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Experiencing audio dropouts on Star Wars? - Page 17

post #481 of 663
11/9/11 at 9:03pm
Well I had my Pioneer amp updated two days ago and no change. Still getting the bomb using bitstream with PS3 slim and Panasonic BD35. This is just stupid.
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post #482 of 663
11/10/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by T-smith View Post

thats amazing you had to send them a video but glad to hear its being worked on

i had an Onkyo when this problem first happened few years ago and they had an update out fairly quickly

Myself & a few other AVS-ers sent pics & video to Hitachi a few years back to show them the various HDMI weirdness that Hitachi's last line of CRT RPTVs was experienceing. Eventually led to Hitachi issuing new circuit boards fo the affected sets with mine being one of their early real world guinea pigs - eventually led to a fix at least a year after the line had been discontinued.
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post #483 of 663
11/10/11 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by livingproof73 View Post

Well I had my Pioneer amp updated two days ago and no change. Still getting the bomb using bitstream with PS3 slim and Panasonic BD35. This is just stupid.

Did you double-check that the service center updated ALL of the firmware? There's three separate firmware files to install.

Mark
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post #484 of 663
11/11/11 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Booth View Post


Did you double-check that the service center updated ALL of the firmware? There's three separate firmware files to install.

Mark

The only thing that looks different from what other people have posted is my version of DSP is 1.003 and others are posting 1.005
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post #485 of 663
11/11/11 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerryex View Post

Hi ALL,

Just got off the phone with the US Onkyo support engineer and based on the video I had sent them they ARE able to duplicate the DTS Bomb in their labs. That is very good news. The problem has now been escalated to the engineers in Japan who hopefully will be able to come up with a solution and a firmware update for us!

I'll keep everyone posted.

Gerry

great news, many thanks, hope update is coming soon!
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post #486 of 663
11/11/11 at 11:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by livingproof73 View Post

The only thing that looks different from what other people have posted is my version of DSP is 1.003 and others are posting 1.005

DSP is the firmware update that fixes DTS-bomb issues. It sounds like your service center didn't update the DSP. I would contact Pioneer directly and explain the problem. The service center shouldn't be getting paid by Pioneer for doing an incomplete job.

Hopefully you can find an authorized service center that actually does a complete and thorough job of updating the firmware.

Mark
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post #487 of 663
11/11/11 at 11:43am
Thread Starter 
Since I started this topic, I guess I should post an update... About 2 weeks ago, I replaced the HDMI cable that goes from my Panasonic BD35 to my Pioneer receiver and the HDMI cable from the receiver to my TV. The cables I had been using were older HDMI 1.3-spec cables. I was careful to find the higher bandwidth-capable HDMI 1.4-spec cables to use for replacements.

Since changing the cables I haven't had a single video freeze or any other issue with playback. I've watched at least a dozen movies (I'm retired and sometimes watch 2 or 3 movies in a single day) and all have played fine. That includes watching Episode 5 and 6 of Star Wars plus several other DTS HD MA titles. They all bitstreamed perfectly.

At this point, I'm inclined to believe that I either had bandwidth issues with the older cables or I had a poor connection at some spot (which was fixed by plugging in new cables). Again, the problems I was seeing/hearing was different than most. I wasn't having any DTS bombs or audio dropouts with the video continuing along fine. My issues were all related to audio loss with video pausing and/or stuttering at the same time.

Time will tell if the cables solved the problem. But I think I'm going to go ahead and return the Panasonic BDT110 player that I purchased to use as a possible replacement player. It's still sitting here unopened in the box.

Mark
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post #488 of 663
11/12/11 at 8:14pm
Thread Starter 
Turns out the new HDMI cables did NOT solve the problem. We watched 'An Affair to Remember' on Blu tonight and experienced video pausing/stuttering at three different spots within the first half hour of the movie. Each time I could back up and play the offending sections over again and they played fine the second attempt. It's NOT the disc and it's NOT the receiver.

So, I finally opened up the BDT110 that's been sitting in its box for two weeks and swapped it out for the BD35. It took a few moments to get everything configured (and download the latest firmware update) but then the remainder of the movie played on the BDT110 without incident.

Still not sure I'll be keeping the BDT110 because I (unhappily) discovered that none of its remote codes are compatible with the BD35's remote codes. Now I have to manually reprogram all of the Blu-ray buttons on my Universal RF Remote. I bought another Panasonic player so that I (hopefully) wouldn't have to do that. Now that I do anyway, I might as well consider other brands of player. Not so sure I want to give Panasonic anymore of my money since the BD35 started failing in less than three years.

Mark

Edit: I decided to keep the BDT110 after all. It's twin brother, the BDT210, received a glowing review at Home Theater Secrets. And my research didn't bring any other player to light that seemed a good choice.
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post #489 of 663
11/13/11 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Booth View Post

Still not sure I'll be keeping the BDT110 because I (unhappily) discovered that none of its remote codes are compatible with the BD35's remote codes. Now I have to manually reprogram all of the Blu-ray buttons on my Universal RF Remote. I bought another Panasonic player so that I (hopefully) wouldn't have to do that. Now that I do anyway, I might as well consider other brands of player. Not so sure I want to give Panasonic anymore of my money since the BD35 started failing in less than three years.

Mark

Edit: I decided to keep the BDT110 after all. It's twin brother, the BDT210, received a glowing review at Home Theater Secrets. And my research didn't bring any other player to light that seemed a good choice.

Hi Mark,

I just upgraded from a Panny BD30 to the BDT110 a few weeks ago and I am quite pleased with it. It is orders of magnitude faster than the BD30 was and the performance is quite nice. As far as the remote codes I found that the codes I had been using for the BD30 (which were programmed into a Harmony One) worked just fine with the BDT110. I think the Panny players can be configured for a different remote code and maybe either one is looking for that other code. I think you can reset the remote code in the setup menu.

Gerry
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post #490 of 663
11/13/11 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerryex View Post

I think the Panny players can be configured for a different remote code and maybe either one is looking for that other code. I think you can reset the remote code in the setup menu.

Gerry

I tried all 6 remote code groups available in the BDT110's setup menu with the remote from my BD35. None of them worked. I was so stunned that none worked, I went back and tried all 6 of them again. And, yes, I made sure I had good batteries in the remote.

No worries, I've successfully programed my Universal Remote MX850 to work with the BDT110. All of my macros are back to working how I want them to work. I also found the discrete on & off HEX codes for the BDT110 over in the BDT110 thread. I loaded them into ProntoEdit and created discrete on & off buttons to transfer over to my MX850 in MXEditor. I'm golden!

Mark
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post #491 of 663
11/17/11 at 8:00am
Do Onkyo 906's get still get the Bitstream Bomb?
IF so are there FW updates?
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post #492 of 663
11/17/11 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fanboyz View Post

Do Onkyo 906's get still get the Bitstream Bomb?
IF so are there FW updates?

Yes... The Onkyo TX-NR905 and 906 both exhibit the DTS Bomb on the Star Wars Blu-rays... There is no fix as of yet. Onkyo has been telling two stories about the issue. I was told they were able to replicate the issue, then later they retracted that and said there was no issue.

Gerryex has received word they were able to duplicate it, but there has been no word if or when they will fix the problem. It's been over two months since the problem reared its ugly head and still no fix.

With my HDMI boards failing on both 905 and 906 receivers, the DTS HD Master bomb and other current Onkyo fiascos, I will not buy another Onkyo product again. I have mentioned my issues with Onkyos to others and made sure they stay clear of this product line.
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post #493 of 663
11/17/11 at 8:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon S View Post

Yes... The Onkyo TX-NR905 and 906 both exhibit the DTS Bomb on the Star Wars Blu-rays... There is no fix as of yet. Onkyo has been telling two stories about the issue. I was told they were able to replicate the issue, then later they retracted that and said there was no issue.

Gerryex has received word they were able to duplicate it, but there has been no word if or when they will fix the problem. It's been over two months since the problem reared its ugly head and still no fix.

With my HDMI boards failing on both 905 and 906 receivers, the DTS HD Master bomb and other current Onkyo fiascos, I will not buy another Onkyo product again. I have mentioned my issues with Onkyos to others and made sure they stay clear of this product line.

Why did your HDMI boards die?
Is this widespread?
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post #494 of 663
11/18/11 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fanboyz View Post

Why did your HDMI boards die?
Is this widespread?

The x05/x06 Onkyo receivers all have issues with the HDMI boards... Onkyo used low temperature capacitors on the boards. The HDMI processors generate a LOT of heat, and since there was no heat sinks or fan cooling, the heat spread across the board. The caps could not handle the heat and dry out. The fix was to replace the bad caps with higher grade caps which can handle the temperature... The 905/906 required about 16 caps (if I remember correctly) be replaced.

Both my 905 and 906 HDMI boards had failed, even though I had placed PC fans over the affected area (the back right of the chassis). Using the fans extends the life of the caps, but eventually, they will have to be replaced. You will have to send the units back to Onkyo for servicing when the boards fail.

Symptoms of board failure...
1. slower handshaking between HDMI devices (takes longer to show a signal)
2. garbage appears on screen (usually green/pink vertical bars and/or snow)
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post #495 of 663
11/18/11 at 10:28am
This happens even if the unit has enough space the breathe?
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post #496 of 663
11/18/11 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fanboyz View Post

This happens even if the unit has enough space the breathe?

yes... I have six inches around my receiver... and it still gets too hot...
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post #497 of 663
11/18/11 at 4:52pm
What happened to the promised firmware update for the panasonic dmp-bd50 player? It was supposed to be released on Nov 17.
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post #498 of 663
11/18/11 at 7:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon S View Post

yes... I have six inches around my receiver... and it still gets too hot...

What if for whatever reason the 906 never seems to get hot???
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post #499 of 663
11/20/11 at 5:26pm
So for the record the Oppo 83, and the fat PS3 both exhibit the missing 6th channel on "Return of the Jedi" when set for "LPCM". My guess is they share similar decoding topology.
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post #500 of 663
11/21/11 at 6:03pm
I wanted to add my experience. Please bear with me as I'm partially venting.

For reference, I have an Oppo BDP-83 bitstreaming to a Pioneer Elite VSX-94-TXH.

I bought the Star Wars Blus last month and sat down to watch A New Hope. I noticed throughout that the audio was skipping. I contacted Oppo since they have fixed a Dolby TrueHD audio skipping issue in the past and they stated that other customers had reported the same issue and that the fix is to upgrade the firmware on the receiver. I called Pio the next day and they echoed Oppo's recommendation and confirmed that updating to the latest firmware for the 94TXH would resolve the issue. They were very quick and didn't have me do any troubleshooting (mostly because I cited other reports of the issue on the net and Oppo's recommendation).

So of course the problem is that the 94TXH cannot be updated easily. In fact I would have to take it to a dealer for the upgrade, which sucks because all of my components route through the receiver. To their credit, Pio offered to provide the firmware service free of charge even though the receiver is out of warranty by 18 months. Since the local repair shop here in Austin was inflexible and wouldn't let me schedule a repair, I opted to take a day and go to San Antonio where I could get the firmware applied within a few hours.

Fast forward to today when I go to get the firmware done. All goes fine there. The invoice confirms the following updates-

MAIN- 1.006
DSP- 1.005
HDMI- 1.010

I'm sure you've guessed but I didn't go into this much detail to provide a happy ending. While somewhat less frequent than what I remember, the audio skipping/drop outs are still present. If I switch to LPCM, no problem (except for when I go to watch Return of the Jedi, where I understand the back channels are not processed).

Anyways, I've put a request into Oppo to see if they've had any other reports on this issue and will be calling Pioneer tomorrow. I would suggest that for anyone in my position they NOT take the time to get their firmware updated until I can post back with Pio's response.

On a side note- as a longtime home theater fan I'm pretty heartbroken about this. Yes that's a bit hyperbolic but my receiver and BD player are around three years old and are already outdated. For nearly 10 years of DVD I used the same receiver without running into a compatibility issue and here we are in year five of BD and I've lost count of the number of firmware upgrades and such I've had to do to get new titles to work. I'll stop the rant but had to vent somewhere. Besides, my wife is tired of hearing me cry about it lol.
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post #501 of 663
11/21/11 at 6:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Voltaic View Post

I wanted to add my experience. Please bear with me as I'm partially venting.

For reference, I have an Oppo BDP-83 bitstreaming to a Pioneer Elite VSX-94-TXH.

I bought the Star Wars Blus last month and sat down to watch A New Hope. I noticed throughout that the audio was skipping. I contacted Oppo since they have fixed a Dolby TrueHD audio skipping issue in the past and they stated that other customers had reported the same issue and that the fix is to upgrade the firmware on the receiver. I called Pio the next day and they echoed Oppo's recommendation and confirmed that updating to the latest firmware for the 94TXH would resolve the issue. They were very quick and didn't have me do any troubleshooting (mostly because I cited other reports of the issue on the net and Oppo's recommendation).

So of course the problem is that the 94TXH cannot be updated easily. In fact I would have to take it to a dealer for the upgrade, which sucks because all of my components route through the receiver. To their credit, Pio offered to provide the firmware service free of charge even though the receiver is out of warranty by 18 months. Since the local repair shop here in Austin was inflexible and wouldn't let me schedule a repair, I opted to take a day and go to San Antonio where I could get the firmware applied within a few hours.

Fast forward to today when I go to get the firmware done. All goes fine there. The invoice confirms the following updates-

MAIN- 1.006
DSP- 1.005
HDMI- 1.010

I'm sure you've guessed but I didn't go into this much detail to provide a happy ending. While somewhat less frequent than what I remember, the audio skipping/drop outs are still present. If I switch to LPCM, no problem (except for when I go to watch Return of the Jedi, where I understand the back channels are not processed).

Anyways, I've put a request into Oppo to see if they've had any other reports on this issue and will be calling Pioneer tomorrow. I would suggest that for anyone in my position they NOT take the time to get their firmware updated until I can post back with Pio's response.

On a side note- as a longtime home theater fan I'm pretty heartbroken about this. Yes that's a bit hyperbolic but my receiver and BD player are around three years old and are already outdated. For nearly 10 years of DVD I used the same receiver without running into a compatibility issue and here we are in year five of BD and I've lost count of the number of firmware upgrades and such I've had to do to get new titles to work. I'll stop the rant but had to vent somewhere. Besides, my wife is tired of hearing me cry about it lol.

Please see PM I sent
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post #502 of 663
11/21/11 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Voltaic View Post

I wanted to add my experience. Please bear with me as I'm partially venting.

For reference, I have an Oppo BDP-83 bitstreaming to a Pioneer Elite VSX-94-TXH.

I bought the Star Wars Blus last month and sat down to watch A New Hope. I noticed throughout that the audio was skipping. I contacted Oppo since they have fixed a Dolby TrueHD audio skipping issue in the past and they stated that other customers had reported the same issue and that the fix is to upgrade the firmware on the receiver. I called Pio the next day and they echoed Oppo's recommendation and confirmed that updating to the latest firmware for the 94TXH would resolve the issue. They were very quick and didn't have me do any troubleshooting (mostly because I cited other reports of the issue on the net and Oppo's recommendation).

So of course the problem is that the 94TXH cannot be updated easily. In fact I would have to take it to a dealer for the upgrade, which sucks because all of my components route through the receiver. To their credit, Pio offered to provide the firmware service free of charge even though the receiver is out of warranty by 18 months. Since the local repair shop here in Austin was inflexible and wouldn't let me schedule a repair, I opted to take a day and go to San Antonio where I could get the firmware applied within a few hours.

Fast forward to today when I go to get the firmware done. All goes fine there. The invoice confirms the following updates-

MAIN- 1.006
DSP- 1.005
HDMI- 1.010

I'm sure you've guessed but I didn't go into this much detail to provide a happy ending. While somewhat less frequent than what I remember, the audio skipping/drop outs are still present. If I switch to LPCM, no problem (except for when I go to watch Return of the Jedi, where I understand the back channels are not processed).

Anyways, I've put a request into Oppo to see if they've had any other reports on this issue and will be calling Pioneer tomorrow. I would suggest that for anyone in my position they NOT take the time to get their firmware updated until I can post back with Pio's response.

On a side note- as a longtime home theater fan I'm pretty heartbroken about this. Yes that's a bit hyperbolic but my receiver and BD player are around three years old and are already outdated. For nearly 10 years of DVD I used the same receiver without running into a compatibility issue and here we are in year five of BD and I've lost count of the number of firmware upgrades and such I've had to do to get new titles to work. I'll stop the rant but had to vent somewhere. Besides, my wife is tired of hearing me cry about it lol.

I would check with pioneer on what the latest versions are to make sure they installed the correct one bc it sounds like they didn't. I would also reset ur receiver just to be sure as well

The problem is with your receiver so nothing oppo can do about it

Your gear us certainly not outdated but with the way technology changes 3 years isn't bad at all
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post #503 of 663
11/21/11 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by T-smith View Post

Your gear us certainly not outdated but with the way technology changes 3 years isn't bad at all

I totally understand this but respectfully disagree with the complacency of such beliefs. Computers, especially laptops, do not require so much work to disconnect and replace after three years. Same goes for phones. This is what happens when an industry decides to make their standards liquid instead of working together on what's best for consumers.

I promise, this is my last emo post but wanted to drop my 2 Cents. I'll repost tomorrow with my experience speaking with Pio.
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post #504 of 663
11/21/11 at 10:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Voltaic View Post

Fast forward to today when I go to get the firmware done. All goes fine there. The invoice confirms the following updates-

MAIN- 1.006
DSP- 1.005
HDMI- 1.010

I'm sure you've guessed but I didn't go into this much detail to provide a happy ending. While somewhat less frequent than what I remember, the audio skipping/drop outs are still present.

Those three are the same three firmware versions I had installed in my 94TXH back in January. I believe they are still the most recent versions. BUT... what about the 1st DSP Flash? 1st DSP is very different than the DSP you listed above. And, 1st DSP is the single most important firmware you need to have updated to help eliminate DTS sound problems (DTS Bomb, etc.).

You need to check the firmware on the 94TXH yourself. Here's how you do it:

1) Turn the volume ALL the way down until you see "---" (very important)
2) Flip down the front panel
3) Turn off the receiver
4) Hold the SELECT button and the MULTI/ZONE "on/off" button at the same time.
5) Use the down arrow below the SELECT button to scroll through the version info

The firmware versions that were installed in my 94TXH in January are:

M (MAIN) - 1.006
E (EVENT) - 1.002
DISP (DISPLAY) - 1.000
D (DSP) - 1.005
H (HDMI) - 1.010
f (1st DSP Flash) - 2.012
s (2nd DSP Flash) - 1.000

The most important one is "f", the 1st DSP Flash. If it's not at least 2.012 then your dealer did NOT install the latest DSP firmware.

The reason why some dealers don't install every bit of firmware is because it is done in THREE different steps. Part of the firmware is updated through the RS-232 port. Another bit of the firmware is updated via the ethernet port. And, lastly, the 1st DSP Flash (the MOST important one) is updated via a CD or DVD player connected to the #1 coaxial or optical digital audio port.

If you're 1st DSP Flash isn't at least 2.012 then your dealer didn't install the most recent version OR didn't bother to do that third step at all.

EDIT: By the way, there is discussion in the Pioneer VSX94TXH topic that Pioneer is starting to roll out version 2.013 of the 1st DSP Flash. One forum member is reporting that version 2.013 completely cured the brief audio dropout he was experiencing at the start of the Millennium Falcon scene at Star Wars IV: A New Hope. It appears that not all service centers are aware of the new 2.013 firmware yet. You may want to wait a bit.

Mark
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post #505 of 663
11/22/11 at 4:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon S View Post

Yes... The Onkyo TX-NR905 and 906 both exhibit the DTS Bomb on the Star Wars Blu-rays... There is no fix as of yet. Onkyo has been telling two stories about the issue. I was told they were able to replicate the issue, then later they retracted that and said there was no issue.

Gerryex has received word they were able to duplicate it, but there has been no word if or when they will fix the problem. It's been over two months since the problem reared its ugly head and still no fix.

With my HDMI boards failing on both 905 and 906 receivers, the DTS HD Master bomb and other current Onkyo fiascos, I will not buy another Onkyo product again. I have mentioned my issues with Onkyos to others and made sure they stay clear of this product line.

Am I correct in assumming the 906 and 876 were very similar? I updated the DSP and main firmware years ago and never experienced the dts bomb including on the Star Wars movies. If I recall correctly, there was also firmware updates back then for the 906 - did you update the firmware back then?
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post #506 of 663
11/22/11 at 4:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon S View Post

yes... I have six inches around my receiver... and it still gets too hot...

Six inches for a 906? I don't think that's nearly enough, when I bought my 876 I noticed how hot it ran and put in on the top shelf of my media rack with nothing about it - 3 years I have no problems to speak of.
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post #507 of 663
11/22/11 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Voltaic View Post

I totally understand this but respectfully disagree with the complacency of such beliefs. Computers, especially laptops, do not require so much work to disconnect and replace after three years. Same goes for phones. This is what happens when an industry decides to make their standards liquid instead of working together on what's best for consumers.

I promise, this is my last emo post but wanted to drop my 2 Cents. I'll repost tomorrow with my experience speaking with Pio.

I agree but firmware updates are just the new reality in CE equipment, though not a chocie 3 years ago, I don't think anyone should buy a piece of CE equipment that can't be updated either over the network or by some other local means (e.g. usb key).
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post #508 of 663
11/22/11 at 6:55am
It's times like these when I wish everybody stuck with PCM...
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post #509 of 663
11/22/11 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EVT View Post

Am I correct in assumming the 906 and 876 were very similar? I updated the DSP and main firmware years ago and never experienced the dts bomb including on the Star Wars movies. If I recall correctly, there was also firmware updates back then for the 906 - did you update the firmware back then?

The firmware for the 905/906 are current... To hear the bomb, play the STar Wars IV disc and skip to the chapter where the star destroyer approaches the death star (chapter 14? 16?) Make sure your volume control is very low, when dialog is about the same level as a whisper, otherwise you may damage your speakers...
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post #510 of 663
11/22/11 at 10:02am
Thread Starter 
I just updated the 1st DSP Flash in my Pioneer VSX-94TXH to firmware version 2.013. 2.013 is a new 1st DSP Flash version that is intended specifically to address some of the DTS audio issues with the Star Wars discs. After I was finished with the update I gave Star Wars IV: A New Hope Blu-ray a spin and went immediately to chapter 16 (where the star destroyer approaches the death star). I'm pleased to report that the momentary audio dropout that I heard (with 1st DSP Flash version 2.012) is now GONE. 2.013 has corrected the problem!

Under 1st DSP Flash version 2.012, that brief audio dropout (which causes DTS Bomb problems for folks with even older 1st DSP Flash versions) was there EVERY time I played the beginning of chapter 16.

For more information about the 2.013 1st DSP Flash firmware, see the VSX-94TXH discussion topic in the Amps and receivers forum!

Mark
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