TiVo Community Forums Archives - why? better sound without tivo box?

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why? better sound without tivo box?
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Posted by: AVjunkie

I have a toshiba sd-h400 with tivo and DVD. it has audio and video out to the DVD inputs on my yahama. The DVD has excellent sound. The Tivo sound is lower volume. I switch to CATV input using the digital box and the sound is excellent. What is the deal with the tivo audio? Anyone know?
thanks
ejohn

Posted by: Peter000

Check Messages & Setup > Settings > Audio > Audio DRC. Make sure Audio DRC is OFF. This is designed to make soft sounds louder and loud sounds softer (compresses the audio to a narrower dynamic range).

If it's not that, I don't know what it is. Hope that does it!

Posted by: ccwf

Also, the TiVo recorded sound is lossily compressed and, for non-DirecTiVos, not DD5.1.

Posted by: AVjunkie

Thanks Peter. I thought I checked that, but I will give it a try. Appreciate the information.

Posted by: BNachman

Do all Tivos have that DRC option? I have a new 80-hr series2 standalone and the only audio options I have are 1) remote control sound settings and 2) mono/stereo/SAP.

My audio through Tivo is horrible. Much lower volume than just going though cable and the TV. And it almost sounds like I'm getting no stereo separation at all (both speakers are working fine, though).

I have the cable signal split with one line going to my TV and one going to Tivo. I'm using composites from the cable box to Tivo and from Tivo to the TV. When I switch from a show on the TV tuner to the same show on Tivo (Line 1; live TV) the volume decreases significantly and the quality becomes pretty bad comparatively.

Am I missing a setting somewhere? Any help is appreciated.

Brett

Posted by: ccwf

Check the volume setting on your cable box. If possible, just disable changing the volume through the cable box. If not, the cable box manual should have a recommend volume setting for best quality (e.g., it's 3/4 max for Motorola/GI/Jerrold/Clearview DCT2000 series boxes).

Posted by: BNachman

Well, my cable box is set to the optimum stereo stetting. And I only change the volume through the TV anyway. I've gone into the audio settings of the cable box (it's a Motorola) to make sure everything was cool, and I still have the same low volume/bad sound.

When I run the cable box through the TV, it's fine. When I run just analog cable through the TV, it's fine. When I run the cable box through the Tivo and then through the TV (all composite), it sounds lame. I can't figure it out.

Brett

Posted by: jwedding

I've got it too. There's a MAJOR difference in sound between running Cable to Tivo to Reciever via RCAs and the Cable to Receiver via fiber. Yes, I know fiber's cleaner by it's nature, but the sound from Tivo is lower by enough that I have to try and remember to turn it down when switching to the HiDef feed, or I blow my ears out (and wake up the baby...)

There's something afoot here!

Posted by: morac

I've noticed that running through the cable box to the TiVo to the TV the sound is a lot quieter than going directly to the TV. So much so that I have to adjust the volume on the TV pretty high up when using the TiVo.

Posted by: BNachman

Just wanted to post an update on my sound issues. I decided I couldn't live with the reduced volume/compressed sound anymore, so I decided to give Tivo Customer Service one more shot.

Well, it was worth it. As it turns out, it was my cable box that was the problem. Apparently, the Motorola box I had was not fully compatible with the Tivo. Anyway, a quick trip to the Comcast store and I came home with a new Motorola box. And voila, the sound is now every bit as good through my Tivo as it is is running cable straight to the TV. It is a huge difference in both volume and stereo sound quality.

Not sure if this fix will work for others with the problem, but it's worth a shot. By the way, my faulty box was (I think) a DCT-1800. It's the model with NO buttons on the front and no display, just a blank front and an infrared area.

Oh, and having a serial connection now is a huge bonus.

Brett