[Hahn Niv]

My Roamio is going through an Onkyo HT-R695 receiver via HTMI. Hitting the info button on the receiver tells me the input audio format and the output audio format. Roamio is coming in with PCM 2.0 while the same channel off air from the TV and a Hopper 3 via OTA module are showing Dolby 5.1. In the settings of the Roamio I have Dolby digital selected.

Is the HTMI output of the Roamio limited to PCM 2.0? Is there another setting on the Roamio that I'm missing? Do I need to go the the receiver via Optical? I can't just try Optical because I don't have a spare optical cable laying around. I'm also worried about lip sync issues with video via HTMI and audio via optical.

 

[JoeKustra]

A Roamio will send up to DD+ (which means it will send DD 5.1) as long as the content is DD 5.1 and the AVR tells the TiVo it can accept DD.

If you have time, Amazon allows a "guest" to browse its movies with any credit card or login. Enable the Amazon app (either one) and go to Amazon. Search for the movie "Fury" (short name) and select "view trailer". The audio should be DD+. Only the A/V RCA connection on a Roamio is limited to PCM.

 

[slowbiscuit]

Check the audio setting on the Tivo (in the settings menu) and make sure it's set to Dolby Digital. I use optical out from my Roamio and it always sends DD.

And it's HDMI, not HTMI.

 

[Hahn Niv]

Audio setting is at Dolby Digital, that is the first thing I checked. I couldn't find any other TiVo setting that dealt with audio. On the Onkyo all the HDMI (actually I was having a brain fart. I had to change from HTML which I typed at first. Forgot the change the T only changed the L. The mind is a terrible thing to waste ) channels are the same except the off air tuner of the TV is going into the coaxial digital input. Hopper & TV come in at 5.1, TiVo 2.0. I'll scrounge around and see if I can find an optical cable in a drawer somewhere and see what that does.

 

[Diana Collins]

The Roamios definitely can output DD. Check that you are watching an HD channel, and preferably an primetime network program. A lot of stations only transmit stereo during the daytime local programming.

We have two Roamio Pros, one hooked up to an Onkyo AVR and the other attached to a Yamaha. Both send 5.1 to the AVRs.

Quick test - if you can hear a sound effect (sort of a 'bloop') when you move around the menus then the Roamio is sending PCM. If you can't then the Roamio is sending DD and the problem is the source being in stereo.

 

[Hahn Niv]

I'm kind of confused right now. I remembered that the TiVo is going into a HDMI splitter one going to the Onkyo the other going to a whole house distribution system. I was thinking that maybe the splitter was causing the problem. Got all set to test that theory, when to Hopper and found a 5.1 program then when to TiVo and low and behold it was at 5.1???? Last night I was going back and forth in prime time, Hopper 5.1 TiVo 2.0, not sure why it is working now. I found an optical cable buried deep in a drawer and went ahead and installed that so the next time I can switch to optical to see what happens there. Probably the splitter has something to do with it except the splitter claims to pass all digital signals. I hear the sound effects all the time, I don't think it's ever been silent. When I'm back on the Hopper I've got to remember I'm not going to hear anything. Also only one click on the FF 2 is way too fast in a commercial time period. I look forward to the Hopper going away in August.

 

[Triride44]

I was experiencing an audio loss every time my Roamio woke up. Only way to get the sound back was to go into settings and change from DD to PCM, (Audio returned) than change back to DD. Problem lasted for over a year, than it cleared up about 6 months ago. Maybe a software bug that was corrected in an update.

 

[Hahn Niv]

Quick test - if you can hear a sound effect (sort of a 'bloop') when you move around the menus then the Roamio is sending PCM.

This was a great suggestion. As I said before, I always heard the sound effect and it was always in PCM 2.0. Kind of wish you got sound with the 5.1, I like the sound. My whole house distribution system went south, it's a HDMI extender, has a transmitter going to a switch then out to 3 receivers via Cat 6 cables. Has worked great for years, transmitter shot craps. Of course that manufacture isn't around any more, got a new Trans/Receiver coming in today (Amazon, if it were socks its would be here at 7am, being that I'm waiting on it probably 10pm) I'm sure it won't work with my existing receivers so I will probably have to buy 2 more receivers . . . but do you suppose the transmitter going down was effecting the rest of the system? It's was having strange drop outs, I was wondering what the heck? till it went into total failure. I've been getting consistent 5.1 audio since it's demise. It is troubling that something on one leg of the HDMI switch effects the other leg of the HDMI switch but I guess it's within the range of possibility. I'll know when I get the Transmitter going.

 

[Hahn Niv]

I now have the definitive answer to the problem. Whole house system (WHS) is back up and running. Old receivers worked, wasn't sure being that V2 is plastered all over the new box, my system is 4 yrs old, I'm sure it's V1 but it works, I have 30 days to check the stability. Before the TiVo came in the mix I fed the WHS from the Hoppers component output to a component to HDMI converter which went to the rest of the house. None of the other 3 Tvs have sound systems so sound was not a concern. The component out of the Hooper shielded it from the HDMI output so everything worked as expected. TiVo only has a HDMI output so it goes to a splitter to feed the WHS and main TV. There's a switch in the WHS Transmitter input to switch between the Hopper and TiVo so both go to WHS system. Everything is programed into a Harmony remote so when you go to either everything is set properly.

Apparently if the WHS switch is set to TiVo and you are watching TiVo on the main TV you are going to get PCM 2.0 audio. Change the switch to the Hopper and you get digital audio back on the Main TV. Not sure why that is, the HDMI extender is suppose to do Dolby 7.1 digital and all points in-between. It is however workable. When all the Tvs are on any sound is good. When we settle down to watch something on the main TV with the Atmos sound system that's when I don't want PCM 2.0. None of this was a problem till I introduced the TiVo and everything necessary to integrate it into the system. The Hooper will go away in August but unfortunately the switch won't because the Hooper will be replace with a Roku for the non broadcast channels. I'd love to use a Fire Stick but I need IR control from the 3 remote Tvs, Apple TV is too expensive for this purpose so I'm figuring on a Roku basic. Don't need 4K, system handles 1080p which all the Tvs do a good job of up converting from that. Main TV has an Apple TV 4K all the others have Fire Stick 4K to cover any 4K programing on the individual sets.

Problem solved, the world is back to being in a good place