Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Cable box audio setting

You should really consider using component for your video. That will solve your problem without any loss of quality or functionality.

Yes, I believe that is going to be the route that I go, but this is disturbing nonetheless.

When do you suspect cable would even broadcast in 1080p? That, I suppose is when this would become a prob again.

Just to add, I did reconnect the component video. Just to see what would happen, I plugged the HDMI cord back in and the box immediatly reset the AUDIO setting within. I just don't understand why it will not keep the setting you tell it to be on.

Reminds me of my teenagers...

I would imagine the box is set(not changeable) so that when it senses an HDMI cable the rest of the system shuts down forcing you to use the HDMI, gotta love that copy protection, stick with the component video.

Hi jfoxtrot,

As Jakewash has suggested, you'd be better off using the component video output from your cablebox. By the way, it will be years away before cable and the broadcasting systems go to 1080p because of the bandwidth requirements and the installed base of 720p/1080i broadcast equipment.

And don't assume that the HDMI connection will deliver better picture quality than component video. On my Scientific Atlanta box (8300HD), the component video output delivers a better image than the HDMI output into a native 720p display.

Regards,
Alan

I have the SA explorer 4250HD cable box which is similar to yours but without the PVR and cable card connections so the menu set-up should be similar if not identical.The set-up you are striving for "does work" in my system so we will have to look at the detailed settings. Firstly, since you are using the receiver for all your sound, I am assuming you have disengaged the TV monitor's speakers.

Next, going in to the "settings" menu, ie. pressing the settings button twice to get the detailed set-up menu in which you scroll up and down the left-hand side, check the digital audio out setting (it will show HDMI, Dolby Digital or other) confirm it is set to Dolby Digital NOT HDMI. In addition, your picture format setting (which should show Auto DVI, upconvert 1 and 2 and fixed) should be set to upconvert since that setting deals best with non-HD programming. 1080i HD channels will pass through as normal. Remember with any of these settings, you must press the "A" button to lock them in. As you notice when you plug in the HDMI cable for video it overrides any other video input. Obviously, the problem is with the audio and I am at a loss to explain why the TV would be affecting your cable boxes audio configuration. It doesn't make sense. HDCP generally only applies to the video and not the audio. There are many set-ups out there in which individuals have both HDMI video(out to a monitor) and coax or optical connections plugged through a receiver at the same time so the television shouldn't be affecting any of this.

At any, rate, see what your detailed connection set-up is currently reading and we'll see what happens and take it from there. This shouldn't be that complicated!!

I believe this is the case, although it frustrates me.



Thanks Alan, this makes me feel a little better.



Thanks Casey, I have done exactly this. The frustrating part is when I switch from one HDMI source to another or turn the TV off (????!) the cable box will switch that setting back to HDMI!

You're right, it shouldn't be this complicated. I have already switched back to component cable. BUT, I would love to solve the problem, just because, I agree, I am sure there are plenty of people running this type of setup with out the probs.

I'd also like to add, the Blu Ray player doesn't have this issue. It sends the audio out the digital audio, as it is told.

This is what befuddles me in that if the TV monitor was the culprit here it would have affected the Blu-Ray player settings as well, but it doesn't even though the hook-up is identical to the cable box! Certainly the component input will be fine and it certainly not a big deal one way or the other but it is interesting what is happening here. Did you attempt any of the detailed cable box menu settings I suggested in my previous post because I STILL don't believe the TV is the issue. Something in the cable box is not locking in the digital audio properly.

Like I said previously, these models should be able to send out the coax audio and HDMI video simultaneously without issue.

Casey, the TV was never part of the problem. There was a failed attempt at making it part of the solution, but it was not the bulk of the discussion.