5.0, or 5.1 with the receiver's bass management.

However, the channel separation is not near as good using Dolby Pro Logic II processing as it is when you're getting the actual discrete 5.1 channels via Dolby Digital.

---

I believe that is what is happening.  I'll have to see if I can set my reciever up to use video from hdmi while simaltaniously getting audio from optical.  Is optical the best audio from the STB/DVR currently?

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

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wiltshp wrote:

I believe that is what is happening.  I'll have to see if I can set my reciever up to use video from hdmi while simaltaniously getting audio from optical.  Is optical the best audio from the STB/DVR currently?

---

In terms of fidelity, yes.  The optical digital output is Dolby Digital 5.1 on all HD channels.  However, there are the 1/2-second dropouts on the optical audio that are present for some people.  Some receivers handle this much better than others.  I just replaced my AV receiver with a new one last week.  My previous receiver was unlistenable using the optical audio, as the 1/2-second dropouts every 30 seconds to 1 minute were highly annoying.

On my new receiver, the dropouts are still there, but they're much less audible because they don't last 1/2 second, now it's more like just a little click.  This is tolerable and I can wait for a firmware update that will fix it.

If you get the dropouts, try pausing the live playback for about 10 seconds and then resuming.  The dropouts occur much less often when playing back a recorded or delayed show.

[wiltshp]

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SomeJoe7777 wrote:

In terms of fidelity, yes.  The optical digital output is Dolby Digital 5.1 on all HD channels.  However, there are the 1/2-second dropouts on the optical audio that are present for some people.  Some receivers handle this much better than others.  I just replaced my AV receiver with a new one last week.  My previous receiver was unlistenable using the optical audio, as the 1/2-second dropouts every 30 seconds to 1 minute were highly annoying.

On my new receiver, the dropouts are still there, but they're much less audible because they don't last 1/2 second, now it's more like just a little click.  This is tolerable and I can wait for a firmware update that will fix it.

If you get the dropouts, try pausing the live playback for about 10 seconds and then resuming.  The dropouts occur much less often when playing back a recorded or delayed show.

---

Thanks Joe.  Actually, I think the dropout would bother me more than the less than par 5.1 my reciever is giving me.  Hopefully they get the HDMI issue fixed sometime soon.

[Nexu]

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SomeJoe7777 wrote:

No option, the HDMI sound from the U-Verse STB is 2.0 currently, with no way around it except to use the optical.

You can do one of the following as a work-around:

1. Leave the U-Verse STB connected to the TV directly on HDMI for video, and optical for audio, and then you will have to switch the source on both the TV and the Yamaha AV receiver whenever you want to switch from TV to BD and back.  A programmable remote like the Logitech Harmony will handle the source switching for you.  This is the setup I'm currently using.

2. Your Yamaha AV receiver may be programmable to get the audio from the optical while allowing HDMI video to pass through, and ignoring the HDMI audio.  A lot of AV receivers can't be programmed like this, they will lock into the HDMI audio if it's present.  But some AV receivers allow this, so you might check and see if yours can.

---

Thanks SomeJoe7777, I opened up a PS3 for christmas today and ran into this exact issue.  I had my STB setup with the HDMI going directly to the TV and an optical going to my Onkyo 605 the past 6 months and it's worked flawless (no audio drop outs at all).  With the wife fully trained now to use the receiver, and a PS3 in hand this morning, what better time than now to go 100% HDMI.  Needless to say I'm disappointed I can't have DD with HDMI from my motorola uverse STB and I rewired it back to your option 1 above (now have to switch both receiver and TV; not the end of the world but a minor inconvienance none the less).

Does anyone know if AT&T will be fixing this soon?

[JE99]

Post-setup result from message #3.

Somehow my Yamaha AV receiver does not have an option to pass-through just the video signal over HDMI, so definitely I have no choice but to use a 2nd HMDI cable from my plasma TV that I can connect directly to U-verse STB in order to avail the DD 5.1 audio from optical output to AV receiver. Although I already achieve the 5.1 audio that I want, I'm still dissapionted with U-verse STB as I preferred a single HDMI setup from AV receiver to plasma TV. 

NOTE: The U-verse remote volume control level should be atleast set to 1 or higher, otherwise there will be no audio output signal to optical out of STB. 

[SkykingUSA_1]

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wiltshp wrote:

---

Thanks Joe.  Actually, I think the dropout would bother me more than the less than par 5.1 my reciever is giving me.  Hopefully they get the HDMI issue fixed sometime soon.

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I'm with you wiltshp - any dropout at all would bother me to no end (not to mention the wife) compared to a solid stereo signal that my receiver could "fake" surround for.  I hope they fix this issue soon and get 5.1 sound from the HDMI output!  Wow.

[piodiaz]

How do they handle software updates, is it automatically?. Right now I am connected with an optical cable for audio but I want to have hdmi only. How will we know when they fix it.

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

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piodiaz wrote:
How do they handle software updates, is it automatically?. Right now I am connected with an optical cable for audio but I want to have hdmi only. How will we know when they fix it.

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At first you will see people posting about it here, and after that AT&T will make an announcement. IMO

[Datalyss]

Got Uverse installed on Saturday and just tonight realized that 5.1 is not being output via HDMI.  Just ordered a toslink cable in hopes to correct this GLARING issue by AT&T.  Luckily my receiver has the ability to receive audio over toslink and video over HDMI.  I haven't experienced any audio drop out yet, but I will admit that the picture is not as good as Comcast.  However, overall I do like it so far, but will like it better when I fix the audio issue.

I hope they fix this soon.

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Hopefully the new cable will work for you.  Here is the link to calibrate your tv if you like.  Welcome to Uverse.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1975752,00.asp

[Datalyss]

Thanks, I tuned it previously with the Video Essentials DVD, but may try the THX method as well.

[bdk5]

JE99--Instead of running 2 HDMI cables to the TV, maybe run component cables from your STB to the receiver.  If I'm not mistaken, your receiver is capable of outputting the component video from the STB and the HDMI video from your DVD/BD over a single HDMI to the TV.

[Datalyss]

As a follow up to a previous post.  Sure enough, I am getting 5.1 now with the TOS link cable for audio and video over HDMI.  My Onkyo 605 is able to distinguish separate sources for audio and video, now (like many of you), I am getting the audio drop outs.  It's not too frequent, but it is annoying.  I've read some people have solved this by replacing the HDMI with Component for Video, although I don;t see how that's possible as the audio still is getting transmitted via the TOS link cable and that's where the problem is.  Can anyone confirm that this has in fact worked?  I'm also going to try the pause trick too, but that's a bit of a nuisance as well.  Lets hope they get this fixed.  Other than that, I really like the service.  Whole house DVR is great.  My wife watches many of her shows while working out. 

[MikeS_1]

People, People, People you are making all this way tooooooooo complicated for yourselves!  

This is and easy setup:

Components: TV, STB, Blu-Ray, PS3, Receiver,(and any other stuff you may have in your AV cabinet.

Cables: HDMI, Optical

Setup:

1. HDMI from the receiver HDMI out to the TV HDMI 1 port

2. HDMI and Optical cable from receiver to to the STB (Configure the receiver to use HDMI 1 for video and Optical 1 for audio - this is what I did with my Harman Kardon AVR 354)

3. Run HDMI from the receiver to the Blu-Ray player (configure the receiver to use HDMI 2 for video and HDMI 2 for audio

4. And so on and so forth.

As I just said in a post earlier, digital audio is digital audio. HDMI just brings it together with HD video in one cable. By going optical you are not losing anything in terms of sound quality because there is not a provider on the planet that can push Dolby HD DTS audio through its pipeline. We are dealing with standard Dolby Digital 5.1 here.

[lrdiver]

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Parisv wrote:
Thanks, I tuned it previously with the Video Essentials DVD, but may try the THX method as well.

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It's really best to calibrate your system with a signal from the STB. The only choice I know of is the test pattern from HDnet on Saturday morning at 7:30am. The issue is that the STB is a different source and probably has somewhat different characteristics than your DVD player. There is also an issue with the Black level on HDMI which you would want to correct or switch to Component. Search for some of the posts on that subject.

The procedures from Video Essentials give you somewhat of an idea of what to do. The main issue is properly setting the black level. You can also just follow the voice prompts on the test patterns.

[presnellt]

Someone please help. I currently have a Pioneer 1019. THe u-verse HDMI will not work,. It was working perfectly on Charter. They have a tech coming out but I think he will fail. Any ideas?

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

What is the problem you are experiencing?

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Check out this post from Joe.

http://utalk.att.com/t5/Equipment/Volume-dropped-on-DVR/m-p/218066#U218066

[chrisfales]

San Antonio, Texas...locals appear to be working (for now)...that's it.  All other channels are still messed up.