HDMI Audio Drops with DirecTV DVR

[zestychicken]

Is anyone else having these? After the update I'm having these like every 10 minutes. Not just when I'm changing channels or RW/FFW. It seems if there is an error in the data stream, it just kills the audio. Actually FFW/RW will often correct the problem.

Anyway, I'm now using a fiber optic cable for the audio and the problem is completely resolved. However, that's kind of retarded.... Hopefully the next version will fix this...

[ICBM99]

I have the same problem (kind of), and its been discussed here many times.

I experience the same thing except I'm with Dishnetwork and I'm all ready using optical.

We're hoping the next firmware fixes it.

[zestychicken]

I have heard people with the problem with changing channels and FFW/RW, but not just randomly. Also, I haven't heard people say it's gotten worse with the update. For me, it's gone from a rare annoyance to being bad enough to preclude using HDMI for audio.

[ratmice]

I have seen all the same things you are: random dropped stream, worse than v5, and drops on pause.

[zestychicken]

Apr 21, 2010 9:47:12 GMT -5 ratmice said:

I have seen all the same things you are: random dropped stream, worse than v5, and drops on pause.

Well at least that makes it less likely I screwed up the update...

I just had a changing channel audio drop on the optical cable btw...argghhh...

[cdpsrjc]

I have the same problem with my SA8300HD cable box. I've always had audio sync problems, but V6 has introduced ramdom complete or center channel audio drops. Pause the stream, and it's back. This is a great unit. I hope they can get this sorted out. I don't want to return it. If I didn't want it, I would not have purchased it. I need to thank Emo for teaching me patience :-)

[ICBM99]

We are experiencing the dropouts when a channel changes from DD2.0 to DD3/2+LFE. That may be what your seeing too.

My current workaround for this is to change the dish output to PCM only, I don't get any dropouts, but I also don't get 5.1 from 5.1 shows.


*Edit, I just wanted to add that I haven't had the center channel drops that others are seeing. I have complete loss of audio, when FF/RWD or when the output changes from DD2.0 to DD5.1.

[agehring]

Apr 21, 2010 9:58:59 GMT -5 ICBM99 said:

I just wanted to add that I haven't had the center channel drops that others are seeing.

What do you have your crossovers @ for the surrounds? Your crossover settings may be why you get "complete loss of audio" vs. the drops others are seeing.

All of my monitors (LCR,LS/RS) are @ 80Hz. When this happens to me, I can faintly hear the voices in the surrounds...

[monkeypimp]

Apr 21, 2010 10:52:29 GMT -5 agehring said:

Apr 21, 2010 9:58:59 GMT -5 ICBM99 said:

I just wanted to add that I haven't had the center channel drops that others are seeing.

What do you have your crossovers @ for the surrounds? Your crossover settings may be why you get "complete loss of audio" vs. the drops others are seeing.

All of my monitors (LCR,LS/RS) are @ 80Hz. When this happens to me, I can faintly hear the voices in the surrounds...

That is exactly what happens to me.

[zestychicken]

Apr 21, 2010 10:52:29 GMT -5 agehring said:

Apr 21, 2010 9:58:59 GMT -5 ICBM99 said:

I just wanted to add that I haven't had the center channel drops that others are seeing.

What do you have your crossovers @ for the surrounds? Your crossover settings may be why you get "complete loss of audio" vs. the drops others are seeing.

All of my monitors (LCR,LS/RS) are @ 80Hz. When this happens to me, I can faintly hear the voices in the surrounds...

Yeah I get the center channel audio drops...

[ICBM99]

I'll have to try it, but my LCR's and surrounds are all at 80 hz.

I do get the the OSD pop up that says "No Audio" when this happens.

I also will state that because of the No audio problem I haven't kept my dish output on DD, so I may also get the center dropout, but the PCM output from the dish box is stereo.

[DellaDog]

Maybe it's not just the UMC?

Link to DirecTV audio dropouts:
www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=175709

[marius]

my current workaround is apply IIx mode on DD5.1 and stereo mode on DD2.0. That reduced the dropouts by about 95%. BTW, my pioneer elite receiver never had this problem.

[johnnyg]

Apr 21, 2010 12:06:11 GMT -5 DellaDog said:

Maybe it's not just the UMC?

Link to DirecTV audio dropouts:
www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=175709

It seems they are having trouble with multi-room viewing - playing a recording from one DVR on another via the network.

I believe the dropouts are inherently a UMC-1 problem. Why do I say this?
I had Yamaha AVR for 2 years and experienced no dropouts. Replaced it with UMC-1 and dropouts started with first show. Replaced it with an Onkyo AVR and haven't had a dropout since.

All were direct replacements with no changes in cabling.

[Mischief]

I have noticed my DirectTV boxes have all started doing this the last couple of days. Some are only connected by RCA, one optical and 1 HDMI...none to a UMC-1. I thing DirecTv may be having a problem...or it could just be my house

[moovtune]

I have read in other forums about the Direct Tv tuner audio dropout problem. But they are more like 1/2 second "holes" in the audio and may only happen once or twice in an evening's viewing. I have them myself on occasion. I've read also that Direct TV is aware of the issue. But I don't think that's what most of the UMC-1 owners are experiencing from what I've read on this forum.

[DYohn]

Apr 21, 2010 13:04:56 GMT -5 moovtune said:

I have read in other forums about the Direct Tv tuner audio dropout problem. But they are more like 1/2 second "holes" in the audio and may only happen once or twice in an evening's viewing. I have them myself on occasion. I've read also that Direct TV is aware of the issue. But I don't think that's what most of the UMC-1 owners are experiencing from what I've read on this forum.

What you describe is the only serious audio anomaly I experience watching DirecTV through my UMC-1.

[nickreberle]

I also get dropouts with my tivo hd dvr. Play pause some times corrects them, going to the tivo menu (forces audio to switch to 2 channel then back to what im watching will usually fix as well. For me sometimes the surround channels still are playing but the fronts and center drop out. Frequency is pretty random, i went through an hour long show last night with no dropouts, but sometimes they happen every time i rewind and pause. On one occasion i have heard some loud static after trying to fix a dropped signal. This is my biggest issue with the umc, and hopefully will be solved with next firmware.

[roadrunner]

The audio drop outs with DirecTV have been an ongoing problem for quite some time now -- before the UMC-1 was even released. These drops outs happen whether you use HDMI or Component Video/digital audio connectors. I have a HR21 connected to one of my systems through a old JVC receiver that has no HDMI connectors at all; and, I am experiencing the exact same symptoms UMC-1 owners are. The only difference is with my JVC I only have the drop outs when the codec changes from 3/2+LFE to 2.0. The Dolby PLIIx is not part of my drop outs with the HR21.

I have had this going on for at least a year now and have contacted DirecTV tech support several times and they are aware of the issue and admit they are the cause of the drop outs. Three months ago, tech support senior engineer told me they were "hoping" to fix the problem with a future software download.

On my JVC system with the HR21 when a drop out occurs, I recover by hitting the pause button on the remove and then start play again; or I change channels and back again; or I bring up the channel listing menu and back to programming. Any of those things recovers from the drop out. It is very apparent that at least part of the troubles with audio drop outs are being caused by DirecTV and NOT by the UMC-1. It is possible that the UMC-1 also has some sort of issues with this drop out problem, but since it existed (and still does) before the UMC-1 shipped it is difficult to know to what degree the UMC-1 is involved.

The Dish Net service has had similar problems for a long time as well. Last year, when I had my HR21 installed, the satellite service company that came out to do the install was talking with me about Dish vs DirecTV. During that conversation the tech told me that whenever they do an in-home install for Dish they ALWAYS recommend using the Component Video connection instead of HDMI because of handshake issues and because of audio and video signal losses. This satellite service company contracts to do installs with both Dish Net and DirecTV.

Until Dish Net and DirecTV fix the drop out problems inherent in their service, I don't think we will ever know how much of the blame it attributable to the UMC-1.

[LCSeminole]

Apr 21, 2010 15:00:11 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

The audio drop outs with DirecTV have been an ongoing problem for quite some time now -- before the UMC-1 was even released. These drops outs happen whether you use HDMI or Component Video/digital audio connectors. I have a HR21 connected to one of my systems through a old JVC receiver that has no HDMI connectors at all; and, I am experiencing the exact same symptoms UMC-1 owners are. The only difference is with my JVC I only have the drop outs when the codec changes from 3/2+LFE to 2.0. The Dolby PLIIx is not part of my drop outs with the HR21.

I have had this going on for at least a year now and have contacted DirecTV tech support several times and they are aware of the issue and admit they are the cause of the drop outs. Three months ago, tech support senior engineer told me they were "hoping" to fix the problem with a future software download.

On my JVC system with the HR21 when a drop out occurs, I recover by hitting the pause button on the remove and then start play again; or I change channels and back again; or I bring up the channel listing menu and back to programming. Any of those things recovers from the drop out. It is very apparent that at least part of the troubles with audio drop outs are being caused by DirecTV and NOT by the UMC-1. It is possible that the UMC-1 also has some sort of issues with this drop out problem, but since it existed (and still does) before the UMC-1 shipped it is difficult to know to what degree the UMC-1 is involved.

The Dish Net service has had similar problems for a long time as well. Last year, when I had my HR21 installed, the satellite service company that came out to do the install was talking with me about Dish vs DirecTV. During that conversation the tech told me that whenever they do an in-home install for Dish they ALWAYS recommend using the Component Video connection instead of HDMI because of handshake issues and because of audio and video signal losses. This satellite service company contracts to do installs with both Dish Net and DirecTV.

Until Dish Net and DirecTV fix the drop out problems inherent in their service, I don't think we will ever know how much of the blame it attributable to the UMC-1.

The satellite dropout must also be inherent to the cable industry as well. I am having these same dropout related problems with my Comcast DCH3200 HD cable box, even more so with the V6 than with the previous version. So something in the code is definitely not playing nice with these set-top boxes.