# The Audio Issues on the 622 are getting old!!



## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon reciever to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?

PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


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## marius (Dec 5, 2006)

optical out works perfectly for me. I use Pioneer Elite receiver


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

laqbn said:


> I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon reciever to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?
> 
> PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
> PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


I am having continual audio issues via my optical out to a Sony STR-DE545. I have only been a subscriber with Dish for a month and a half and was assuming this was related to all the other audio problems the 622 is having. The audio signal breaks up, especially noticable at the beginning of a program. I can see by my receiver that the signal is lost and resent(shows when DD 5.1 is sent). Watching 24 on Fox 11 over the last two night(premiere) had numerous dropouts. Getting ready to ditch the 622 if this isn't resolved in the next firmware upgrade.


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## Albie1200 (Dec 13, 2006)

laqbn said:


> I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon reciever to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?
> 
> PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
> PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


I have my 622's optical audio going into my low end Pioneer receiver. Every now and then(maybe once a day) the audio drops out, but a quick 10 sec rewind usually fixes it. That sucks your having so many problems.


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## churoval (Aug 2, 2005)

laqbn said:


> I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon reciever to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?
> 
> PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
> PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


I have a 622 using the optical output to an HK receiver and have never had any audio problems.


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## JigSawMan (Apr 18, 2006)

My 622 works fine with my Onkyo TX-SR803 via optical cable.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Guitar1969 said:


> I am having continual audio issues via my optical out to a Sony STR-DE545. I have only been a subscriber with Dish for a month and a half and was assuming this was related to all the other audio problems the 622 is having. The audio signal breaks up, especially noticable at the beginning of a program. I can see by my receiver that the signal is lost and resent(shows when DD 5.1 is sent). Watching 24 on Fox 11 over the last two night(premiere) had numerous dropouts. Getting ready to ditch the 622 if this isn't resolved in the next firmware upgrade.





churoval said:


> I have a 622 using the optical output to an HK receiver and have never had any audio problems.


Seems like Guitar1969 and I are having the same issues while churoval is not with a similar setup. Anybody know how to bring this to Dish's attention?


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

So I have been with Dish since the beginning of Dec and from day one have had Audio issues(dropouts, breakups) - I am feeding to my HT receiver(DD 5.1) via the optical out.. The installer had mentioned there were issues with the audio on the 622 but was something they were working on.

I watched the "24" season premiere on Fox and it was horrible. Alot of dropouts and breakups right from the beginning. 

I know its a firmware thing(Or at least I hope) but a little feedback from Dish on how their progressing on these known issues would be nice.

I know I am kind of ranting, but as I new customer I am not happy and losing my patience


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## mikeyinokc (Jan 11, 2006)

I'm using the optical out on my 622, into an Onkyo receiver and have never had any problems. I've had the 622 since last July.


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## Calvin Carrigan (Dec 5, 2006)

I use it on my old crappy Sony with no problems.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Guitar1969 said:


> So I have been with Dish since the beginning of Dec and from day one have had Audio issues(dropouts, breakups) - I am feeding to my HT receiver(DD 5.1) via the optical out.. The installer had mentioned there were issues with the audio on the 622 but was something they were working on.
> 
> I watched the "24" season premiere on Fox and it was horrible. Alot of dropouts and breakups right from the beginning.
> 
> ...


I've had nothing but audio problems since installed in october 06


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

I do run into audio issue myself from time to time and I am also in the SoCal area. My wife mentioned it a few weeks back and has not mentioned recently. The strange thing is that It seems to come and go. I have OTA in SoCal and personally I use that as my primary HD source for locals. I definitely have less audio issues with my OTA HD. The other thing I noticed is that is if when I loose audio, I jump back it returns. Not sure if you guys get this but it does help. 

Basically I am seeing three scenarios

1) Complete audio loss. Pausing or PIP swapping usually returns the audio. 
2) Momentary Audio loss (repeats every second or so). I can see my AV Receiver toggles between DD and PCM when this occurs. Changing channel usually works around this one but results in a buffer loss. 
3) Popping sound. This one is very infrequent and seems to be program related. This seems to mainly occur on Desperate Housewifes. 

One of the things I suggest both you do. Check the EKB Dish chart for your HD locals and then check what strength you are seeing. Might be that your signals are borderline as I think mine might be or it could be they are still tweaking things on the feed end that is causing the hicups. 

For me.. 90% of my audio issues seem to appear on my Dish HD locals but then again, most of my watching is on locals so perhaps this data point is skewed.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> I do run into audio issue myself from time to time and I am also in the SoCal area. My wife mentioned it a few weeks back and has not mentioned recently. The strange thing is that It seems to come and go. I have OTA in SoCal and personally I use that as my primary HD source for locals. I definitely have less audio issues with my OTA HD. The other thing I noticed is that is if when I loose audio, I jump back it returns. Not sure if you guys get this but it does help.
> 
> Basically I am seeing three scenarios
> 
> ...


I get issues on all channels every day. I'm on my 4th unit and it sits completely exposed. No heat issues


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Well I am definitely not seeing it across the board. At least not to any level where I would make that statement. 

So you are seeing this on channels that are not broadcasting DD or just when DD is being sent? The more details the better. Does any of the work arounds suggested help etc? Are you seeing what I am describing or something else? Do you have OTA.. Is it showing up there?

As to.... how to make Dish aware... . Well you are by posting in this forum, but I would also suggest email the Dish Quality email address.

Oh.. and I merged the two audio threads since they are very similar in nature.


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## Slordak (Dec 17, 2003)

To the original poster... There's nothing wrong with individual 622 units which is causing audio dropout problems. The problem is either systemic in terms of a 622 hardware design problem, or (more likely), is a software problem with MPEG decoding and audio synchronization. Hence, there's no point in sending the 622 back to Dish Network if this is your primary issue.

Many of us have seen these audio drop-outs on our own 622s (particularly when connected via digital optical output). Yes, the problem is more likely to occur on some channels than others (e.g. Starz HD is more likely to be victimized than HBO HD, presumably due to the MPEG4). Yes, there are a number of work-arounds, some of which help more than others. But ultimately, Dish Network needs to correct the root of this problem.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Slordak said:


> To the original poster... There's nothing wrong with individual 622 units which is causing audio dropout problems. The problem is either systemic in terms of a 622 hardware design problem, or (more likely), is a software problem with MPEG decoding and audio synchronization. Hence, there's no point in sending the 622 back to Dish Network if this is your primary issue.
> 
> Many of us have seen these audio drop-outs on our own 622s (particularly when connected via digital optical output). Yes, the problem is more likely to occur on some channels than others (e.g. Starz HD is more likely to be victimized than HBO HD, presumably due to the MPEG4). Yes, there are a number of work-arounds, some of which help more than others. But ultimately, Dish Network needs to correct the root of this problem.


The intent of this thread is to bring this issue back to Dish's attention (I assume they already know about it) but I am getting tired of this problem.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> Well I am definitely not seeing it across the board. At least not to any level where I would make that statement.
> 
> So you are seeing this on channels that are not broadcasting DD or just when DD is being sent? The more details the better. Does any of the work arounds suggested help etc? Are you seeing what I am describing or something else? Do you have OTA.. Is it showing up there?
> 
> ...


No audio is present if the channel does not broadcast DD, dropouts only occur when audio is present. Yes I have the local HD package as well as OTA HD from my antenna. And dropouts occur on all channels daily. No work arounds work for me. Happens while watching Live TV or recorded programs. Sometimes starts from when i turn unit on, but usually happens after watching for a while. Also interestingly I have my OTA HD antenna split to another ATSC tuner (Samsung) and ofcourse I have no audio problems with it.
Where can I get the Dish quality concern email address?


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

[email protected]

What do you mean you get no audio? My experience has been if the program is not DD that you get audio but not DD. Are you saying that if you watch a program that does not support DD you get no audio at all? If this is the case. there is something more here..

Also there is another Audio setting.. Cant remember the name of it. Optimized for HD or SD something like that. What is yours currently set at and have you tried both settings. (Sorry going off memory here).


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> [email protected]
> 
> What do you mean you get no audio? My experience has been if the program is not DD that you get audio but not DD. Are you saying that if you watch a program that does not support DD you get no audio at all? If this is the case. there is something more here..
> 
> Also there is another Audio setting.. Cant remember the name of it. Optimized for HD or SD something like that. What is yours currently set at and have you tried both settings. (Sorry going off memory here).


If i tune a "regular" channel like channels 105-417 I get no audio through the optical Digital audio stream. I only get optical digital audio from either local "HD"package channels, Dish HD package channels or OTA Antenna channels. I've never had the "regular" channels audio through the optical digital audio connection. Do you? Yes i remember that optimizer setting but I don't think it made any difference on my issue, I have it set to optimize to HD but i will try to optomize to SD and report back.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Well unless things have change since I configured my system the PCM/DD, DD, PCM settings don't make a difference and you get DD when available and PCM when not through the optical. If you are not getting audio on non-dolby programs, You might want to check your Receiver to see if there is some setting in it that might be creating this situation. I am pretty sure I only have my optical connected to my Receiver and I get audio under both DD and non-DD programs.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> Well unless things have change since I configured my system the PCM/DD, DD, PCM settings don't make a difference and you get DD when available and PCM when not through the optical. If you are not getting audio on non-dolby programs, You might want to check your Receiver to see if there is some setting in it that might be creating this situation. I am pretty sure I only have my optical connected to my Receiver and I get audio under both DD and non-DD programs.


do you get either PCM or DD audio through the optical connection on channels 105-417? I think i can only access the digital audio connection on my Harmon Kardon receiver by hitting the DD button.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Good example is HBO channels that fall into that. Sometime there is DD and sometimes not. I get audio all the time.. 

There was a time a while back that I played around with the DD, PCM/DD, and PCM only with my 811 and the 811 would output different things depending on different settings. My receiver also has if I recall something similar. DD, PCM/DD, and PCM only. If I did not have this set to PCM/DD and my 811 set to PCM/DD I would only get audio half the time. 

I tried this test on my 622 when I was first setting things up and I noticed that it did not do what the 811 did. 

Short story.. Receiver, if it has this type of setting, needs to be at PCM/DD and same with the 622. Under this set up you get audio all the time. 

This is wondering off topic a bit, but I wanted to try and resolve this issue because it is not normal.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> Good example is HBO channels that fall into that. Sometime there is DD and sometimes not. I get audio all the time..
> 
> There was a time a while back that I played around with the DD, PCM/DD, and PCM only with my 811 and the 811 would output different things depending on different settings. My receiver also has if I recall something similar. DD, PCM/DD, and PCM only. If I did not have this set to PCM/DD and my 811 set to PCM/DD I would only get audio half the time.
> 
> ...


Yes i definately appreciate that. I will try poking at my HK tonight. So you do get optical digital audio from all channels? either in PCM or DD form right.


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## tommiet (Dec 29, 2005)

My 622 is almost a year old and I have had little problems. I also use the optical output to my JVC Digital receiver and love it!

Compared to my other HD DVR (HD10-250) the 622 is GREAT!


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Yes.. That is how I remember it...


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## MN Wild Fan (Dec 3, 2006)

I have problems with TV2. I am using RG6 only on a Toshiba projection. At times the audio shuts off and a soft reboot is necessary. The most common problem is the audio level decreasing. You would think someone had turned the volume down. 

Prior to the 622 I had a 921 connected to this TV with no audio problems.

TV1 is fine.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I have ZERO audio dropouts on any channel whether DD or stereo with optical connection from 622 to RCA RT2350.

Sounds like the more expensive the setup the more problematic - maybe too many setup options, too complicated.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Jim5506 said:


> I have ZERO audio dropouts on any channel whether DD or stereo with optical connection from 622 to RCA RT2350.
> 
> Sounds like the more expensive the setup the more problematic - maybe too many setup options, too complicated.


my setup is as uncomplicated and inexpensive as you can get. Optical Digital cable from 622 to a 7 year old Harmon Kardon AVR35, thats it and still problems galore.


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## An-Echo-Star (Jan 8, 2007)

Never had a problem and I have had the 622 for 4 months.


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## wje (Mar 8, 2006)

I run optical digital as the only audio source to my Yamaha HTR-6090. No significant dropouts, and audio all the time, regardless of format. I've had my 622 for 6 months now. (I hear an occasional < 1sec dropout once a week or so. That could well be upstream, not a 622 issue)

The problem can't be a fundamental problem with the 622, because plenty of people don't see an issue. A few of things come to mind - perhaps some receivers have problems switching audio modes when the output stream switches? One really simple explanation would be a defective or poorly seated optical cable. Finally, if the optical level coming out of the 622 is relatively low, and the receiver has a not-so-sensitive optical receiver, this would also explain the problem.


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## AVITWeb (Jan 3, 2007)

wje said:


> I run optical digital as the only audio source to my Yamaha HTR-6090. No significant dropouts, and audio all the time, regardless of format. I've had my 622 for 6 months now. (I hear an occasional < 1sec dropout once a week or so. That could well be upstream, not a 622 issue)
> 
> The problem can't be a fundamental problem with the 622, because plenty of people don't see an issue. A few of things come to mind - perhaps some receivers have problems switching audio modes when the output stream switches? One really simple explanation would be a defective or poorly seated optical cable. Finally, if the optical level coming out of the 622 is relatively low, and the receiver has a not-so-sensitive optical receiver, this would also explain the problem.


It has been mentioned, but my DVR501 has the settings as well..Try setting it first to PCM AND DD, not one or the other and see if it works.

Could also be a damaged cable, but that is less likely with the number of people who are having the problem.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

AVITWeb said:


> It has been mentioned, but my DVR501 has the settings as well..Try setting it first to PCM AND DD, not one or the other and see if it works.
> 
> Could also be a damaged cable, but that is less likely with the number of people who are having the problem.


I've tried all possible preset configurations with no change. OK , I've figured out how to hear the optical digital output when a channel is using PCM audio and there are no dropouts when listening to a channel that broadcasts PCM audio but as soon as I switch to a channel using Dolby Digital and switch my audio receiver to AC3 (another term for Dolby Digital), dropouts occur. I will try another cable but I used the same cable on a DVD player before with no problems.

PS. thanks for everyone's help in trying to fix this


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## DAG (Feb 7, 2006)

I had issues without audio and video dropouts recently and noticed they were every time the furnace kicked on or off. Since the whole system is on a UPS with voltage regulation, I figured ruled that out. Then, it struck me. Perhaps it was the component switcher that I use to switch the various DVD players, XBox360, and 622 inputs to my component outputs to my monitor? Well, after systemically testing and eliminating each input, I narrowed it down to interference that is begin picked up on the audio digital input channels on my switcher, the Audio Authority 1154A. I reconfigured the AA to ignore detection on the digital audio inputs and all is well now!


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

lagbn said:


> If i tune a "regular" channel like channels 105-417 I get no audio through the optical Digital audio stream. I only get optical digital audio from either local "HD"package channels, Dish HD package channels or OTA Antenna channels.


Sounds like you have your digital audio configuration setting at "DD." That sends sound to the optical out only when there is a DD signal. Most people will want DD/PCM.

See http://ekb.dbstalk.com/dolby.htm


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

BobaBird said:


> Sounds like you have your digital audio configuration setting at "DD." That sends sound to the optical out only when there is a DD signal. Most people will want DD/PCM.
> 
> See http://ekb.dbstalk.com/dolby.htm


No, it is set to pass both PCM and DD out the optical port, I just didn't know how to set my audio receiver to use the PCM audio. Since then I figured that out but my my DD dropout issues continue unchanged.


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## MN Wild Fan (Dec 3, 2006)

I guess it was bad luck to comment. Audio sync has been off all day today on both TV's (even after soft / hard reboot). This is happening on all channels except HD.


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## ryan8886 (Sep 19, 2006)

Most of my channels are very good. However, I routinely suffer audio stutter and sync issues on my local HD's (Detroit area). ABC is one of the worst. It's not my TosLink, as all other channels have no problems. This is a known software issue that will hopefully be resolved SOON. Like it was said at the start of this thread....this is getting SERIOUSLY old. 
I understand this is a highly advanced piece of equipment and at the forefront of current technology, but for the money I pay, I would 1) Like to be able to enjoy all my network programs in HD, without it seeming like a bad acid trip half the time and 2) Be able to recommend this receiver to others without having to qualify it.


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## MN Wild Fan (Dec 3, 2006)

2) Be able to recommend this receiver to others without having to qualify it.[/QUOTE]

Exactly.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

ryan8886 said:


> Most of my channels are very good. However, I routinely suffer audio stutter and sync issues on my local HD's (Detroit area). ABC is one of the worst. It's not my TosLink, as all other channels have no problems. This is a known software issue that will hopefully be resolved SOON. Like it was said at the start of this thread....this is getting SERIOUSLY old.
> I understand this is a highly advanced piece of equipment and at the forefront of current technology, but for the money I pay, I would 1) Like to be able to enjoy all my network programs in HD, without it seeming like a bad acid trip half the time and 2) Be able to recommend this receiver to others without having to qualify it.


Might want to check this thread out Ryan. Looks like there might be issues with the Detroit Feed.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=76392

I am assuming when you say Detroit Locals you mean Dish HD locals and not OTA.


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## Mx_Rider (Jul 14, 2006)

have the audio problems as well, since day 1 of Dish service. Not happy at all. 

Let's see:
I'm on my 5th 622 
audio dropouts
audio sync problems
pixelation (not compression-eventhough that's pretty darn bad)- green bands
HDMI problems
phone line plugged in rather than the ethernet line
small hard drive for HD material
no single mode/dual mode switch on remote
audio level (extremely low) on tv2 using coax

I'm screwed till October when my contract expires. I'm quite unhappy with Dish. 
Not to mention that my bill every month is never correct. I'm on file paying a certain amount, the bill comes and it's $55 more.


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## MN Wild Fan (Dec 3, 2006)

Mx_Rider said:


> have the audio problems as well, since day 1 of Dish service. Not happy at all.
> 
> Let's see:
> I'm on my 5th 622
> ...


MX, Does the audio go up and down? What has Dish told you about that issue?


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## ryan8886 (Sep 19, 2006)

Ron Barry said:


> Might want to check this thread out Ryan. Looks like there might be issues with the Detroit Feed.
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=76392
> 
> I am assuming when you say Detroit Locals you mean Dish HD locals and not OTA.


Thanks Ron!

Yes I was refering to Dish HD Locals. Seems like there is a "known" issue. Hopefully they can resolve this soon. After 4 months of it, it's starting to get a little old! :nono2: Appreciate the heads-up!


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## screen1st (Dec 13, 2006)

I agree with Mx_Rider

I have:
-audio dropout
-audo sync issues
-digital chirps
-audio clicks/pops

-problems with my bill
-lousy CSRs
-lousy install
-multiple DVR fees
-installer stole $50

If DirectTV ever gets their act together, I am gonna drop Dish. Gosh, what a choice we have, 1 lousy company vs another!!!


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## Todd H (Aug 18, 2006)

I have no audio issues with my 622 connected to my Pioneer amp via optical. So far so good.


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## Steve H (May 15, 2006)

> -installer stole $50


I hope you did something about this.


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## Mx_Rider (Jul 14, 2006)

MN Wild Fan said:


> MX, Does the audio go up and down? What has Dish told you about that issue?


The audio crackles sometimes, but mostly it's dropouts. Haven't experience the audio levels changing. Haven't called Dish.


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## Mx_Rider (Jul 14, 2006)

screen1st said:


> I agree with Mx_Rider
> 
> I have:
> -audio dropout
> ...


I'm with ya on the Directv thing. The 1st month of service, we could've changed providers at no fee. So when I checked into Direct and Cable, the prices were comparable to Dish with less HD channels. The have us by the balls and they know it...


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Ok guys we seem to be wondering off into dish bash land (Which is not allowed in the support forums). lets keep this thread on track in terms of being specific about the audio issues were are still experiencing. In terms of channels, frequency, OTA or Sat, Recorded/Delayed/Live, Frequency. Do some of the work arounds suggested work. Momentary loss of audio or complete loss. Does it require a soft reboot etc. to clear. Is it optical? RCA? .... In otherwords... More info the better.. 

Ok.. so you are still having them and it has been a while... So an update would be good in terms of frequency and any further classification you can have.


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## eric0116 (Jul 19, 2004)

I'm having the sync problem especially bad lately. It doesn't happen on any SD and I haven't noticed it on sat HD much, but OTA HD is very bad. Sometimes a skip back helps, but less and less anymore. I watched CSI recorded right after I caught Scrubs and it was so bad. My local CBS in Colorado Springs also seems to have audio clipping and drop out bad for NFL games. This drops the DD feed temporarily because my receiver reports that info. The funny thing is, my signal strength for CBS is the highest of all my stations and I have a directional antenna on the roof. My friend has a 622 with indoor antenna and I know he gets the audio drops and clipping during NFL at least and he runs an Onkyo receiver. My receiver is a new Harmon Kardon 745, so I think the receiver is not the problem. A reboot rarely fixes the problem these days and after the program is on disk, there is nothing you can do but grin and bear it. I think I'm gonna check in with some HD users on AVSforum for this area and see if DirectTV or cable users are having any similar issues with our locals.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

My wife and I have noticed this specific problem a number of times(With no way to get it back)

On my Dish Local shows(Los Angeles) For example, Heroes on Monday night Channel 4 - (it is broadcast in DD 5.1) -I pinpointed that audio can be faintly heard in the rear channels only if turned way up on my surround sound system(Which by nature are the weakest channels in a DD program); this is connected via optical - No sound in Center or 2 fronts, or Sub. But I also have an HDMI going to my Plasma(For the video), and if I turn up the volume on the TV itself(I normally don't use the TV audio but I wanted to check it in this case), audio is there. So the problem is specific to DD and I am starting to notice that NBC Channel 4 is more often than not involved in the problem.No reset, pause or anything would resolve this problem.

Did anybody else watch Heroes on Monday night and listen to DD through Optical out in a HT setup- or have any problems related to audio


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Yep.. I did Guitar.. Great show.  

I am also in SoCal. One thing I did not do was watch it via Dish HD locals. I have OTA and watched it from the OTA feed I believe. (I will check my timer) 

I did not have any of the audio issues you mentioned. Could have perhaps been an issue with the Dish HD locals if that is what you were watching. 

Like I have said in prior posts. It appears to me that the Dish HD locals are still being tweaked and are a definite source of audio issue in my configuration. I am in the situation to get OTA and for a number of reasons (Not all related to audio issues), i recommend adding OTA to a 622 configuration if possible. 

I will set up my 622 to record monday's on the Dish HD locals and also on the OTA and see if I get something to happen.


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## dbconsultant (Sep 13, 2005)

Guitar1969 said:


> Did anybody else watch Heroes on Monday night and listen to DD through Optical out in a HT setup- or have any problems related to audio


We recorded Heroes from the SAT Locals out of LA (not OTA) to DVR and are using the optical out to our A/V receiver - had no problems with the sound - didn't even notice any stutter which is unusual.


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

This may be related or not but here goes,,,,On my 942 I was getting something very similar and I tries various things but what did it for me was to cool the unit down a bit by putting taller feet under the receiver. It now sits about 1" high and runs much cooler. I have not had an audio problem since. I just got a 622 so it's too soon to make a comment on that as I have not heard and audio issues yet.


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

kspeters said:


> On my 942 I was getting something very similar and I tries various things but what did it for me was to cool the unit down a bit by putting taller feet under the receiver. It now sits about 1" high and runs much cooler. I have not had an audio problem since. I just got a 622 so it's too soon to make a comment


I got my 622 about a month ago. So far I've watched only recordings of HD movies from SHO-HD, HBO-HD, STRZ-HD, HDMOV, FILM, and Monst. All of the movies have had DD 5.1 sound, all have been played back through my optical output, and my 622 I've had audio dropouts like crazy. What's worse, twice I've completely lost sound and had to reboot before sound could be recovered. But as bad as it is, it's better than the 721 I used for the last few years!

I've just raised my 622 up another inch or so as suggested by the above quote and will report back here if there is any improvement. Note that the front and back of my cabinet are both fully open, so there is no air being restricted anywhere!


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Would be interesting to hear if you see any improvement Bill.


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## hughh (Sep 22, 2006)

laqbn said:


> No audio is present if the channel does not broadcast DD, dropouts only occur when audio is present. Yes I have the local HD package as well as OTA HD from my antenna. And dropouts occur on all channels daily. No work arounds work for me. Happens while watching Live TV or recorded programs. Sometimes starts from when i turn unit on, but usually happens after watching for a while. Also interestingly I have my OTA HD antenna split to another ATSC tuner (Samsung) and ofcourse I have no audio problems with it.
> Where can I get the Dish quality concern email address?


I have a HK 630 that I have been using as a door stop for well over a year now.

My unit started having droputs, then it progressed to pops and scratchy sounds here and there.

I took it to a factory repair facility in Dallas. They found a bad Dolby circuit module.

They wanted $600 to repair it!

Good luck with your HK, youmay need it.


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## devecho (Mar 10, 2004)

Guitar1969 said:


> My wife and I have noticed this specific problem a number of times(With no way to get it back)
> 
> On my Dish Local shows(Los Angeles) For example, Heroes on Monday night Channel 4 - (it is broadcast in DD 5.1) -I pinpointed that audio can be faintly heard in the rear channels only if turned way up on my surround sound system(Which by nature are the weakest channels in a DD program); this is connected via optical - No sound in Center or 2 fronts, or Sub. But I also have an HDMI going to my Plasma(For the video), and if I turn up the volume on the TV itself(I normally don't use the TV audio but I wanted to check it in this case), audio is there. So the problem is specific to DD and I am starting to notice that NBC Channel 4 is more often than not involved in the problem.No reset, pause or anything would resolve this problem.
> 
> Did anybody else watch Heroes on Monday night and listen to DD through Optical out in a HT setup- or have any problems related to audio


We watched Heroes on monday and didn't experience any audio problems. Our setup is a 622 connected to the TV via DVI/HDMI cable and audio going to a Sony STR-DB930 via the optical out. HD Locals are via Dish (no way to get OTA HD locals where we live). 622 is setup up for PCM/DD and line mode. Everything sounded (and looked) great.

We've only had the 622 for a week, so take my report with a grain of salt...


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## hughh (Sep 22, 2006)

hughh said:


> I have a HK 630 that I have been using as a door stop for well over a year now.
> 
> My unit started having droputs, then it progressed to pops and scratchy sounds here and there.
> 
> ...





laqbn said:


> I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon reciever to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?
> 
> PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
> PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


One way to troubleshoot your problem would be to:

1. Replace the optical cable.

If that doesn't work

2. Take the HK out of the circuit. Connect your 622 directly to the tv. If no dropuuts, you have a bad Dolby circuit board in your HK.

Good luck!


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Rule #1 appears to be, if my system does not perform perfectly, no matter how many components, it has the 622 must be at fault.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

hughh said:


> One way to troubleshoot your problem would be to:
> 
> 1. Replace the optical cable.
> 
> ...





Jim5506 said:


> Rule #1 appears to be, if my system does not perform perfectly, no matter how many components, it has the 622 must be at fault.


I have moved optical cable to a DVD player using the same HK receiver and I do not have any issues. Believe me, I have been trying to resolve this issues since October.
Dish 622 to HK receiver ,thats it. I don't understand your rule #1 thinking.


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

Ron Barry said:


> Would be interesting to hear if you see any improvement Bill.


It's been 2 days since I raised the 622 up an inch or so. Since then I've watched 3 full length movies and an hour special, and have not had a single audio dropout! Compare this to before when I never went more than 15 seconds without an audio "burp". Raising the 622 has made a HUGE improvement!

Based on what I know now, I'd bet anything that the problem is not software - it's an electrical component in the digital audio output circuit that is having intermittent problems caused by heat. That's the easy part out of the way - the hard part will be convincing Dish that they have this hardware problem. If I were to call Dish and tell a CSR about this, I know that I'd get nowhere. So, if anybody personally knows anyone at Dish that can do something about this problem, please let them know what I've found out.

I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else has any luck by raising their 622, please post your results here! BTW - I used 1.25" plastic chair tips to raise the 622. These tips cost $1.67 (plus tax) for a set of 4 at the local Home Depot.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Bill,

I will give it a try.. Interesting for sure..


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## Scotty (Aug 10, 2006)

Bill Mullin said:


> I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else has any luck by raising their 622, please post your results here! BTW - I used 1.25" plastic chair tips to raise the 622. These tips cost $1.67 (plus tax) for a set of 4 at the local Home Depot.


After reading about the heat in another thread, I raised my 622 about two inches (on supports), placed a lap top cooler underneath, removed other equipment to different shelves, and made sure front and back of cabinet were open. I also placed a vertical fan next to component shelves/TV stand and operate on low to circulate air.

I believe this has helped operation of the 622. It certainly runs cooler to the touch and also as indicated by the unit's temp readings. However I had a complete loss of audio this weekend on DVR playback of an SD channel (both optical and HDMI). Sound was restored after front panel reboot. I also have occasional short sound drop outs.

Scotty


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

kspeters said:


> This may be related or not but here goes,,,,On my 942 I was getting something very similar and I tries various things but what did it for me was to cool the unit down a bit by putting taller feet under the receiver. It now sits about 1" high and runs much cooler. I have not had an audio problem since. I just got a 622 so it's too soon to make a comment on that as I have not heard and audio issues yet.





laqbn said:


> I've now had 4 units sent to me by Dish and they all have the audio dropout problem (audio dropout every few seconds for ever,till reboot) on the optical Digital output. I use an Harmon Kardon receiver to decode, I've never had any issues using this receiver with any Dolby Digital devices before and it works perfectly with any DVD player I attach to it. this problem is severe it happens every day and will not go away till a soft reboot of the 622 and then just returns later that day or the next. Is the digital output too strong, is it clipping my receiver? I can't stand this problem and i'm on my 4th unit with no difference. I love this unit otherwise and can't wait for a fix. Anybody else having this problem?
> 
> PS. this problem happens on all HD channels
> PSS. Yes i've tried changing all the Dolby Digital settings on the 622 with no change no matter what i choose


Great news!, KSpeters solved the mystery. Yesterday I raised my 622 an inch off the shelf it sits on and the audio dropouts decreased significantly. Still there but much less of them. Today I bought a USB powered fan on a flexible mount. I installed it tonight, pointing directly at the optical jack on the back of the unit. And NO MORE DROPOUTS!!! (I'm sorry bout the shouting but it's been 4 months of trying to solve this problem) Now the unit sits up an inch from the shelf with a fan blowing cool air onto its problem area , and it sounds great in glorious Dolby 5.1 digital without the unbearable dropouts. Thank you all (or most of you) for your help and it goes to show how a group of users can solve problems that gets no attention from manufacturers/operators. So in review: the Dish 622 receiver has a heat problem problem that effects the optical audio output causing numerous and frequent audio dropouts. This is NOT a software issue.It is a hardware defect that has afflicted all 4 of the units I have had, and cooling the unit down by using a fan has eliminated this problem.


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

laqbn said:


> I bought a USB powered fan on a flexible mount.


I assume you used the USB port on the back of the 622? Do you have a link to show what one of those USB fans looks like?


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## farleyville (Jan 8, 2007)

I think this is more than just a heat issue... Let me explain... I have the audio dropouts only on a few stations when the shows have been recorded. In my case, the only dropouts i have is on HGTV only on recorded programming. Nothing else. and it drops out every 15 seconds... I can turn the unit off over night, start it up first thing in the morning, play the recorded programming, and the audio drops, quick 10 second skip back fixes the problem, but it occurs again in another 15 seconds or so.

I have never had the problem in live mode, or on any other recording over the last month. I raised my unit up as well to see if that solved the problems.. and still had audio skips. that required a 10 sec jump back.


???? who knows. it cant be hardware if its only happening on one station and only in such a controlled way? can it? raising the unit may help, but to declare that it is only a heat issue i think is an incorrect assumption at this point.


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

farleyville said:


> I can turn the unit off over night, start it up first thing in the morning, play the recorded programming, and the audio drops, quick 10 second skip back fixes the problem, but it occurs again in another 15 seconds or so.


There isn't a true "off" on the 622 - call it "standby" instead. When the 622 is in standby, everything is still running internally and heat is still being generated. Because of this, it's no surprise when you turn it on in the morning and it immediately begins its audio dropouts.


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## farleyville (Jan 8, 2007)

Bill Mullin said:


> There isn't a true "off" on the 622 - call it "standby" instead. When the 622 is in standby, everything is still running internally and heat is still being generated. Because of this, it's no surprise when you turn it on in the morning and it immediately begins its audio dropouts.


Good point, but that still doesnt explain the selective dropouts that I am having, there must be another contributing factor causing them along with the Heat, perhaps the method of encoding... etc..?


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Bill Mullin said:


> I assume you used the USB port on the back of the 622? Do you have a link to show what one of those USB fans looks like?


Here's what I bought.
http://www.amazon.com/Boynq-Mistral...r_1/105-6344179-8536439?ie=UTF8&s=electronics
yes i aimed it right at the optical port on the back of the unit using the usb port on the back for power.
I bought at compusa for $10 and it immediately solved the problem i was having on all channels


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

laqbn said:


> Here's what I bought.


That fan looks interesting and I may give it a try later. Right now I'm having no problem thanks to raising the unit, which sort of convinces me that the problem is mostly from heat generated along the bottom of the unit. In spite of the fact that I have no problem, I think that when the weather warms up I may start having audio dropouts again. With this in mind, I've ordered THIS FAN. I expect that running 24 hours/day, both of our fans will eventually die. The unit I ordered has the advantage of having 3 fans, which will act as a kind of insurance!  I'll report back here later how it goes.


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## laqbn (Oct 6, 2006)

Bill Mullin said:


> That fan looks interesting and I may give it a try later. Right now I'm having no problem thanks to raising the unit, which sort of convinces me that the problem is mostly from heat generated along the bottom of the unit. In spite of the fact that I have no problem, I think that when the weather warms up I may start having audio dropouts again. With this in mind, I've ordered THIS FAN. I expect that running 24 hours/day, both of our fans will eventually die. The unit I ordered has the advantage of having 3 fans, which will act as a kind of insurance!  I'll report back here later how it goes.


I thought about a notebook cooler as well but I decided that a fan blowing cool air instead of fans sucking air from the bottom might work better. Let me know if this type of unit works and how loud it is.


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## farleyville (Jan 8, 2007)

Update:

My audio issues have disappeared on the HGTV recordings. I have not raised my unit at all, but HGTV was part of the switch to mpeg4 on a different satellite... Since there are no other variables, perhaps this is what fixed the audio dropouts for me.

Anyone else noticed any improvement with audio dropouts on those 6 channels... Strange also that this thread on raising the unit for heat, was timed perfectly with the change on those channels.. perhaps something else is at work.. I'll let people smarter than me respond.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

I am now noticing on Dish HD Locals that most(not all) of my audio dropouts occur during commercials during shows, and not all the commercials (So it cuts in and out during a 2 minute commercial break(Such as 24 or Heroes). My wife thinks its absurd that this system has these problems.

As I have said before, this audio drioput is only on the optical out to my HT. My HDMI connection to the TV has audio all the time(but obviously its not DD 5.1 to the TV).

I have had the 622 for 2 months now and am getting sick of these problems so now I am going to get nasty with Dish


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Well if you are going to get nasty with Dish Guitar1969, remember no bashing in the support forums.  

Ok, I watched heroes Last Monday on my Dish HD locals (Not OTA). I did not notice any audio drop out during the regular show and I always skip commercials. I watch heroes recorded not live and based on your description this is always happening during live programming? 

How often did you see it on Monday? Lets set up a test.. next Monday note a few times that you see the drop outs and report back. I will check my recording. I am hooked up the same way so this should help narrow things a bit. 

Interesting that you don't get any sound issues on HDMI. Do you have RCA? Whenever I have looked into my audio drop issues and checked my RCA outputs I hear a sound drop on the RCA output also making me think that what I am seeing is an audio drop. 

Personally given the posts in this thread.. I am starting to think we might be looking at multiple issues here. Perhaps not, but it sure is smelling like it. Seems some of these issues might be heat related while others might not be (Source unknown at this point in time).


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## Bill Mullin (Jul 24, 2002)

laqbn said:


> I thought about a notebook cooler as well but I decided that a fan blowing cool air instead of fans sucking air from the bottom might work better. Let me know if this type of unit works and how loud it is.


It's been a couple of weeks that I've been testing various cooling methods now, and I've found that either raising the 622 up another inch or using the notebook cooler fan will end my audio problems. The notebook fan is my preferred method of heat control, since it is actively moving heated air away from the chassis, but using furniture tips to raise the unit is a cheap/quick fix! My only concern is that raising the unit might not be as effective when the warmer summer weather arrives.

Anyway, I'm fairly convinced that the problem is heat related, and am again disappointed in Dish that they don't take an active roll in fixing this glitch permanently!


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