# Fix for audio dropout problem???



## blucas95 (Sep 23, 2006)

I'm not taking credit for this as I read it in one of the other "audio dropout" threads, but can't find it now to site it. Also, one night is not near enough to say that the problem is "fixed"...

I re-scanned for my OTA channels Monday afternoon when I got home from work. I recorded both Prison Break and Justice on Fox here in the VA suburbs from WTTG Fox 5 in DC. Watched them last night and did not have one audio dropout in two hours of programming.  

So, if you are still having the issue, it may be worth it to go back in and re-scan your OTA channels. Could it be this simple???


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## demogawd (Dec 14, 2003)

Perhaps this is why I haven't had any audio dropouts. I rescanned immediately after the update for no particular reason.


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## Markman07 (Jul 18, 2001)

Did you have to CLEAR the OTA channels first before you do the re-scan?


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## vdubuclet (Jul 20, 2003)

Is the audio output in dobly digital or PCM?


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## Gweeto (Jul 28, 2006)

Its worth a try at least. The recording in standard audio and outputing DD to PCM fix sure didn't work for me as Prison Break and Justice had several audio dropouts Monday night for me with those settings. I will give this a shot today.


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## blucas95 (Sep 23, 2006)

Markman07 said:


> Did you have to CLEAR the OTA channels first before you do the re-scan?


Nope. I personally just did the re-scan...


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## blucas95 (Sep 23, 2006)

vdubuclet said:


> Is the audio output in dobly digital or PCM?


I have mine set up to currently record AND output in dolby digital...


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## GadgetJunkies (Sep 8, 2002)

If in fact this is a fix and I know it's way too early to tell but does anyone have an idea of why a rescan would/could fix this issue? I have gone back to 3.1 with my receiver with the phone line unplugged and have enjoyed no dropouts or reboots since. I am leary of plugging the line back in at this point just because of the reboot issue. Were any of you getting the reboots prior to the rescan and if so, are you still getting them after the scan?


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## blucas95 (Sep 23, 2006)

GadgetJunkies said:


> If in fact this is a fix and I know it's way too early to tell but does anyone have an idea of why a rescan would/could fix this issue? I have gone back to 3.1 with my receiver with the phone line unplugged and have enjoyed no dropouts or reboots since. I am leary of plugging the line back in at this point just because of the reboot issue. Were any of you getting the reboots prior to the rescan and if so, are you still getting them after the scan?


I haven't seen any reboots since 6.3, but I has having a TERRIBLE bout of reboots BEFORE 6.3. I did the minimal clear and delete (can't remember the name now, but it was the one that removes the Season Passes, To-Do List and Guide Data but keeps the previous recordings) and I haven't had one reboot since. That was about two weeks before I got 6.3 - so about the first of October, maybe?

On another note, I have had the partial recordings with no reboot which is noted elsewhere, but I think it was tied to being out of space. I deleted a bunch of old shows and haven't seen that problem resurface in two weeks either...


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## gworkman (Feb 6, 2006)

I've had audio dropouts since 6.3a. Yesterday, a D* tech told me to change the settings to "Satellite Only", let it process then set back to "Satellite and Antenna". I returned my DD settings to Record in DD and took off DD to PCM. Last night's Boston Legal recorded perfectly for the first time since 6.3.

The tech talked about some tables that may have needed to be re-written for OTA.


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## SHOMan (Jun 2, 2005)

gworkman said:


> I've had audio dropouts since 6.3a. Yesterday, a D* tech told me to change the settings to "Satellite Only", let it process then set back to "Satellite and Antenna". I returned my DD settings to Record in DD and took off DD to PCM. Last night's Boston Legal recorded perfectly for the first time since 6.3.
> 
> The tech talked about some tables that may have needed to be re-written for OTA.


GWorkman, can you record some shows off your OTA Fox station and let us know if you have any dropouts? This seems too good to be true. I have not had a problem with ABC yet, but CBS and NBC have been a daily problem. I have not watched much Fox yet, but the new season of 24 is coming and I am hoping that this problem is resolved by then.


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## Ragsy (Aug 15, 2005)

Hate to sound dumb, but what do you mean by rescanning the OTA channels? What is the procedure for doing that?


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## Gweeto (Jul 28, 2006)

I also did what gworkman suggested as well as did a rescan of my off-air channels. I have no Fox OTA show set to record tonight but next one that does I will also post my results.


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## eengert (Feb 11, 2005)

For crying out loud, don't wait until a FOX show records!! Just record a bunch for us so we can know ASAP!  

I'm still on 3.1.5f by design, but would love to be able to jump to 6.3. Are any of you who are experiencing audio drops also having reboots and/or missed/partial recordings? I had heard that for some, at least, doing a Clear Program Data may have fixed those issues. Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with that as well. If CPD, then Setup for Sat Only, then Setup for Sat & Ant, then Re-Scan OTA are the steps necessary to get 6.3 working with stability, I can handle that. Just need to know with as much certainty as possible before taking that leap.


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## blucas95 (Sep 23, 2006)

Ragsy said:


> Hate to sound dumb, but what do you mean by rescanning the OTA channels? What is the procedure for doing that?


I'm not in front of the box now since I'm at work, but I can check when I get home and give you the exact menu location when I get home if no-one else has responded.


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## vdubuclet (Jul 20, 2003)

> Originally Posted by *gworkman*
> _D* tech told me to change the settings to "Satellite Only", let it process then set back to "Satellite and Antenn_a"


Is this equivalent to rescanning for OTA channels?


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## eengert (Feb 11, 2005)

vdubuclet said:


> Is this equivalent to rescanning for OTA channels?


I don't think so. This is telling the box that you aren't connected to an antenna.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Gweeto said:


> I have no Fox OTA show set to record tonight but next one that does I will also post my results.


FYI, if anyone wants to test this, you don't need to wait until FOX network programming is on the air -- you should be able to tune into your FOX station at any time of the day or night to try it, because the dropouts affect everything coming from the station(s), not just the network programs.


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## redram38 (Apr 17, 2004)

I have been on Fox OTA for about 30 minutes so far and No Drops. I don't want to jinx it but so far so good. I am also recording as I watch


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## majones (Sep 6, 2001)

videojanitor said:


> FYI, if anyone wants to test this, you don't need to wait until FOX network programming is on the air -- you should be able to tune into your FOX station at any time of the day or night to try it, because the dropouts affect everything coming from the station(s), not just the network programs.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the dropouts on Fox HD content (as opposed to SD)?


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## WinstonSmith (Feb 1, 2004)

I have had the audio dropouts on my local FOX station's SD programming. Not as frequent, it seems, but I've had them.


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## drewmotz (Feb 14, 2003)

demogawd said:


> Perhaps this is why I haven't had any audio dropouts. I rescanned immediately after the update for no particular reason.


I too rescanned for OTA channels immediately after the 6.3a update, (for some reason I thought I had to do this because the update deleted them, but I guess I would not have had too.) In any case, this did not prevent the 8-10sec audio drop out issues from happening. It is quite prevalent, I've experienced at least 20 drop outs by now in just the couple weeks since the update. FOX OTA is the only channel where I am noticing them, (but then I didn't watch the ABC, CBS, NBC OTA stations too often these last couple of weeks, mostly just FOX OTA.)

When I get home from work tonight, I will try switching settings to "satellite only", let process...., (I guess this means wait for at least a few minutes??)..., then switch the setting back to "satellite and antenna". ((Does doing this delete your OTA channels? If so, I guess I may have to rescan for OTA channels afterward, but I won't if I don't have to this time.))

I should be able to tell pretty quickly if it worked, it seems the drop outs are frequent enough that even just one hour without one would be pretty good evedence that it worked. We'll see......


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

majones said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the dropouts on Fox HD content (as opposed to SD)?


It actually is not related to SD or HD -- the stream that is sent from FOX stations doesn't contain information that identifies SD versus HD -- it's all just a 720p stream. When I conducted my experiments with removing the splicer from the signal path, I did it all during local (SD) programming in the afternoon.

More people report the problem while watching FOX HD, because that's when they're more likely to be watching. That's my theory anyway. I can certainly say that in my case, the dropouts were present all day long.


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## majones (Sep 6, 2001)

videojanitor said:


> I can certainly say that in my case, the dropouts were present all day long.


Thanks. I pretty much only watch HD on Fox, so that's where I see the dropouts.


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

drewmotz said:


> I too rescanned for OTA channels immediately after the 6.3a update, (for some reason I thought I had to do this because the update deleted them, but I guess I would not have had too.) In any case, this did not prevent the 8-10sec audio drop out issues from happening. It is quite prevalent, I've experienced at least 20 drop outs by now in just the couple weeks since the update. FOX OTA is the only channel where I am noticing them, (but then I didn't watch the ABC, CBS, NBC OTA stations too often these last couple of weeks, mostly just FOX OTA.)
> 
> When I get home from work tonight, I will try switching settings to "satellite only", let process...., (I guess this means wait for at least a few minutes??)..., then switch the setting back to "satellite and antenna". ((Does doing this delete your OTA channels? If so, I guess I may have to rescan for OTA channels afterward, but I won't if I don't have to this time.))
> 
> I should be able to tell pretty quickly if it worked, it seems the drop outs are frequent enough that even just one hour without one would be pretty good evedence that it worked. We'll see......


Keep us posted. This would be an easy workaround if it works.


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## jbradway (Sep 30, 2001)

The first time I noticed the dropouts I was watching The Simpsons. 
I just tried the satellite only/satellite & OTA setup cycle. I've been watching about 30 minutes and haven't seen a dropout yet. Still too early though.


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## pdxguy (Aug 9, 2001)

I just tried the satellite only/satellite and OTA setup cycle, and then re-scanned the OTA channels. After doing that, I still got an audio dropout on Fox.


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## redram38 (Apr 17, 2004)

None for me now going on 3 hrs


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## Bob_Newhart (Jul 14, 2004)

Well, I for one am going to watch this thread and see if this is a true fix. Would be nice.


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Bob_Newhart said:


> Well, I for one am going to watch this thread and see if this is a true fix. Would be nice.


If it does indeed work, it has to be a temporary solution.

How temporary remains to be seen.

phox


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## redram38 (Apr 17, 2004)

Just got my second drop watching Bones on Fox OTA. Thought it was to good to be true.


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## bwaldron (Mar 16, 2003)

redram38 said:


> Just got my second drop watching Bones on Fox OTA. Thought it was to good to be true.


Well, it was worth a shot...but frankly, I couldn't think of a logical reason why that would work to fix the problem.


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## gworkman (Feb 6, 2006)

I was told to switch to Satellite Only, process then back to Satellite & Antenna. For the first time since 6.3 "blessed" my machine, I have had no audio drop outs on Fox (Bones), ABC (Boston Legal) or CBS (Jericho).


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

bwaldron said:


> Well, it was worth a shot...but frankly, I couldn't think of a logical reason why that would work to fix the problem.


Same here, but I appreciate that people are banging on this thing, looking for workarounds ...


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## bwaldron (Mar 16, 2003)

videojanitor said:


> Same here, but I appreciate that people are banging on this thing, looking for workarounds ...


Oh yeah, definitely. Who knows what lurks within the HR10 code?

Now, if the CSRs start telling people that standing on one leg while squawking like a chicken solves the problem...


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## dshmel (Sep 4, 2006)

bwaldron said:


> Now, if the CSRs start telling people that standing on one leg while squawking like a chicken solves the problem...


I tried that already. It doesn't work.


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## eengert (Feb 11, 2005)

redram38 said:


> Just got my second drop watching Bones on Fox OTA. Thought it was to good to be true.


Can you describe the audio dropout to us? There have been at least two different kinds reported, so just wondering which one you're talking about. Thanks.


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## mwl001 (Dec 5, 2002)

I watched some digital-feed SD early in the afternoon, then recorded Bones and watched for drop-outs. Only had maybe 1-2 drops per hour, and they were of different character than before -- less than 2 seconds and no video blip like before. I never had the problem on any other network that I can remember, but I don't watch much FOX except for sports. Prior to watching anything I ran Guided Setup twice, first SAT only, then back to SAT/OTA.


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

I wonder if the dropout in Bones was at the source. Because I have not had any droputs with 6.3 until I was watching Bones and had one for a few seconds too.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

I just got 6.3 this week and I had 5 dropouts in Bones last night before the opening credits!

Every show I've recorded since the update came in has several dropouts. It has made me consider moving all the season passes off the HR10-250 and consider it "dead", but I will definitely try this tonight when I get home. Thanks for the pointer. Even if it doesn't cure them entirely, if it helps at all, it's worth doing.


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## drewmotz (Feb 14, 2003)

litzdog911 said:


> Keep us posted. This would be an easy workaround if it works.


Sorry to say,... it doesn't work.

I used the "guided setup" menu option to change the setting to "Satellite Only".

During guided setup, there is a satellite verification process that takes a couple minutes to complete, and then there is satellite download for another minute or so. To me, this is enough "processing time" for the changes to take. I checked the guide, and all the OTA channels dissappear.

So back to "guided setup", this time switching back to "Satellite and OTA antenna". Again, it does its satellite check and download. I check the guide, the OTA channels are back, (it must do a rescan of the local channels on its own, I did not manually rescan).

Anyway, I switch to FOX OTA. It's the late evening news... Within 5mins, an est. 8sec audio drop followed by a flash of pixilization. Urrrggg. Continued watching for about 15min. No other drop outs. Switching to NBC OTA, (Recording Leno in HD w/DD), while now simultaniously recording Haraldo at Large on FOX OTA broadcast as HD, (but really SD postage stamp, PCM audio like the news before.) No dropouts noticed on either for about an hour. This morning however, switch to FOX morning news, two 8sec. dropouts within 5mins., one with pixilization, one without. Continue to watch for next hour, no more drops. (It seems for me, the dropouts happen within 5mins or so of switching to the channel, than after I have no problems for a "long" time, any other folks notice this?)

Anyway. No dice as a work-around. We still need a bug fix firmware update...

I've called DTV last Friday and got the "your the only one complaining about this" line from 3 CSRs. I pointed out this forum and told them I am not alone. They said they elevated my case to the engineering dept. and told me I could call back in a week to check on status...


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## Gweeto (Jul 28, 2006)

Ragsy said:


> Hate to sound dumb, but what do you mean by rescanning the OTA channels? What is the procedure for doing that?


I don't think I saw thise answered for you. It is under the Channel Settings in the same menu you go to when you want to set your favorite channels or channels you don't receive. Look there and you will find it.


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## DeWitt (Jun 30, 2004)

For what it's worth, I reimaged and started clean with 6.3 after numerous problems. (Instant cake - 3.15f - upgrade to 6.3, then CD E)

This means full guided setup from nothing including rescanning the OTA channels.

All of my various problems went away, but..... I do still get the audio dropouts.

Seems from comments in other threads that this is an acknowledged problem they are working on.


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## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

drewmotz said:


> (It seems for me, the dropouts happen within 5mins or so of switching to the channel, than after I have no problems for a "long" time, any other folks notice this?)


<Fish Man raises hand.>

Consistencies I notice about the dropouts:


They occur on HD channels, either OTA or from satellite when DD 5.1 sound is being recorded.
They occur within 5 minutes or so after tuning to such a channel, or within the first 5 minutes or so of a recording made from such a channel.
Pre-tuning to the channel before a recording starts *does not seem to help* prevent a dropout from occurring near the beginning of the recording. I suspect this is because starting a recording flushes the recording buffer and establishes a new buffer. It's likely that the dropout happens _shortly after establishing a new buffer_, which of course also occurs when you switch channels.

A note about item 1 in the list above: In the case of OTA channels, many of them send DD 5.1 only and always. So, even if you have selected to not record DD 5.1, it does on those channels since it is the only audio available to record.

I notice the dropouts almost entirely on my CBS and Fox local OTA channels. Both of them send DD 5.1 24/7 (even though on shows with predominantly mono content, like their news, for instance, only the center channel has any audio). I've *never* had a dropout on my local ABC OTA channel. They send DD 2.0 audio.


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## redram38 (Apr 17, 2004)

eengert said:


> Can you describe the audio dropout to us? There have been at least two different kinds reported, so just wondering which one you're talking about. Thanks.


8-10 seconds of no audio then then picture pixelation at the end. It is the same as I had before. I did the Change to sat only then back to Sat/OTA after I rescanned the OTA's. I may try rescanning again. Thx for the info though, even if it don't work it is good to see some trying to help fix this thing.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

Fish Man said:


> I've *never* had a dropout on my local ABC OTA channel. They send DD 2.0 audio.


Same here....CBS and FOX OTA only. Hmmmmm......


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## alaskahill (Dec 21, 2001)

dshmel said:


> I tried that already. It doesn't work.


Can you post an MP3 of your chicken squawking. I heard it has to be a very precise pitch for it to work


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## bralph (Aug 29, 2003)

alaskahill said:


> Can you post an MP3 of your chicken squawking. I heard it has to be a very precise pitch for it to work












with audio/video:


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Fish Man said:


> I notice the dropouts almost entirely on my CBS and Fox local OTA channels. Both of them send DD 5.1 24/7 (even though on shows with predominantly mono content, like their news, for instance, only the center channel has any audio). I've *never* had a dropout on my local ABC OTA channel. They send DD 2.0 audio.


I experienced the problem on my local FOX station during non-network time periods, and they only send DD 2.0 audio during those times. Sam "classic" dropout as described -- 8-10 seconds of silence, followed by brief pixellation.


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

bwaldron said:


> Now, if the CSRs start telling people that standing on one leg while squawking like a chicken solves the problem...


Which leg?


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## bwaldron (Mar 16, 2003)

rminsk said:


> Which leg?


Depends upon which CSR you get.


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

This didn't work for me. Oh well


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## gcawad (Dec 10, 2003)

No good for me. Just tested FOX and had 2 dropouts after around 15 minutes.


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## jbradway (Sep 30, 2001)

Got a dropout last night watching a local OTA SD NBA game. A few hours later I watched Lost on the same channel and no dropout. Just seems ot be random OTA channels, I have yet to see it off of sat.


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## oldguy (Feb 10, 2005)

Doesn't fix the problem on either of my HR10-250s.


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## amoneys2k (Nov 2, 2006)

videojanitor said:


> It actually is not related to SD or HD -- the stream that is sent from FOX stations doesn't contain information that identifies SD versus HD -- it's all just a 720p stream. When I conducted my experiments with removing the splicer from the signal path, I did it all during local (SD) programming in the afternoon.
> 
> More people report the problem while watching FOX HD, because that's when they're more likely to be watching. That's my theory anyway. I can certainly say that in my case, the dropouts were present all day long.


In my case, I record from FOX OTA if the show is in HD and FOX SAT if the show is in SD to save space on the TiVo. So, I wouldn't ever see the problem if it affected SD programs.


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## amoneys2k (Nov 2, 2006)

Fish Man said:


> They occur on HD channels, either OTA or from satellite when DD 5.1 sound is being recorded.


It's not limited to DD. I'm getting the dropouts and I don't record with DD. I record analog only.


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## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

amoneys2k said:


> It's not limited to DD. I'm getting the dropouts and I don't record with DD. I record analog only.


On the HR10-250 you can choose to record DD or not and to play back in DD or not.

However, from some sources, only DD is available, so that's what it records (but you can select for it to convert and play back in PCM).

(By the way, you can't record "analog" on any TiVo from any source).

On channels that come from the Satellite, MPEG I - Layer II audio is always available. If you chose not to record in DD, this is what gets recorded. DirecTV receivers always convert MPEG I - Layer II audio to PCM for output.

On some Satellite channels, including most HD channels, Dolby Digital 5.1 is also available. You can chose to record it or not.

On OTA channels *nothing but DD is available!!* Depending on the channel and the program content, it may be DD 5.1 or 2.0.

When you record an OTA channel, regardless of how you have your settings set, the unit has no choice to record the one audio format available on that channel, which is sometimes DD 5.1

Your playback selections are PCM only (everything gets converted to PCM) or DD (either 2.0 or 5.1) when it is available. (PCM gets output when it is not.)

I believe that the reasons the dropouts are so previlent on FOX is that Fox insists that their affiliates carry their prime-time HD programming with DD 5.1 sound. Other networks are not so insistent, and many affiliates of the other networks broadcast in DD 2.0 only. Many Fox affiliates (like mine) transmit DD 5.1 for *absolutely all programming*, including their local news. Old reruns with mono sound are upconverted to DD 5.1 with actual content only in the center channel.

I notice dropouts almost exclusively on my CBS and FOX affiliates, both of whom transmit in DD 5.1 24/7, regardless of the original program material. If it's an old mono rerun, it gets upconverted.

All my other local affiliates transmit DD 2.0. I've never noticed a dropout on them.

I've noticed at least one dropout on ESPN HD. I have my HR10 set to record DD where available. If I had it set to not record DD, I probably would not get the dropouts on ESPN HD. However, *regardless of my settings* I could not avoid recording DD 5.1 on my FOX or CBS local channel, because that's all they send.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Fish Man said:


> I believe that the reasons the dropouts are so previlent on FOX is that Fox insists that their affiliates carry their prime-time HD programming with DD 5.1 sound. [...] All my other local affiliates transmit DD 2.0. I've never noticed a dropout on them.


As I said in an earlier post, the FOX station in my area, where I also happen to work, does not send 5.1 during non-network programming, and it is just as prone to the dropouts as the network stream. I am 100% certain is not connected with 5.1.

The thing* ALL* FOX stations have in common is the Terayon BP5100 ASI splicer. Both the local and network streams pass through this box. When THIS is bypassed, the dropouts cease. That is repeatable 100 times out of 100.

This is not to say there is anything wrong with what the BP5100 is adding to the stream, but there is something that 6.3a doesn't like. Whatever it is, it is not limited to this box, as people report the same problem with other channels.

I look at this way: perhaps there are four or five broadcast devices that cause this problem. The BP5100 happens to be one of them. Since all FOX stations use this, it hits them the hardest. There is no "universal" equipment at other stations, so it whether or not they are affected depends if they happen to have one of the "problem producing" pieces of gear in their signal path.

That's the only thing that makes sense to me.


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## eengert (Feb 11, 2005)

videojanitor said:


> As I said in an earlier post, the FOX station in my area, where I also happen to work, does not send 5.1 during non-network programming, and it is just as prone to the dropouts as the network stream. I am 100% certain is not connected with 5.1.
> 
> The thing* ALL* FOX stations have in common is the Terayon BP5100 ASI splicer. Both the local and network streams pass through this box. When THIS is bypassed, the dropouts cease. That is repeatable 100 times out of 100.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure how you know all that, but it sure makes more sense than anything I've heard so far. Hopefully that sort of info helps the development team (assuming there still is one) because it doesn't help us actually resolve the issue for ourselves, it just tells us why it might be happening. The big question is whether the developers will be able to resolve it and release an update.


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## Aquatic (Nov 26, 2002)

No dice for me either with "the fix." I finally sat down to watch adn got the 8-10 with a little pixellization on of all shows NBC's ER. Yep, OTA out of JAX. AVS might have more equipment info, I haven't checked there to see if anything is news. 

So, now instead of folders, we're waiting on 6.3b Anyone care to start the "WAITING FOR" thread?  (or is it there already? )


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## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

videojanitor said:


> As I said in an earlier post, the FOX station in my area, where I also happen to work, does not send 5.1 during non-network programming, and it is just as prone to the dropouts as the network stream. I am 100% certain is not connected with 5.1.
> 
> The thing* ALL* FOX stations have in common is the Terayon BP5100 ASI splicer. Both the local and network streams pass through this box. When THIS is bypassed, the dropouts cease. That is repeatable 100 times out of 100.
> 
> ...


*That's* interesting! :up:

And, forgive me for not seeing it earlier. There are lots of threads discussing this subject and they tend to be rather long! 

As I mentioned, My FOX affiliate (CBS as well) do not switch between DD 5.1 and 2.0. They upconvert non 5.1 content to 5.1 (as is evidenced by the 5.1 indicator *always* being on on my AV receiver when tuned to those channels, even during the news and during old reruns).

My FOX affiliate is almost surely using the the BP5100 as well.

Just as an aside, my A/V receiver indicates DD 5.1 content by displaying the words "Dolby Digital" and a graphic depicting 5 speakers and a subwofer. It indicates DD 2.0 by displaying "Dolby Digital" but then only lighting up the 2 left and right speakers in the graphic. On my FOX and CBS affiliates, all 5 speakers and subwofer in the graphic are lit all the time.

On some channels, HBO HD being one example, you see the graphic toggle back and forth between the 5 speakers being lit and the 2 being lit, indicating that they are toggling between 5.1 and 2.0.


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## amoneys2k (Nov 2, 2006)

Fish Man said:


> However, from some sources, only DD is available, so that's what it records (but you can select for it to convert and play back in PCM).


Ah, I didn't know that. Good to know.  I have selected "No, record standard audio" in the DD settings, so I assumed that it would never record in DD.



> (By the way, you can't record "analog" on any TiVo from any source).


What? You mean there's not a 8-track in there recording the audio for me?!?  Yeah, I know this, but my statement was oversimplified. I just meant that I don't record in DD or output via the digital outputs. Just using standard analog RCA out to my my old school Dolby Pro Logic receiver.



> On OTA channels *nothing but DD is available!!* Depending on the channel and the program content, it may be DD 5.1 or 2.0.


Interesting. Didn't know this either.



> I notice dropouts almost exclusively on my CBS and FOX affiliates, both of whom transmit in DD 5.1 24/7, regardless of the original program material. If it's an old mono rerun, it gets upconverted.


Yep, same here. That explains a lot.

Thanks for the info. That's why I keep reading this board.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

eengert said:


> I'm not sure how you know all that, but it sure makes more sense than anything I've heard so far.


I know that because I work at a FOX station and am able to take things in and out of the signal path and then observe how it affects the HR10.  Removing the BP5100 was the only thing that made any difference. Rest assured that I have sent this info to a lot of people in high places, and am crossing my fingers that they are able to use it to solve this.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Fish Man said:


> And, forgive me for not seeing it earlier. There are lots of threads discussing this subject and they tend to be rather long!
> 
> As I mentioned, My FOX affiliate (CBS as well) do not switch between DD 5.1 and 2.0. They upconvert non 5.1 content to 5.1 (as is evidenced by the 5.1 indicator *always* being on on my AV receiver when tuned to those channels, even during the news and during old reruns).


No problem! Believe me, my head has been spinning just trying to keep up with all of these threads. I can't even remember in which threads I've posted the results of my tests!

Yep, some FOX affiliates have their own 5.1 encoders, so when they go local, a 5.1 stream continues. This is true with affiliates of all networks, as you've noticed. It certainly would be easier to track this down IF it only happened during 5.1 broadcasts, but unfortunately, that's proven not to be the case. 

Your FOX station absolutely is using the BP5100, if they are passing FOX HD. That is supplied by FOX, and you can't put FOX HD on the air without it.


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## kpurcell (Jul 13, 2005)

worked for me


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## Ein (Jul 7, 2004)

The drop outs happens only within the first 10 minutes, then goes away. Odd.


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Ein said:


> The drop outs happens only within the first 10 minutes, then goes away. Odd.


I have found that the dropout frequency varies considerably .... "Prison Break" from a couple weeks ago was unwatchable due to numerous 8-sec audio drops, just about every few minutes. But last week's "Prison Break" was much better, with only two 8-sec audio drops. So it's not consistent from day to day or program to program.


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## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

Well, while it's true that the first 10 minutes or so after tuning to a "problem" channel seem to be the most prone to dropouts, I saw a major example today of that not always being so.

I watched the Saints vs. Buccaneers game today via my local FOX affiliate.

The first three quarters of the game were rendered almost unwatchable by the dropouts.

There were probably more than 20 dropouts during the first three quarters of the game, and some of them were *LONG!* The longest two or three were 45 seconds each, I'd estimate!!

They were the "classic" HR10 6.3a dropouts too. Several seconds of silence and one pixelated frame upon the sound resuming!

It was really annoying!

Late in the 3rd quarter the last dropout occurred. Sound and picture were perfect after that.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Fish Man said:


> The longest two or three were 45 seconds each, I'd estimate!!


45 seconds?! Yowwwwwch!


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## flick (Mar 5, 2001)

videojanitor said:


> Rest assured that I have sent this info to a lot of people in high places, and am crossing my fingers that they are able to use it to solve this.


Given this, this is the thread I'll be tracking to find out when the fix is in place. Thanks!

Peter
Dual 250's, both affected by the drop out. Argh!


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## memory1 (Jan 11, 2004)

Today I noticed during the Washington vs Dallas NFL game that the local Fox station in Los Angeles KTTV 11.1 had massive audio drop-out but the same program on DirecTV channel 89 had no drop out ? Also no drop out on my HR20 tuned to the same channel 11.1


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## FlugPoP (Jan 7, 2004)

That all makes sence. I only have that problem with fox.


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## zzzzdoc (Oct 18, 2004)

Fish Man said:


> I watched the Saints vs. Buccaneers game today via my local FOX affiliate.
> 
> The first three quarters of the game were rendered almost unwatchable by the dropouts.


Actually, the first three quarters of the game were redered unwatchable by the crappy football.

Man the Bucs suck this year.

Now back to our dropout program, previously in progress.


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## gworkman (Feb 6, 2006)

Spent some "quality" time with my HR10 this weekend and found the audio dropouts are back. I only tested one Fox show (Bones). We record the old "According to Jim" off of Fox and each of them contained dropouts. Additionally, I had the same experience while watching the Cowboys/Redskins game. Here's to waiting for a fix (I sound like a junky).


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## rod456 (Oct 23, 2006)

I have an email thread going with D* CSR and Advanced support, here is the last one I recieved:
_
*Thanks for writing us back. Im truly sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. We are aware of the issues regarding the new update and the problems that turned up due to this enhancement.

We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this matter. Unfortunately this is an issue that is still being worked on. However, a future software update is planned to resolve this problem. We will give you more information as they become available.

Thanks again for writing and I thank you very much for your patience and understanding while we work to have this issue resolved.*_


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

rod456 said:


> I have an email thread going with D* CSR and Advanced support, here is the last one I recieved:
> _
> *Thanks for writing us back. Im truly sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. We are aware of the issues regarding the new update and the problems that turned up due to this enhancement.
> 
> ...


Good. At least the CSRs are no longer sending out the email claiming that disabling DD audio is a fix. Hopefully the updated software won't take too much longer.


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## amoneys2k (Nov 2, 2006)

Yeah, I tried the fix and no dice here either. I hope the SW update comes soon. I love the folders and the faster menus, but most of the stuff we record these days is on Fox. I'd hate to have to go back to 3.1.5.


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## gworkman (Feb 6, 2006)

rod456 said:


> I have an email thread going with D* CSR and Advanced support, here is the last one I recieved:
> _
> *Thanks for writing us back. Im truly sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. We are aware of the issues regarding the new update and the problems that turned up due to this enhancement.
> 
> ...


How 'bout the rest of Sunday Ticket for free as your way of apologizing for the "inconvenience"????


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