NOTE: This page applies to Astro HD and PVR boxes only.
Ultra Box may not be applicable.
Enjoy Dolby surround sound on HD channels on your home cinema system
To experience Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on your home cinema system, please ensure your home cinema system has at least any of the ONE following ports: HDMI Input, Digital Coaxial Audio or Digital Optical Audio.
Connecting RCA cable (red/white audio cable) to your home cinema system is only available in Stereo. Bear in mind that Dolby 5.1 surround sound is only available to selected HD channels and programmes. SD channels in Astro broadcasts in Stereo/Mono only.
Connecting RCA cable (red/white audio cable) to your home cinema system is only available in Stereo. Bear in mind that Dolby 5.1 surround sound is only available to selected HD channels and programmes. SD channels in Astro broadcasts in Stereo/Mono only.
How to set up
Recommended: HDMI cableFirst, ensure your TV support ARC (Audio Return Channel) on the HDMI port. Otherwise, use Digital Coaxial/Optical cable instead.
Connect HDMI cable directly from Astro box to your home cinema system's HDMI input. Then, connect another HDMI cable from your home cinema system's HDMI Output to your TV, which indicates HDMI ARC on your TV. |
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Alternative: Digital Coaxial/Optical cableIf you neither have HDMI inputs on your home cinema system or TV, you can connect the digital audio cable to your home cinema system. Do note that differrent Astro B.yond box models provides either digital coaxial port or optical port or both ports.
If you're using latest PVR box (DMT 5 v2) or older DMT 4 Astro B.yond HD or PVR boxes, only Digital Coaxial audio port is available. If you are using PVR box (DMT 5), both Digital Coaxial cable and Digital Optical cable ports is available. If you're using latest HD box (DMT 5), only Digital Optical cable is available. |
NOTE: If your new TV has a built-in Optical Audio output, but your home theatre/AV system does not have HDMI input and only has Optical (or Coaxial) input, you can also connect the optical cable from TV to your home cinema system to enjoy Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Do note that some older TV model's optical audio output may output up to Stereo only instead of Dolby 5.1 sound (Bitstream) even if the media source's audio (e.g. HDMI) is in Dolby 5.1. Do refer to your TV's user manual to confirm. Otherwise, just connect either Digital Coaxial/Optical cable directly from Astro box to your home cinema system to enjoy Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
Once done connecting the cables
Warning!
The Digital Audio settings is set to Stereo by default. However, RCA audio ports and devices (e.g. TV/home theatre) that do not support Dolby Digital 5.1 audio will be muted.
Output from Astro B.yond box: HDMI to your TV |
If your TV supports Dolby audio via HDMI, you will be able to listen to the audio as usual. If your TV do not support Dolby audio passthrough via HDMI, audio will be muted whenever you are watching HD channels only. SD channels are not affected. |
Output from Astro B.yond box: RCA to your TV and/or home cinema system |
Audio will be muted when you're watching HD channels only. |
Note: Dolby audio via HDMI means the audio codec used by input source is Dolby audio (also known as Bitstream) instead of PCM uncompressed audio or any other kind of audio. Usually newer and better TVs support this feature, while some does not.
Some users will notice a slight volume increase/decrease on your TV and/or home cinema system on HD channels if the Digital Audio setting on your Astro box is set as Dolby Digital 5.1. This depends on the volume setting on your TV, Astro and home cinema system.
Not all programmes/channels is available in 5.1 surround sound
Selected programmes has 5.1 surround sound available from channel provider. To identify if the particular programme has Dolby 5.1, make sure the Digital Audio Settings on your Astro B.yond box has set to Dolby Digital 5.1 (Digital only) and your home cinema system MUST BE indicate 5.1 audio input whenever you tune to any HD channels, and then listen carefully and precisely:
If you hear dialogues coming only from centre speaker very clearly while other left/right speakers doesn't have any dialogues (especially in movies), then you are listening to 5.1 surround sound content.
If you hear the dialogues coming from left, centre and right speakers simuateously, but surround left and right speakers doesn't have dialogues at all, which means that programme is still in 5.1 surround sound. Usually this is common in most TV programmes, not movies.
How to know if that programme doesn't not have Dolby 5.1?
If there is no sound from all centre speaker, back left and back right at all, while sound coming only from left and right front speakers, which means the content you are watching is in Stereo.
However, there are channel provider used Dolby Pro Logic II instead of the actual 5.1 surround sound experience to virtualize the surround sound effect.
Listen to your left and right surround speakers carefully and precisely, if you hear the audio quality is poor, and you able to listen the dialogue softly, which means the programme has been virtualize to 5.1 (Dolby Pro Logic II)
*Not all Sports events has 5.1 surround sound.
If you hear dialogues coming only from centre speaker very clearly while other left/right speakers doesn't have any dialogues (especially in movies), then you are listening to 5.1 surround sound content.
If you hear the dialogues coming from left, centre and right speakers simuateously, but surround left and right speakers doesn't have dialogues at all, which means that programme is still in 5.1 surround sound. Usually this is common in most TV programmes, not movies.
How to know if that programme doesn't not have Dolby 5.1?
If there is no sound from all centre speaker, back left and back right at all, while sound coming only from left and right front speakers, which means the content you are watching is in Stereo.
However, there are channel provider used Dolby Pro Logic II instead of the actual 5.1 surround sound experience to virtualize the surround sound effect.
Listen to your left and right surround speakers carefully and precisely, if you hear the audio quality is poor, and you able to listen the dialogue softly, which means the programme has been virtualize to 5.1 (Dolby Pro Logic II)
*Not all Sports events has 5.1 surround sound.