Question about HDMI and audio

[Rubes]

Just got my new system hooked up today...a Sharp Aquos display with a DirecTV HD Receiver.

I connected the receiver to the TV with an HDMI cable. Works great, except I'm noticing one annoying feature: when I change channels between an HD channel and a non-HD channel, there are audible crackles or clicks through the TV speakers for the first second or two. I've had the TV for a few months now (without any HD service) and have never noticed this before today. There are no clicks or crackles when changing from one HD channel to another, or from one non-HD channel to another.

I'm wondering: could the crackles be a sign of a problem with the HD receiver, the HDMI cable, or my TV?

The DirecTV receiver does not have a DVI output, although my TV does have both DVI and HDMI inputs. I've been thinking of grabbing a DVI-HDMI cable and using the DVI input on the TV instead, with separate audio cables. Could that bypass this potentially?

Just want to check with you folks since I know relatively nothing about this. Thanks everyone...

 

[riggscm]

you know I think I've heard of this of this on the HD TIVO. Some people complaining about cracks or whines when switching channels.

I believe this is solved via a update that your receiver will download.

Anyone else out there that can back me up on this?

 

[hancox]

That's correct. It's a quirk caused by header info on DD encoding that most receivers throw out, and some (Denon being the most common) don't

I'm guessing you have a Denon on Onkyo receiver, as those seem to pop up on posts like this normally.

Good news is - those brands tend to firmware update their receivers. I haven't heard anything specific about this, but it's been around enough that I assume something is in the works...

 

[Rubes]

That's correct. It's a quirk caused by header info on DD encoding that most receivers throw out, and some (Denon being the most common) don't

I'm guessing you have a Denon on Onkyo receiver, as those seem to pop up on posts like this normally.

Good news is - those brands tend to firmware update their receivers. I haven't heard anything specific about this, but it's been around enough that I assume something is in the works...

The receiver I have is one of the new DirecTV receivers (the HD-10, I believe). I'm not sure who makes them; it only says "DirecTV" on the box. It was just installed yesterday, but I don't have it connected to a phone line. Could there be an update already that would potentially fix this?

Do you think it would be the same if I used a HDMI-DVI cable with separate audio cables?

 

[hancox]

right - when I'm saying "receiver" I mean your audio one, not the D* one.

 

[Rubes]

right - when I'm saying "receiver" I mean your audio one, not the D* one.

When I hear the crackles, they're coming through the TV speakers. I have the TV hooked up to an Onkyo receiver as well, but it's with the Onkyo receiver off when I hear those crackles.

If I remember correctly, if I turn the Onkyo on and mute the TV speakers, I don't hear the crackles through the stereo. I'd rather not have to do that every time I watch TV, though.

 

[Dino]

These folks are right, Rubes, the problem is digital information in the form of headers or garbled packets or other extraneous information that can get transmitted to the audio receiver (in your case, the audio receiver built in to your TV) when changing signals, i.e. changing channels.

When I have my Onkyo receiver handling sound from my DirecTV receiver, I often get pops and cracks when changing channels; I sometimes even get them without changing channels, like when prime time television shows transition from HD content to SD commercials and back again. It's not a big problem for me because content that I am watching with the receiver on is generally 'event' viewing, like 'Lost' or a basketball game.

Now, for my television connection I use HDMI from the DirecTV receiver to DVI into the TV (my TV doesn't even had an HDMI connection), so I have additional cables for audio; this is a setup you suggested in you first post. This works great for me. Again, if I am watching 'non-event' TV, stereo sound is fine for me, and since I am using the analog stereo connection for sound, not the digital HDMI connection, I don't get any pops or cracks.

Summary: yes, separate HDMI-to-DVI and analog-audio cabling will solve your problem.

--Dino

 

[Rubes]

These folks are right, Rubes, the problem is digital information in the form of headers or garbled packets or other extraneous information that can get transmitted to the audio receiver (in your case, the audio receiver built in to your TV) when changing signals, i.e. changing channels.

When I have my Onkyo receiver handling sound from my DirecTV receiver, I often get pops and cracks when changing channels; I sometimes even get them without changing channels, like when prime time television shows transition from HD content to SD commercials and back again. It's not a big problem for me because content that I am watching with the receiver on is generally 'event' viewing, like 'Lost' or a basketball game.

Now, for my television connection I use HDMI from the DirecTV receiver to DVI into the TV (my TV doesn't even had an HDMI connection), so I have additional cables for audio; this is a setup you suggested in you first post. This works great for me. Again, if I am watching 'non-event' TV, stereo sound is fine for me, and since I am using the analog stereo connection for sound, not the digital HDMI connection, I don't get any pops or cracks.

Summary: yes, separate HDMI-to-DVI and analog-audio cabling will solve your problem.

--Dino

Fantastic...thanks for the information. It helps to understand why this was happening with the TV, and not necessarily with the stereo.

Too bad, though...I really like how small the HDMI cable and connectors are, compared with DVI.

 

[Rubes]

Just to let everyone know...


I did switch out the HDMI-HDMI cable for an HDMI-DVI cable with an analog audio cable on the side. Problem solved...no more crackles...

Thanks again for the help!