Sky HD Sound problem

[hornetrider]

Chaps I've done a load of googling but I can't dig out the answer, I wonder if anyone here can help.

I have Sky HD, a Marantz SR4200 Dolby Digital amp (a few years old) and a Panasonic plasma.

Sky is connected to the TV via HDMI and to the amp via optical.

Listening to the sound through the amp on non-HD channels the surround is fine. However if I switch to any HD channel there is no sound via the amp. In both cases there IS sound through the television.

Anyone any ideas?

Googling shows up intermittent HD sound problems but that's not what I have - I have no surround via optical at all on HD channels (but do have surround via optical on non-HD channels).

Thanks for any insight!

[nelly1]

How old is your Sky box?

Didn't the older ones only output HD sound through the HDMI?

My box is 6 months old and I have no problems with HD audio through my Yamaha DSP-AX1 via the coaxial output.

A solution of sorts would be to use the L/R audio output on the back of the plasma to run into the corresponding input (phono) on the A/V amp, though this would only give you Pro Logic instead of DD...

[FunkyGibbon]

does your amp decode Dolby Digital from other sources (DVD ok) - if so, not the amp. If not, then the Amp is suspect.

Sky HD box should do DD 5.1 through optical - have you set up the digital audio option of the Sky Box to be DD, by default I think it is set to normal. If it is still normal then maybe HD signals confuse the amp?

Sky HD box only does 2ch PCM through the HDMI cable.

[hornetrider]

Sky box is coming up to being 2 years old. Sound settings set to digital on HD box. Surround is fine on the amp from other sources. In fact it delivers surround on non-HD Sky channels, which is the puzzler.

[headcase]

Does sound like a faulty sky box to me. If it works ok on non hd channels then it should on the HD ones. The sound on sky is done from the optical and not the HDMI, the HDMI outputs stereo only. The only thing i can think of is.... does the HDMI from sky go directly to the TV or does it go via the amp? If it does go via the amp then the amp could be taking the audio from the HDMI instead of the optical on the HD channels. If it goes directly to the TV then forget that
Also have you tried a reset on the sky box?

[hornetrider]

No I don't switch the HDMI via the amp as the amp has no HDMI inputs. I've not tried a HD box reset, no idea what it involves but I'll try and give it a whirl in the morning.

[headcase]

Just un plugg it, leave it unplugged for a min or so and plug it back in.

[cirving]

While you're at it, you could try forcing a firmware update to see if it makes a difference.

Switch the Sky HD box off at the wall (or unplug it) - hold down the 'backup' button on the box - switch on (or plug in) the box while still holding down the 'backup' button & hold it until screen confrims download in progress (all the lights on the front of the box will light too).