Question

Sky Q and Samsung passthrough

  • 8 August 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 2056 views

Userlevel 2
Hi All
Can someone help with something that is causing confusion....
So I have a Sky Q box set to output Dolby Digital over HDMI which is connected to my Samsung 55KU6000 which is connected to my Playbar. If I watch a movie or HD channel that is 5.1, I get 5.1 (as reported by the app) however, if there are adverts then the audio stops and the app reports 'pause burst'. Certain channels play fine with the app reporting 'stereo' but some have no audio (BBC2 HD for example) with 'silence' indicated.
The Tv has HDMI Audio Format set to Bitstream and the Audio Format set to Dolby Digital.
So any idea why I'm not getting sound on adverts and some channels???

***Edit: occasionally sound will appear on some channels after a very long pause (minutes) with the app reporting Dolby Digital 2.0***

Thanks
Nick

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

2 replies

Userlevel 3
Badge +3
Unfortunately it sounds like you're having a two-fold problem.

Firstly with Sky, the Sky Q box does not have solid software yet. If you check their forums the most popular thread is people complaining about frequent audio drop outs. I get it too, but not as bad as some and the new firmware updates seem to have settled things a bit (but by no means completely). So that is certainly one way you're getting drop outs. First make sure you're fully up to date - Settings, System Info, Software version, Setup, Software download.

Secondly, it seems your Samsung TV is having a hard time with processing different audio streams. When you watch, say, GoT on Sky Atlantic that will be in DD5.1, when it switches to adverts the large majority of them are in Linear PCM (2.0) mode - at least that's what comes up on my Sony Amp. It looks like the TV is having a hard time switching between different sound formats on the fly and pushing them down to the Playbar. The first thing to do is change the sound to PCM on your TV and see if you get the same thing? Then change the Sky Sound Output to PCM and repeat.

If either of those work and you don't get the dropouts, then it's your TV at fault. Do you get drop outs on any other sources? Good luck.
The one thing I'd add to some very solid advice from D33p5t3r is that you should also check the Samsung for an update to its firmware.