Need help with my Onkyo 507!

[gymclothes412]

I bought the Onkyo 507 a couple weeks ago and I've run into a problem. I have my cable box/DVR connected to my receiver via HDMI and noticed that some of the HD channels come in with audio from only my front left and right speakers and subwoofer and some channels come in with audio from all speakers in Dolby Digital sound. If I connect the cable box/DVR to my receiver via digital optical cable, I get audio from all speakers in Dolby Digital sound. What am I doing wrong in my HDMI connection?

I'm also having trouble getting video from my TV when I play a Blu-Ray disc. I have audio, but no picture. I have the BD player connected to my receiver via HDMI and from the receiver to my TV via HDMI with a HDMI/DVI adapter on the TV. Before I got my Onkyo 507, I had an Onkyo 502 and connected my BD player directly to my TV via HDMI/DVI for picture and a digital optical cable from my BD player to my receiver for audio and it worked fine. Again, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help!


My setup:
TV: Sony WEGA 51" KP-51WS500
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR507
Comcast HD Cable/DVR Explorer 8300HD
BD Player: Samsung BD-P1500
Speakers: Polk RM6200
Subwoofer: Polk PSW250

[callas01]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

I bought the Onkyo 507 a couple weeks ago and I've run into a problem. I have my cable box/DVR connected to my receiver via HDMI and noticed that some of the HD channels come in with audio from only my front left and right speakers and subwoofer and some channels come in with audio from all speakers in Dolby Digital sound. If I connect the cable box/DVR to my receiver via digital optical cable, I get audio from all speakers in Dolby Digital sound. What am I doing wrong in my HDMI connection?

I'm also having trouble getting video from my TV when I play a Blu-Ray disc. I have audio, but no picture. I have the BD player connected to my receiver via HDMI and from the receiver to my TV via HDMI with a HDMI/DVI adapter on the TV. Before I got my Onkyo 507, I had an Onkyo 502 and connected my BD player directly to my TV via HDMI/DVI for picture and a digital optical cable from my BD player to my receiver for audio and it worked fine. Again, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help!


My setup:
TV: Sony WEGA 51" KP-51WS500
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR507
Comcast HD Cable/DVR Explorer 8300HD
BD Player: Samsung BD-P1500
Speakers: Polk RM6200
Subwoofer: Polk PSW250

1) You could be getting the audio from just the front left and right because that is a.) how the channel broadcasts example MTV, they broadcast in 2 channel stereo, not dolby digital 5.1 b.) the other thing could be that even though you have HD cable not all the channels are in HD, and usually the non HD channels only play audio in 2 channel not 5.1. or c.) you need to change the settings on your receiver, make sure it is pure direct, standard or Auto Format Decoding (AFD), not sure what lingo Onkyos use, but it should be something to that effect.

2) it may be a handshake issue, the receiver may not be able to send a signal that can be output via DVI, so you may have to just go back to your original setup...with the optical cable???? I suggest looking through the Manual, or calling your Onkyo Customer support to see if they can help you out.

[SlmShdy1]

For the first part of your question, it doesn't sound like there's any problem. Not all HD channels broadcast in 5.1 so there will be some that only have 2.0 channels of sound. Your HDMI cable is working fine and the receiver is doing its job correctly. It's just sending out exactly what's coming in. Now, if you want 5.1 when watching any HD channel, try different sound modes. For example, when watching channels with only Dobly 2.0, I use the TV Logic sound mode. It may be different on your receiver, but scan through them and see which one will matrix 2.0 into 5.1. That's probably what's happening when you have it connected via optical.

For the second part, your receiver should automatically display the image when using the HDMI out. Your problem may be the DVI adapter.

The HDMI video stream is compatible with DVI (Digital Visual Interface), so TVs and displays with a DVI input can be connected by using an HDMI-to-DVI adapter cable. (Note that DVI connections only carry video, so you’ll need to make a separate connection for audio.) However, reliable operation with such an adapter is not guaranteed.

Is your DVI adapter HDCP compliant?

[gymclothes412]

OK, I have come to the conclusion that my first issue isn't an issue at all. I am still have problems using my BD player w/ my setup. I turn on the the BD player and receiver and select the "BD/DVD" button on the receiver. I insert a Blu-Ray disc and on the TV appears the Samsung screen. The blu-ray disc advances to the movie and then the Samsung screen disappears and the screen goes black. The audio of the movie starts, but there's no video. I'm planning on contacting Onkyo Product Support to see if they can help me. I've read that some people don't have much luck dealing w/ Onkyo Product Support, so if anyone has any pointers that might help, let me know. Thanks!

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

OK, I have come to the conclusion that my first issue isn't an issue at all. I am still have problems using my BD player w/ my setup. I turn on the the BD player and receiver and select the "BD/DVD" button on the receiver. I insert a Blu-Ray disc and on the TV appears the Samsung screen. The blu-ray disc advances to the movie and then the Samsung screen disappears and the screen goes black. The audio of the movie starts, but there's no video. I'm planning on contacting Onkyo Product Support to see if they can help me. I've read that some people don't have much luck dealing w/ Onkyo Product Support, so if anyone has any pointers that might help, let me know. Thanks!

Ugh, Onkyo support is horrible. Try them as a last resort.

I'm guessing it's something with the DVI/HDCP. However, I think there might be a setting in the Onkyo's setup that could work- check and make sure that HDMI-out is turned to "on". I can't remember the exact wording so you may have to play with the settings.

[gymclothes412]

I called Onkyo support and, yeah, they weren't very friendly. At least I could understand what they were saying.

After I told support how I had my home theater set up, they told me they don't guarantee proper operation via a HDMI/DVI connection. I found the same statement in the receiver's instruction manual. I guess I'll have to connect my BD player via component cables for video and digital optical for audio until I upgrade my TV to one w/ HDMI connections. My TV is currently listed on eBay, so maybe it will sell and I can get a new one soon.


Thanks again for your help folks!

[gymclothes412]

I bought my Onkyo receiver less than 30 days ago. I wonder if it would be worth it to return the receiver for one that will be able to handle the Blu-Ray player via the HDMI/DVI adapter on the TV. Does anyone know of a receiver that can handle that in the same price range and quality as the Onkyo 507? Thanks for any advice!

[gymclothes412]

I found a great article on about.com concerning my issue:

http://tv.about.com/od/hdtv/a/hdmidvihdcp.htm

If and when I sell my dinosaur TV, I want to upgrade to a 52" Sony or Samsung. Which model would you recommend on a budget of $2000 or less? Thanks for the insight!

[callas01]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

I found a great article on about.com concerning my issue:

http://tv.about.com/od/hdtv/a/hdmidvihdcp.htm

If and when I sell my dinosaur TV, I want to upgrade to a 52" Sony or Samsung. Which model would you recommend on a budget of $2000 or less? Thanks for the insight!

Well typically the Samsungs run a few hundy cheaper then the Sonys, but both make great models. I prefer the Samsungs personally. but I have enjoyed the Sonys many times at friends and familys houses. Either way gets my vote.

[SlmShdy1]

*Cough* Sony *Cough*

[gymclothes412]

Let me take a step back for a minute. The reason why I can't use my BD player w/ the Onkyo 507 appears to be because something I'm using is not HDCP compliant. The TV is 6 years old, the BD player is 6 months old, and the receiver I've had for almost a month. I would guess that the TV is not HDCP compliant, but I'm not having any problem using my HD cable box. My cable box the same way as my BD player: to my receiver via an HDMI cable and then to the TV via an HDMI cable connected to a DVI adapter connected the TV. Shouldn't it be all or nothing as far as them working goes? Can someone clear this up for me? Thanks!

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

Let me take a step back for a minute. The reason why I can't use my BD player w/ the Onkyo 507 appears to be because something I'm using is not HDCP compliant. The TV is 6 years old, the BD player is 6 months old, and the receiver I've had for almost a month. I would guess that the TV is not HDCP compliant, but I'm not having any problem using my HD cable box. My cable box the same way as my BD player: to my receiver via an HDMI cable and then to the TV via an HDMI cable connected to a DVI adapter connected the TV. Shouldn't it be all or nothing as far as them working goes? Can someone clear this up for me? Thanks!

Why would the cable box have any HDCP on it at all? (Answer: it wouldn't). The BD player is probably the issue here, as will any BD player be as they're prett finicky in checking for a constant HDCP compliance all the way through the chain when HDMI is used.

[gymclothes412]

Aramis, thanks for the input.

So to me it sounds like the TV is still the culprit. I'm using Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable - Version 1.3 Category 2. Do you have any experience with these cables, or do you know if they might be giving me problems? I bought them for $10 on Amazon so I'm wondering if this is a case of getting what you pay for. Thanks for any insight.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

Aramis, thanks for the input.

So to me it sounds like the TV is still the culprit. I'm using Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable - Version 1.3 Category 2. Do you have any experience with these cables, or do you know if they might be giving me problems? I bought them for $10 on Amazon so I'm wondering if this is a case of getting what you pay for. Thanks for any insight.

No personal experience, but they're Cat 2 cables so you're fine in that direction. You could maybe look around to see if there's an HDCP HDMI > DVI adapter but otherwise I think you may be outta luck until you upgrade the set and remove the need for that adapter.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by gymclothes412

Let me take a step back for a minute. The reason why I can't use my BD player w/ the Onkyo 507 appears to be because something I'm using is not HDCP compliant. The TV is 6 years old, the BD player is 6 months old, and the receiver I've had for almost a month. I would guess that the TV is not HDCP compliant, but I'm not having any problem using my HD cable box. My cable box the same way as my BD player: to my receiver via an HDMI cable and then to the TV via an HDMI cable connected to a DVI adapter connected the TV. Shouldn't it be all or nothing as far as them working goes? Can someone clear this up for me? Thanks!

Do you by chance have a PC monitor that is HDCP compliant especially one with both a DVI and an HDMI connection? You could hook that up to your Onkyo to see if everything works including your DVI adapter. You are probably right that the TV is not HDCP compliant but it could turn out to be just the adapter which is a cheaper fix for the short term.