I purchased the 160GB Apple TV a few weeks ago. From day one I had issues with the sound with my configuration. I have the Apple TV connected to a Philips 42" LCD TV with HDMI cable. I then have the coaxial digital audio out from my TV to a Pioneer receiver. With the setup I can always get sound from my TV speakers, but not all sounds are output to my stereo.
The audio path is:
AppleTV -> Philips LCD TV (HDMI) -> Pioneer Receiver (Digital Coax)
Here are some observations:
- The startup audio on Apple TV plays fine through stereo, this sound is about 15-20 seconds long, after that the only sound that can be heard from the stereo is the sound of the button chirps using the remote.
- If I toggle between HDMI inputs on the TV ending on the one Apple TV is hooked to, the sound will play through the stereo for 4-5 seconds then cuts out, but I can still hear it through the tv. After it cuts out I can only hear the remote chirp sounds
- After playing around with it a bit, I ended up finding one audio clip that will play normally
A call to Apple support eventually led me to a product specialist who said they don't support a setup where the sound passes through a middle device.
I ended up hooking the audio output directly from the Apple TV into my stereo, which sounds fine but a little inconvenient in that I have to use 2 remotes to switch from Directv to Apple TV, maybe its time for a Harmony One.
Anyway, the issue seems to be something to do with the Apple TV 2.0 upgrade and how the Philips LCD TV processes audio. If you have had similar issues, please comment.
Too bad about the lack of pass through audio support. Maybe it will be included in a future release.
ReplyDeleteThe Harmony One is an impressive device. I have used one while house sitting. However, after reading the $200+ cost from the link in the post, I'd say it needs to be more than a consolidator of remotes or that it may need to wait until you have 3+ remotes. Can't the iPhone control the AppleTV? ;-)
I actually have 5 remotes in my living room at the present, which is making the harmony one look pretty nice... TV, Satellite, Apple TV, Receiver, DVD Player... Not only that but when you switch from one input to another, it can automatically shut off devices that are not in use! Maybe a good b-day present :)
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