SA3100HD Audio

[Bigdog]

Hi, I am new here and joined to learn more about HDTV here in Milwaukee. I just had TW come out today and swap out one of the digital cable boxes for a HDTV model to connect to our Mits. WS65511. The power levels were low so need to do some cable work with the splitters (whomever did it originally did it badly) so right now NO HDTV signal at all (think he said it was -19 at that jack). Anyway one question I hope to get answered here is about the digital coax jack on the SA3100 box.  I hooked that to my Onkyo receiver and no sound (from any channel) from the box comes through it. TW hooked the box up to both the DTV componet and the ANT-A coax on the TV and I do get sound from the TV speakers but nothing through the receiver at all. Do you have to enable that coax out on the box? Is something hooked up wrong?

Thanks

[brewtownska]

I know with my 3100HD box, you can't get any sound to come out on the Digital Audio output when watching an analog channel (2 thru 70's?), but it will output on any of the digital channels and the High Definition channels.  So just make sure when you say you can't get sound on any channel, that you've checked at least 1 on each.  I don't think there were any program settings that you needed to flip to get the box to send audio out that jack, so it should happen automatically.

Let us know when/if you figure out what the problem is.

Mike

[JoeK]

One of the major goals of the forum has been to help people with all manner of questions.  It's tough to sometimes get to a solution with just a few lines of information.  One doesn't want to be insulting.  With that as the lead in ....  Your description isn't clear on the audio out connections from the cable box.   A digital and analog connection to a digital and analog connection on the receiver is needed for sound on all channels.  Is the connection you made to the receiver digital to digital?

The coax to the TV is providing analog video and audio to the TV.  Ideally you might want a component and s-video connection to the TV also.

[Snard]

Maybe "digital coax" wasn't the best description for this connector, but the SA3100HD does have a SPDIF connector on the back (RCA jack) which, as previously noted, only outputs digital audio on the digital cable (and HD) channels. My receiver lets me toggle between digital & analog for each signal source, so I'm able to easily choose between the proper audio sources depending on the channel I'm tuned in to. Maybe some other brands of receiver do this switch automatically, based on presense of the signal. (My receiver is a Pioneer VSX-D710S)

[Bigdog]

Well unfortunately now the "new" box is not working at all, it just says call them, which I did but until they come out and redo the wiring tomorrow wont know what the case is with that box and if anything comes out of that digital coax output until then (if I am lucky).  I'll ask them if it only works on certain channels (and if so why since it should output it on any channel and let the receiver deal with it)  

As far as confusion on the terms. I did mean the digital coax output (altho it it technically an RCA jack) not the RG6 coax (F-Connector).  I did hook that into my Onkyo receiver but WHILE the box did work no sound came from it.


Are you saying that to get sound from the cable box (on all the channels) to the receiver you need to use both the digital coax output as well as the standard 2 channel RCAs (Red and White)?  Maybe I am missing something, but that would seem like you are duplicating connections and TBH not sure the receiver would accept 2 sets of "audio in's" for one selection, guess I'll have to look and see.

Thanks

[gyoung]

You have to configure your receiver to process the digital signal.  You also have to have digital COAX line out to the receiver and analog out lines to the receiver.  On my Denon, I had to "assign" the digital COAX to the TV function of the receiver.  Otherwise the receiver doesn't know which audio to play, analog or digital.  

On my Denon, after assigning the digital COAX to the TV function, it looks for digital signal first, if it doesn't detect a digital signal then it defaults to the analog inputs.  This works well, otherwise I would have to manually change it when using the Time Warner cable box and changing from an analog channel (1-99) to a digital one (100-9999).  The receiver does this for me automatically.

[Bigdog]

I did assign a COAX input to that "preset" on my Onkyo and plugged the digital coax from the box into that input on the receiver. I did not think that you needed to have both that it and a pair of analog cables for the audio.  When (IF???) the box gets working tomorrow I'll give that a try and see what happens. I sure hope I don't have to switch it back and forth between the analog channels and the digital ones.

I'm still not sure why you should need to use "double cables" in the first place, why the box can't just output the audio to that one digital coax, no matter what channel it originated on.

Do the satellite boxes have the same "problem" as well?

Thanks

[Gregg Lengling]

No the Satellite boxes output everything on the SPDIF, just sends different streams depending on channel and programming.  With TWC they only send out the SPDIF from the HD and digital channels.

[Bigdog]

Hmm interesting.... I wonder why they can't do the same with the cable boxes? Sure seems like a better way to go..  Also gives me something to keep in mind if they don't get the signal (and box) fixed today. Altho from what I heard, a HD sat. box is like $600???

Thanks everyone for the clearing up why it was not working (as expected) hopefully today I can try it and see what happens with both sets of wires connected.

[JoeK]

Cable companies have to deal with the "must carry laws".  They are required to provide a signal that can be receive by an analog tv with out a converter box.  I think this is true until 2006.  So the basic stations are analog video and audio.  The dish providers can just provide everything  in digital and require a set top box for each tv.

It is a challenge to set up and get the optimal video and audio signal on all channels with a HD cable box.

[Bigdog]

I can understand why they must atleast offer the analog audio outs but still confused a bit as why the box can't convert it to go over the digital coax as well so if you have that setup you just need the one cable.  

As for the problem TW did show up last nite (even with the ice storm) and did get the re-wire down so now the HD box works and have a much better picture altho still some grainyness on the analog stations.

As others said I did have to use 2 "audio outs" to get sound to my Onkyo on both the analog and digital stations.  

Now hope to find something good in HDTV to watch to give it a try