Well ok, I looked around I can't find anything about what encodings my sound card can handle for inputs. But I checked out my DVD player and the 'dolby digital' value defaults to 'D-PCM'(which is apparently only 2 channel!?!?). When I set the 'dolby digital' option to 'dolby digital' sound card doesn't recognize it and I get silence.

Maybe I shall have to inquire with Auzentech(I have the Prelude for which the drivers are still "under construction"). And that is why I bought the prelude in the first place it was the only one that could use Toslink or digital coax for inputs and since I have a surround system for my computer, I figured I would use that for my PVR too... Unfortunately, the surround is analog so can't connect PVR directly to it.

i had a look at the specs for the prelude:
"Dual mode S/PDIF receiver and transmitter"

it sounds like it "should" be able to receive the Dolby Digital. Are you plugging in the audio "in" or the "SPDIF"?

it looks like it should work, but then most people are using their PC to output their sound, rather than having digital sound input into it...which could be the reason why its not very clear-cut.

Thanks. That's exactly what i figured too. I'm guessing that its on the feature list. Its kinda dumb to have digital in without being able to handle dolby digital and it does output dolby digital(although was just added to the driver about a month or so ago).

Basically for the digital ports, they are what one would call "combo" ports. One can plug a digital coax cable directly into it and for optical, there is a little adapter that you put on the end of the cable that plugs into that same port. And yup its in the SPDIF in, the analog audio ports are all mini-phono jacks and they wouldn't fit. Oh well, at least now i know where the problem lies. I guess I could apply my programming skills to "enhance" the driver but for now, I'll live :)

Thanks again for the help.

i think i know what you're talking about.

you need a little converter like this :
http://www.microcenter.com/image.phtml?id=0233509&sku=264846

if you see at the bottom, theres a little "attachement" that connects to the toslink optical (square plug) and makes it into a 3.5mm plug (SPDIF). If you get this, you should be able to plug the digital cable into your SPDIF combo port "in".

usually this attachement is sold with a toslink cable. i got mine from London Drugs, just check on the back of tha package to see if its included. your'e probelms can be fixed for $20, and well worth it for surround sound. if that doesnt work, you can always return the cable.

lemme know how you go.

Oh oops. Sorry I wasn't very clear in my message. The card actually came with the adapters and the cable's all plugged in. I'm pretty sure it just lack of driver support, so I'll have to wait until its added or I figure something else out. Thanks in any case :)

When recording on my 6416, how do I ensure the box turns off once once it's finished? Say I want to go to bed, but the show is still recording? Is there a timer?

Generally speaking, the units defaults to whatever state it was in before the recording started. If the unit was off, and turned itself on to record it will turn off again. Otherwise it just stays on.

Thanks for the reply. That's disappointing.

Will this eventually hurt the unit if it stay's running all night?

See 57's "FAQ - Motorola STB Helpful Links, Tips"

Awesome....Thanks

I always just turn my TV off at night and if there are no shows currently recording then I will turn off the DCT as well. Many times the DCT is on when I wake up in the morning since my kids are always setting recordings throughout the night.

I live in Winnipeg and currently have a Digital PVR and a digital cable box. Just purchased a Sharp Aquos 42 LCD 1080p.

I would like to go HD, but refuse to pay the $698 that Shaw wants to charge for a HDPVR.

I called them and they told me I could get a $50 credit by trading in my Digital PVR. Big Deal!!

Is there any way I can get a HDPVR cheaper?

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=26417

Here is one I haven't seen before...

Sunday is missing...

If I go to the PVR menu and look at my "Future Recordings", it shows none for today (Friday), none for Saturday, then it goes to Monday, skipping Sunday...if I "Day Up" all the way to next week, next Sunday is there (16th)...there are a few shows that should be recording on Sunday as well.

Now, if I look at the guide itself and go "Day Up" to Saturday, then it too goes to Monday...skipping Sunday. I CAN get to Sunday if I then go back (left arrow) and move through the guide 1/2 hour at a time...I think it even shows that my series are still set to record.

Weird...anyone seen this one before? For what its worth, I re-booted last weekend...I'll probably do it again tonight.

EDIT: I wonder if this has anything to do with changing clocks Saturday night?

Hello,

I am new to the world of HDTV. I have had the Shaw Motorola 6416 and HD service for less than a week...

I used the link provided in post #949 above to access the Diagnostics Screens in my unit.

I don't know how good my picture is suposed to look with this new box, so I have nothing to compare to. The readings on my set up for the SNR and AGC are as follows on the OOB Status Screen:

SNR: 18.4dB FAIR
AGC: 55% FAIR

Should these levels be of concern? Should I call Shaw to ask for a tech to come visit? And if I do call, should I just tell them about the readings I have on the Diagnostic Screen, or just say that I'm not getting the picture quality I thought I would be getting with HD? Again, this is my first HD system, so I have nothing to compare to...

Thanks for the help.


Z

In-band status is more meaningful for picture quality than OOB status. But, you should always be looking for a "GOOD" status not "FAIR" or worse. Also, look at the In-band error counts (correctable and uncorrectable), if these are minimal (a handful or less) you should be good for signal level. You're OOB status could cause problems on updating the guide, On-demand/PPV services, and other service type connections with the box.

Any extra or low quality splitters in line?

Hello,

Thanks for the reply...

There are two splitters on this cable line. One splits off for the internet, the other splits to another TV. Both splitters were installed by Shaw, so I don't know about quality. I also have Shaw digital phone on this cable line too.

On a digital channel the SNR reading is: 31.8 dB FAIR. There are no errors at all (uncorectable or correctable).

On an HD channel the SNR reading is 31.7 dB FAIR. Again, there are no errors.

So, what should I do (if anything)?

Thanks,

Z

I'd advise you to look at a show that is being broadcast in hd, and then also switch to that same show on a digital and analog channel. You should be able to see a marked difference in terms of both video and sound quality. Repeat this exercise with several different shows so you can get a feel for the difference. Not everything being shown on the HD channels is true HD. Why do you feel your HD experience may be lacking?

Zudnick: In Nanaimo you should not see any uncorrectable or correctable errors. The system there was been fined tuned to not have any (or have such a small amount that you should never see them). If your signal is showing as fair this is most likely due to having 2 splitters in the line. If you notice your picture quality being affected contact Shaw and they can come out and replace the 2 splitters with a single splitter and see if they can boost up the signal a bit to improve the pic quality for you.
You may still see an occassionaly audio drop (depending on the channel) about once per hour but over-all these should be few and far between.

Hello,


loracweb: Thanks for the reply. Yes, there is a BIG difference between the SD channels and the HD channels. The reason that I thought my HD experience was lacking was that I was watching the Canucks vs. Blues CBCHD game on Saturday and the close-up camera shots were incredible, but the wide (general play-by-play) shot wasn't as good as I thought it would be with HD. As I said before this is my first week with HD and I have nothing to compare the HD to yet...

Shaw Guru: Again, thank you for the reply as well. As mentioned, I am new to HD so I can't do any comparisons with my system... Should I ask Shaw to come and change the splitters? I do want the best signal possible. The splitters were installed by Shaw and have been on the line for about five years (since we moved into the house) and the HD box was just added last week. The Shaw tech never asked if there were any splitters on the line when he set up the HD box, and didn't check any of the readings on the box before he left (at least not that I saw). He was at our house to set up the Shaw Digital Phone and activate the HDPVR... Again, I obviously just want to be getting the best possible picture.

On a separate note, do you know when Nanaimo will be put on the all digital map? And when this happens, is it always best to be switched over to all digital as soon as possible when using the 6416?

Thanks for your help.


Z