My Pioneer Reciever appears to have lost its DolbyDigital/DTS Decoder...Ideas?

Bires · 11-13-2002, 07:47 PM

So, I put in EpisodeII and noticed that, even during the THX test, my reciver is locked into DolbyProLogic, and the surround speakers are mixed. I tried other DVDs and even my laserdisc player, and the best any of them will do is Prologic. I've tried everything (frustrating two hours) I can think of, and the nearest service center is 300 miles away.

Any ideas?

hapoo · 11-13-2002, 07:51 PM

i don't know about your reciever but on my pioneer i gotta make sure its using the digital input.

Bires · 11-13-2002, 08:30 PM

it is. It was working fine until just recently...I tought it was the rented DVDs until today. I checked and replaced the cables, and reset everything...still nothing but prologic. Crappy pioneer's only 10 months old.

ufcrusher · 11-13-2002, 10:06 PM

I assume that you have tried a DVD that you are certain works. First thing to do is try to diagnos whether the problem is your DVD player or your receiver. Since its generally easier to check a dvd player, unhook it and bring it to the store where you bought it, ask them to hook it up to a receiver to make sure you are sending a digital signal. Most places are more than willing to do this. If it turns out that your dvd player is still working, you are going to have to trouble shoot the receiver itself.

I would do this in the following way:
1. Check that your receiver is set for auto setting, this way it will automatically default to dolby or dts if the signal is there.

2. Obviously you already checked that your dvd player is set with the digital output turned on and you selected that setting on the disc itself. Certain discs default to prologic unless told otherwise.

3. IF you have a friend with a dvdplayer, you can ask him or her to bring it over and hook it up, this will check the receiver itself. Thus, double checking the source signal isnt the problem. You can also hook it up to another optical input or digital coax input on the machine, to see if the one jack is bad.

One of the easiest things to do is take you optical cable and hook it up only to the receiver itself (unhook it from dvd) look to see if light is coming through it, if there is the optical port is alive and well, if nothing then its dead. If checking those three things dont work, you will want to do the following.

Try to auto reset it, by unplugging it from the wall for at least 20 minutes. - As simple as this sounds, if its something small, this will sometimes work.

If you have determined that its not the dvd, player, or cable...and its not a miss set setting, you are probably going to have to service it. You said its only a few months old, so depending on whether you have a 6 mo or 12 mo warranty you will want to bring it in immediately.

Hopefully this helped.

LPMiller · 11-13-2002, 10:15 PM

I would think it would more likely be the fault of the cable or the player than the receiver.

Bires · 11-14-2002, 08:42 AM

I tried three different DVD: old one with no dolby, Apollo13 in Dolby Digital and Galaxy Quest in DTS. All of them-only prologic. I tried my laser disc player, no joy.

Just to make sure, I'd like to hook up my reciever to my computer (Audigy), but I don't think I have the applicable 1/8" to 75ohm mono RCA cable.

I would really hope it is the DVD player(Toshiba), but I have doubts, since the DVD diagnostics didn't find anything and the display shows that it is outputting DD/DTS, not prologic.

attgig · 11-14-2002, 01:27 PM

which model do you have?
also, what cables are you using?
rca? optical? coax?

ufcrusher · 11-14-2002, 07:31 PM

Seriously, if you want to check out the problems, go through everything I told you to do. When I worked at Good Guys, I had to trouble shoot lots of systems for lots of different people...and that is the order in which you trouble shoot them.

One other thing, I just noticed that you said the closest service center is 300 miles away, they will generally tell you a local place they will allow to do it and/or the manufacturer will pay for the shipping.

11-13-2002, 07:47 PM	#1
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	My Pioneer Reciever appears to have lost its DolbyDigital/DTS Decoder...Ideas? So, I put in EpisodeII and noticed that, even during the THX test, my reciver is locked into DolbyProLogic, and the surround speakers are mixed. I tried other DVDs and even my laserdisc player, and the best any of them will do is Prologic. I've tried everything (frustrating two hours) I can think of, and the nearest service center is 300 miles away. Any ideas? __________________ Five years...

11-13-2002, 07:51 PM	#2
hapoo Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield USA Posts: 9,276	i don't know about your reciever but on my pioneer i gotta make sure its using the digital input. __________________

11-13-2002, 10:06 PM	#4
ufcrusher Admiral Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Boca Raton, FL: By way of: Poway, CA; Gainesville, Fl; Penn Valley, Pa. Posts: 5,680	I assume that you have tried a DVD that you are certain works. First thing to do is try to diagnos whether the problem is your DVD player or your receiver. Since its generally easier to check a dvd player, unhook it and bring it to the store where you bought it, ask them to hook it up to a receiver to make sure you are sending a digital signal. Most places are more than willing to do this. If it turns out that your dvd player is still working, you are going to have to trouble shoot the receiver itself. I would do this in the following way: 1. Check that your receiver is set for auto setting, this way it will automatically default to dolby or dts if the signal is there. 2. Obviously you already checked that your dvd player is set with the digital output turned on and you selected that setting on the disc itself. Certain discs default to prologic unless told otherwise. 3. IF you have a friend with a dvdplayer, you can ask him or her to bring it over and hook it up, this will check the receiver itself. Thus, double checking the source signal isnt the problem. You can also hook it up to another optical input or digital coax input on the machine, to see if the one jack is bad. One of the easiest things to do is take you optical cable and hook it up only to the receiver itself (unhook it from dvd) look to see if light is coming through it, if there is the optical port is alive and well, if nothing then its dead. If checking those three things dont work, you will want to do the following. Try to auto reset it, by unplugging it from the wall for at least 20 minutes. - As simple as this sounds, if its something small, this will sometimes work. If you have determined that its not the dvd, player, or cable...and its not a miss set setting, you are probably going to have to service it. You said its only a few months old, so depending on whether you have a 6 mo or 12 mo warranty you will want to bring it in immediately. Hopefully this helped. __________________ Welcome my son, welcome to the machine...Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been....

11-13-2002, 10:15 PM	#5
LPMiller Chief News Editor & Master of His Domain Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Minnesota Posts: 8,161	I would think it would more likely be the fault of the cable or the player than the receiver. __________________ lpmiller Chief News Editor Nobel Prize Nominee Reverend in the Universal Life Church Once Shot A Man For Snoring Too Loud Way Too Lazy To Change His Signature "The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference." - Calvin and Hobbes

11-14-2002, 01:27 PM	#7
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	which model do you have? also, what cables are you using? rca? optical? coax? __________________

11-13-2002, 08:30 PM	#3
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	it is. It was working fine until just recently...I tought it was the rented DVDs until today. I checked and replaced the cables, and reset everything...still nothing but prologic. Crappy pioneer's only 10 months old.

11-14-2002, 08:42 AM	#6
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	I tried three different DVD: old one with no dolby, Apollo13 in Dolby Digital and Galaxy Quest in DTS. All of them-only prologic. I tried my laser disc player, no joy. Just to make sure, I'd like to hook up my reciever to my computer (Audigy), but I don't think I have the applicable 1/8" to 75ohm mono RCA cable. I would really hope it is the DVD player(Toshiba), but I have doubts, since the DVD diagnostics didn't find anything and the display shows that it is outputting DD/DTS, not prologic.

11-14-2002, 07:31 PM	#8
ufcrusher Admiral Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Boca Raton, FL: By way of: Poway, CA; Gainesville, Fl; Penn Valley, Pa. Posts: 5,680	Seriously, if you want to check out the problems, go through everything I told you to do. When I worked at Good Guys, I had to trouble shoot lots of systems for lots of different people...and that is the order in which you trouble shoot them. One other thing, I just noticed that you said the closest service center is 300 miles away, they will generally tell you a local place they will allow to do it and/or the manufacturer will pay for the shipping.

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