# Commercials go mute



## zooky (Jul 5, 2007)

For the last several weeks we've noticed an oddity - some of the commercials are mute. Programming is fine, this only affects commercials.
Do I detect some sort of sinister plan to deprive us of highly informative, commercials (that are run over-n-over again so that we get the message)? This practice MUST cease, INSTANTLY! You have deprived me of my RIGHT to watch commercials - AND, use my own mute button to silence them!  

(ouch - I really hate it when I bite my tongue and cheek, hehe)


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## Swede (Aug 15, 2007)

I have the same problem! What are we ever to do ??


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

What receivers do you both have, and are you using Dolby Digital? Are you using audio over HDMI? Please let us know.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

I've been having similar problems too but was waiting to report it until after I did some troubleshooting...


Only on some channels (noticed ABC and CBS) and it's not just commercials... it happened during entire shows on ABC but only some. Happened on "Just for Laughs" last week but not on "Lost". 

My setup: HR21-700 with optical audio out to receiver. I have my audio receiver set in "native" mode where it adapts to whatever audio is being received, for instance, if the show is broadcasting in DD then it will automatically change to that mode. 

The difference in my problem from the other guys is that when the shows are in this "mute" mode they are still putting out sound in the lowest frequencies (is that the right word?) over the sub woofer so I can still hear very faint sound.

Like I said, I still need to troubleshoot by taking the optical and replacing it with something else but I figured I'd report my problem since someone brought it up.


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

Shhhhhh ! Don't help them fix THIS issue :lol:


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

JeffBowser said:


> Shhhhhh ! Don't help them fix THIS issue :lol:


I wouldn't have an issue if it were _only _the commercials!! :lol: It's actually quite handy to know when the show comes back on by the volume snapping back to normal so if I'm in the kitchen I won't miss anything

I'd be curious if the other two posters have subwoofers hooked up to their systems and are having the same experience that I am....


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I can say that I have a subwoofer and am not experiencing this.


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

Oh, sorry, I missed that it was happening with non-commercials. I have optical out to my home theater, and a subwoofer connected, I have not seen this issue.



tcusta00 said:


> I wouldn't have an issue if it were _only _the commercials!! :lol: It's actually quite handy to know when the show comes back on by the volume snapping back to normal so if I'm in the kitchen I won't miss anything
> 
> I'd be curious if the other two posters have subwoofers hooked up to their systems and are having the same experience that I am....


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Stuart Sweet said:


> I can say that I have a subwoofer and am not experiencing this.


Do you use HDMI or optical (or something else)?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I use optical.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Weird... like I said, I'll have to troubleshoot when it happens again to see if I can eliminate some possible sources of the problem. It's just that when it's happened in the past I wasn't too awefully concerned since I wasn't that interested in the shows anyway


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## Swede (Aug 15, 2007)

I have the audio hooked up through HDMI.


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## goodnz (Sep 1, 2007)

I had the same thing happen but it was my mistake - I accidentally turned my front left/right speaker off so I only had center channel. Since most commercial don't seem to broadcast in 5.1, I was experiencing no sound on commercials. I figured out my accident when I turned the Dolby off within the DVR and the commercials had sound.:grin:


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## brewman63 (Nov 13, 2007)

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago with my Sony HD200. I finally noticed that somehow the A Main speakers were turned off on the Yamaha reciever. I had at least what seemed like full sound during Dolby Digital shows but no sound with just stereo content, ie most commercials at that time. Might be worth checking.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

After the two posts above I checked my receiver...* I feel like such a dolt! *I had my front two channels turned off so sound was being relegated to the sub, surrounds and center so lower quality commercials or shows would be essentially without sound.

Some kind of audiophile I am - I didn't even notice for a week! :sure:

Thanks for the tips!


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## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

JeffBowser said:


> Shhhhhh ! Don't help them fix THIS issue :lol:


No kidding. I'd love to have that "problem"!


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

bwaldron said:


> No kidding. I'd love to have that "problem"!


Just turn your front channels off!! :lol:


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## cartrivision (Jul 25, 2007)

Do you have the secondary audio track selected? Some programs just duplicate the English audio track on the secondary channel if there is no alternate language track while others will broadcast silence if there is no alternate language track.


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## badmonkey (Nov 18, 2005)

I'd like to expand on this problem a little...

I seem to have the same issue. So far, I can only say for sure that I've had it happen on my family room HR20-700, which is connected to the TV only via HDMI. It's not all of the commercial audio... it's just the voice track. The background sound effects, including music, are coming through. Perhaps coincidentally, the only two commercials I'm certain that this has happened on were both Verizon commercials...

I'll see if I notice it on either the bedroom HR20-700 - which is also connected directly to the TV via HDMI - or the theater HR20-700 which is connected to a Yamaha AVR via HDMI and optical.


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## SteveEJ (May 30, 2007)

*OK.. That's IT!!!*

No Commercial Audio and I'm Outta Here! I can't take it any more! I pay GOOD MONEY for commercials' audio AND I WANT IT! Now!:lol:

Really nice problem to have, ehh?:sure:


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## bemenaker (Jan 6, 2008)

How do I turn this option on?  

At least D*'s commercial don't jump up in volume 7 orders of magnitude like they did on TWC.....


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

bemenaker said:


> At least D*'s commercial don't jump up in volume 7 orders of magnitude like they did on TWC.....


I think they do! We nearly go deaf sometimes when commercials come on.


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## bmeeks8 (Sep 15, 2007)

I had the exact same problem on a recorded show from last week. Only the voice track on Verizon commercials was missing. This was on a History HD show. The same commercial played at least twice during the show and the same thing each time. Other sounds in the commercial were fine.

I have audio via optical to a Denon 3805 receiver set for auto mode.


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