Cable surround sound?
- Thread starter THOR
- Start date
Thor -
I had a similar problem while hooking up my friends home theater to her "Digital" cable. Seems once the signal hits the cable box it is no longer digital.
I plugged a digital coax into the back for sound, nothing. Plugged the red/white RCA into the back, mono. Plugged the s-video into the back, nothing. Plugged the video RCA into the back, nothing.
Its seems her "Digital" cable is nothing more than mono analog with a coax video signal. What a waste of $80 month.
My suggestion is to try it if you have the connectors on your cable box. All cable systems are different.
Here is Time Warners answer to digital calbe -
"Digital cable is digital until it gets to the box where its converted to analog. The do this to preserve signal integrity. Your home theater receiver should still play the broadcasts in Pro-logic"
g
I had a similar problem while hooking up my friends home theater to her "Digital" cable. Seems once the signal hits the cable box it is no longer digital.
I plugged a digital coax into the back for sound, nothing. Plugged the red/white RCA into the back, mono. Plugged the s-video into the back, nothing. Plugged the video RCA into the back, nothing.
Its seems her "Digital" cable is nothing more than mono analog with a coax video signal. What a waste of $80 month.
My suggestion is to try it if you have the connectors on your cable box. All cable systems are different.
Here is Time Warners answer to digital calbe -
"Digital cable is digital until it gets to the box where its converted to analog. The do this to preserve signal integrity. Your home theater receiver should still play the broadcasts in Pro-logic"
g
THOR
Fearless Prophet
My cable box has the usual coax connectors common for cable and it has the yellow, red, and white component connections. coax goes from wall to box and component goes from box to TV. So would i get 5.1 sound if connect the red and white to the AVR instead of the TV? I would like to know ahead of time if it will work before I bother running 20' of RCA's 
WildWest
Super Member
The cable companies care little about us the consumer. They only move forward when it is in their best interest. I have been going back and forth with the regional manager here and his typical form letters spew the same song and dance.
Where I live Comcast recently gobbled up a smaller cable company and did a massive upgrade on their system. Strung new cable everywhere the works. This was all in an effort to bring customers the bandwidth for computer cable modems. We get a chit load of TV channels shoved down our throats and most of those channels are garbage and shopping networks. Rather than give the customer what they want which is the high definition signal that many networks are outputing. I would LOVE to be seeing Monday Night Football in H/D. But I will have to wait for the local affiliates to get off their dead asses and give it to me off the air. We were supposed to have that up and running at the beginning of 2003. This whole issue really pisses me off!!
:dammit: 
Sorry Thor, I know that doesn't address your issue exactly...
Where I live Comcast recently gobbled up a smaller cable company and did a massive upgrade on their system. Strung new cable everywhere the works. This was all in an effort to bring customers the bandwidth for computer cable modems. We get a chit load of TV channels shoved down our throats and most of those channels are garbage and shopping networks. Rather than give the customer what they want which is the high definition signal that many networks are outputing. I would LOVE to be seeing Monday Night Football in H/D. But I will have to wait for the local affiliates to get off their dead asses and give it to me off the air. We were supposed to have that up and running at the beginning of 2003. This whole issue really pisses me off!!
:dammit: Sorry Thor, I know that doesn't address your issue exactly...
Bob R
Active Member
Maybe you can, maybe you can't.
I have Cox Cable in RI and finally they completed the fiber optic installation and made true DD 5.1 available. My Motorola converter has an Orange SPDF port for a single COAX connector to provide the audio signal.
Two caveats though.
One: When I go the cable menu, and select DD 5.1, it disables the audio on the analog channels (1-99), so you need both the analog and digital connectors.
Two: See that nice opener on CSI, which says, "DD 5.1 surround sound, where available". Well it’s available on channel 10 - an analog channel. And, most premium (digital) shows are still in only “DD Surround Sound", and half of the ones which do say 5.1 - are liars!
However, the Six Feet Under opening in DD 5.1 is worth all the aggravation.
So, to directly answer your question THOR, If your box has the digital audio connection (coax or optical) and your cable menu allows you to select DD 5.1, you can do it.
Bob
I have Cox Cable in RI and finally they completed the fiber optic installation and made true DD 5.1 available. My Motorola converter has an Orange SPDF port for a single COAX connector to provide the audio signal.
Two caveats though.
One: When I go the cable menu, and select DD 5.1, it disables the audio on the analog channels (1-99), so you need both the analog and digital connectors.
Two: See that nice opener on CSI, which says, "DD 5.1 surround sound, where available". Well it’s available on channel 10 - an analog channel. And, most premium (digital) shows are still in only “DD Surround Sound", and half of the ones which do say 5.1 - are liars!
However, the Six Feet Under opening in DD 5.1 is worth all the aggravation.
So, to directly answer your question THOR, If your box has the digital audio connection (coax or optical) and your cable menu allows you to select DD 5.1, you can do it.
Bob
JDaniel
Super Member
Thor,
I do get some DD5.1 broadcasts on the premium channels (HBO). I have Charter Communications, and a Scientific Atlanta Dig. Cable Box. It has both analog (rca) left/right, and digital coax out. Both must be hooked up on mine. If I only hook up the dig. coax, I get no sound on analog broadcasts. I have both hooked up to my AVR, and set the TV input on the AVR to auto-detect a digital signal.
I'll occasionally find Dolby Digital 2.0 broadcasts on some channels as well.
But it sounds like your cable box doesn't have a digital connection. You'd need a dig. coax or fiber optic (toslink) connection for digital broadcasts.
If you are paying for digital cable, then demand a box that has digital outputs. After all, you are the customer.
JD
I do get some DD5.1 broadcasts on the premium channels (HBO). I have Charter Communications, and a Scientific Atlanta Dig. Cable Box. It has both analog (rca) left/right, and digital coax out. Both must be hooked up on mine. If I only hook up the dig. coax, I get no sound on analog broadcasts. I have both hooked up to my AVR, and set the TV input on the AVR to auto-detect a digital signal.
I'll occasionally find Dolby Digital 2.0 broadcasts on some channels as well.
But it sounds like your cable box doesn't have a digital connection. You'd need a dig. coax or fiber optic (toslink) connection for digital broadcasts.
If you are paying for digital cable, then demand a box that has digital outputs. After all, you are the customer.
JD
gonefishin
Super Member
well thor...tomorrow is the day...I get my HiDef cable box...I sure hope it works out!!!!!
I still don't know (and cable couldn't answer) if the HD cable box has Dolby Digital outs or not.
guess I'll find out in the morning.
later>>>>>>>>
I still don't know (and cable couldn't answer) if the HD cable box has Dolby Digital outs or not.
guess I'll find out in the morning.
later>>>>>>>>
gonefishin
Super Member
Welll...the HD cable is installed.
What a shock on the prices of Cable nowadays! I previously had basic reception...which was like $12.00 or so. Now we have basic cable and a couple digital channels too.
Aside from the shock, from the increase in cost for the additional channels we got, I'm happy with the picture. Right now there aren't many HD channels...but, hopefully, they'll be adding more. The HD channels that they do have (when they're broadcasting in HD) really looks great...especially the PBS-HD channel. Holy CRap does this look great...the color...the resolution...the depth in the picture...unbelievable.
The box has also got an optical out for DD decoding. But I really don't think I'm going to spend the dough on a long opt cable right now.
All in all...it looks great, and is only an extra $5.00 for the box rental...but, I ended up getting so many additional channels that it's costing me alot more than I was paying before. Dammit!
What a shock on the prices of Cable nowadays!
I previously had basic reception...which was like $12.00 or so. Now we have basic cable and a couple digital channels too.Aside from the shock, from the increase in cost for the additional channels we got, I'm happy with the picture. Right now there aren't many HD channels...but, hopefully, they'll be adding more. The HD channels that they do have (when they're broadcasting in HD) really looks great...especially the PBS-HD channel. Holy CRap does this look great...the color...the resolution...the depth in the picture...unbelievable.
The box has also got an optical out for DD decoding. But I really don't think I'm going to spend the dough on a long opt cable right now.
All in all...it looks great, and is only an extra $5.00 for the box rental...but, I ended up getting so many additional channels that it's costing me alot more than I was paying before. Dammit!
WildWest
Super Member
I sure wish our local cable provider (Comcast) would get up to speed on some HD programming. Every Monday Football game broadcasts in HD and I miss it. Even the local affiliates were supposed to have HD off air at the beginning of this year and that hasn't happened. Really pissin me off!!
THOR
Fearless Prophet
Originally posted by WildWest
I sure wish our local cable provider (Comcast) would get up to speed on some HD programming. Every Monday Football game broadcasts in HD and I miss it. Even the local affiliates were supposed to have HD off air at the beginning of this year and that hasn't happened. Really pissin me off!!
I feel your pain brotha man!!!
GF my cable bill is slightly more than $100 so I don't see why you are griping
Of course that includes my cable net but my TV package alone is $80+ but of course I have every stinking channel First I just had basic, then do to some fluke I could get free HBO for like 2 years, of course I got addicted to all HBO's shows especially The Sopranos. Then when digital cable came out I wasn't able to get free HBO no more and I had to have it. By then to get premium channels you had to pony up for the digital box and then the difference between having just HBO and having all the channels was only $20 soooooooooooo, there you go Cable bill goes from $20+ dollars to $80, then cable net comes out and bill goes to $100+. Sometimes feel like I only went to college to get a degree and a job making enough money to pay the increases in my cable bill
gonefishin
Super Member
wow...thanks! I'll be checking them out!!
gonefishin
Super Member
I just got my 12' opt cable in the mail today! Using the parts express link at the bottom of the page of course
I haven't hooked it up yet...bt i am excited to give it a try...I did notice a couple of the Hi-Def ABC broadcasts have DD5.1 encoding.
