topic Full Multi-Channel Blu-Ray Audio via Sky Soundbox...... in Archive

Full Multi-Channel Blu-Ray Audio via Sky Soundbox......

Mock+King+Jay — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 20:03:01 GMT

....It CAN be done!

They say to use your Soundbox with non-Sky kit, you must use the optical input. That's fine for Dolby Digital and Stereo PCM, but no good for DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos and other bitrate-heavy codecs.

(The Toslink cable is perfectly capable of carrying these codecs, but the industry standard is ancient and does not allow it.)

...So why not connect your BD-Player to the Soundbox's HDMI IN? ...Because you get a blank screen. For years that's all I got, but now I have my Sky Glass and the Soundbox seemed redundant (£40 Cash at CEX, it was headed for.)

But trying it one more time, I got lucky and confirmed that any other way gives a blank screen. And this is what you do:

You need a Sky HDMI cable, and they are usually far longer than necessary, but get one, and stick the black end into the BD-Player. Now connect the pink end into the black HDMI IN socket on the Soundbox, then use any good-quality non-Sky HDMI cable to connect the Soundbox's HDMI OUT socket to the TV input, remembering to set your BD-Player's audio output to PCM. ....And it works!

My Sony Blu-Ray player also plays SACDs and DVD-A's. Will report back later if they work in Surround as well as stereo.

Re: Full Multi-Channel Blu-Ray Audio via Sky Soundbox......

mike+simmonds — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:25:30 GMT

Hi @Mock+King+Jay

The Sky soundbox won't of course truly support Dolby Atmos however you connect it as it has no upward firing speakers

As I use my Sky Q box with my soundbox (via HDMI) I've never tried to connect my Bluray player to the Soundbox by HDMI - but your setup is interesting

Presumably you either don't have a Sky box connected or you use an HDMI splitter ?

Re: Full Multi-Channel Blu-Ray Audio via Sky Soundbox......

Mock+King+Jay — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 08:50:42 GMT

Sky Q box sent back, replaced with Glass as a second TV.

SACD and DVD-A surround work beautifully.

Not true Atmos but as with the Sky Q UHD broadcasts, it can handle 7.1 ch.

Re: Full Multi-Channel Blu-Ray Audio via Sky Soundbox......

Mock+King+Jay — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 11:49:08 GMT

Just an update to say I now have the Sky Soundbox happily installed on my replacement Arris Freesat Box, where sound via HDMI is noticeably better than via the Optical link.

Sky Q Lite for free.