Sky+HD Surround Sound Using Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver

Connections

Connect Sky+HD HDMI output to Onkyo TX-SR507 HDMI Input 1
Connect Sky+HD digital optical audio output to Onkyo TX-SR507 Digital In Optical 1

Assignments

Make the following assignments using the Onkyo TX-SR507 setup menu

Assign Sky+HD video to CBL/SAT on HDMI Input 1
Assign Sky+HD audio to CBL/SAT on Optical Input 1 and press [Enter]
Assign the Xbox 360 to AUX on HDMI Input 2

Disable HDMI Audio

To switch from HDMI audio to optical audio is not just a case of selecting "OPT1" or "OPT2" - that would be too easy! you have to press the "Enter" key afterwards to assign the already selected option, you'll then see an asterisk (*) appear beside your selection to confirm your choice.

The Dolby Digital from The SKY+HD will be ignored by the TX-SR507 unless you press [Enter] during the input assignment setup. Pressing [Enter] will disable HDMI audio and enable Digital Optical audio on this channel. If you don’t press [Enter] then you will still get Sky+HD audio through HDMI but it will only be stereo. Very confusing.

Hint. Test that Sky+HD audio is using the optical cable by connecting and disconnecting the optical digital audio cable.

Adding Surround Sound To My Sky+HD

Sky+HD with XBox 360, PS3, DVD, Blu-Ray – you need an AV Receiver.

Adding surround sound to a Sky+HD system is far from easy and it is very important to choose the right equipment.

Yep, to get the most out of your TV it’s now back to the days of Hi-Fi separates!!!

The first thing that you need to know is that most all in one Home Cinema or Home Theatre system as sold by the likes of Argos or Comet will probably fall short of your long term expectations and this is simply because the all in one systems just don’t have enough inputs.

If you currently only have a flat screen TV and Sky+HD then you probably made sure that your new TV had as many HDMI and other inputs as possible so that you would be able to connect up all your extra equipment but this all changes when you go the surround sound route because now you only need 1 digital input on your TV and it’s your AV Receiver that needs all the extra inputs.

My Equipment

Toshiba REGZA 42RV635DB 42” Full HD 1080p LCD TV
Sky+HD (Amstrad 780-056)
Xbox 360 Elite
Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver
Onkyo SKS-HT528 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer

Toshiba 42” LCD TV

The Toshiba 42” LCD TV has 4 HDMI inputs but I only need 1 input when I use an AV Amplifier.

The Toshiba 42” LCD TV has optical digital audio output but this output only outputs audio from the internal Digital TV decoder and it can’t output processed audio from other digital inputs. This means that audio input using an HDMI input will NOT be output using the optical digital audio output on the TV.

Sky+HD

The Sky+HD satellite receiver has HDMI out which does include audio but only 2 channel stereo is output using HDMI.

To get surround sound we need Dolby Digital and the Sky+HD only outputs Dolby Digital using the optical digital audio output.

Xbox 360 Elite

The Xbox 360 Elite has a HDMI output which does include Dolby Digital.

Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver

The Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver has
4 HDMI inputs
1 HDMI output (connect to TV)
2 coaxial digital audio inputs
2 optical digital audio inputs
Plus more inputs and outputs

Surround Sound Speaker System and Subwoofer

The Onkyo SKS-HT528 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System has
1 x Centre Speaker
2 x Front Speaker
2 x Surround Speaker
1 x Powered Subwoofer

So a 5.1 Channel Home Theatre Surround Sound speaker system has got 5 speakers plus a subwoofer.

System Interconnects

Connect the system as follows

Sky+HD HDMI Out to TX-SR507 HDMI Input 1
Sky+HD Optical Digital Audio Out to TX-SR507 Optical Input 1
Xbox 360 HDMI Out to TX-SR507 HDMI Input 2
TX-SR507 HDMI Output to Toshiba 42” LCD TV HDMI Input 1
Also connect 5 x Speakers and Subwoofer to TX-SR507

TX-SR507 Input Assignments

Make the following assignments using the Onkyo TX-SR507 setup menu

Assign Sky+HD video to CBL/SAT on HDMI Input 1
Assign Sky+HD audio to CBL/SAT on Optical Input 1 and press [Enter]
Assign the Xbox 360 to AUX on HDMI Input 2

The Dolby Digital from The SKY+HD will be ignored by the TX-SR507 unless you press [Enter] during the input assignment setup. Pressing [Enter] will disable HDMI audio and enable Digital Optical audio on this channel. If you don’t press [Enter] then you will still get Sky+HD audio through HDMI but it will only be stereo. Very confusing.

Hint. Test that Sky+HD audio is using the optical cable by connecting and disconnecting the optical digital audio cable.

Where To Buy Your AV Equipment

Toshiba 42” LCD TV and Xbox 360 Elite purchased from Tesco.
Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver purchased from Richer Sounds.

Where To Buy Your Cables

Don’t buy expensive overpriced HDMI cables at £25.00 or more. Tesco sells a basic 1m HDMI cable for just £4.99. Being a digital signal there is no need for a high quality cable.

Good Luck

I hope this little surround sound guide is useful and please post your comments and how you connected your own system.

Use Sky+HD Remote with Onkyo TX-SR507 AV

I’ve upgraded my HDTV system with the Onkyo TX-SR507 AV amplifier.

I used remote control code 01175 to make the Onkyo RC-737M remote control work most of the Sky+HD commands including SKY channel selection and live pause but it’s not possible to access the planner.

Most of the time my audio setting will already be configured and I will want to use my Sky+HD remote to change the volume and mute the Onkyo TX-SR507.

Sky+HD Remote Code for Onkyo TX-SR507

Press TV
Hold Select and 0 (2 flashes) 
Enter 0163 (2 flashes)

Enable Punch Through

Press TV
Hold Select and 1 (2 flashes)
Press Sky key

Select Sky mode and the Sky+HD remote volume up/down buttons will control volume on the Onkyo. This is very useful!!!

Select TV mode and the Sky+HD remote control Select Up and Select Down buttons will control volume on the TV and Select Right will mute the TV.

Also in TV mode the Sky+HD remote control will do lots of weird stuff to the TV and the Onkyo.

Disable Punch Through

Press TV
Hold SELECT and 0 (2 flashes)

Hibernate Shortcut

Create a shortcut called Hibernate and paste this:
rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 1 1 0

Finding WiFi Channels

cmd /k netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid

Google Trends

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends?sa=X

Use this link for the latest hot trends.

Hospital Parking

Tomorrow I am going to visit my mum in Southampton General Hospital. We all know that hospital parking charges are horrendous so I've used Google Maps to spot good off road parking spaces. I can even use Google Street View to read the parking signs!!!

 
Step 1. Off street parking spotted using Google Maps

Step 2. Use Google Street View and read the parking signs. Be careful not to to be a peeping tom if you can see into those houses!.

X1 Xperia with Voice Command

Voice Command for Windows Mobile

Voice Command tutorials

I have tried Voice Command for Windows Mobile devices and it works great with the X1 Xperia.

Look for the Bluetooth headset and microphone symbols when giving Voice Command instructions.

To use Voice Command I press the activation button on my HBH-660 Bluetooth headset and I hear a metallic ring in my ear and a microphone symbol appears in the program bar of my X1 Xperia. I can then give my spoken instruction.

Making Calls

I say "Call John Smith" and the robot voice in my ear asks me "Call John Smith at Home Work or Mobile?". I then say "Mobile" and the voice confirms "Mobile" and then dials the number. Brilliant!!!

Receiving Calls

Similarly when I receive a call the voice in my ear announces the name of the caller in a robot voice.

Launching Applications

Use Voice Command to launch application.

I say "Start Google Maps" and Google Maps will start and will even find my current location.

If I want to start GpsCycleComputer then I need to ne a little clever because Voice Command doesn't understand "G P S" unless it is spelt that way so I have to "GpsCycleComputer" with a G as in "Great". Now it works.

Configuration

Voice Command tutorials

Read the help text thoroughly to learn all the possible voice commands.

Using my X1 Xperia I couldn't create a command button but Voice Command does work perfectly with the activation button on my HBH-660 Bluetooth headset.

 
Voice Commander integrates completely with Windows Mobile and there is only 1 settings screen.

Tell Voice Commander to use the Bluetooth hands free only which ensures that your phone won't start talking to you in meetings.

Troubleshooting

On my X1 Xperia I couldn't configure a command key for Voice Command but this was not a problem because the activation button on my HBH-660 Bluetooth headset works fine.

Since installing Voice Command I have has one phone freeze which required me to remove the battery to restart and I have experienced an obstinate robot voice in my ear who refused to understand anything I said until I performed a soft reset of my X1 Xperia phone. Hopefully it will settle down with use.

X1 Internet Sharing (Tethering)

Did you know that you can use your X1 Xperia to connect your notebook or PC to the Internet?

Using your mobile to connect your notebook to the Internet is called tethering and you can make the connection between your notebook and mobile using USB or Bluetooth.

The advantage of a USB tether is that the X1 Xperia charges while you surf but you do have an extra tangle of wires to deal with.

The advantage of Bluetooth is that you can make the connection with the X1 Xperia in your pocket but you do have to make more clicks on your notebook to get it working each time and if you keep your X1 Xperia in your pocket then you will have a very hot pocket.

Using USB Tethering

 
To start Internet Sharing on the X1 Xperia go to Programs, Tools, Internet Sharing.

Select USB and click connect.

A new network connection (i.e. Local Area Connection 3, Network 2) will be automatically created in your notebook Network connections and you are immediately connected to the Internet.

Hmm, Speed tests use a lot of bits, I hope Vodafone don't charge me £10 per megabyte!!!




Interestingly the notebook is assigned an IP address by the X1 Xperia using DHCP.

Speed Testing

I tested speeds using http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

USB Tether Speed Test Results

Speed Down	1160.57 Kbps ( 1.1 Mbps )
Speed Up	744.63 Kbps ( 0.7 Mbps )

The Tao of the Software Architect

This is a very liberal reading of Lao-Tsu's Tao Te Ching for the use of software architects, based on various French and English translations. The numbers refer to the original tablets, shown at right.
 
The architect observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is open as the sky. (12)
 
The architect doesn't talk, she acts.
When this is done,
the team says, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!" (17)
 
When a great architect leads, the team
is hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst, one who is despised. (17)
 
A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets her intuition
lead her wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed herself of concepts
and keeps her mind open to what is.
Thus the architect is available to everyone
and rejects no one.
She is ready to use all situations
and does not waste anything.
This is called embodying the light. (27)
 
If you want to shrink something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception
of the way things are.
The soft overcomes the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings remain a mystery.
Just show people the results. (36)
 
When the process is lost, there is good practice.
When good practice is lost, there are rules.
When rules are lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the beginning of chaos. (38)
 
The architect concerns himself
with the depth and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower. (38)
 
The architect allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way
and lets the design speak for itself. (45)
 
The architect gives himself up
to whatever the moment brings.
He knows that he is going to leave,
and he has nothing left to hold on to:
no illusions, no resistance in his mind.
He holds nothing back from the project,
therefore is ready for departure,
as a man is ready for sleep
after a good day's work. (50)
 
The great way is easy,
yet programmers prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Remain centred within the design. (53)
 
The architect's power is like this.
She lets all things come and go
effortlessly, without desire.
She never expects results;
thus she is never disappointed.
She is never disappointed;
thus her spirit never grows old. (55)
 
Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know. (56)
 
Alternate:
Those who do not have a clue are still debating about the process.
Those who know just do it. (56)
 
The architect is content
to serve as an example
and not to impose his will.
He is pointed but doesn't pierce.
Straightforward, but supple.
Radiant, but easy on the eyes. (58)
 
If you want to be a great leader,
stop trying to control.
Let go of fixed plans and concepts and
the team will govern itself.
The more prohibitions you have,
the less disciplined the team will be.
The more you coerce,
the less secure the team will be.
The more external help you call,
the less self-reliant the team will be. (57)