Why no Audio out? :(
 

Question says it all, why i there no audio out on the Pace NTL digibox :(

I want to watch with surround sound.

Some boxes have phono outputs. If yours doesn't then get a Scart breakout and you will, at least, be able to listen in stereo.

Use the scart then? You can buy a lead what has phono sockets on so you can connect that to your Hi-Fi.

I know I can do that but it's a PITA.
Besides, it was more amazement that the box didn't have audio outputs, I mean FFS, virtually every OTHER piece of equipment that can be hooked to the TV does!!

In a way this is what provides a solution.

Simply hook the box up to your VCR and make use of the auio out on that to feed to the sterio. You may even find that your TV also has audio out built in many do. As long as some point along the way provides the output you are good to go.

I do agree with your original point though, it does seem odd that no seperate audio out was provided.

Must have been a cost saving thing.

Given thatthe majority of users would not connect them up. (my assumption).

This is what I currently have, however I was hoping to remove the VCR from the equation (as I never use it), only to find that I can't (until I buy some more leads) due to the fact there are no audio outs on the Pace box :( (or on my TV for that matter)

we have hooked ours up via the DVD player through to our hi fi and added extra speakers to get the surround feel, which works quite well.:D

There were audio out on some of the First Generation orig-ntl: Pace boxes, but all the ones i've seen at new installs don't have them.

They were really useful (:p ) but not surround sound. THe best I could get out of them was...

Well, it's a word I can't think of at the mo, similar to polyphonic, but it's not. If I think of it, i'll edit the message.

quadraphonic?

Gaz

<edit>

the best example, of which, I encountered, was Pink Floyd at Knebworth (late 70's), the speaker banks were at least 500 yards apart - surround sound has been around a while:)

Stereophonic, otherwise known as stereo? The stereo outputs carry the surround info embedded within (Prologic).

The phono sound outputs are identical to the scart sound outputs of any box.

I seem to get a nice effect through a Pro Logic II decoder/(encoder?) Really thought I was in the Queen Vic the other night......I should get out more.

Surround sound has been in use in large cinemas since about the late 50's. I think (although I am not sure) Ben Hur was a surround flick, and the music of 2001 sound pretty amazing in surround..

My system is fixed to the vcr and amp including the stb and dvd. It all works very well. Mind you I need another amp with better surround sound. :wavey: :wavey:

That's the word. I knew i'd think of it at some point!

As far as i'm aware. surround/dolby 5.1 output will only come from an optical/coaxial output, like you'll find on the back of a DVD/Mini-Disc/CD player or Sky+.

Quadraphonic sound is the processor in the surround sound amp deciding which bits of noise come from which speakers. ie from a CD, I get Vocals/Guitar from the front/centre, drums from the back, and Base.. well, erm, from the base sub-woofer.

Jon

More commonly known as Dolby Pro-Logic :)

You get a center, front left & right, and a rear channel decoded from the normal stereo channels. (the 1 rear channel is fed to both rear speakers)

Dolby 5.1 is indeed digital, from a DVD & Sky+ for example.
You get 5 independant channels:
Front left & right, center, rear left & right
and a seperate channel for the subwoofer (the .1)

Quadraphonic and Dolby Prologic surround sound are two different things. Quadraphonic has four completely independent audio channels in the same way stereo has two.
Surround sound via Prologic uses extra info embedded into a stereo pair, which allows a suitable decoder to steer the sound to the correct speaker(s).

Sorry, i did mean ProLogic - my brain can't have been working at the time.

:o :shrug: :wavey: Having a 5:surround system I find that audio through my ntl box is not true 5:surround..ESPECIALLY annoying when ordering a film that announces 5:sound. I can listen in super stereo only....Ntl need to update there boxes with 5:1 output capability..But will they?!!:shrug: :spin:
:wavey:

our digi box has l/r phono outs.. its a pace 4000 i think.

you're only going to get pro-logic via the tv though i think.

surround is damn good on the xbox though ;P

The best the NTL boxes are capable of is Dolby Prologic. This is 4 channel surround sound through a stereo connection. Dolby digital (for 5.1 surround sound) requires a digital connection, which is not present on our boxes.

Any film which is stereo, probably has a prologic surround soundtrack though, although the amp will need to be switched manually to Prologic mode as most Amps cannot automatically pick it up.

NTL should update the boxes though..

In what way should they update the boxes?
You mean replace them with boxes with coaxial or optical digital outs? For Sky you need to buy a £300 Sky + box in order to get Dolby Digital.
How many channels currently are available with dolby digital surround, not many. Just Sky movie channels I believe.

Still if u are a sound aficiendo then you would be listening to Dolby digital/DTS on your dvd's cos that what I do cos I know 9 out 10 times the best sounds are from the DVD format.

And you can get this quality from the sky sat feed on the sky movies channels with the right stb.

Pro logic takes the stero feed and sends all perfectly in phase signals to the centre speaker.

perfectly out of phase signals to the surround speakers and left only and right only signals to the relevant speaker.

Its a clever system really.

I think this 7.1 sound is getting a little excessive in terms of the number of speakers though.

Only the 300quid Sky + box has Dolby Digital outs.

Aye and I find VERY little justification forking out £300 on a sky box that seems to have the same warranty as the normal box unless someone tells me different.

Close proppin, this Sony stb does have them aswell :)

Can I have a job please :P

Nope go to the back of the queue. A number of Sky boxes have optical SPDIF outputs but they only give you stereo out (and hence Prologic). Sky will not allow anyone to give Dolby Digital outs on anything except the Sky + boxes.

:D

Sky got very upset at sony putting that on there AFAIR.

Actually, I do mean replace them with Sky + styles boxes with Digital Out. Then charge the user a higher rental because they are getting a more advanced box.

Possibly also upgrade Front Row to DD, as I believe NTL is a part owner of this channel..

ntl in most cases will not yet have re-couped the cost of the original boxes yet from the subscribers.

I don't really think that you could charge extra for this function, as I doubt many people would take it up. However if it were part of an all round superior STB (like the functions of the Sky+ box for example) then it might have a valid business case, but I doubt their market is big enough to warrant it. Bear in mind the take-up of Sky+ has been quite low, but it is a chicken and egg situation. They're expensive boxes so they cost a lot to buy, but becuase they cost a lot to buy not many people buy them - so they price never drops.

Does anyone know what the length of time the boxes are amortised over? I would presume it to be something like 3 years.

Seriously - thats what I thought the point of a 12 month contract was - to recoup the box costs.

Even more so when they can refurb / recycle boxes.

Maybe if they switched to a system whereby the user could purchase the box for (say) £300..