Digital signal lock ?

Has Outlaw fixed or anyone come up with a solution to the problem with the 950 locking onto the digital signal (DD or DTS)i.e with
DVD's it does not pick the signal up right away... a couple of seconds elapse before the audio starts or when you skip around to different chapters there's a delay in the audio. Sometimes happen with CD's too at the beginning.

Thanks

The signal lock issue is common to many modern pre/pros and receivers to varying degrees -- the processor needs time to properly identify the signal format, and if it starts playing too soon you may wind up with a gibberish screech of mis-decoded noise. It takes place any time the 950 senses a change in format. Since typically DVD's use DD 2.0 for menu audio, changing to DD 5.1 or DTS for the main feature (either at the beginning or when using the scene selection menu) creates the moment of muting you are noticing.

There is a solution included in the 950's manual that can work in certain cases when the signal format for a specific input is always the same (such as a CD input that always gets PCM audio, or a satellite receiver that always gets PCM or always gets Dolby Digital). In column 2 of page 31, there are instructions for "Surround Data Format Lock" that will override the detection process and always default to the specified format. This setting is input-specific.

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

I don't think he's complaining about experiencing a signal lock pause, I *think* he's just asking a general question.

FWIW, I don't even notice any signal lock problems. My previous processor was a Sony ES receiver that had a terrible time recognizing signals, drove me nuts. I sometimes had to rewind during DVD layer changes because I'd miss some dialogue. W/ the 950, I don't even notice any pause while the processor locks onto a signal, it's a non-issue for me. The DTS and DD trailers that some DVDs include as the opening track all start w/ no audio delay. Whatever lock time there is, I think would be better measured in milliseconds rather than seconds...

I have, however, also changed my dvd-player to a Denon 3800 which is very very good about layer changes. The player has an internal buffer and 90% of the time, you can't even tell when the layer change occurs.

One problem I've seen is using the 950 for Playstation 2 (it's got a digital Toslink output). In certain games, there are apparently times when the PS2 is not sending any audio. This causes the 950 to search for a singal, then miss the first few seconds of audio when the game starts playing again. Very, very annoying.

Gonk, somehow I missed that section in the manual. I'm going to have to try that! Thanks,

-JOe

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Very strange that this problem is not common among receivers. The signal always seems to lock on instantly, No dropouts.

I wonder how much any delay can be attributed to the the pre/pro alone, and how much is dependant on the behavior of the playback device? It seems that different people, all using the 950, have different delay experiences. Perhaps the difference in delay time comes with the way the different playback units feed data?


[This message has been edited by bestbang4thebuck (edited January 06, 2004).]

Yes, I definately noticed a huge change for the better when I upgraded my DVD player from a panasonic (rp-56 I think) to my current Denon 3800.

Now, this was all w/ my old processor (Sony 333ES), but the Panny had about a 1-2 second delay on layer changes and startup whereas the delay w/ the Denon was barely noticable

>There is a solution included in the 950's manual that can work in certain cases when the signal format for a specific input is always the same (such as a CD input that always gets PCM audio, or a satellite receiver that always gets PCM or always gets Dolby Digital). In column 2 of page 31, there are instructions for "Surround Data Format Lock" that will override the detection process and always default to the specified format. This setting is input-specific.<

Perhaps I will pass this along to the fine folks at NAD, who insist that this "problem" can not be fixed on my 762.

This is the correct solution, and should be standard for ANY receiver or pre/pro that exhibits the lock delay.

BGL