Digital Sound from Thompson DTI500AU STB

[Damo]

I have a DTI500AU STB and am in the process of connecting through my Yamaha
AMP. I am finding that only Ch 10 and Ch 2 are giving me the option to
change from 'Audio 1 Stereo' to 'Audio 2 AC3'. Why is it only these two
channels offer digital sound? At the moment Ch 9 has the cricket and Ch 7
the Australian Open Tennis, but both offer only stereo sound.
Thanks - Damo

[tony_h]

Damo wrote:
> I have a DTI500AU STB and am in the process of connecting through my
> Yamaha AMP. I am finding that only Ch 10 and Ch 2 are giving me the
> option to change from 'Audio 1 Stereo' to 'Audio 2 AC3'. Why is it
> only these two channels offer digital sound? At the moment Ch 9 has
> the cricket and Ch 7 the Australian Open Tennis, but both offer only
> stereo sound.

Well, it is all digital sound (a choice of MPEG digital or AC3), I think you
might mean Dolby Digital/AC3...
In Sydney, 9,10,ABC offer AC3, I don't think SBS ever will, and Seven is
looking like it never will either (grr).
The dynamic range and often bitrate of the AC3 is a little better than the
MPEG, a shame they don't all offer it for that reason, although the MPEG
digital sound is still quite good compared to the analogue offering.
ABC has even gone one better for 5 or 6 specials in the last 2 years,
offering 5.1AC3 for them, rather than the 2.0 that is normally sent.
You will find most set top boxes will decode the MPEG digital to analogue as
well as feed it as PCM out the digital optical/coax port. I selected my
Pioneer amp a few years ago, because it was one of the few that decoded MPEG
digital audio, but it is hard to find a box that doesn't convert it to PCM
internally...
Regards
Tony
--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...

[Ozdude]

"tony_h" <tony_h@REMOVE.bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:142Ld.141309$K7.117579@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Damo wrote:
>> I have a DTI500AU STB and am in the process of connecting through my
>> Yamaha AMP. I am finding that only Ch 10 and Ch 2 are giving me the
>> option to change from 'Audio 1 Stereo' to 'Audio 2 AC3'. Why is it
>> only these two channels offer digital sound? At the moment Ch 9 has
>> the cricket and Ch 7 the Australian Open Tennis, but both offer only
>> stereo sound.
>
> Well, it is all digital sound (a choice of MPEG digital or AC3), I think
> you might mean Dolby Digital/AC3...
> In Sydney, 9,10,ABC offer AC3, I don't think SBS ever will, and Seven is
> looking like it never will either (grr).

$evens is on CH70 - the "HD" channel. I've never heard 5.1 on that channel
though.

Oz

[tony_h]

Ozdude wrote:
>> Well, it is all digital sound (a choice of MPEG digital or AC3), I
>> think you might mean Dolby Digital/AC3...
>> In Sydney, 9,10,ABC offer AC3, I don't think SBS ever will, and
>> Seven is looking like it never will either (grr).
>
> $evens is on CH70 - the "HD" channel. I've never heard 5.1 on that
> channel though.
>
Yeah, I should have qualified "on SD" for my post... everything above is
regarding SD broadcasts
Regards
--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...

[Damo]

"tony_h" <tony_h@REMOVE.bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:142Ld.141309$K7.117579@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Damo wrote:
>> I have a DTI500AU STB and am in the process of connecting through my
>> Yamaha AMP. I am finding that only Ch 10 and Ch 2 are giving me the
>> option to change from 'Audio 1 Stereo' to 'Audio 2 AC3'. Why is it
>> only these two channels offer digital sound? At the moment Ch 9 has
>> the cricket and Ch 7 the Australian Open Tennis, but both offer only
>> stereo sound.
>
> Well, it is all digital sound (a choice of MPEG digital or AC3), I think
> you might mean Dolby Digital/AC3...
> In Sydney, 9,10,ABC offer AC3, I don't think SBS ever will, and Seven is
> looking like it never will either (grr).
> The dynamic range and often bitrate of the AC3 is a little better than the
> MPEG, a shame they don't all offer it for that reason, although the MPEG
> digital sound is still quite good compared to the analogue offering.
> ABC has even gone one better for 5 or 6 specials in the last 2 years,
> offering 5.1AC3 for them, rather than the 2.0 that is normally sent.
> You will find most set top boxes will decode the MPEG digital to analogue
> as well as feed it as PCM out the digital optical/coax port. I selected
> my Pioneer amp a few years ago, because it was one of the few that decoded
> MPEG digital audio, but it is hard to find a box that doesn't convert it
> to PCM internally...

Tony - thanks for that. I think I do mean Dolby Digital/AC3. It's just my
amp indicates it's a digital audio signal when I choose AC3, as opposed to
when I choose 'Stereo'. I can receive very scratchy transmissions of Ch7
HD, which allows me to choose AC3 sound, but not on Ch 7 SD.

My next problem is my AMP only has one digital audio input on it with a
Coaxial plug, the other two are the fibre optic type inputs which aren't
compatible with the Coaxial plugs on my STB, Foxtel box or DVD player! So I
have to share that input between three devices! (Unless there is another
alternative).