5 channel sound from CATV?? (1 Viewer)

[Mark--M]

I noticed that a friends HT system has 5 seperate channels playing while watching cable. He also tells me that he does NOT have digital cable?

So how is this working? Makes no sense, most recievers just have 2-ch audio inputs and digital inputs for multichannel signals.

What am I missing here? How is he doing this?

 

[Robt_Moore]

Dolby Pro Logic II.

 

[John S]

5 channel stereo, DPLII, DPLIIx, DTS NEO:6, LOGIC 7, Denon Widescreen, probably a few others too. Are all modes that will achieve this from 2 channel sources.

 

[Mark--M]

So your thinking its just a 2 ch source thats being processed and played through the rest of the speakers?

I find this hard to beleive. Things were clearly seperated just like watching a DVD. Voices would be on the center and center only, music would be on serveral speakers, applause in the rears only, etc

My reciever has a few options for just sending part of a 2ch signal over the rears to creat a surround effect, but this is completely different. I dont know? :frowning:

 

[John S]

Well, these newer modes are pretty darn good at it, enough to fool you for sure....

I'm pretty sure DD 5.1 is is not possible without digital cable at a minimum.

So good in fact, I hardly bother with AC3(DD 5.1) anymore when watching my laserdiscs. DPLII, DST NEO:6, and Denon 7.1 Widescreen mode are all amazing off the 2 channel with the player. I mean even if I forget to set it back to the digital output after viewing a laserdisc with no digital sound. (Straight 2 channel analog Pro-logic and/or Stereo)

 

[ScottCHI]

most digital cable broadcasts are not DD5.1, anyway; they're just DD2.0. very few cable channels are actually broadcast as 5.1. only 1 or 2 of my HBOs and 1 or 2 of my showtimes are capable of DD5.1 at any one time. apparently, there is a bandwidth issue. i'm not sure how satellite dish broadcasts work regarding this.

how is your friend's cable box's audio connected? it'd have to be a digital audio connection (optical or coax) to pass a true 5.1 signal to his receiver. if he has no digi connection, then he definitely hasn't got 5.1 cable audio. if he does have a digi connection, then there should be some way to tell (indicator on receiver's display) that that is indeed what kind of signal is being decoded by the receiver.

my cable box is connected via a digi coax connection and my receiver, which auto-detects a DD5.1 signal and plays it as 5.1, is setup to play DD2.0 as DPLII.

will your receiver not do Dolby ProLogic II?

 

[Mark--M]

My reciever has Pro logic, but not sure if its I or II. Is there a big difference between the two?

So does this processing work perfectly on all 2ch recordings or are some recordings designed with this in mind?

Pro logic on my system is nothing like his. On mine the center is on most of the time, and the fronts seem to be getting the same signal for the most part but at a much lower volume. His is much more clearly seperated. And certain effects are clearly noticable on his surrounds, my surrounds just seem to be getting the same signals as the fronts, but at a lower level still.

Is this because of the source or because it was Pro logic I instead of II maybe?

 

[FeisalK]

Mark,

*huge* difference between PL and PLII. Check out this article at Secrets

the PLII intro article (linked from above article) states:

my PLII is on by default on my TV input and almost all of the time when listening to music CDs (I am not a stereo purist). On some music CDs (like Queen's ANATO, for example) PLII can be quite stunning