Am I having problems?

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Shizelbs
Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
edited April 2003 in Electronics
For the last couple tries now whenever I play a movie with my receiver set to DD Pro Logic 2 : Movie the voices from actors are too quiet and a little warped? What is going on? When I change it to DD Music, the sound and voices are back to normal. Please help. Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? Has my gear gone bad?

Here is what I have been using:

Onkyo TX-SR600
A samsung DVD drive in my computer
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2
PowerDVD XP as my player
I am using the digital out and the coaxial digital in for my connection.

I have not noticed this problem before, although I may never have been using the problematic settings during any dialogue. If anyone can help, that would be great. Let me know if you need more info from me. I am sure I am leaving something out.
Post edited by Shizelbs on
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Weird. It should just be DD (dolby digital) or PL2, right? I've never heard of the two combined?
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  • brettw22
    brettw22 Posts: 7,621
    edited March 2003
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    That's what I was thinking too Phuz. I don't know though how a receiver would allow you to run both formats at the same time........
    comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
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    There isn't one brothas. If I read his post right, he is switching back and forth (hopefully on the same source material) between DD and PL2.

    Where is the processing occuring? At the rec, or source? How are the speakers set (large/small +/- db) at the processor?

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    Okay, this is what I am doing. On my remote control for my Onkyo, I press the SURR button. I am assuming this is for different surround modes. It cycles through "PL II MOVIE", "PL II MUSIC", "NEO: CINEMA", and "NEO: MUSIC." When it says Neo, above it the DTS icon lights up. When the PL II is on, the DD logo lights up. I am assuming this is putting me into Dolby Digital mode for movies.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    The fronts are set to large
    The surrounds are set to small
    The center is set to small
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    What is your source? Is the source a DD DVD? A DTS DVD? A PS2 or Xbox game compatible with Pro Logic II?

    Your surround mode should match the source. If it's a DD movie, select DD ONLY, not PL2 or anything else. If you are playing a video game that is PL2 compatible, or a 2ch source that you want a synthesized 5.1 effect... then use PL2 or another surround mode.

    I'm still a little confused as to what your receiver is doing. You might want to check the manual for details.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    My most recent source was a DD DVD. Knockaround guys. The software I have is enable to decode DD.
    From what I can tell, I have no way of selecting DD without also getting PL2. I have fiddled with it many times and the only way I can get anything that resembles DD also comes with the PL2 stuff. Furthermore, during these modes, the sounds seem to come from the correct speakers. Bullest from behind come from the rear speakers. Main voices never come from anything but the center channel. I am just confused. I will check the manual later.
    I have to write a paper tonight :) Maybe I will check it out as my break. I am cool.
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  • brettw22
    brettw22 Posts: 7,621
    edited March 2003
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    Any plans to get a DVD player that doesn't reside in your puter?
    comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    Brett,

    No real plans for now. My setup is pretty lame, but for my wallet and where I am now, its really the best thing for me. My only decent TV is smaller than my computer monitor. My monitor is really nice too. Its a nice 19" flat CRT monitor. Anyways, for me to get a traditional external DVD player, I would also need a new TV. The bank account does not approve of buying both a new DVD player and TV. Also, the plan for now is wait on those two and get them when I graduate and the money starts coming in a little faster. I could buy a TV, but I don't really want to spend money on something that I will just replace in two years anyways. Plus, I have to move to a different campus in a couple months, and I don't want anymore junk to haul around. So, for a couple years, I am not planning on getting a DVD player or a TV.
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Ding! I didn't even pick up on that. Unless you have 5.1 outputs or a digital output on your sound card, you are stuck with PL2 or another one of the DSP modes on your receiver. No a true DD or DTS output. Go with whichever one you think sounds best.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    I do have a digital output on my sound card. Its nice and gold plated too. Anyways, it is the same size as a line-in or line-out jack, whatever those are called. So, I have an adapter that fits into the digital out and the other end attaches to my coaxial cable which feeds into the receiver. So, what now?
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Ok. You said you have software doing the DTS/DD signal right? Don't use it. Send a PCM stream or just transfer the signal to your reciever and let it do the decoding.

    At this point it sounds like your computer is sending a signal that has already been decoded, so your receiver thinks it's something else.

    I could be wrong, but try NOT doing the decoding with the software and sending it to the receiver for decoding.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    Is my receiver effectively then decoding an already decoded signal?

    Also, what is PCM? Thanks a lot.
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Not decoding really, but in a sense yeah. If that makes sense heheh.

    PL2 and all of the other modes you mentioned are sorta like simulated 5.1 modes. They aren't really decoded, they take a regular signal (usually 2ch) and convert it to a simulated 5.1 (or simmilar signal).

    PCM = Pulse-Position-Modulation. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it because I don't know exactly what it is, but I was trying to say send an un-decoded or pure signal. Somewhere in your DVD player settings, or software settings there should be an option to just send the signal without decoding, sometimes this is refered to as PCM (I think).

    What sound card do you have? It has a 1/8 inch (like the small headphone type) digital output? No optical or standard RCA/coax?
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  • brettw22
    brettw22 Posts: 7,621
    edited March 2003
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    Originally posted by phuz
    PCM = Pulse-Position-Modulation.

    Is it just me or does that not add up..........:confused::confused:
    comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Originally posted by brettw22


    Is it just me or does that not add up..........:confused::confused:

    Hey it's late! Give me a break! heheh

    Thats PPM, PCM is Pulse Code Modulation. There! ;)
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    I have a Sound Blaster Audigy 2. You are correct, I only have the 1/8 inch digital output. However, I have an adapter plugged into the 1/8 digital output jack, and a coaxial cable plugged into the receiver on one end, and into the adapter on the other end.
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    Ok I just checked soundblaster.com and your sound card has 5.1 outputs and a digital output.

    If it were me I would use the digital output as you are, and let the receiver do the decoding.

    You also have the option of using the 5.1 output and letting the sound card/software do the decoding. It's up to you, just don't do both. :)

    I hope this helps, I'm not sure exactly what to tell you since I'm not fammiliar with the card... but as long as you don't decode the signal on your compter and send it via the digital output to your receiver you should be set.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    Phuz,

    Thanks a lot for the help. I really appreciate it. I figured this would be a good opprotunity for someone to flex their audio-know-how muscle.

    Does my current situation explain though the distortion and low levels for voices though? I guess that was the major concern of all this. I am paranoid that my gear is messed up. Any ideas on that?
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2003
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    The advice given so far I think would be a big step in the direction of resolving your problem and having much better overall sound quality.

    I'm sure some others will pipe up tomorrow and help out some more. After getting the signal/decoding thing sorted out, getting an SPL meter and making sure all channels are set to the same volume will help too.

    Let me know how it goes. I'm intrigued by this computer to receiver deal. ;)
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited March 2003
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    Thanks a lot Phuz. I will get you, and all others reading this, updated on how things come along. Give me a day or so though. I have this study case study to tackle for now. Again, thanks a bunch.
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  • shiznit311
    shiznit311 Posts: 95
    edited March 2003
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    Have you tried checking your settings on the set up menu? Go to the input set up menu and check- b. Digital Format. It should be set to All, to allow DD and DTS, you may have yours set to PCM. I tried a DVD and switched mine to PCM and it allowed me to switch around like that althoug I wasn't getting any sound.

    With the Digital Format set to All when I hit the surround button it goes from Dolby Ex: Auto to Dolby Ex: On to Dolby Ex: Off. This is for your Dolby 6.1 stuff.

    If you have the format set to All when you play a DVD it should go straight to DD and you should never see anything that says PLII no matter what button you hit. Try pressing the display button and see what it says. It should say DVD 55 (or what ever volume you are listening to). After you hit the display button on the remote it should say Dolby D :3/2.1 , hit it again and it will say DVD Dolby D.

    The only thing I can think of is that you aren't getting a digital signal to your reciever, it must be analog/PCM to be allowing you to switch like you are switching. With a digital signal you are either Dolby D or DTS and nothing else.

    Hope this may help lead you in the right direction.:)
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited April 2003
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    I wanted to update you all on my DD problems. After all the great help, I found one thing I was doing wrong. I hadn't set my sound card settings in the control panel to SPDIF out. Although I had changed it correctly on my software settings, the control panel had not been changed. So, when I did this, things only got worse, and I didn't post on here, cause I thought I was being an idiot, and didn't need to make myself look any more naive. At this point I was getting a true DD and DTS output, and my receiver correctly recognized it. The problem was that now the player skipped like crazy. It skipped both the audio and video once every two seconds or so. It was very annoying.
    So, now here we are today. My very-computer-savvy friend was having problems with his CD-burner. All of a sudden he just couldn't burn discs anymore. Turns out it was all because the drive was set to slave. Apparently slave drives receive less CPU power, and transfer data much slower. So he switched it back to Master, and everything is fine. In fact, he said it works much better than it ever has.
    So, I tried the same with mine, and all is well. I thought I would pass this along. Hopefully it all makes sense. I had no idea, and had never even heard of something like this. So if you don't know, now you know.
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited April 2003
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    when my receiver receives a Dolby Surround signal (not DD 5.1).. both the DD and DPL lights come on.. sounds okay to me. Sometimes though, it doesn't always switch to DD or DPL when it knows it's suppose to switch. so I switch it instead.
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  • PETERNG
    PETERNG Posts: 918
    edited April 2003
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    Well, hell, which player did you say you play? the Samsung or the Power DVD? I have no trust on the Samsung and the other also. Does your receiver has the menu set up that you can adust the sound level of each channel individually?

    No offended, but get yourself a good decend DVD player.
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited April 2003
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    Peter,

    I was using Samsung for the DVD drive, and Power DVD as the software. Furthermore, my Samsung drives have been incredible so far, with the one exception, and that is not the fault of the drive.
    Yes my receiver has the ability to individually adjust each speaker, but that wasn't the problem. I thought it was at first, but I figured out it was my fault. Then the whole thing would skip, and that was a power thing.
    Furthermore, I did get a good DVD player. I hope it is good. I bought it off Jimmie in the Flea Market. Its somewhere 15 hours west of Illinois. I am really looking forward to it.
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