i have my outlaw for 7 months now and it works perfectly until yesterday. for some reason the audio drops out every 2 minutef for about 5 seconds and it says s/pdif unlock on the screen. this is happening both with my dvd player input on coaxial and my replaytv video 1 input connected by optical. what is going on? i know there is a 2-3 second delay usually when switching sources but for some reason it does it every 2 minutes in middle of the dvd or tv show!!

If you haven't done so already, definitely give Outlaw a call (1-866-688-5292). It sounds to me like you may have a problem with your unit causing it to lose and re-acquire the digital audio signal. Aside from perhaps a component failure, has anything been changed recently in your system? If the unit doesn't have proper ventilation, overheating might cause something like this.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

that is exactly what i think is happening. i have not done anything to my unit it has been sitting on my rack and the problem just started yesterday. i just called the number but no one picked up. is there any other way to contact them?

They are on the east coast, and closed probably around 5 or 6 EST. They'll be open in the morning. You could also e-mail them.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I think I had the same problem you are having. When I contacted them, they said ship it back, and we'll fix it. I was a little miffed that I had to pay shipping to their repair facility, but I haven't seen the problem since I got it back. Hope that helps.

Bill

I too have recently been seeing the same problem but only via my Directv optical connection when watching DD program material. I got the red dot unit back in August and only started seeing this problem after changing my satellite receiver in December. Please let me know what the outcome is.
Thanks,
didjdude

Didjdude

Double-check feedback on the make/model of your new satellite receiver on Video forums. (AVS is a good one) If it is a HD capable receiver, some of these have audio dropout issues. I returned a Sony HD200 that I was having reboot/freeze occurrences. I did not have the audio dropouts with my box but a high percent of 200 owners did experience heavy audio dropouts.
The Zenith version had the same issues with dropouts as did the Samsung competitor at one point although the Samsung STB (may) have sorted out on that issue (I have not checked status on these recently. I am not as familiar with these audio dropouts recorded on the non-HD satellite receivers currently at market but know that some have had dropouts reported.

It may not apply to your model, but it is a common enough complaint with various STB’s at the moment, that I would recommend you ruling this out, - since you mention your dropouts began with the addition of a new Direct receiver to your system.

I have the red dot 950 that I received last August. I started having the same problem when I swapped out my directv receiver in November, but only with channels broadcasting DD 3.2. I'm very interested in what you find out regarding a solution to this problem.

Smart Little Lena,

Thanks for the info. The satellite receiver is an RCA DRD450RG, which isn't HD compable (not quite there yet) but does support DD via an optical output. I'm starting to suspect the dss receiver and I never had this problem with my old Sony SAT-A55.

p.s. Sorry all about the double post. It was either internet being flaky or user error. Yeah flaky internet ... that's my story and I'm sticking with it..