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No audio on HT setup from TW cable

post #1 of 10
8/5/09 at 9:02pm
Thread Starter 

Hi folks,

I'm trying to solve a problem with my home theater system.  It's always worked well with DVD player and sound  going to a TEAC AG D8900 receiver but now that I have a HD tv, I want to see those broadcasts through the system as well.  I have a Motorola DCH3200 HD cable box with digital out optical to the TEAC  and the cable box has hdmi directly to the TV (TEAC has component video input / output but no hdmi)   Even though the picture is great,  the digital out audio is set to cd / optical 1 port but it appears I need to change the source selection on the receiver to recognize it.   Do I have to do compoennt setup from the cable box to the receiver as well?

Many thanks in advance for your suggesitons.

 

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post #2 of 10
8/5/09 at 10:13pm
You don't have to hook up the component.  Your post is unclear.  If you change the source on the receiver to CD/opt 1 are you getting sound or not?
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post #3 of 10
8/6/09 at 7:27am
Thread Starter 

precisely, I am not getting sound from the digital optical audio when it is selected on the receiver.  test signal works perfectly as does dvd playback with rca connectors.

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post #4 of 10
8/6/09 at 8:50am
First, go into the cable box's setup menus and make sure it's set to output Dolby Digital for audio.
Second, I'd use component cables from cable box to receiver, then out to tv, since your receiver isn't HDMI capable. It will make for easier switching, and since the tv channels aren't broadcast in 1080p, it will do just as good a job as the HDMI. Since HDMI carries video and audio, sometimes it will override the other outputs, so they won't work, while using HDMI. That's may not be the case here, but again, it may be.
Quote:
the digital out audio is set to cd / optical 1 port but it appears I need to change the source selection on the receiver to recognize it.
Instead of cd, it needs to be set to CBL/SAT, or whatever wording your receiver uses. It may say CBL/DBS instead. Even if you put it on TV, it still probably won't work, because digital cable is so different.

With the optical cable plugged into the cable box, and the cable box is on, do you see a red light in the other end of the optical cable? If not, the optical cable is probably broken, and you'll need a new one. Optical cables have glass or plastic fibers running through it, and are very easy to break.

Most digital cable boxes have a digital coax output too. They are color coded as orange or black. If your receiver has a digital coax input (most have at least one), color coded the same, maybe try that one, instead of optical. You should be able to use a yellow composite video cable, to try this. If it works better, I'd get a better cable than the yellow one, for permanent use.
Good luck!

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post #5 of 10
8/6/09 at 9:09am
Does DVD work via optical?

Usually it's just a matter of looking in the setup manuals for the receiver, make sure optical input is assigned to a particular source, then selecting that source.  Consult your manual.

Switching to component video as Ed suggested is unnecessary on a Motorola box.  I'd concentrate on getting DVD working via optical on some input.  Then test cable box into the same input.  Then get them working on separate inputs.  It shouldn't matter whether assigned to CD or cable/sat, just that you pick the source that a particular input is assigned to.  

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post #6 of 10
8/6/09 at 10:21am
Thread Starter 
yes, it does work with the DVD player.   from the Moto DCH3200, I can see the end of the cable is red but wonder if the cable audio settings are controlling it or of the HDMI output is overiding the signal?   The audio setup option settings for the DCH3200 are: "TV speakers" "stereo" or "advanced".  I have it set to advanced with compression light  and stereo output as "Matrix".   This is from Time Warner cable in LA.
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post #7 of 10
8/6/09 at 10:58am
So plugged into same optical port as DVD, no sound?

You can pull the HDMI to see if that gets you sound.  If so use component video.
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post #8 of 10
8/6/09 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
pulled hdmi and still no sound
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post #9 of 10
8/6/09 at 11:27am
Try the coax output.  Or maybe you just have a defective box?
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post #10 of 10
8/7/09 at 10:15am
Thread Starter 
TWC was here this am and we tested the optical cabel and it worked from the DVD to receiver so cable is good.  Switched boxes and still could not get it to work.   The technician checked some diagnostic settings and it looks like these new boxes have the digital audio turned off which surprised the technician.  They are troubleshooting.  Why would your manual show the connecitons and yet not have them switched on as the default?  the RCA connectors worked as well but the whole idea is to get the 5.1 sound.
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