Hdmi

[mphs68]

Im using hdmi from my hd directv receiver to my tv.My directv is set to 5.1 audio. I dont use my tv speakers much but i noticed with this hdmi cable if i am using my tv speakers if its a channel thats using 5.1 a sizzling sound is coming out of my tv speakers unless I turn the 5.1 off in my directv receiver thens its fine.why is that.?

[Daedilus]

the sizzling is the sound of all the dollars you are burning sending a 5.1 signal to a device with 2 onboard speakers...

*sigh* just kidding, more than likely there is something wrong with the decoding firmware on the tv set that is bugging when trying to process a encoded digital signal. not surprising really, bound to happen. without a tv brand, model number i can only guess at it, but its a pretty good guess.

Rather than go through the hassle of returning the tv to get updated firmware etc, you may want to just hook up a component video cable and and analog audio to the tv, to give yourself the freedom to use both the tvs speakers and the surround sound system... easier than unhooking everything, and you can still use HDMI if the advertisement has managed to convince you that your picture looks better on it than component.

[recoveryone]

it sounds more to me that the converter box is the problem than the TV. The TV/Speakers are just reproducing the signal that is coming from the box and he did say that the noise stopped when he changed the settings on the converter box. If the TV was the problem it would still make noise no matter what setting it was on.

[markw]

It sounds like the cable box passes, through the HDMI cable, normal analog audio to the TV just fine but, when passing a Dolby Digital digital signal, strange things occur.

Actually, I'm not too sure the TV itself is capable of decoding a 5.1 Dolby Digital signal. To decode this requires a Dolby Digital decoder and I don't think, but I could be wrong, TV's incorporate these, at least yet.


the sizzling is the sound of all the dollars you are burning sending a 5.1 signal to a device with 2 onboard speakers...
It's possible that when the TV's analog audio input gets a digital signal, it simply tries to reproduce what it "hears" and a digital stream does sound a lot like static. Ever hear a modem connecting? ...kinda sounds like eggs frying.

The simplest solution I can come up with is to simply send a red/white analog feed from the cable box to the TV, so everything will come out of the TV when you want, and send the DD signal directly to your receiver. I'm sure the cable box offers a means to do this, either via toslink or digital coax.

If push comes to shove, you can always turn the audio on the TV all the way down when using the receiver. (This is how mine is set up)

And yes, HDMI is far from bug free at this time, particularly where cable and satellite boxes are concerned. Unless there's some reason that you absotivley, posilutely need HDMI, component will generally do just about anything HDMI can do. But, some hardware will do some things thrrough HDMI and not component and vice versa. My Tosh upscaling DVD will send 720 and 1080 through HDMI but not component. My buddies LG, OTOH, sends 720 and 180 via component, but not HDMI. Go figga. You need to know your hardware.

...good luck