PBS stations on AMC3...is Dolby the same as AC-3

[Mr Tony]

Now I know the PBS stations are AC-3 audio, but here is my question.

I have a surround sound system that has a coaxial and an optical input. But when I hook the receiver to it, I can’t get any audio on the channels. I do get audio on all the other channels.

Is Dolby digital and AC-3 two different things? Do I need to change something on my reciver?

 

[snathanb]

Dolby Digital = AC3. What are the sound selections on your receiver?

 

[TuxCoder]

They are the same thing. I don't think there's anything you should have to do on the audio receiver, or on the FTA receiver. All other channels are PCM 48kHz audio which your audio receiver apparently works with. Some devices with digital audio inputs can't handle Dolby Digital but just do PCM 48 (and possibly 96), but I assume you got one that is supposed to do DD.

A side note, so far I have only seen DD 2.0 stereo on any FTA AC-3 stations. I haven't yet seen (or heard) DD 5.1 6-channel from any of them... (I get my free DD 5.1 from my digital OTA stations )

 

[Mr Tony]

The receiver is a KUsat 2600 (Digiwave 7000), that has the optical output. The dolby decoder is a cheapo Wal-Mart one that has both a coaxial and a optical ouput. I tried all settings and nothing worked.

Do I have to have the decoder plugged in before I scan?

 

[TuxCoder]

No, the decoder doesn't send anything to the FTA receiver, it's just a downstream device (doesn't make its presence known to the FTA receiver).

There's a very small chance, though I think extremely unlikely, that the Kusat receiver just isn't passing the AC3 audio through (but does pass PCM). There shouldn't be any reason for that though, since the FTA receiver doesn't really need to do anything special. Maybe someone else with a Kusat/Digiwave and a DD capable sound system can verify that it does pass the AC3 audio through.

 

[Mr Tony]

I just got another receiver that does AC-3, but through coaxial. I'll work on it this weekend and see...hopefully that one works

Here is the webpage for the Kusat
http://www.kusat.com/go.php?path=/mpeg2/2600a.php

It says "Optical Audio Output (SPDIF) "

 

[timmy1376]

The receiver is a KUsat 2600 (Digiwave 7000), that has the optical output. The dolby decoder is a cheapo Wal-Mart one that has both a coaxial and a optical ouput. I tried all settings and nothing worked.

Do I have to have the decoder plugged in before I scan?

You may have answered your own questions. Most of the cheap things like at Wal-Mart do not have an decoder, so you cannot plug something into it and get DD. You also said it has coaxial and optical OUT, is that what you meant??

 

[Mr Tony]

The unit is the cheap-o Durabrand home theatre system. It was on clearance for like $50 and has multiple inputs

3 sets of audio inputs
a coaxial input
a optical input

at least that's how I understand it....on the front you can select VCR, Aux, CD, Optical & Coaxial.

Maybe this can;t do it...bummer

 

[TuxCoder]

You'll wanna hook your DVD player up to the new audio receiver too if it has a coax digital output -- DD 5.1 on most DVDs.

And I think you were saying one time that you aren't in a good OTA spot but if you end up in one and are interested in DD 5.1 audio for broadcast network stuff, get a OTA HD receiver--mine is from Walmart, the USD one for $198. That's kind of a lot to pay for something like that, but it is comparably cheaper than others and it's my favorite one so far out of 3 I've tried (USD, Samsung, and my 921 courtesy of SatGuys/DishStore). And of course you don't have to have an actual HDTV, these do a good job downconverting to old-fashioned SD sets.

 

[mchomicz]

The unit is the cheap-o Durabrand home theatre system [...]on the front you can select VCR, Aux, CD, Optical & Coaxial. Maybe this can;t do it...bummer

I am not specifically familiar with your receiver, but often receiver inputs have to be "told" for a given setting whether to use analog input or one of the available digital inputs (I've set up a few like this; though I'd be hard pressed guessing button sequences on my own without a manual). Say – for CD you’d set it up such that it uses optical in, for Aux you’d set it up such that it uses coax digital input and for, say VCR set it up to use analog input.

Michael

 

[Mr Tony]

You'll wanna hook your DVD player up to the new audio receiver too if it has a coax digital output -- DD 5.1 on most DVDs.

I figured with the 5 inputs, it would be
-FTA 1, FTA 2, StarChoice, the VCR and DVD

And I think you were saying one time that you aren't in a good OTA spot but if you end up in one and are interested in DD 5.1 audio for broadcast network stuff, get a OTA HD receiver--mine is from Walmart, the USD one for $198. That's kind of a lot to pay for something like that, but it is comparably cheaper than others and it's my favorite one so far out of 3 I've tried (USD, Samsung, and my 921 courtesy of SatGuys/DishStore). And of course you don't have to have an actual HDTV, these do a good job downconverting to old-fashioned SD sets.

hee hee...yes, I am in a horrible OTA spot. horrible as almost nothing. Have the biggest Rat Shack antennae on a roter about 30 feet on the house
-CBS is about 60 miles away...pretty decent
-PBS is about 30 miles away...best one of the bunch
-We have a couple translator stations for ABC, NBC and Fox, but they are fuzzy.

So OTA is mostly out....I would qualify for CBS HD if I had one (CBS is O&O)

 

[Mr Tony]

I am not specifically familiar with your receiver, but often receiver inputs have to be "told" for a given setting whether to use analog input or one of the available digital inputs (I've set up a few like this; though I'd be hard pressed guessing button sequences on my own without a manual). Say – for CD you’d set it up such that it uses optical in, for Aux you’d set it up such that it uses coax digital input and for, say VCR set it up to use analog input.

Michael

There is a button on the front that says "source" and it goes
coaxial, optical, vcr, cd, aux and back to coaxial

I'll read the manual this weekend and hook everything up right and see what happens

 

[Kanakanak]

On http://www.lyngsat.com/amc3.html, the tp 12110H is listed as DVB with normal sound (english and spanish). Is it true? I thaught that the only PBS station who was not AC-3 sound on AMC-3 was PBS Montana?

 

[Mr Tony]

correct

it doesnt say if its AC-3, but it is