Yamaha YSP 5100 and Panasonic 55VT50 Surround Set Up Help

[nigelpugh7]

Hi Team, I am looking for some sound set up advice on the above.

The background is I upgraded to this panasonic tv recently, but I have been disappointed with the quality of the surround sound.

Also we previously had a full surround system with Sony amp and Monitor Audio silver speakers with a Rel Quake Sub.

Mrs P wanted to get rid of the amp and big floor standing speakers, but I wanted a decent sound in a compact soundbar package that would allow the use of the existing rel quake sub.

So after a lot of searching and demo of sound bars, I found the yamaha YSP 5100 on offer at sevenoaks and it even came with a free yamaha combined tv and soundbar stand.

So here is my challenge now I have it all set up and configured after a fashion.

The YSP 5100 comes with a microphone and stand, which allows you to place the mic in the middle of the room and it will calibrate itself to the size of the room, which I have done.

This setup is also using my panasonic Blu Ray combined HD recorder as my hi def picture and sound source.

The tv is connected to the amp using the inputs and outputs of the YSP 5100 with full HDMI cabling as is the Blu ray player.

In addition the blu ray is connected to the YSP 5100 using an optical cable, and the digital tv optical output is also connected to the second optical connection on the sound bar.

The problem I am now experiencing is that I get the full audio decode indicators for either 5.1 or 7.1 on the display of the DSP 5100 when playing a blu ray, and this is all good.

But for some reason I can not get full surround decoding when using a Dolby digital source such as a Film from Sky HD on Sky Premier Films etc.

It only displays two channel stereo in the YSP 5100, and despite changing all the settings on the mode inputs and what ever I try I can't get multi channel decoding from the sky HD box.

So I am looking to see if I have missed anything on the setup, and was looking for advice on what to try as config options next.

I am pretty sure I have all the cabling correct, it is connected as per the yamaha installation guide.

So over to the ph hifi experts for what to look for next.

[nigelpugh7]

Nobody got any ideas on this then?

Just as an update, I also noticed that when using recordings made in my panasonic HD camcorder, they also come up in full 5.1 decoded format.

Of course it is a full surround sound camcord, and I am using the panasoic HD recorder to store and playback the footage, which is where the other fulle encoded blu ray disks are also being payed?

Any other ideas?

I did think about temporarily plugiging the old Sony surround amp back in and trying the optical input from both the sky HD box and the output in optical in the panasoic tv, just to see if we get decoding working there?

[Hoover.]

I've got a similar issue with my Yamaha surround amp RX-V765...... I've been told it's to do programs not being broadcast in 5.1... BUT I'm not fully convinced, as I can't believe it's every program I choose to watch

[nigelpugh7]

Hoover. said:

I've got a similar issue with my Yamaha surround amp RX-V765...... I've been told it's to do programs not being broadcast in 5.1... BUT I'm not fully convinced, as I can't believe it's every program I choose to watch

Thanks for the response!

I agree I thought I was being dumb, but checked using my old Sony surround amp, and yes films coming from my Sky HD box are coming out in Dolby digital 5.1 and theSiny decodes them no problem using the optical connection.

Its obviously a setting we are missing, perhaps under another hidden installation menu I have yet to find!

I intend to quiz sevenoaks fully about it nest week!

[JimbobVFR]

Does the sky box have an optical connection to the surround unit, reading your OP I don't think it has which is the problem.

Sky doesn't send DD or multichannel audio via the HDMI connection, only via optical (or coax on some of the boxes)

[Podie]

JimbobVFR said:

Does the sky box have an optical connection to the surround unit, reading your OP I don't think it has which is the problem.

Sky doesn't send DD or multichannel audio via the HDMI connection, only via optical (or coax on some of the boxes)

This.

We have the YSP-2200 with a Sony TV and Sky HD - I had to connect the Sky via optical (IIRC)

[nigelpugh7]

JimbobVFR said:

Does the sky box have an optical connection to the surround unit, reading your OP I don't think it has which is the problem.

Sky doesn't send DD or multichannel audio via the HDMI connection, only via optical (or coax on some of the boxes)

Nope sky HD box does have an optical output which I used to connect the previous Sony amp and got full 5.1 decode in program's that offered it such as sky movies premiere!

So I have now tried the optical output from the panasonic tv to the yamaha YSP 5100 and the optical output of the sky HD box into the YSP 5100, still no decoding !

Stumped now!

[nigelpugh7]

Podie said:

This.

We have the YSP-2200 with a Sony TV and Sky HD - I had to connect the Sky via optical (IIRC)

Yep tried that too, it's already connected from the sky HD box to the YSP 5100 via optical, I have even tried it using the std digital connector instead of the optical, but no joy!

[Podie]

nigelpugh7 said:

Podie said:

This.

We have the YSP-2200 with a Sony TV and Sky HD - I had to connect the Sky via optical (IIRC)

Yep tried that too, it's already connected from the sky HD box to the YSP 5100 via optical, I have even tried it using the std digital connector instead of the optical, but no joy!

don't you have to "tell" Sky and the soundbar to use that connection - certainly the latter.

[nigelpugh7]

Podie said:

don't you have to "tell" Sky and the soundbar to use that connection - certainly the latter.

Thanks yes I assume you do!

However I have yet to find that as an option on the YSP 5100 that allows you to choose which connector to use for 5.1 ie HDMI or optical?

Also I did not have to tell the YSP 5100 to use the optical connection of the DVD player over the HDMI input, and yet that is using the correct input format and doing full 5.1 sound decoding.

Perhaps I will try contacting yamaha direct as well as sevenoaks who supplied it!

Thanks,for the feedback so far too!

[OldSkoolRS]

Just for now, why don't you swap the cables over so that the HDMI from your Sky box and the optical go to the same physical connections that your DVD player currently uses, ie the 'DVD input'? If this works then it's obviously just a set up issue (or that the soundbar only allows this feature on the DVD input).

I believe you also need to set the Sky box to output the sound via optical somewhere in it's menu (I don't have Sky myself, so don't know which menu).

[JimbobVFR]

nigelpugh7 said:

Thanks yes I assume you do!

However I have yet to find that as an option on the YSP 5100 that allows you to choose which connector to use for 5.1 ie HDMI or optical?

Also I did not have to tell the YSP 5100 to use the optical connection of the DVD player over the HDMI input, and yet that is using the correct input format and doing full 5.1 sound decoding.

Perhaps I will try contacting yamaha direct as well as sevenoaks who supplied it!

Thanks,for the feedback so far too!

It may very well be using HDMI for the dvd player in that case. Most sources do send DD or Multichannel audio over HDMI, Sky being the exception rather than the rule, try pulling the Dvd optical out and see what happens.

[tdm34]

JimbobVFR said:

nigelpugh7 said:

Thanks yes I assume you do!

However I have yet to find that as an option on the YSP 5100 that allows you to choose which connector to use for 5.1 ie HDMI or optical?

Also I did not have to tell the YSP 5100 to use the optical connection of the DVD player over the HDMI input, and yet that is using the correct input format and doing full 5.1 sound decoding.

Perhaps I will try contacting yamaha direct as well as sevenoaks who supplied it!

Thanks,for the feedback so far too!

It may very well be using HDMI for the dvd player in that case. Most sources do send DD or Multichannel audio over HDMI, Sky being the exception rather than the rule, try pulling the Dvd optical out and see what happens.

On certain Sky-HD boxes they're now offering DD 5.1 via the HDMI socket...

http://www.whathifi.com/news/sky-enables-dolby-dig...

[JimbobVFR]

tdm34 said:

On certain Sky-HD boxes they're now offering DD 5.1 via the HDMI socket...

http://www.whathifi.com/news/sky-enables-dolby-dig...

I had heard it was coming at some point, although the article says it will be rolled out in the next 2 months. My box doesn't have it yet, not that it would make a difference to me anyway as nether my NAD or Arcam AV amps have HDMI.

[nigelpugh7]

Guys,

Thanks for all the feed back from you on this.

Just an update, I now finally have this working in full 7.1 Surround on both Blu Ray and Sky.

I went back to basics, and started with just the HDMI cables as the feeds from both sources.

In so doing i have found out that the Yamaha YSP 5100 supports both Optical Digital and HDMI Digital inputs, just not both at the same time, as I had connected it previously.

So i have now got the Sky HD box set to Dolby Digital out on the HDMI Cable, and low and behold we have 7.1 on the Sky channels that are transmitting it.

So i have now got rid of the optical cables all together too!!

Thanks again for the input from you all on this!!

Cheers

Nige.

[tdm34]

nigelpugh7 said:

Guys,

Thanks for all the feed back from you on this.

Just an update, I now finally have this working in full 7.1 Surround on both Blu Ray and Sky.

I went back to basics, and started with just the HDMI cables as the feeds from both sources.

In so doing i have found out that the Yamaha YSP 5100 supports both Optical Digital and HDMI Digital inputs, just not both at the same time, as I had connected it previously.

So i have now got the Sky HD box set to Dolby Digital out on the HDMI Cable, and low and behold we have 7.1 on the Sky channels that are transmitting it.

So i have now got rid of the optical cables all together too!!

Thanks again for the input from you all on this!!

Cheers

Nige.

Excellent

[JimbobVFR]

Another excellent from me too.
I'm guessing your box has had the update, mine also has recently as well. I only noticed because its now got a whacking great sky logo in the top left corner which wasn't there before. Checked the sound menu and sure enough DD over HDMI is available, although it does chuff all for my ancient amps.

[nigelpugh7]

tdm34 said:

Excellent

thanks again!!

[nigelpugh7]

JimbobVFR said:

Another excellent from me too.
I'm guessing your box has had the update, mine also has recently as well. I only noticed because its now got a whacking great sky logo in the top left corner which wasn't there before. Checked the sound menu and sure enough DD over HDMI is available, although it does chuff all for my ancient amps.

Agreed, and you might have been correct, i had noticed that there was an option in the sky HD menu to choose HDMI Digital output before!!

At least its working now!!

Many thanks again for the guidance.