Playing 7.1 on a Pioneer sc-lx83

gt4andmore

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Apologies if this is a daft question afloat in a sea of knowledge. I have a Pioneer Sc-lx83 which I have enjoyed for several years. I recently invested in some new front speakers for my existing 5.1 set up which gives me the opportunity to repurpose the old fronts to the side in a 7.1 set up. I have installed all the speaker on the Pioneer and been through its excellent automated setup algorithm so it knows all the speakers are present and working.
I am guessing Netflix etc won't have 7.1 encoded however I have several 7.1 Blu-rays which can be configured to 7.1 audio however I still however get no sound on the new side speakers.
My Blu-ray player is an old Sony DMP-BDT100 and my TV is an LG OLED.
Clearly this is a complex set up and I am not looking for an immediate diagnosis however at a systems level should I be checking the AV Receiver, the Blu-Ray player or the TV as I fear they are all involved in the setup.
I am also asking myself whether all the Blu-ray is recorded in 7.1 or only certain sections - a bit like when the original 3D films were released.
Any helpful pointers gratefully received or indeed suggestions on where to access a broader range of 7.1 compatible content.
 
The side surround are the surround you'd ordinarill have in a 5.1 setup anyway. It would be the back surround to the rear of the room that would be added to a 5.1 setup to make it a 7.1 setup.

How is the Blu-ray play connected to the AV receiver. You'd only be able to access HD formatted 7.1 audio via an HDMI connection or if making multichannel analogue connections from said player. Optical cannot convey HD formats or 7.1.
 
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Hi - thanks so much for the prompt and informative reply.
The Blu-ray player is HDMI into the AV receiver. This is the only output apart from something called "communication cinema wireless lan adapter".
The LG TV however only has optical out. I have never got my head around how this system works however my feeling is that the TV is doing much more than simply displaying the picture.
So from what you say there are two conclusions;
1. Forget Netflix or any other TV or Internet based source for 7.1 content. The only way it is going to get to the AV is via the optical link.
2. Perhaps, in ways I don't understand, the optical link is somehow in a loop that leads from the Blu-ray player, to the TV and back to the TV.
Probably, if you were in the room with me, we wouldn't be able to solve this. If however we were in our local AV store we could walk away with a solution.
That in itself is progress.
Thanks again for your help - I will continue to play and will report back if anything changes.
 
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You'd not ordinarilly get anything more than 5.1 via Netflix or TV broadcasts. The same goes for other streaming services such as Amazon Prime for instance. You can get Atmos, but that wouldn't be something your AVR would be equipped to decode and handle anyway.

You should be geeting 7.1 HD formatted audio via the BD player though if connected directly to the AV receiver via HDMI. Many Blu-ray titles include 7.1 TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. Ensure that the Blu-ray player's HDMI audio output is set to BITSTREAM and that SECPNDARY AUDIO or similar settings are set to OFF.

Optical cannot cnvey 7.1 channel audio. If wanting 7.1 then you'd need an HDMI connection from the BD player directly to the AV receiver. THe optical connection from your TV to the AV receiver should be fine seeing as TV broadcasters don't broadcast anything more than 2 channel stereo or 5.1 surround. Streaming services do also stream Atmos, but this is of no consequence in your case with your setup.

There shouldf be no connections from the BD player to the TV. The player should just be connected to your AV receiver via HDMI. The AV receiver should be connected to the TV via its HDMI output to an input. You should also ensure that the AV receiver is congigured not to pass audio through and out to the TV. Ensure the AV receiver HDMI audio output configuration is set to just AVR and not to TV or TV + AVR. If not then a source such as a Blu-ray player will use the TV's audio capabilities to determine what it can output as opposed to outputting what the AV receiver can deal with. Your TV will not be able to handle HD 7.1 so this may be why you are not getting it?
 
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Hi there Dante. Just wanted to say thanks again for your insight. I can see how this all hangs together and have followed your instructions to the letter. It's been an interesting journey but so far still no 7.1 sound which is more an irritation than a disaster - given I only have a few 7.1 Blu-rays. I will continue to look at this but just wanted to thank you, and all the experts out there in Internet land, who provide such useful assistance to those around you.
 
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You have to use the upmixing mode on the amp to bring into use the rear surrounds from a 5.1 source which you will find most films are mixed in. I believe that setting on your receiver is Pro Logic iix. You should be able to get to it from the Audio Parameter button on your remote. Page 71 in your manual.
 
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I used to own a lx83. I'm sure you had to turn them on in the menu...
 
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OK - sorted - and as always the answer is to read the manual - although in this case the manual is 146 pages long. I had hoped the system would be intelligent enough to sense the format however there is a button marked "Standard" on the bottom of the remote control which refers to "Standard Surround Sound". Pressing this cycles through popular formats including 7.1 movie wide - which is what I wanted.
Thanks everyone for your help and encouragement. Without feeling that I had exhausted every possible set up - thanks to this forum - I wouldn't have resorted to reading the manual!
I hope this post helps someone in future.
 
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