No DTS Audio, please help. (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Z]

I have a Panasonic DVD-RV41 and a Sony HT-DDW830 Receiver. The DVD does not have a DTS decoder but does have DTS Digital Out, my receiver has a DTS decoder. I have them connected with an optic cable. For some reason I can't get audio when playing a DVD in DTS mode (Saving Pri. Ryan in this case). The DVD settings should be correct, PCM Down Conversion is set to YES, DTS Digital Surr. is set to Bitstream. The input mode for the Sony is set to Digital Optical. Sometimes the receiver shows the word UNLOCK, I can't find any information on this. When I press (Multi Ch In) I get only Left and Right sound. When its off, I get no audio at all. Everything seems to work fine in Dolby Digital. My DVD does not have a Digital Coax Out, so that is out of the question. I have tried more than one Optic cable, don't think that is the problem. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Especially anyone with experience with this sony receiver. Thank You.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

If you are able to get DD with the optical cable, it should be fine.

I would check the manual for the receiver- sounds like you have the modes correct in the DVD player (DTS set to bitstream)-- so my guess would be there is some sort of mode turn on within the receiver to allow it to recognize DTS signal.

You said you have it on auto detect-- is it possible to force it to DTS mode? If so, I'd try that to start and see- and I'd check the manual/menus in the receiver to see if there is any seting to enable/disable DTS detection.

-Vince

 

[Ryan Z]

I have the option of auto detect, but I have it set on Digital optical as the input mode. I think this UNLOCK display has something to do with it, but can't find anything written about it in the book. Sony's website is probably the most user unfriendly site I've been to, can't seem to find anything there. Any more ideas would help, thanks.

 

[Bob Sheen]

I helped a friend of mine who has a Sony STRD675 on the weekend. He wasn't getting DTS either and is using a Toshiba DVD.

After screwing aroung with the receiver for about an hour...........and going "what the heck is wrong with this thing?"

I stopped and asked him: What do you do when you installed your DVD player ? He goes: what do you mean ?

I asked him if he read the manual to set it up. He said he hadn't. He had just plugged everything in and started watching movies.

I pulled up the DVD menu and, lo and behold, it was set to PCM. Changed it to bitstream and problem solved. I finished up on his receiver set-up and popped in Pearl Harbor. He was pretty impressed with the sound that he was now getting.

I'm not sure that your comfort level is with HT stuff and i'm not saying that this is your problem also, but it would be worth it to recheck and confirm all of your DVD settings. And then make sure that you select DTS from the movie audio menu.

When you say everthing seems to work fine DD. Does it say DD

on your receiver display or ProLogic ? The reason i ask is because my friend "thought" that DD was working because he was getting sound from all of the speakers. But it said PL on the receiver's display.

I saw the word "Unlock" on my firend's receiver display a few times too. I don't know what it does, but i don't think that it has anything to do with your problem.

Try setting your PCM down conversion to "No" and see what happens.

Use a movie that you select audio track (DTS) manually to test. This will at least ensure that you are trying to play the right (DTS) track.

Let us know what you come up with,

Bob

 

[John Garcia]

This is commmon, and is asked quite frequently. The answer is listed in the Primer for new comers:

First time Using DTS on my system and there is no sound when selecting DTS on a DVD. Dolby Digital and music are working though, why?

All three of these things MUST be present and configured for DTS playback:

1) Your receiver must be set to "Auto detect" or forced to DTS decoding.

2) In your DVD player's digital audio setup menu, you must ENABLE DTS. Dolby digital is on by default, and on 99.9% of players, DTS is NOT turned on from the factory.

3) Select the DTS track in the disc's setup menu.

As mentioned by Bob, there can also be other settings for the digital output that can affect the sound you get, or do not get.

In this case it sounds like it is the PCM downmix that needs to be changed, which is why you are getting stereo sound when listening via multi-channel.

 

[Ryan Z]

First of all I appreciate everyone's help. Bob was right about the DD display, the receiver doesn't display that either. When I play a track in DTS or DD the receiver doesn't recognize either input, however it does display Pro Logic. I know there is a signal coming from the optic because when I pulled the cable there was the red light coming through the fiber optic. I've tried every different setting on the DVD menu for both DD & DTS, PCM Down Conv. both on and off, DD to both PCM and Bitstream, I do get sound when when DD is set to PCM but it still is PL. I can get sound when I press (Multi Ch In) but still no DD display, DTS doesn't play even when I press (Multi Ch In).
I've tried using auto detect as the input mode and forced it to use OPT in, still no luck.
I've tried different DVDs still no luck. I beginning to believe that the marriage between the Sony receiver and the Panisonic DVD is not so good. Sony's website gives solutions for the UNLOCK Display but I think I've tried all of these more than once.
http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/service/receiver.shtml#s10
I think my next step will be to go to the AV store and try a sony receiver there. Or maybe (temporarily) buy a new DVD player and try it out, maybe with a Coax out connection. My receiver is still under warranty, maybe I could take it in for service and let them figure it out.
Again thanks for the help, anymore will be appreciated.

 

[Joe Meissner]

make sure you are selecting dts from the language menu on most dvd's. i thought it would be in the audio setup but on a lot of dvd's its in the language setup menu.

just a thought???????????????????

 

[Bob Sheen]

Ryan,

I'm no expert, but i don't think that its your receiver. I'd be willing to bet that its your DVD player. The receiver is still receiving a PCM signal. And the PCM signal does go throguh the same digital cable as DD and DTS.

Go to the store where you bough the DVD and explain what is happening. Ask them to show you how to set it up. They owe you that in customer service and i'm sure that they want you to be a happy customer.

I'm sure that they can help and i'd be sriously surprised to find out that you can not marry a Panasonic DVd to a Sony receiver succesfully.

Good luck,

Bob

 

[dave snyder]

Ryan, I followed the advice of John Garcia and his 1, 2, 3 method for getting your Sony receiver to auto-detect the sound choice, (DTS or Dolby Digital) that is selectable from the DVD setup menu and it worked like a dream. Follow his instructions carefully and you'll get what you need.

Secondly, I have a similar Panasonic/Sony setup to yours, so it should work for you as well. Once I setup the Panasonic DVD player correctly, (read the manual) it changed all feeds to the receiver to bitstream which appears to be correct.

Good luck.

dave snyder

 

[John Garcia]

My first HT setup consisted of a Sony receiver and a Panasonic DVD without issue, so I would also say that it is not the combination of the two. The Sony receiver is gone, and I now have a Sony DVD hooked to a Marantz receiver, and the Panny is now in the bedroom also hooked to a Marantz receiver. No problems.

Unfortunately, the "unlock" issue sounds like it may be an unrelated problem, and could mean the receiver either needs repair or replacement. This suggests to me that the receiver is being over-driven (speakers requiring more current than it can provide), has speakers hooked up to it incorrectly, or has some kind of internal malfunction.

 

[Ryan Z]

It's not the DVD player. I borrowed a Sony DVD player from a friend. I followed thr DTS and DD directions exactly. Hooked it up both with Coax and Optical, still no signal.

I have tried to hook the optical cable up to the TV/SAT input and switched the selector to the TV/SAT mode, for a brief couple of seconds the decoding light came on and the Dolby Digital display was lit (something I haven't seen before) but no audio, I soon lost the signal and could not repeat it.

As for the speaker issue, the speakers that I have came with the unit so that probably isn't the problem.

I have tried reseting the memory of the unit, Nothing still. I still think the receiver is in the wrong setting or mode somewhere hidden in its obscure menus, but I'm ready to throw in the towel. Thursday the local "audio store" expert will be in and we'll see what happens. The receiver is still under warranty at the store so I'll have them take a look at it. John Garcia is probably right assuming that there might be a malfuntion somewhere.

Thanks for everyone's help, I'll keep you posted on the outcome of the service.

 

[John Boutwell]

I have a very similar setup with a Panny DVD and Sony reciever. i will check my settings when I get home from work.

 

[John A. Casler]

Ryan,

Nowhere have I seen you say that you have selected the DTS option in the language or "audio" menu of every DVD you play.

Before you play each DVD, a "MAIN Menu" comes up and you have to go to the "language" menu and *select* DTS. If this is not done no DTS will be forthcoming.

If you have already tried this sorry, Imissed that part.

John Casler

 

[Ryan Z]

Thanks, but thats what started the whole mess, I was going to watch Saving Private Ryan and it forces you to pick either DTS or Dolby Digital, thats when I found out that DTS wasn't working (or Dolby Digital). The latest is, I dropped it off at the place I bought it for servicing, it should be a couple of weeks for the result. I'll let you all know.

 

[Ryan Z]

UPDATE:

Finally a resolution to my DTS saga. I took the Sony receiver back to the store and they shipped it a place called United Radio in NY. It came back a few weeks later labeled repaired (They had soldered a couple of connections in the digital card). They did not explain what had caused this to happen. I reconnected the unit and played a DVD in DTS mode, it played in DTS for about 10 seconds, when I lost the DTS and DD audio completely. So back to the store with the unit, and again to United Radio. Fast forward two months to late July and early August. After many phone calls as to the status of the repairs, United Radio could only tell me that parts were ordered from Sony and the had to wait for Sony's tech support for instructions. I'm guessing that they could not get it to work even with the new parts. My patience finally wore away and I urged the store to investigate. They got back to me in a week and offered me a new unit for my troubles. I gladly accepted and just finished watching Saving Private Ryan in Digital Theater Sound finally, however Sony has lost me as a customer, I decided to go with a Panisonic.

Thanks for everyone's ideas and help.

 

[David Guill]

however Sony has lost me as a customer

Sorry you had to go through so much pain but rest assured Sony has played out this saga for many of its customers. They lost me as a customer for any receiver/amplifier/surround processor business. Even for their ES line. Let this be a lesson for prospective Sony Receiver purchasers.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Yes, when Sony goes bad it REALLY goes bad! I have a Sony receiver though which hasn't given me too much trouble- my cat knocked it on the floor once and it didn't break! It has occasionally turned on with no sound though, turning it off for a few seconds then back on usually solves it.

BTW the "UNLOCK" display means that the receiver is not getting a signal.