Xbox 360 and Vizio digital audio issue
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-09 | First of all, today is the first time I've been on these forums, and I am amazed at the level of knowledge most people have and that nobody flames posters like in other forums. ANYWAY.... I have read the endless posts about people connecting something to their HDTV through HDMI and then sending an optical audio cable from the HDTV to a receiver, but dolby digital doesn't seem to work. I have a similar situation with a twist: Here are the components involved: - Motorola Cable box w/ HDMI out - Vizio SV470XVT w/ digital audio out - Yamaha HRT-5450 w/ digital inputs - Xbox 360 When I connect the Cable box (via HDMI) to my HDTV, and then connect my HDTV (via optical digital audio) to my Receiver, I do get Dolby Digital audio. I know this because my Receiver says "Dolby Digital" on the front. BUT... When connect my Xbox 360 (via HDMI) to my HDTV, and then connect my HDTV (via optical audio) to my Receiver, I only get "Dolby Pro Logic" according to the front of my Receiver. To clarify, all the cables/connections are the same in both scenarios. The difference is that in #1, the cable box is the original source; in #2, the Xbox is the starting source. I can do an Xbox hack to solve this problem, but I would like to get everythign to work without taking my Xbox cord apart. Also, I just don't understand why one source works, but another one doesn't. Thanks for the help! |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 674 Registered: Feb-08 | The difference may be the audio that the TV is receiving. What is the audio set to under the XBox Dashboard/Console Settings/Audio? |
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-09 | I have it set to 5.1 Digital. (I don't remember the exact phrase the Xbox uses, but it is definitely the 5.1 choice.) |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 675 Registered: Feb-08 | OK then what happens when you connect an optical cable directly from the XBox to the receiver? If it stays the same then I would have to assume that that is the best there is (and it might depend on the disc being played). If it changes to match the Cable box output then perhaps there is a setting on the TV that needs to be adjusted. |
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 3 Registered: Feb-09 | When I use the Xbox's component video/digital audio out cable, I can send an optical cable directly from the Xbox to the Receiver. When I do this, I get "Dolby Digital." However, the Xbox is made so that you cannot use an HDMI cable to get 1080P and, at the same time, use the above mentioned cable to run an optical audio cable to the Receiver. Microsoft made the slots for each cable so close that it is impossible to fit them both in at the same time. The only way to get both cables in at the same time is to buy a Microsoft made dongle. |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 676 Registered: Feb-08 | Going back to the HDMI cables into the TV, what happens when you switch them? |
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 4 Registered: Feb-09 | I have only used one HDMI cable. When I tried to get the Xbox to work with the HDMI, I just unplugged the HDMI from the cable box and plugged it into the Xbox. Everything worked with the cable box, so I figured it would work with the Xbox. |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 677 Registered: Feb-08 | Well we are getting closer to an answer here but we are definitely taking the long way!  . So if you have an optical from your TV to the Receiver and you switched the HDMI cable from your cable box to your XBox without changing anything else then the Dolby setting on the receiver would change, is this correct? |
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 5 Registered: Feb-09 | I think I understand your question. Yes, the only thing that changes is that my receiver displays "dolby digital" when the Cable box is connected, but it switches to "Pro Logic" when I plug the Xbox in instead. I don't actually make any setting changes on the Receiver or anything. |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 678 Registered: Feb-08 | With no other changes made then we can say that the XBox is the source (pun intended) of the problem. The next thing I would suspect is the media you are trying to play, is it encoded with Dolby digital? |
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New member Username: MyronaiiiPost Number: 6 Registered: Feb-09 | Yes, I tried playing Call of Duty 4, which says it usues Dolby Digital, and my receiver indicates Dolby Pro Logic (and perhaps PCM, but I'm not sure) when I play with the above mentioned set-up. I would agree that it seems like the Xbox isn't putting out Digital audio through HDMI, but I have read other places where people got Dolby Digital via HDMI. Plus, I can get Dolby Digital when I tested the Optical out from the Xbox. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2434 Registered: Feb-04 | Myron, I've searched around the net for some kind of confirmation that the xbox will send DD 5.1 on its HDMI output, and found nothing. I did find this in an old review: Strangely, the menu doesn't mention the HDMI AV cable, which comes bundled with the Xbox 360 Elite. Nor does the unit's setup discuss what kind of audio you can expect to receive over HDMI. (I'm awaiting confirmation from Microsoft of what audio the Elite can support over HDMI. I would be disappointed if it's limited to the specs stated within the menu options--especially considering that many HD DVD movie titles have shipped with multichannel Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital Plus audio tracks. http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/29982/review/xbox_360_elite_system.html I do find it hard to believe that the xbox's HDMI output would be limited to PCM stereo, which appears to be the case here. The Vizio is sending PCM stereo out to the receiver, causing it to default to Dolby Pro Logic. We have found that the capabilities of the digital audio outputs on various TVs does vary with the manufacturer, but of course here we have the same TV doing different things from two sources. Myron, it does appear that you've done everything right, and therefore until I find otherwise I am assuming that the xbox's HDMI out will do only PCM stereo audio. |
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