Onkyo 797 (1 Viewer)

[Jose T]

Hey, I was about to pull the trigger on an Onkyo 797 until all the drop our issues circulating out there. It appears during DVD playback and TV viewing DD drops out. The mrfg blames it on Dobly. I really like this receiver features in comparing it to Denon or Sony 4 ES (second choice). Has the problem been fixed ? Has anyone has similar problem with this line of receivers ? Thanks.

 

[Dalton]

Jose,
The dropouts only happen on 3 discs i know of. Pearl Harbor(first release), Jurrasic Park 3, and Atlantis. The first 2 have DTS tracks but with Atlantis you have to use Pro Logic/Pro LogicII(or DD if you have a DD decoder in your dvd player). The problems was caused by improperly flagged discs. DVD software manufacturers no longer use these flags. You should have no problems with the 797. Mine was excellent.

 

[JoeyB]

Jose:

I like my 797, but there are 3 major bugs (that I know of) with it.

1. Many units develop a ticking sound from one channel after a variable amount of usage. This requires the unit be repaired. At least early on, the time in the repair shop could be lengthy (2 months) due to parts shortages.

2. Audio dropouts on JPIII, PH, and Atlantis DVD's in DD EX mode. This is not too much of a problem, as you can use the DTS soundtrack on these DVD's instead (but you need to have the two disc Atlantis SE). The offending codec is no longer in use, and no new problem discs have been reported.

3. Audio dropouts on DD from HBO, Starz. So far, there is no solution to this one. If you subscribe to either of these movie channels and want 5.1 sound with their broadcasts, you might want to avoid this unit.

 

[Andre Aguiar]

I love mine. Watched Pearl Harbor the other night in DTS and didn't experience any drop outs. I didn't bother checking the DD audio since I always prefer DTS.

 

[David Nash]

I also have a 797 that I purchased new in June of this year.
The first DVD I played was Pearl Harbor just to see if I had the dropout problem. It was going back to the store if it did. Well, it played perfectly. Since then I have listened to JP III also and it was perfect as well. I really like the 797. It has all the latest features you could possible want on a receiver, great sound, plenty of power, and a GREAT remote. It seems to be built like a tank and weighs 38 pounds. I'm very happy with mine. The one thing I can't comment on at this time is the issue with DD dropouts on HBO and Starz. I have regular cable so I don't get a digital signal yet. Hopefully this will change soon.
I think you will be safe purchasing a 797 now.
Good Luck
David

 

[Seth T]

Crap....tonight my rear center channel just started making a rapid clicking sound. Did it when I put my brand new Zorro Superbit in. Doesn't seem to matter what mode I put the receiver in. Turn ALL sources off and just have the receiver on...clickclickclickclickclick

Power cycling doesn't help...and now I find Joey's post.

::sigh::

And I've also experienced the encoding issue with Pearl Harbor, Atlantis, and JPIII. Watching in DTS gets around that issue.

-Seth