[mythtv-users] HDTV 5.1 sound rear channels become front channels?

[Brad DerManouelian]

On May 11, 2007, at 1:04 PM, Mark J. Bobak wrote:

> I have seen this also.  In my case, it was HD over-the-air, local ABC
> affiliate.  I also have the HDHomeRun.  I never thought that it may be
> the HDHomeRun, I figured it was just the network and/or local  
> affiliate
> screwing up the broadcast.
>
> -Mark
>
> On Fri, 2007-05-11 at 13:01 -0700, Jack R. Hyde wrote:
>> I just saw the same thing recently with an HD program on CBS  
>> through QAM
>> on an HDHomerun. My receiver showed DD the entire time, the front
>> speakers where still working but I had to put my ear to them to tell.
>> The rear set volume was much louder than normal, but it only lasted
>> about two minutes or so, when it suddenly snapped back to normal.
>> Guessing it was just a weird encoding glitch somewhere along the  
>> chain.
>> JS Boyd wrote:
>>> On Network HDTV recorded with the HDHomerun via QAM that is  
>>> passed to my
>>> stereo via SPDIF sometimes it appears that only the rear channels  
>>> of a
>>> 5.1 HDTV audio stream will be played or may be everything except the
>>> center dialog channel. For instance, you will hear all the  
>>> incidental
>>> music and sound effects but no dialog or very muted dialog.
>>>
>>> It seems to happen when the network switches 2 channel audio to 5.1
>>> channel audio. There is a perceptible shift in the audio as it  
>>> changes
>>> from 2 channels to 5.1 channels. My receiver identifies both the 2
>>> channel and 5.1 channel audio as it shifts. The commercial before  
>>> the
>>> program starts will be fine in 2 channel, but the program will  
>>> start and
>>> there will be no dialog.
>>>
>>> The workaround is to just ESC out and restart the playback of that
>>> program at the current position. But it appears like something is  
>>> being
>>> changed in the audio that Myth is missing. It happens with CBS  
>>> regularly.
>>>
>>> I'd suspect my receiver, except that it never happens with DVD  
>>> playback
>>> when they transition from 2 channel to 5.1 channel audio.
>>>
>>> Anyone else seeing this?

I had this or something similar to it happen on a PBS program I was  
watching about cephalopods. I thought they were being all dramatic  
with just incidental music and creepy sea creatures for a while, but  
then I realized there HAD to be dialog at some point. I turned on  
closed captioning and sure enough there was supposed to be dialog. I  
switched to a different audio track and there it was. This was with a  
pcHDTV-5500. I chalked it up to a screwup with their broadcast.  
That's the only time I've ever had anything like that happen.