peterac50's profile

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4 Messages

Sunday, September 1st, 2019 9:00 AM

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X1 box and audio output via hdmi - stereo only

The audio select option on the X1 box will only send a stereo signal out over the hdmi cable I have connected to my Samsung 6000 series HD TV. This appears to be a mystery to comcast. I have had a technician come out and replace my box and still only stereo. For perspective, I have my apple tv connected via an HDMI cable and it sends out a dolby digital signal which my tv recognizes and processes. From my point of view, the x box and my HG tv are not recognizing one another. Any ideas?

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4 Messages

4 years ago

I found a solution.  Unfortunately, it requires the purchase of an HDMI audio extractor.

 

Here is the one I purchased on Amazon.  It was $41.  However, the HDFury Arcana appears to be the gold standard for HDMI audio extractors based on the reviews I read.   I just could not justify the $200 sticker price.  $200 would be a good down payment on a new TV.

 

Here's how I configured it:

  • X1 box connected to HDMI input on extractor
  • SPDIF (optical) connected from the extractor to the Sonos Beam.  Note you need to use the SPDIF to HDMI adapter that comes with the Beam or buy one on Amazon for $25.
  • HDMI ARC from Samsung TV connected to HDMI output on the extractor.  This is important if you want to use the other HDMI inputs on your TV for other devices and have sound piped to the Sonos Beam automatically.
  • Set the extractor to 5.1
  • Plug in the power to the extractor

Once I did this the X1 box auto switched from PCM 2.0 to Dolby Digital 5.1.  I am also getting DD 5.1 from my Apple TV and Roku.

 

I installed this 24 hours ago.  2 things worth noting:

  1. While watching TV last night for about 90 minutes, I heard a brief static noise 4 times.  I am going to continue to monitor this and return the extractor if it gets annoying.  It is so quick that I might be able to live with it.  This might be a reason to invest in the HDFury Arcana (you get what you pay for kind of thing).
  2. Using the extractor, you will not see the volume graphic on the TV when adjusting the volume.

I hope this helps everyone using a X1 box and a Samsung TV and only getting PCM 2.0 (stereo).

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