Sony HT-CT550W?? - Page 14

LB, thanks for your replies. I never tweaked the CMT and SW levels, this made a huge difference!! The SW was +6 and CMT +2 ! No wonder it sounded like my house was going to fly apart. I had to have bass turned down to -2( still sound good), but now I'm trying it at +4 CMT and +2 SW. Sound is really unbeleivable for such a small bar. Anyone that says this bar has weak bass, should try my original setting. Get ready for your insides to rumble.

Another question!

I know the CT550 processes sound to simulate the surround effect, and I seem to remember reading somewhere there is setting in the Sound Settings area of PS3 to disable surround sound processing being done by the PS3(thus allowing the soundbar to process the simulated surround sound effect)? Anyone know the name of this specific setting? Does it even exist?

I got back my receiver today. No indication in any of the doc I received what was done (if anything). The good news is it works. Of course it did when I bought it as well .

Glad to hear. Hopefully no more issues!

Here's a good article that explains the best settings for viewing bluray content from the PS3
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10022389-1.html
However, as I recently learned from another comment in this forum( and confirmed on Engadget) due to a limitation with the older PS3 Fat ( doesn't apply to the PS3 Slim) leave the BD / DVD Audio Output Format (HDMI) set to Linear PCM to process DTS-HD and Dolby Digital from your Blurays.

On the PS3:
Settings=>VideoSettings =>BD / DVD Audio Output Format (HDMI)
http://manuals.playstation.net/docum...ings.html#1470

Here's the article on Engadget that describes what's going on with the PS3 Fat(only) Linear PCM setting:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/h...with-your-ps3/

"First, the good news. What the PS3 [FAT only] can do is decode (unzip) the Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA lossless audio and send it to your receiver as a multichannel linear PCM (LPCM) stream, which just about any modern receiver can decode. The LPCM audio is identical to the Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA original format, so no quality is lost. Now, the bad news. An annoying side effect of sending the "unzipped" LPCM rather than the "zipped" Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA is that the receiver's Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA indicator will not light up because it's not decoding Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA -- the PS3 already did the decoding. Instead, the receiver will (correctly) indicate that it is receiving a LPCM signal."

Check the cable for any markings ( you may need a magnifying glass)--some will list 1.3 or 1.4/High Speed on the cable itself--but some do not list anything at all. You can also just try using the HDMI cable without the optical cable --if it carries both video/audio then you have a ARC capable HDMI cable.

Note: Most Receivers including the 550W require that you specify HDMI or Optical cable--so if you do try the above make sure your Receiver is adjusted accordingly.

For reference:
Overview of HDMI 1.4


What’s new in the HDMI 1.4 specification?


http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdm...1_4_faq.aspx#1

• HDMI Ethernet Channel The HDMI 1.4 specification adds a data channel to the HDMI connection, enabling high-speed, bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature can send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application. The HDMI Ethernet Channel allows internet-enabled HDMI devices to share an internet connection via the HDMI link, with no need for a separate Ethernet cable. It also provides the connection platform that will allow HDMI-enabled components to share content between devices.
• Audio Return Channel The new specification adds an audio channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio “upstream” from a TV to an A/V receiver for processing and playback. In cases where a TV features an internal content source, such as a built-in tuner or DVD player, the Audio Return Channel allows the TV to send audio data upstream to the A/V receiver via the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.
• 3D The 1.4 version of the specification defines common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices, enabling 3D gaming and other 3D video applications. The specification standardizes the input/output portion of the home 3D system, facilitating 3D resolutions up to dual-stream 1080p.
• 4K Resolution Support The new specification enables HDMI devices to support extremely high HD resolutions, effectively four times the resolution of a 1080p device. Support for 4K allows the HDMI interface to transmit digital content at the same resolution as the state-of-the-art Digital Cinema systems used in many movie theaters.
• Expanded Support For Color Spaces HDMI now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras, enabling more accurate color rendering when viewing digital photos. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe®RGB, and Adobe®YCC601, HDMI display devices are capable of displaying more accurate, life-like colors when connected to a digital camera.
• HDMI Micro Connector (Type D) The HDMI Micro Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin HDMI connector supporting up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices such as cell phones, portable media players, and digital cameras. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini connector.
• Automotive Connection System (Type E) The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification provides a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, car manufacturers now have a viable solution for HD distribution within a vehicle.

Couple of things to check for better sound from your Cable Box to the 550W:

-Make sure your your cable box itself is set to output audio in Dolby Digital ( you may still have this set in stereo--a common oversight )
-Not all cable programs broadcast in Dolby Digital or 5.1 ( many do not). Make sure you verify that the cable program is broadcasting in DD or 5.1. ( if the broadcast is HD 720P or 1080i then most likely its Dolby Digital too)
-Bluray discs often provide more than just Dolby Digital e.g. enhanced 100% lossless audio DTS-HD, or Dolby TrueHD --this is why bluray can sound so much better than Cable/Satellite Dolby Digital only broadcasts. Note: I don't think Optical cables can carry enhanced DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD --so always best to connect your Bluray player to the Receiver with an HDMI cable

Regarding the above, does the 550 really do that? It's not something I noticed so far. I may have missed it but I didn't see anything in the manual about that, a setting or something.

I'm feeding the 550 a DVD player, bitstream and a SageTV HD300, also bitstream.

Am I missing something?

The 550W does produce Virtual surround sound effects While not the full effect of 5.1, its certainly able to create a noticeable effect. If you can stream YouTube to one of your devices connected to the 550W you can hear/test the effect. There are several surround sound tests you can choose, just do a YouTube search for "surround sound test".

Also, If you're not getting surround sound from your Bluray player when you know you should be hearing a surround effect from a certain Bluray movie, you can also try turning off the "surround sound" setting on your player thus allowing the 550W to do the surround sound processing.

Thanks I was able to find the DD and THX videos. Both seem to produce what appears to be surround like sound. I'd say the sound didn't seem to be coming from the sides but did seem much wider then the bar. That may be what's expected. I'm not complaining as that's not why I purchased the bar.

Thanks again.

Hi gang, I posted this problem a month or so ago and never got an answer from anyone. I have the Sony 550W hooked up using the optical cable from TV to sound bar, HDMI from Blu-Ray player to TV and Verizon FIOS HDMI directly to TV.

The problem I am getting is the audio sticks a lot. You know that staccato repeat you get when a CD jams, how it just repeats the sound over and over and over? Well, I get that on the sound bar. At first I thought it was a DVR issue with Verizon, but it is happening all the time changing channels with the Verizon remote, hitting the mute button on the sound bar remote etc. The only way out of it is to flick channels around until it stops (really annoying when watching DVR show).

Do you think it's a signal issue of some sort? Maybe the wi-fi signal is crossing with something? Or maybe the optical cable hookup? Should I try the HDMI hookup way instead?

Does your HDTV have a HDMI ARC socket?
If so run as such;
Cable Box and BD Player via HDMI to the HDMI sockets on your soudbar amp which I beleive on the 550 are labled then run HDMI from soundbar amp to HDMI ARC on your HDTV.
Hope this works and your 550 should sound better

^^^
As suggested, connecting directly to the soundbar is the generally preferred method. Your TV does not have to support ARC for those connections to work.

Thanks, appreciate it

Hi. I'm new to the forum. The HTC-T550W is my first Soundbar so i have a question. Even when the unit is off. I can hear a constant hum coming from the receiver unit. I put my hand behind and and felt a breeze so I know its the fan. My question is whether or not this is normal. If the unit is on standby why does the fan run 24/7? Is my unit defective?

Not normal. Albeit I have heard this issue with one other person on this forum. Might want to consider an exchange while you can.

I guess I never paid attention to the fan. I guess I never here it over the big ole direct tv home media center. The hum doesn't sound like a normal thing though.

With the Sony HT-CT550W sound bar system, can you connect a separate component via the optical in even if you have all the HDMI ports used? In other words, if I have cable, a PS3 and a blu-ray player hooked up via HDMI and the ARC connection to the TV, can I hook up, say an Apple TV by HDMI to the TV (for video only) and run optical from the Apple TV to the 550 receiver so that the speakers get the dolby digital output from the Apple TV? I know if I just let the TV deliver sound over the ARC it's pure stereo only, not 5.1.

Yes.

Thanks for the info. I was just concerned since the optical inputs are labeled either TV or the other label, both of which are also labels for the HDMI in's. So wasn't sure if it was an either/or situation or whether they were indeed separate inputs that could be used.

One more question. I have a Harmony One and I'm taking back the Samsung 451 sound bar unit. It has a loose HDMI c port and more importantly, it takes 2 or 3 "Helps" with the Harmony to get the sound bar to select options. For example, if I want to turn on "3D sound" I have to use the device menu on the Harmony and hit that option 2-3 times before it actually turns on. Oddly enough, when I turn off the whole setup, the soundbar powers off as well, but when I turn the setup on, say with the "Watch TV" activity, I always have to go into help and tell the Harmony that the soundbar isn't on yet. It's configured as an "amplifier" on the Harmony One. So I'm just wondering if anyone has a Harmony remote with the Sony soundbar and if they've had any issues controlling it with the Harmony. Oh, it would be setup using ARC as well just as I have the Samsung sound bar setup.

Thanks again!

Not sure what tv you have but my sony hx929 doesnt output 5.1 audio from the apple tv to my sound system via arc or optical out. Only way to get 5.1 audio on the apple tv is to plug it into the sound system directly via hdmi.

Yes, I just bought the 60" Samsung D7000. I know that if you plug in a device to the TV via HDMI, the TV's audio out, neither HDMI nor optical out,(BTW, I think that's the worse oversight I've ever experienced. Why wouldn't manufacturers make this a straight passthrough so that your audio would be decent?) will output anything other than straight, regular stereo. So to get 5.1 sound from an Apple TV, I'd need to hook it up for video via HDMI to my TV, but then run an optical cable from the out on the Apple TV into the optical in on the sound bar. Hopefully that makes more sense?

My question was simply if those optical outs on the Sony were actually additional outs. They're labeled TV or cart, just like two of the HDMI ports are so I wasn't sure if they were just alternates to the HDMI ports or if they were actually extra and/or assignable.

The problem with this setup is that the soundbar does not accept optical input if the apple tv or tv itself is plugged into the hdmi output (arc in) of the receiver. I even tried disabling arc and it still defaults to the audio of the hdmi which only gets 2.1 sound from the apple tv.

Try this with your Sony 929 TV and ATV ( AppleTV Device) if you have run out of HDMI ports on the 550W.

HDMI between TV ARC and 550w ARC
Connect ATV HDMI into any non-ARC HDMI port on the TV ( Don't use an OPT cable)
Set ATV to output in Dolby Digital
Verify ATV content has Dolby Digital audio

I just confirmed with the ATV2 connected via HDMI directly to a Sony HX820 TV ( TV connected via HDMI ARC to 550W ARC) that there is no need for an additional optical cable for the ATV to process Dolby Digital when available.

I figured out what the problem was. My apple tv wasnt outputting dolby digital. I changed the setting and now i get full 5.1 via hdmi arc from tv to the soundbar.

Great. --thanks for letting me know.

Does this unit ever go on sale? Reading the comments in the first few pages, it used to be way cheaper.

I was wondering the samething.

Not sure what's going on with the price. I noticed Amazon has the 550W listed at $399.99 ( the Sony list price) for some weeks now. Several months ago it was a lot less expensive.

I will be getting the CT550W soon when the new Sony HX850 46" launches this month.

Looking forward to using LBJs settings to tweak it in.
I will be hooking it up to a Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu-ray player and Verizon FIOS Receiver.

This will be going in my master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and carpet floor so we will see how it sounds.

I too wish it was on sale less than full retail. Maybe because everyone getting the new 2012 TVs (like me) will want one to pair it with so demand is higher now.??

Glad to hear the good reviews/reports on this sound bar

One thing I noticed no one mentioned after reading this entire thread...

For those wanting to decide between the CT150 and CT550..

right on the Sony site it shows that the CT150 is only intended for 32" and smaller TVs
while the CT550 is intended for 42" and larger TVs

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...52921644629897

the larger the tv the larger the sound you need to match the pix

so if you cant decide and you have a 42+ or larger TV (as most here do), just get the 550