# I Am Begging!



## tsrk30 (Jan 8, 2005)

I have posted this in the last year and basically very few tried to help and the problem was never resolved. Since it is the end of year I thought I would try one last time. So if you have any compassion please help me out. 

I began to notice a problem with the audio on the XM channels about a month after they began airing on Direct-TV I called and reported the problem about 20 times. I had a number of the CSR's tell me they were aware of the problem. The problem was even discussed on the Direct-TV website in the now defunct customer forums. Let me try my best to explain this so everyone can understand. I have been blessed or cursed depending on your point of view with very good ears. I can pick out an audio defect really quick. I am very picky about sound quality. So I tend to pick things up when others never even notice. The problem is very simple to detect if a person will simply take a few minutes and try to listen. 
I am using A Direct-TV dvr r-15. I was using the Direct-TV with TIVO but changed receivers hoping to resolve this problem. The change in receivers did not fix the problem. I have the sound from Direct-TV going through my $1000.00 dollar Yamaha Receiver. When I listen to XM on Direct-TV I hear a static popping sound. The best way to describe it is this. Think of listening to an old LP with all the pops etc. 

The problem can best be detected if one will listen to channel 856. I don't know how anyone can't hear it. My 11-year-old Daughter can hear so can my 15 year old and my wife. Don't even bother saying it is XM's fault. I have a XM receiver and I listen to all the channels all the time and the problem is not there. The problem is not on the TV channels either. So if you have your Direct TV hooked up to a stereo system can you please go to channel 856 and tell me what you hear. Listen for about 15 minutes. 

Any help would be appreciated.


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## pentium101 (Nov 19, 2005)

I can also hear a popping noise when listening to that channel. I have my box hooked up to my $1000 Onkyo using the digital fiber optic connection.

From what I had heard the popping isn't that distracting. It is faint but noticeable.

If DTV is aware of the problem then there's not much you can do on your end. If you're using the RCA cables for the audio, you can try running the audio through an equalizer. This way you can cut (attenuate) the higher frequencies (16khz and above) to reduce or eliminate the popping.


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## BigPotty (Dec 26, 2006)

Are you using a digital or analogue audio connection? I ask because if it is digital you may have a sync problem...

Other than that it could be a conversion problem on the service side. Or possibly the problem is caused by compression artifacts.

Hell, with all of the strange problems the R15 has it could be any of a number of things causing it.


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

I've been listening for an hour on my lowly $200 Panasonic AV RXR. I haven't noticed any pops. Nothing like an LP. Is it faint enough that I might be missing it?


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## tsrk30 (Jan 8, 2005)

qwerty said:


> I've been listening for an hour on my lowly $200 Panasonic AV RXR. I haven't noticed any pops. Nothing like an LP. Is it faint enough that I might be missing it?


I don't see how you can miss it. What receiver are you using? What channel are you listening to?


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

Not my style of music, so only listened for about 15 minutes. Sounded just fine to me, I heard no static, popping, or anything else abnormal. Listened on a standard TV set from roughly 1:10 to 1:25 pm pacific, 1-1-07.

Carl


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## TigersFanJJ (Feb 17, 2006)

pentium101 said:


> I can also hear a popping noise when listening to that channel. I have my box hooked up to my $1000 Onkyo using the digital fiber optic connection.
> 
> From what I had heard the popping isn't that distracting. It is faint but noticeable.


Same here. I've got my R15 connected to my $400 6.1 Onkyo through the fiber optic connection. I can hear a faint pop (sounds like a "tick") about once or twice a minute, but it isn't loud enough or often enough to get on my nerves.


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

tsrk30 said:


> I don't see how you can miss it. What receiver are you using? What channel are you listening to?


Panasonic SA-HE100, Ch 856.

I listed to 864 (classical) a lot. Never noticed it there either.


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

TigersFanJJ said:


> Same here. I've got my R15 connected to my $400 6.1 Onkyo through the fiber optic connection. I can hear a faint pop (sounds like a "tick") about once or twice a minute, but it isn't loud enough or often enough to get on my nerves.


I have the same issue but I hear it all the time (on all channels, I haven't check out that channel). It's not so bad when I'm playing a program. It even comes on if I pause the R15. I just thought that there was something wrong with that input on my receiver (since none of my other devices do it DVD, PS2, Gamecube, X-box have that issue.) Does this still happen if you pause it? The only way I don't hear the popping is if I mute the stereo.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

I recommend that you not use your D* receiver to listen to XM. D* treats XM like dirt.

By way of comparison, Dish has a direct connection with Sirius and it is much higher quality than Sirius' satellite or terrestrial casts.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

harsh said:


> D* treats XM like dirt..


Hold on a minute.... Does anybody have a copy of the stakeholder treatment scale handy? DTV treats XML like dirt? How is it they get away with treating their business partner, XML, so much better than their customers? Many of us would be delighted to treated as dirt. As I recall, that's a major step up from corruption and dead men's bones.


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## mylonitic (May 25, 2006)

wbmccarty said:


> Hold on a minute.... Does anybody have a copy of the stakeholder treatment scale handy? DTV treats XML like dirt? How is it they get away with treating their business partner, XML, so much better than their customers? Many of us would be delighted to treated as dirt. As I recall, that's a major step up from corruption and dead men's bones.


You get treated like dead men's bones? No fair! :lol:


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