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Help CATV Digital Audio Out...

I just swapped my multichannel rig in favor of a dCS Purcell and Delius. While CD/DVD, XBox, and Audiotron are all working fine, my CATV box (SA 8000HD) is just giving me static. I switched the digital output format on the menu from "Dolby Digital" to "Other," but still get white noise. The odd bit is that if I swap boxes for an older SA 3250 I had upstairs, switching the digital to "Other," it works fine. While you might say "just leave the 3250 in," the problem is that the 3250 doesn't output digital for the low tier channels below 100, and with my new front end going directly into my amps, I've got *no* analog inputs. The other problem is that the 3250 lacks DVR functionality.

Any ideas? Anyone know of a cheap Dolby to PCM format converter?
edesilva
edesilva OP
768 posts
 
I've now learned, I think, that the problem is that the 3250 outputs PCM when "Other" is selected, but the 8000 outputs MPEG-1 when "Other" is selected. At least, that is if I read the Scientific Atlanta website right. What the $#&%^! is MPEG-1?

I've now got an interim solution, which is using a cheapo RatShack A2D converter to take the analog stereo audio outputs and convert 'em to PCM digital. Digital to analog to digital to analog offends my sensibilities, however, so if anyone can think of anything else... Might order the ART DI/O, but it is still a kludge-y solution...
rwwear
2,867 posts
 
Are you saying that it won't output digital and analog at the same time? If it will can't you connect both?
edesilva OP
768 posts
 
It outputs analog, there just isn't any analog input in my setup--the dCS gear is really an upsampler and a DAC w/a volume control, so no preamp.

The problem is what to do with an MPEG-1 stream, when all I really have is a PCM input...
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