# Big time sound problems with Dish DVR and receiver



## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Guys, I have a very long story but I'm going to try to make it very short.

Basically, I have a hopper and a yamaha AV receiver and the sound is not right somehow.
The VOICES in tv shows blend in with the background noises,. They are NOT very well defined.
In an episode of zoo (S01e06) where they sit in the back of the ambulance and talk, I can hear every
damn cricket in the background.

I found and downloaded the same file off the web for testing and the difference between the one recorderd
on the hopper from dish and the one I downloaded and played through my Western Digital TV media player is BIG.
The WD TV sounds much better.

Before I go into too much detail, does anyone have any suggestions?

Sound was better I think with my 612. I then got the hopper and things went downhill from there.

I connect through HDMI ports.

Thanks

George


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

A 5.1 source played as stereo tends to do what you describe. Make sure you are outputting 5.1 and the center channel speaker is working properly - maybe upping the volume on the center channel will help.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Wilf, I only have two speakers, no center speaker.

Do you know if the 612 sound different from the Hopper?

The thing is, my setup used to sound great but then I got the hopper and it all went downhill from there.

Thanks


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Sounds like you have Dolby digital 5.1 turned on on the hopper and its outputting that to an av receiver that's why you have no center sound. Check your AV receiver and set it to downconvert to stereo or maybe you can also change the hopper to only output stereo instead of full Dolby digital.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

inkahauts said:


> Sounds like you have Dolby digital 5.1 turned on on the hopper and its outputting that to an av receiver that's why you have no center sound. Check your AV receiver and set it to downconvert to stereo or maybe you can also change the hopper to only output stereo instead of full Dolby digital.


Thanks but I don't think there IS an option on the hopper to do anything or at least, I can't find it. Found the digital/pcm vs pcm only option but that's it.

The av receiver IS set to stereo only...


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## david_jr (Dec 10, 2006)

Try setting the Hopper to PCM only and see if that helps.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

david_jr said:


> Try setting the Hopper to PCM only and see if that helps.


 I've done both and no difference...


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## shadough (Dec 31, 2006)

Try connecting the RCA analog outputs on the Hopper to the A/V rcvr. There maybe some set up in the A/V rcvr to make that happen; like u may need to assign that audio input on the AVR to your SAT HDMI video in put source, in addition to turning OFF 'use HDMI for sound' on the AVR. If it's a true AVR, then y r u NOT using 5 speakers?

If for some reason u can't get the AVR to STOP listening for audio via the HDMI, then try connecting the hopper to the AVR via Component video cables RGB. That would at least force the AVR to look for the analog stereo input.

The big knock on Component video is that it's not 1080p! But what content is??? Everything coming out of the hopper is 1080i or lower (except for those few designated 1080p OnDemand movies) and component outputs 1080i, so your not losing anything.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I hooked the hopper to the receiver with rca cables but no real difference in the sound. Still not as good as playing the same file (dowloaded file) through
the WD TV....
Not sure how correctly I hooked it up as I didn't get a picture but I got sound and I figured that's what counts anyway and there's no real difference in the sound
between hdmi and rca connection. 

Dish is coming out on Sunday and they're supposed to bring a 612 and a 722 with them including optical cable and some hdmi cables so we'll see what happens.
I'll post the results.

Thanks


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## shadough (Dec 31, 2006)

When you say 'hooked up with rca cables', did u disconnect the HDMI?

I believe the issue is the digital audio. Without a 'center' channel, digital audio is useless to you. The AVR is pulling the digital audio from the HDMI, thus the 5.1 SS audio where predominantly all "Voices" emit from the center channel speaker. Only way to curb that is thru settings or only connect analog sources (RCA/Component/Composite) to the AVR.

You said u had a vip612 before. Hooked up the same way thru the AVR? and no issue? Try hooking the Hopper directly to the tv. This way you can isolate whether the issue is the Hopper or the AVR. I still suspect there are some settings on the AVR u can jump thru to correct this.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Yes - I would hook the HDMI from the Hopper directly to the TV, then use either TOSLINK (optical) or RCA from either the TV or the Hopper to the AVR. Or - component from the Hopper to the TV (along with the audio) and analog audio out from TV to the AVR.

I'm surprised your AVR doesn't have a mode that is stereo output only. I'd be turning off ALL audio processing until you are getting good stereo audio output from it.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

shadough said:


> When you say 'hooked up with rca cables', did u disconnect the HDMI?
> 
> I believe the issue is the digital audio. Without a 'center' channel, digital audio is useless to you. The AVR is pulling the digital audio from the HDMI, thus the 5.1 SS audio where predominantly all "Voices" emit from the center channel speaker. Only way to curb that is thru settings or only connect analog sources (RCA/Component/Composite) to the AVR.
> 
> You said u had a vip612 before. Hooked up the same way thru the AVR? and no issue? Try hooking the Hopper directly to the tv. This way you can isolate whether the issue is the Hopper or the AVR. I still suspect there are some settings on the AVR u can jump thru to correct this.


No, was I supposed to disconnect the HDMI's while on rca and if so, why? I had it set to a different input on the receiver.

I guess hooking it up to the tv is an option for TESTING purposes but it won't work in the long run 'cause the tv doesn't amplify the sound enough
for my hearing. My hearing is going really bad and this is the reason I got a receiver.

Yes, on the 612, everything was hooked up exactly the same way with the same cable. I SEEM to remember (although I could be wrong since my memory sucks)
having a bit of a hard time getting it set up so it sounded the way I wanted it but once I did, it ran great for over a year till I plugged in the hopper and then everything
changed. I do NOT know if it was just the hopper or by connecting it I somehow screwed up the receiver but I've checked on the AVS forum with people that own the same
receiver and I DO have all the settings right...

So yes on the 612 and yes to better sound!!


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Here are the two threads on the avs forum about this if you'd like to see what I've already done and my settings and if anyone wants, I can also give you links
to the manual for the receiver.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/2099098-anyone-charlotte-nc-area-can-lend-hand-i-m-stumped.html
The first post also has a link towards the bottom to the previous post I had about the same issue some months ago.

George


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

This might sound kind of strange - but usually if you have had enough hearing loss that your TV doesn't do it anymore - don't you need hearing aids and not an AVR ? because if you are planning on turning up the volume on the AVR - I sure don't want to be close to you (my ears would start ringing hearing at that volume on a long term basis).


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Not strange at all but it's not just about volume, it's about the sound coming out of the speakers. Sure, I could have gone with a hearing aid but frankly, at the time I didn't think of it and the sound
is not going to be as good I assume as that of a good set of speakers.

I guess I can reinvent anything and start from scratch but again, there's that little issue of...BUT IT SOUNDED good just a few months ago 

It's kinda like when you try to think of something but you can't remember it right there and then. This is the same thing. It irritates me that I can't
get it to work right when I know it sounded great just a few months ago. A bit stubbornness mind you but I do think I have the right (and no, not being sacrastic or anything)
to want to get it back to where it was where there really shouldn't be any difference in sound and of course, clearly there is and I want my sound back 

I talked to my mom who has headphones that she uses when watching tv 'cause she stays up late and she doesn't want to bother the neighbors.
Well, the problem with that is that they never sound the way a speaker does. I want to hear it like it is coming from in front of me.

I didn't think of the headphones but frankly, even if I had, I probably wouldn't have pursued it.

By the way, the dish guy was here today and he DID hear the difference and he's having his boss call who apparently deals with not only dish but sound systems
n' so on so here's hoping. I will be back 

George


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

When you connected the RCA, you used the analog type (red & white) not the digital type RCA (usually orange connector color)? 


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Nope, I used the kind with the other colors. I DID ask somewhere (I think it was at the yamaha service place...I THINK but not sure)
if they were all the same and I was told that they were. I always thought that maybe they're different 'cause I've got all kinds of colors
but I was told recently that they were all the same...

Not true?

I DO have red and white ones too if I should try that.


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## david_jr (Dec 10, 2006)

guiri said:


> No, was I supposed to disconnect the HDMI's while on rca and if so, why? I had it set to a different input on the receiver.
> 
> I guess hooking it up to the tv is an option for TESTING purposes but it won't work in the long run 'cause the tv doesn't amplify the sound enough
> for my hearing. My hearing is going really bad and this is the reason I got a receiver.


They're trying to get you to bypass the digital input on the AVR. If you leave the HDMI connected the AVR is most likely defaulting to that and NOT taking the analog RCA input. If you plug HDMI into the TV directly, just for testing purposes, you should either turn your TV speakers all the way down or off if you have the option. Then you hook the RCA cables to your TV input on your AVR and listen through the AVR while watching the HDMI video on the TV. This will ensure that the AVR is getting analog only from the Hopper. If you hook it up this way and the sound is the same as has been since you got the Hopper, you know it is not a digital problem, but could be a Hopper problem. Should be simple to test. Just make sure the HDMI from Hopper is NOT connected to AVR while you're testing.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Ok, I'm dense as hell and have a huge reading comprehension problem so let's see if I get this.

NO HDMI while doing the rca connection check.

What color cables should I use?

Speakers on the tv are always off/down.

So, HDMI from the hopper straight to the TV?

RCA cables FROM the Hopper to the tv input on the AVR?

I'll try this.

Hypothetical question. Say this works and it sounds better and you guys go, it's a digital problem.
Why then would it have sounded good before when I haven't made changes to anything?

I'm going to try this and see if that changes the sound and I know my last question might be premature
but that's what bothers me the most.
Well, no, let me rephrase that. Mostly, I want my stuff to work, no matter how but it's like a thorn in my side so to speak
that it worked great before but not any longer 

THanks


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I finally downgraded to a 612 (DVR) from the Hopper in hope of getting back the sound and guess what? Not only does it not
sound the way it used to sound, I even think it sounds worse.

What now?

I still have the second Yamnaha receiver I just bought and haven't returned. I will try it out but I'm not holding my breath. This has GOT to be some
kind of compatibility issue considering the 612 I had before the hopper sounded great.

Another important comment here. Dish was NO help in this matter. A local dish installer was out here yesterday and heard the problem.
He then came back today with a hopper with sling hoping (but not really holding his breath) that maybe that would fix it but we couldn't
install it as dish would NOT allow him to install unless I paid a $350 upgrade since the sling was an upgrade. He explained for a long while
that we just wanted to see if it would be better but nothing.

Here's the thing, they also wanted to charge me a $250 fee to DOWNGRADE to the 612...

THIEVES is all I can say. Damn crooks! I've been with them for something like 12 years and this is the *hit you get!

I'm going to call the installer again and see if he has any ideas. Maybe I should to back to a completely analog receiver or something?


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

I would think that since you have tried/used different Dish receivers, and still have the problem, it has to be local. Bad cable, worn HDMI socket, your AV receiver has a problem, bad speaker wire connection, blown speaker(s), etc.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Well, that was my thought but here's the thing.

First, it sounded GREAT for about a year and a half with the yamaha receiver and the 612.
I then got the hopper and things went bad immediately when hooking it up.
I have taken the yamaha for service.
He upgraded the firmware which seemed to help but the sound still wasn't AS good as before.
For a month or two, it sounded alright and then it went bad again.
I took it back and this time they did no repairs saying everything checkec out.

I then bought a new identical model yamaha. That one didn't even play the voices from the tv shows.
I heard everything but the voices.

I got a new hopper. Same thing with both yamahas.

Got the 612 put back on and it sounds like crap still. Same with the new yamaha or even worse.

Here's the thing, that SAME tv show, I downloaded to do testing and it sounds MUCH better
on both receivers when played through the Western Digital (WD TV) Medial Player.
So, if this is just a cable issue, why is there a difference between the sound coming from the DVR compared to the media player?


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

How does it sound coming from the TV speakers ? Yes - you will probably need to turn it up pretty high(it sounds like), but at least that will give you a handle on how it comes from the TV.

If that works OK - Then try audio output from the TV to the AV receiver, either analog or digital (depending on what your TV can do and how you can connect to the A/V receiver).

If you have OTA capability, see how that sounds from the TV and via the receiver as well.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

I have had old speakers that developed rubbing voice coils problems. They would sound OK or NOT, depending on the program material that was playing through them. I have had similar issues where the flexible material around the edge of the speaker was disintegrating.


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## shadough (Dec 31, 2006)

Have you tried this yet?
Ok, I'm dense as hell and have a huge reading comprehension problem so let's see if I get this.

NO HDMI while doing the rca connection check. Yes, no HDMI to the Yamaha, only to the TV.

What color cables should I use? Use the Red & White RCA Audio cables from the output of the Hopper to the Yamaha.

Speakers on the tv are always off/down.

So, HDMI from the hopper straight to the TV? yes

RCA cables FROM the Hopper to the tv input on the AVR? yes

Make no other connection from the Hopper to the Yamaha except Red & white AUDIO output cables. You don't even need to connect the Yamaha to the TV since all your using from it is sound.

So again, real simple, HDMI out from Hopper straight to TV. Red & White RCA audio cables out from Hopper to Yammaha (Now technically they don't need to be red an white colored cables, they just need to be connected to the red & white AUDIO outputs from the Hopper to the Red & White RCA AUDIO INputs on the Yamaha.) Don't confuse them w/ the red/green/blue VIDEO connections.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Since you have tried a different AV receiver (did you try using the Tuner portion and how did it sound) - it could be a speaker issue also.

I currently have a Pioneer AVR and the HDMI ports have all quit, but it still works fine for audio - both analog and digital.


But honestly - you hearing everything but the voices is sounding like an AVR issue - it is NOT set to output only stereo (look for Dolby Digital / Dolby Prologic settings and TURN THEM OFF. Or add a center and surround speakers (just the center should help your voices issues) .


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

And all things considered - I think your real issue will have to be solved by hearing aids. Expensive, but they can be customized for exactly what your needs to fix (or help as much as possible) your hearing.. I think an appointment with an audioologist is in order before spending any more time and money on Av equipment.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Audiologist apointment sounds expensive considering that I have cheap receivers but, I think you mayi have missed one part
in my story.

Everything sounds fine when I DOWNLOAD a file from the internet. Ie, the same file that I watch on tv, I download and I don't have
these problems.

So, if it is the speakers or anything else, should I not logically have the SAME problem when playing something through
my WD TV media player?

Now, to be fair, there are a couple of files that sound like that or close to it on the media player but I borrowed an identical media player from a buddy
of mine for testing so I intend to test that one too.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Is there a setting for a "phantom center speaker" on the AVR ? If there is try turning that on.

You never said how it sounds from the TV speakers, nor other audio source (the FM tuner).

Also - What channel from Dish did you record from ? Or did you DVR an OTA channel ?

Do you have Over the air capability ? have you tried using it and see how the station sounds that way ? Depending on your location in Charlotte, a TV antenna shouldn't be that much.

How do other Dish channels sound ? Especially movies ? How do the music channels (dish audio / CD / Sirius/XM) sound (these should be in stereo) ? What about the Standard Definition satellite channels ?

What I'm getting at is this may be an issue on how Dish receives this station / and reencodes it for satellite transmission. You have also been focusing on ONE RECORDING OF ONE SHOW FROM ONE CHANNEL - let's get a bigger view before we say the Dish equipment is not right..


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I can't answer some of these questions but I'll answer the ones I have.

FIrst and the most important, I think it might be an encoding problem as it is now the second dvr that does this
and initially, the 612 sounded great. I think they have probably made changes but it is funny that this started as soon as
I plugged in the hopper.

It does this with ALL dish channels but I also seemed to notice this with a movie I have on my WD TV (hard drive) so I'll let you know about this.

Did NOT try straight out from the tv 'cause I can't get the audio output to work. I get a humming noise. Talking to the installer that was here from one of the installation companies who was very, very helpful. He lent me a soundbar to try (Polk) so I'll try that out too and I will report back.

Oops, I misread, but no, I haven't tried through the tv speakers either 'cause for some reason, I don't know how to get them turned on. There is an option on the tv that I can't find and I haven't done that in about two years so I don't remember. I will figure this out on monday or tuesday when the different tech support people are open.

I will try the music channels.

Nope, no over the air option but IF I try that, I wouldn't be able to try the DISH stuff, right?

Just local channels...


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

By the way, the reason I use that particular tv episode to compare sound is that there is a scene which should be quiet but is not and I did download the same episode from the internet but generally, everything sounds the same.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

guiri - You can go ahead and try the soundbar, you can try purchasing a center speaker / a full DD5.1 speaker setup, you can upgrade your amp - I don't think any of it is going to help. The one common element in all this is YOU - and your perception of what you're hearing. If it was Dish's equipment - with 14 million customers - there would be a lot larger complaint base.

You keep insisting it is Dish - but you're not giving me an alternative source to compare to. Buying a $10-$30 indoor TV antenna and putting it on your TV / satellite receiver (if it has an OTA antenna input) Should give us some idea. A DVD / Bluray would also be a good test of the audio on your AVR. a number of them have options regarding DD2.0 / DD5.1 for audio tracks.

One other possiblity - The Dish receivers have the TOSLINK optical cable output - you can try using that for your audio between the Dish equipment and the AVR and play with different settings, but I don't have any hope that it will help any based on previous posts.

My wife did suggest that maybe you have your speakers in the rear surround speaker jacks and not the "main" speaker jacks - it's worth checking that everything is hooked up correctly.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Well, you are right, my perception could be different and yes, others should be complaing if they THOUGHT this was a problem but I'm thinking that most people these days prefer the 5.1 sound, I don't and one of the reasons is that I watch tv to fall asleep as I have insomnia or a huge problem falling asleep.

I watch tv and I tend to fall asleep in front of it and then I eventually wake up and to go bed. However, in order to fall asleep, I can't have sources that are too loud, too nosiy, etc, etc. So, I avoid certain programs. No explosions, horror, screams and so on. NEedless to say, I can't but I try.
I also have crummy hearing which means that in order to hear the dialog, I have to crank up the volume quite a bit. When then my equipment (regardless of where the problem is) doesn't separate the voices, I wound up hearing everything else in the program, VERY loudly and it jacks me up (pulse, etc) and I can't fall asleep. It's to the point that it bothers me, even when I watch tv and I'm NOT trying to go to bed.

We did try the optical cable but that didn't make a difference either. I have the speakers in the main jacks.

NOTHING in the chain changed until I got the hopper instead of the 612 and then it's been the same since. I got a second hopper (still the same) and then downgraded to the 612 and still the same.

I'll be back with some info on monday or tuesday and no, I'm not trying to be difficult. I got this question in the AVS forum. One guy said I can't be this stupid or I'm trolling. I'm not trolling.

So, will en external antenna give me the DISH channels? I have a guy near me that has one I think and I can prolly get him here with it.
What channels will I get, just the local ones?


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

The whole idea of the OTA antenna is so we can see if it is just this one station (getting the feed directly from the station instead of Dish) and be able to check other channels, and see if your TV is decoding correctly. You can use this same antenna to check the FM reception and sound from the receiver. That's the point to testing with a DVD or Bluray - do the same checking with a DD2.0 and a DD5.1 source.

Using a standard Def channel from Dish (as compared to it's HD counterpart) will generally be a bit louder and only in stereo - these should work real good on your 2 main speakers only setup as a check. same with the music channels. And yes - I just checked this this morning on my VIP222K receiver connected with a TOSLINK cable to my AV receiver so I checked out a movie (AirForce One) as well as a few other channels.

I really want to know the results from getting the speakers turned on the TV .The TV should do the DD5.1 to DD2.0 conversion flawlessly (since that is ALL it can do without an external amp/speaker setup ). Also the results of TV to AVR. But your testing necessarily has to be MORE than just this one recorded episode.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Ok, again and just 'cause I don't understand this. Where does the aerial antenna go? Back of dvr or tv and if so, do I disconnect the dish itself? Coax cables?


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

If your Dish receiver has a builtin OTA tuner - it goes in addition to the dish - not as a replacement to the Dish.. Otherwise - it will go on the coax connector on the TV (for TV) or on the FM antenna port on the AVR (to test FM reception / sound).


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

My hearing is not that good so I bought a BlueTooth headset to listen to the dialog. It works great and I do not have to crank up the volume.


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## Grandude (Oct 21, 2004)

I have severe hearing loss, almost deaf so I must use my hearing aids to watch/listen to TV. When watching most programs nowadays it seems that they have way too much background sounds/noise which makes it next to impossible to understand the dialog. My wife also has some hearing loss but not severe like mine and she can't understand the dialog either so insists on having the closed captions on all the time.
Now after a year or so of this, it is really difficult to watch any TV show and understand the dialog.

The big exception is the news broadcasts which I can understand fully without CC enabled. No background noise is normally present on news broadcasts and this makes the difference.

My hearing aids have a telecoil in them and I installed a teleloop around the family room, TV viewing area, and can hear the sound pretty good that way but can't use it at the same time as when my wife is here watching the same show. Too much 'echo' occurs.

Bluetooth headphones work fine most of the time but wearing them is annoying and I can't then hear what my wife, dear wife, is saying to me, or trying to say to me over the sound from the TV.

Added a sound bar, Vizio, and that improves the sound from the TVs tinny speakers but not enough to clear up the background noise in most programming.

I haven't noticed a difference between live and delayed viewing but primarily watch delayed almost all the time.

The struggle goes on...............


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Well guiri ? anything ?


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Not yet, still waiting for the installer to come and help me. He will probably be here on Friday. I wanted to see if I can get him to come and help me since I'm dense as hell and frankly, when I read
instructions, my brain just stops so I wanted to see if he would come and he said he will so I wanted to just hold off. I'll be back


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Hey, I thought I had asked this question but I guess not so here goes...

If it IS the encoding and decoding or whatever, is there something I can buy that will convert the sound
to more "analog/regular" sound rather than this "wide/surround" 5.1 sound?

https://www.google.com/search?q=is+there+something+to+convert+digital+sound+to+analog+sound&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=is+there+something+to+convert+digital+sound+to+analog+sound&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=is+there+something+to+convert+surround+sound+to+analog+sound

https://www.google.com/search?q=is+there+something+to+convert+digital+sound+to+analog+sound&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=is+there+something+to+convert+surround+sound+to+two+channel+sound


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

guiri said:


> Hey, I thought I had asked this question but I guess not so here goes...
> 
> If it IS the encoding and decoding or whatever, is there something I can buy that will convert the sound
> to more "analog/regular" sound rather than this "wide/surround" 5.1 sound?
> ...


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I thought I had. There's only ONE place where you can set the sound on the DVR, right?

I have the sound set to PCM...


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

You need to turn it off ON THE AVR as well.. Anything that says "Dolby" or any other sound processing modes - just plain 2 channel stereo is what you need to test with.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Here are my settings on the avr:

*Confirm that the receiver is set to STRAIGHT&#8230;*

*Setup, Speaker - - - -*
Subwoofer: None
Front: Large
Center: None
Surround: None
Crosssover: 80Hz
Subwoofer Phase: Normal
Extra Base: Off
Distance: 9.2 feet which is about right
Level left and right +1 dB
*Configuration - - - -*
HDMI Control is OFF
Audio Output: Amp is ON, HDMI OUT is ON
*Sound - - - -*
DSP Parameter: Panorama OFF
Center Width 3
Dimension 0
Center Image 0.3
*DSP Surround - - - -*
Adaptive DRC: OFF
Enhancer: OFF (It was set to ON but I can't hear that big a difference between ON and OFF)
Volume Trim: Input Trim -2.5dB
Signal Info: Format is PCM
Channel: 2/0/---
Sampling: 48kHz
Bitrate ---
Input and Output are both HDMI and 1080i

The settings on my Dish DVR are:

System Setup: HDTV Setup:
Analog Type is set to HRC. It was OFF AIR on my previous DVR but for some reason HRC seemed to sound better.
TV type is 1080i and Aspect ratio 16x9 and I know those are for picture but I thought I'd mention them anyway.
Audio Output:
Volume Leveling is set to DISABLE
Decoder is PCM only
Mode is RF


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I've got the installer right here with me and he agrees that we've tried all the different options you presented me with EXCEPT for the aerial antenna.

We strongly feel that it is some kind of encoding/decoding issue and again, going back to the episode that I mostly compare with, season 1 episode 6 of zoo.
Recorded on the dvr (hopper) through dish and the same episode, DOWNLOADED from the web and played through the western digital media player.

Sound is like night and day.
The question is, is the down/uploader stripping some code out or what? It sounds MUCH better.

HOW the hell do I get that kind of sound from the dish DVR?

SUrely in this world of electronics there must be some kind of doo dad that you hook up between the units
that strips out some of the encoding/effects, etc and brings it down to a more, simpler, analog sound?

The installer assures me that we have tried every possible option with the equipment that I have.
Analog, rca, hdmi adn optical. Between all the units.

I think we should now concentrate on what the encoding/decoding is and how to possibly strip out
some of the signal if we are going to be able to move forward to this 'cause at this point, it's now a
matter of whether I should cancel my dish and just try to get my viewing from the internet which I really
do NOT want to do 

Thanks

George


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

George if the problem is on ALL channels - it's you.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

Yeah but here's the problem scooper. It USED to sound good to me a few months ago and with the same equipment. Just a different 612, that's all.
Something changed and I don't think it's me 'cause if it were, everything should sound like crap and it doesn't.

Same tv episode sounds good when downloaded from a torrent site and played through my wd tv media player...


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

George - I'm giving up on you.

You have NEVER told me what it sounds like through the TV
You say that ALL the satellite channels sound like that (again - no comparison to the TV's sound)
You have not tried other audio sources besides the WD
You haven't tried using antenna TV to compare the same station and other local stations.
You remain fixed on ONE episode of ONE show. without looking at the big picture. It could well be there might have been a problem with Dish and that channel - but you haven't tried to compare the station direct .
And apparently you can't operate an AVR either.

Have a good life and I hope you can find your answer somewhere / somewhen else.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

I couldn't get sound through the tv. Tried to figure out how to do it but couldn't. Haven't had sound from the tv speakers in close to 2 years.
When I tried, it was weekend and the Sharp support was closed.
I then forgot about it when they opened back up 'cause I was waiting for the av guy to come check it out.
I do NOT have any other options to try besides the WD and don't know anyone I can borrow stuff from either.
True, I didn't do the regular antenna. Again, I forgot that one as this dragged out.
It sounds the same with every show I've watched. Some are more obvious than others but yes, it's the same.
You're right, I don't know much about the AVR either, but thanks for pointing that out.
Clearly, if I knew everything, I wouldn't be here asking for help in the first place or was the problem not as simple as
you thought it would be...?
Not sure why you say I can't operate the AVR when I've had all the settings on it checked but ok, if you say so.
By the way, the AV guy that was here to help me checked all those settings too.


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## shadough (Dec 31, 2006)

At this point, y not just do away w/ the AVR and get a Sound Bar. I think that sounds like the simplest solution.


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## guiri (Aug 18, 2015)

shadough said:


> At this point, y not just do away w/ the AVR and get a Sound Bar. I think that sounds like the simplest solution.


I tried that and it didn't help. The av guy who is also a dish installer bought a polk soundbar and it didn't make it better.
Sound quality was worse than my Polk bookshelf speakers but the sound problems I have were still there, no change
other than the worse sound quality.


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