Registered: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 65

Is there anybody out there with a Home cinema decoder?
Am I right in assuming that Nicam stereo is the most you can receive with a TiVo or NTL cable box or a freeview box.
I know some DAB tuners have digital outputs but other than that are DVDs are the only source for any true surround sound encoding options such as DTS or DD or THX?

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: London
Posts: 325

You can decode Dolby ProLogic surround sound from a stereo source (NICAM, cable, Freeview).
Shows like Star Trek NG and The Simpsons are encoded so if you connect a stereo output from a cable box/VCR/Freeview box to a decoder you will get surround sound - but not at the same quality as Dolby Digital 5.1.

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TeleWest Active Digital - Thomson Tivo 120+30Gb
My settings for TWAD with a Pace 4000 in N16 with a dongle...
PACE|No Leading Zeros|STB enter key NO|Front blaster NO|20004 FAST|wand over the lowest digit stuck out about 1.5cm|mains timer restarts TW every morning

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Registered: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 65

Thanks for that.
Would that survive being routed through my Sony FX20 stereo out? Only, I use that at the moment as the stereo sound out, as it changes with the tv display; and I only have one source through the TV to deal with, rather than 3 - TV, NTL box & TiVo 1, Daewoo freeview box & TiVo 2.

I could then Line in to decoder from TV stereo out as well as a Toslink feed from the DVD.

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Registered: Oct 2002
Location: Hull, UK
Posts: 185

Yes it should do, as long as the chain is stereo end to end then the dolby encoded signal will survive.

I take my output from my TV and push that through the surround system, same as you, it saves switching inputs on the amp when I switch inputs on the tv (obviously I also have a digital out from the dvd to the amp for DD5.1)

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Steve

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Registered: Oct 2002
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Thanks again,
Once I`ve rec`d & installed my AE Aego P5 thats on order I`ll be looking forward to watching the Simpsons with Dolby prologic.....Hmmmmmm

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: London
Posts: 325

Yup, that'll work. I have a Sony FX60U and use the stereo outs in the same way. The level of the output is controlled by the 'headphone' setting in the menus

If you connect them to the analogue DVD input and connect your DVD player to the DVD digital input you should find that the digital signal will override the analogue when you power up your DVD.
The upshot is you don't have to switch sources on your amp/decoder when watching DVD/TV or watching anything else - providing you turn your DVD player off when you're not using it.

__________________
TeleWest Active Digital - Thomson Tivo 120+30Gb
My settings for TWAD with a Pace 4000 in N16 with a dongle...
PACE|No Leading Zeros|STB enter key NO|Front blaster NO|20004 FAST|wand over the lowest digit stuck out about 1.5cm|mains timer restarts TW every morning

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 4051

Ditto with a Sony FQ75.

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Ian.

For gold text on leather in TiVoWeb, try the redbook, bluebook, greenbook and blackbook themes, now updated with button menus

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: London, UK
Posts: 762

haven't noticed any mention of DPL 2... is it a standard on boxes these days???

if not then give it some serious consideration... DPL 2 is **way** better than DPL 1.

stuart

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Registered: Oct 2002
Location: Hull, UK
Posts: 185

I think most modern boxes do DPL 2 as opposed to DPL

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Steve

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Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Maidenhead, UK
Posts: 265

Yep - in the UK I believe that Sky Digital (and even then only with a Sky+ box) is the only real source of Dolby Digital broadcasts, and DVD is the only mainstream source of pre-recorded Dolby Digital and/or DTS content. AIUI there is no way of currently recording Sky Digital DD5.1 broadcasts apart from via a Sky+ box, though I believe Kiss are promising a DVD Recorder which will record DD5.1 soon.

Analogue TV with NICAM Stereo, Sky Digital (without a Sky + receiver), DTT/Freeview, Digital Cable, and UK Tivos etc. are limited to matrixed Dolby Surround (decoded via Dolby Surround, ProLogic or ProLogic II decoders) - though in some cases this can be carried via a digital audio output from a suitable receiver (Sony Sky box, some Freeview boxes etc.) rather than just an analogue connection?

There are exceptions : if you imported a D-VHS D-Theater HD VCR to the UK from the US you would get DD5.1 and/or DTS from this, and if you are a multi-satellite enthusiast you may be able to get DD5.1 broadcasts from some of the European satellite channels (I believe the German Pro7 channel carries DD5.1 on satellite - and DTT in Berlin?) including very high data rate radio broadcasts in surround (from Scandinavia?)

Not directly relevant - but might be of interest?

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Reading, UK
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And before you rush out to get Sky+ for DD5.1, I believe that it is only available on a handful of movie channels and, for some extraordinary reason, not available on PPV movies at all.

I think the problem is that, unlike surround sound, the digital tracks require additional bandwidth and, with the number of PPV and other movie channels, that could reduce the number of broadcast channels. Also, they need special broadcast equipment for DD5.1 channels, and they have a shortage of that.

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Ian.

For gold text on leather in TiVoWeb, try the redbook, bluebook, greenbook and blackbook themes, now updated with button menus

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Registered: Feb 2002
Location: London
Posts: 31

I watch all TV with sound via my AV system as I was not going to pay £300 for the speakers for my plasma. Even progs not encoded in DPL will be processed by DPL and create a psudo surround.
Now I'm just waiting to get enough pennies to upgrade and get DLP2x - will I never manage to find a cure for this upgrade bug

Mark.

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Somerset, England
Posts: 4390

Most shows are broadcast in DPL now; certainly pretty much all BBC drama/comedy, and Sky Sports.

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Stuart

Check out my hacks, including intelligent automatic padding, background re-prioritise Season Passes in TiVoWeb, make your TiVo send you a daily status e-mail, and other stuff we can't talk about on TC here TiVos: 110Gb + Sky + CacheCard, 160Gb + Freeview + CacheCard, 110Gb + just network (Turbonet & 802.11g)

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Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Maidenhead, UK
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quote:

---

Originally posted by iankb
And before you rush out to get Sky+ for DD5.1, I believe that it is only available on a handful of movie channels and, for some extraordinary reason, not available on PPV movies at all.

I think the problem is that, unlike surround sound, the digital tracks require additional bandwidth and, with the number of PPV and other movie channels, that could reduce the number of broadcast channels. Also, they need special broadcast equipment for DD5.1 channels, and they have a shortage of that.

---

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Somerset, England
Posts: 4390

Sky rugby certainly is. The hailstorm during the Gloucester game this afternoon was very impressive!

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Stuart

Check out my hacks, including intelligent automatic padding, background re-prioritise Season Passes in TiVoWeb, make your TiVo send you a daily status e-mail, and other stuff we can't talk about on TC here TiVos: 110Gb + Sky + CacheCard, 160Gb + Freeview + CacheCard, 110Gb + just network (Turbonet & 802.11g)

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: London, UK
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quote:

---

Originally posted by steveroe
I think most modern boxes do DPL 2 as opposed to DPL

---

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 4051

DPL II is definitely superior and, since I doubt that there is any cost difference, I can't see why all modern equipment wouldn't use it. DPL I is dead.

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Ian.

For gold text on leather in TiVoWeb, try the redbook, bluebook, greenbook and blackbook themes, now updated with button menus

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Registered: Oct 2002
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Posts: 65

My Aego P5 decoder has an auto prologic setting and I have not noticed it being triggered by any TV output as yet.

Mind you, as it only has three analogue phono inputs, and I wish to retain the option of outputing from all sources through my HiFi amp; I am using the tape out from my minidisc recorder as a source for the decoder. Then, I can switch sources on my amp, and providing the minidisc is in rec mode, it outputs that source through an input level control on the minidisc to the decoder.

So to summarise the line up we have

Daewoo to TiVo 2 to TiVo 1 (fed in turn by NTLCable) to Sony FX20 TV to Amp aux to Minidisc to AE Aego P5 decoder Aux.

Works great except for dolby prologic auto detection. If I switch manually the output to the rear speakers sounds very thin and distorted.

Any ideas

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 4051

If you have automatic volume control being applied, this might corrupt the pro-logic signal. Minidisc recorders often use automatic volume control to avoid clipping.

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Ian.

For gold text on leather in TiVoWeb, try the redbook, bluebook, greenbook and blackbook themes, now updated with button menus

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Registered: Oct 2002
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Posts: 65

Having emailed both the decoder suppliers AE and dealer, they both state that prologic info is only passed through a digital input either optical or coaxial.

So as there is only a couple of phonos to output audio from either TiVo or my telly I think I`m probably stuffed as far as sourcing prologic from any of these sources.

Any comments about how good decoder generated prologic is compared with one that is produced at source?

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