All speakers all the time

[Cody the Cowboy]

Got the Denon avr 1910 a few weeks back. Blu rays play great and the sound is amazing. love it. I am having some trouble getting all the speakers to play while I am watching cable to my Rogers box (or whatever it's called) and when I play cd's on the ps3. Only the two fronts and the sub give me sound but all the speakers work for Blu rays.
Anyone know how I can fix this?
Thanks.
I am a noob.

[Rob J in WNY]

Blu-ray movies will inherently have multichannel audio - up to 7.1 channels. I would assume that you have your PS3 connected to your Denon via HDMI, and you are using it to play both BDs and CDs.

Now, regarding CD audio, it is 2-channel stereo. It won't play throughout your speaker system because only the left and right receiver channels are given program material to play. You can use one of the surround soundfields to get your other speakers to come into play (Arena, Stadium, Club, etc.) or you can try one of the Pro Logic or THX Surround modes (latter 2 being less suitable in most cases). Purists would not advise doing any of this to a dedicated 2-channel stereo music selection, but doing so will make for the use of all your speakers.

Regarding your cable box, depending on the channels you have, and the manner by which Rogers sends audio, you can get Dolby Digital multichannel 5.1 audio from certain stations, examples being movie channels and sports networks. There will be a fair amount of channels with 2-channel stereo or even monaural sound. You will need to connect your Rogers box's audio to your Denon with either an optical, coaxial or an HDMI cable to get the multichannel 5.1 audio. 2-channel stereo stations will require your use of the surround soundfields or a Pro Logic mode on your receiver. If you are using analog 2-channel output (RCA jacks) out of yoru Rogers box to your receiver, then you will need to activate your Denon's surround soundfields to generate activity from your surround speakers.

Good luck...

[got rice]

There should be an 8channel stereo mode in you receiver.

[Cody the Cowboy]

Alright. I did get all speakers to play for my Rogers box. The receiver displays PLII C (pro logic 2 cinema?) and sounds fine.
Something I did notice though is that when I play blu rays when I first turn on the PS3 or get to the menu screen of the movie the receiver will flash "PLII C" for a second or two and than return to displaying "MULTI IN". I just wanted to confirm that this is what should be happening for me to get the best results out of my receiver.
Thanks a ton for the help as well.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Cody the Cowboy

Alright. I did get all speakers to play for my Rogers box. The receiver displays PLII C (pro logic 2 cinema?) and sounds fine.
Something I did notice though is that when I play blu rays when I first turn on the PS3 or get to the menu screen of the movie the receiver will flash "PLII C" for a second or two and than return to displaying "MULTI IN". I just wanted to confirm that this is what should be happening for me to get the best results out of my receiver.
Thanks a ton for the help as well.

Discs often have different audio formats for the previews, logo screens, menus, and other such stuff prior to the start of the movie. Your player and/or AVR display will show you what format it has detected and what output is being used. What you are seeing is perfectly normal.

And, yes, PLII C is almost certainly ProLogic II Cinema. I personally prefer PLII Music, even for movies and TV shows, because it creates a wider sound stage. The Cinema setting often steers most of the audio to the center channel. But, that's a matter of personal preference.

[Johk]

Originally Posted by Cody the Cowboy

Something I did notice though is that when I play blu rays when I first turn on the PS3 or get to the menu screen of the movie the receiver will flash "PLII C" for a second or two and than return to displaying "MULTI IN". I just wanted to confirm that this is what should be happening for me to get the best results out of my receiver.
Thanks a ton for the help as well.

When the Denon receives a PCM (multi ch) signal, it displays "MULTI CH IN", "MULTI CH DIRECT" or something like that (refer to page 43 of your manual). When it displays "PLII C" when loading, it is because it is not receiving a signal (when you load the movie, etc) and it displays the default mode.

My receiver AVR 988 displays the same thing with my PS3. In other words, everything's fine!

[Cody the Cowboy]

Geeze you guys sure are helpful! I put a cd in the other day and switched it on to PLII M (music) and all the speakers played. You are right, it doesn't sound quite as nice but I would rather have all speakers playing than just two. I prefer the sound of the whole room being filled with music. Thanks a ton.
I played around with some of the other setting and have tweaked my system slightly. I didn't think it was possible but the movies sound even better now .
And just since you have all been so helpful I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something. I have Multi EQ set to Auddessy (sp?), and Dynamic EQ on, but I leave Dynamic Volume off. Do you reccomend these settings? I find turing Dynamic Volume on requires me to turn my receiver up a lot to give me that "umph" or "thump" im listening for.
Let me know what you think. Thanks again!