[krholmberg]

Hi guys,

I had two ViP722s and one ViP211 installed yesterday. One of the 722s is in my HT. I also got a new external VP, but it requires me to use component cables. Thus, I also hooked up the optical toslink to send DD and PCM signals to the receiver. The only sound I hear are soft little pops through the speakers. No actual sounds from the program. If I hook up RCA cables and run it as PCM, I get sound, but it is very quiet with no authority what so ever. I tried setting the DD out as DD and PCM, DD only, PCM only as well as line out and the other one (can't remember the name). None of the settings allow me to send an audio signal over the optical cable. Is my 722 defective? Also, since I have the external VP, I'd much rather it do the de-interlacing and upscaling. The installer told me to set it as 480i and it would send everything out at their native resolutions... is this true? I searched but couldn't verify on the net. Lastly, when watching ESPN, when the text rolls across the bottom of the screen, it is extremely blurry. Is this due to limited bandwidth? Will allowing the external VP to do the de-interlacing and upscaling fix this problem?

Thanks!

Krister

 

[krholmberg]

BTW, I also tried to listen to several channels as I know not all are sent out as DD. The problem with no audio persisted no matter what channel I watched and what the audio settings were set to. I also tried switching wires that I new worked but that didn't help.

 

[Slordak]

For audio, you should have the configuration set to "DD and PCM" and "Line". After doing this, unplug the optical cable from your stereo while leaving it connected to the 722 and look at the end of the optical cable. Is there any light coming out of it? If not, try wiggling the connector at the 722 or removing any caps which might be on the cable. If this doesn't help, the 722 may be defective. If there is light coming out of the cable, make sure it's plugged into the correct input on your receiver (i.e. the one you expect it to be) and that that input is in "Digital mode" mode rather than "Analog mode". Usually one device input (e.g. "DBS") will have both analog and digital connections, so some stereo receivers must be told manually which to listen to.

Do not set your 722 to 480i; everything will go out as standard definition, squandering the high-definition capability of the unit. These receivers currently do not have native resolution passthrough, although it is a frequently requested feature. Set the resolution either 720p or 1080i, depending on your individual HDTV and what looks best to you (ideally while comparing both SD and HD channels).

 

[krholmberg]

Thanks for the practical input. I've run in to issues before with this receiver. Only one optical input works with AC3 (it's old... the other optical input only works with Laser Disk :lol. I have to press the AC3 button when the input is DD and the stereo or DPL button (if I want multichannel sound) if PCM. None of these combos have worked. Because only one input is effective for my needs, I have an optical switch that works for the PS3, HD-A3 and ViP722. Until yesterday, I had an external QAM tuner hooked up to the cable that now goes to the ViP722 and it worked fine. I swapped cables and that didn't change anything. Dish recommended that I power down (unplug the unit) for 30 seconds and start it up again to see if that takes care of it. Another option is to remove the card for 30 seconds and then reinsurt it. If none of your or their suggestions work I might have a defective unit. Wish me luck.

BTW, I plan on getting a new receiver this fall. I'm waiting for a specific model to be released.

Thanks again...

Krister

 

[Ron Barry]

Definitely get your receiver off 480i. To output HD it needs to be 1080i or 720p and as Slordak mentioned, the 722 does not have native resolution pass-through.

As for the audio, Make sure you don't have your RC and optical plugged in at the same time. Some receivers don't handle that well. So only have one plugged in at a time.

You seem to indicate with RC plugged in you were also not getting the audio you expected. If this is the case, I would think this would rule out the switch. Well I would not say rule out, but would lower it as a possibility. Slordak gave some good advice. The other suggestion I would give is try swapping cables(something might have broke during installation) and I would also bypass the switch and see if the 722 works on its own.

 

[krholmberg]

Thanks. What is RC? If it has to do with LaserDisk... I don't actually have one.

Last night I unplugged the optical cable from the back of the 722 and plugged it into the HD-A3. It worked fine. I also tried taking the cable that originally went into the HD-A3 and plugging it into the 722. It didn't work. Then I plugged it back into the HD-A3 and it worked fine. So, two different cables carrying DD info through two different intputs on the switch work for the HD-A3 but don't work for the 722. I think it is fair to say the problem lies with the 722. Hopefully powering down will work. I know for a fact that red light is emitted from the 722 port (I remeber noticing that last night). Weather the port effecively receives the optical cable is another matter. I suppose it is possible the port on the back of the 722 is defective and thus even though it emits light, it can't be used properly by a functional optical cable. I'll check it out tonight after work. Hopefully I won't have to do an exchange. We'll see.

Krister

 

[krholmberg]

Sorry... I think when you typed RC you were referring to the RCA cables. They were not plugged in when I couldn't get digital audio. Before I got the optical switch (last year), I had problems with the QAM tuner outputting optical, but that was because I was using the LaserDisk toslink input. Before I got the switch, I had to use PCM over RCA cables and it was equally quiet and lifeless (as compared to PCM over RCA out from the 722). I think the lifeless sound is a function of using DPL I over RCA cables... we're harking back to mid 90's technology :nono:! When I got the optical out from the QAM tuner to work, it sounded great... hopefully I'll get the same to happen with the 722!!!

 

[Ron Barry]

The other possibility is an incompatibility between your receiver and the 722. Hopefully it is the case of a bad optical output and not an incompatibility. I would suggest double checking that you are on DD/PCM Line mode.

Might want to mention your receiver model and make. Might get lucky and find someone here with the same receiver that might chime in.

 

[Slordak]

Yes, you did say that you previously had issues with your stereo receiver and that you manually have to toggle between Dolby Digital or PCM. If true, it sounds like you'd have to do this almost every time you changed channels (!). Might be the stereo and not the Dish Network equipment at all...

 

[krholmberg]

OK guys. I have the answer. It's a poor connection between the 722 and the optical cable. Since the same cable works flawlessly with the HD-A3 and the PS3 and the connection with the 722 is loose, the problem is the optical out on the 722. You don't her the little click when it pops into place like with other two other peices of equipment. You can also wiggle the cable (there is lots of room for "play") and the sound cuts in and out. If you get it just right you get full sound, but any subtle movement of the cable cause the sound to drop out.

A separate problem that one of you alluded to was the fact that I have to toggle between PCM and DD. What a pain. It's such a pain that I'm probably going to just use the RCA cables and turn it up. This way all channels work. I tried this last night and when turned up it sounded OK. Less than ideal, but not bad. I think I'm still going to call Dish to get a replacement unit. This one is obviously defective and it is really hard to get a solid connection with the optical cable. I may not use it now, but who knows what I'll need in a few months when I get new equipment. I'd rather deal with this now when it is fresh.

Thanks for the input guys. Great advice!

 

[kucharsk]

OK guys. I have the answer. It's a poor connection between the 722 and the optical cable. Since the same cable works flawlessly with the HD-A3 and the PS3 and the connection with the 722 is loose, the problem is the optical out on the 722. You don't her the little click when it pops into place like with other two other peices of equipment. You can also wiggle the cable (there is lots of room for "play") and the sound cuts in and out. If you get it just right you get full sound, but any subtle movement of the cable cause the sound to drop out.!

Yep.

For whatever reason - I don't know if DISH uses a weird jack or what - Toslink cables don't "snap" into the jack on the 722 like they do on every other piece of equipment I own.

You just have to kind of stuff it in there as hard as you can and try not to move the receiver or cable around…

 

[phrelin]

Yep.

For whatever reason - I don't know if DISH uses a weird jack or what - Toslink cables don't "snap" into the jack on the 722 like they do on every other piece of equipment I own.

You just have to kind of stuff it in there as hard as you can and try not to move the receiver or cable around…

I have a couple of Toslinks I've taped into place.

 

[krholmberg]

Are you guys suggesting my 722 isn't defective (i.e. the toslink receptor is just poorly designed)?

 

[hughvh]

Are you guys suggesting my 722 isn't defective (i.e. the toslink receptor is just poorly designed)?

Yup. Mine fell out when I closed the cabinet door to my entertainment center.

 

[Slordak]

This problem isn't unique to the 722, actually. A number of hardware manufacturers have TOSLINK connectors which mate poorly with certain TOSLINK cables. The Xbox 360 has been faulted for this same problem, with the cable not snapping into place and falling out easily.

I doubt replacing the 722 will help. Instead, usually you can find a brand of TOSLINK cable that fits better and eliminates the issue.

 

[krholmberg]

Well... a trial by fire attempt at getting Toslink cables to work isn't practical. I called Dish and talkted them and they are sending a guy out on Monday to possibly do an exchange. I played with it this morning and got a decent connection. So, I may end up keeping it. The real answer is getting a modern receiver that can act as a HDMI switcher.

On a separate note, I'm glad he's coming out because the fan does not shut off on my other 722. The one in the HT has the subtle hum of the hard drive whereas the other 722 is blazing away. I tried resetting it yesterday and the fan stopped for about 30 seconds. Other than that small break, the fan has been going for 3 days straight! The guy on the phone said that one is definitely defective.

 

[kucharsk]

This problem isn't unique to the 722, actually. A number of hardware manufacturers have TOSLINK connectors which mate poorly with certain TOSLINK cables. The Xbox 360 has been faulted for this same problem, with the cable not snapping into place and falling out easily.

I don't think so; I tried three different brands without a "snap" on the 722, where all three brands click in nicely on a DVB satellite receiver, my old JVC 4900 DISH receiver, a Sony BDP-S1 Blu-Ray player and a TiVo S3.

Of course that doesn't mean E* doesn't source the 722's Toslink jacks from the same source Microsoft does…