Sound problem with Netflix/Tivo HD

Advertisements

So, I have a TivoHD and an Xbox 360 both with Netflix streaming enabled.

Both connected to a Sharp LC46D65U TV and the audio with the Netflix streaming on the Tivo has the "Chipmunk" sound while the Xbox plays fine.

Both connected with HDMI.

This does NOT appear to be a TV problem.

 

Except only some brands and models of TVs exhibit this issue. Also, Netflix uses different streams with different encoding for Tivo vs Xbox so an a/b comparison is not possible there.

 

The Tivo stream also looks inferior. Seems like it would be easier to just use 1 stream for all devices.

Also looks and sounds fine with the Vista Media Center Netflix plug-in.

I have to blame Tivo on this one.

 

Hi all -- so is there any indication that this will ever get addressed by TIVO ?????

 

Advertisements

Is is possible to use HDMI for video and the optical out for audio out of TiVoHD? Right now, I have my video and audio going through the HDMI cable to my TV. Can I eliminate this Netflix sound issue by using the optical audio out instead of the HDMI audio?

 

Yes...this is exactly what I am doing...as long as you have a separate audio amplifier to handle the optical audio it works just fine.

 

I've just enabled my PS-3 with Netflix. I now have both my TIVO unit and my PS-3 connected to my Sharp AQUOS LC-46D64U via HDMI. Guess what? My TIVO continues with the garbled sound BUT my PS-3 plays both video and audio fine! This appears to further point to an audio problem with Netflix/TIVO...and not to my TV.
Art Masson

 

I have the same problem with the 'chipmunk' sound and a slight clicking, most noticeable with music. I guess it's what people have been saying here, about the audio not being synched correctly with the video. I've had my Tivo since July '09, and haven't watched much Netflix - but it IS what I bought it for, and I'm pretty PO'ed that this is a known problem that has not been addressed yet. It's annoying enough that we usually don't finish a movie when the sound is really bad. Are there any solutions coming?

I'm pretty sure it's hooked up with an HDMI cable to a Sharp Aquos TV.

Thanks,
Beth

 

I've had this problem with my TiVoHD and Netflix ever since they came out with it. Multiple calls have resulted in nothing. I gave up.

 

If they have been non-responsive about this problem and if there's sufficient number of people affected, a class-action lawsuit would be in order to get them to respond. Any attorneys reading this Forum and own a TiVo?

 

This is the problem I am having. Brand new Tivo HD hooked uo via HDMI to a 50" Panasonic plasma. For HD movies, soundtrack normal, but the dialog is much quieter. SD movies sound fine. Wired ethernet conneciton, max bars.

 

I can confirm that switching to component does fix the problem. I have two Tivo's, one hooked up via component, one via HDMI, I watched the same movie over netflix on both, the HDMI connected one has a big difference in volume between the background music and the dialog tracks, the component connected one sounds perfect.

 

It's clear it's not getting fixed unless we take action. Before going the class action path, perhaps we create a petition and everyone that has posted here or sees this posting would sign and then we submit that to Tivo.

If it takes using an attorney and providing the petition with the threat of a class action suit so be it.

We did pay a good amount of money for our Tivo boxes to be able to do NetFlix AND don't forget, we pay NetFlix a monthly fee.

Perhaps another route would be to file a complaint with NetFlix everytime we watch something and have issues with the audio...

They can push on Tivo for it's members!

 

Sign this petition and let Tivo and Netflix know of the unresolved issue!

thepetitionsite.com/1/tivonetflix---resolution-of-hdmi-audio-issue

 

I got an LG BD-390 BluRay player with NetFlix streaming for Christmas. Not only does the NetFlix audio work fine over HDMI from the BD-390, unlike my Tivo, the entire NetFlix UI is MUCH better (IMO) than the Tivo's. I'll let my Tivo just do the one thing Tivo has always been good at. Recording TV. For some reason that seems to be the only thing they can really nail down.

 

Thank you for this thread. I thought I was the only one with this problem. I too have a Samsung plasma connected with HDMI, and have have the same problem streaming Netflix as above from the beginning. At least I know now how to bypass the problem. It would be great if everyone with this problem could give a shout out to TiVo and/or Netflix. Perhaps if they hear from enough of us, they may start to take this problem more seriously.

 

The problem is this: Take all the Tivo owners out there. Now, from that, take the subset that subscribes to NetFlix. From that take the subset that uses the streaming feature. From that, take the subset that has their Tivo connected via HDMI, from that, take the subset that owns one of the small number of brands of TV that has this issue. From that, take the subset that has one of the specific models that has this issue. From that, take the subset that frequents this forum. I'd be willing to be that this group of owners would be a very small fraction of one percent of their subs. There is a reason this thread is over a year old and only has 138 posts, representing probably less than 100 unique Tivo owners. Unfortunately, I don't think this issue is pervasive enough or serious enough to put it anywhere near the top of Tivo's list of things to devote expensive development resources to.

 

Verified and fixed (well worked around) here. Picked up TivoHD, first thing I did while I wait for the cablecards is to get netflix linked. It took a number of connections and reboots until ver 11 was installed, then I linked em up. First shot - chipmunky skippy, audio. Seemed like part of it was ahead and it was rubberbanding. Really odd. Of course I had picked that time to justify the cost to my wife and before testing it too. She rolled her eyes.

Found this thread and routed audio from the RCA's out of the TIVO into 1/8 headphones up to the set, disco- problem is solved.

For reference:

Sharp Aquos LC42d-65U TV. TiVO HD. Audio comes out RCA's from the set into an old Philips 7800 receiver with set volume into bookshelf speakers. Audio controlled using the Sharp TV, so in order for any of it to work I MUST have audio into the TV set. I only had to change inputs to HDMI (6) and select in the Sharp menu to use "PC Audio" with that input, vs input 4 (VGA). Interestingly I will need to adapt for my HTPC, which formerly used input 6 with that same 1/8 plug. I've found an acceptable resolution (interestingly again, this set doesn't allow anything but fairly standard VGA inputs, 1360x768 being the only widescreen format. Ugh. I was formerly using 1920x1080 for this, but I suppose being that I'll be doing a significant more movie watching with the TivoHD that is an acceptable compromise. I have very little 1080p content anyhoo.

So in short, It's fixable (sort of), it happened to me, its not the end of the world. Maybe one day TiVO will notice.

ALso note that for me Dolby Digital is not something I consider critical. My receiver is from 1980 so the TV set would be doing any decoding into 2 channel stereo anyways. I'm in a small apt and thats the way I like it.

 

I just got my first Tivo (HD XL) and first widescreen TV (Panasonic s1 32inch LCD) for my living room from Amazon. After ordering I was worried about this and similar threads as maybe a third of what I want to watch is Netflix, but I'm happy to report no problems, video and sound quality over HDMI is good (via wireless G, Linksys router, ATT DSL 0.65Mbps up 5.15Mbps down according to speedtest.net).

Tivo + Netflix + no cable = happy camper

 

Well, I watched an episode of the Shield season 7 and also had the chipmunk sound. However, when I switched to an episode of the new season of Heroes in HD, the audio was normal. I have my tivo connected, through a switch, via hdmi.