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adwan001

Last reply Nov 12, 2005 · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion

AC3 and Dolby decoding Question

I bought the other day at Walmart a cheap home theater system made by Duraband. It has a DVD player and surround sound. It said on the box that it has Dolby digital and Prologic II decoder. Here is the link to it on walmart's website: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3880837
please take a look at the picture of the back of the unit. It has all the plugs and outlets.

I thought this one would work with my Fortec star ultra to decode the PBS channels that has AC3 audio format.
The box has a digital audio out RCA outlet which I connected to the SPIF (sp) on the back of the receiver and hoping for the best. Turns out, no sound whatsoever. Before putting it back in the box and returning it to walmart, does anyone have any ideas as to how I may get this thing to work??
Thanks a bunch

12 Replies · 2806 views

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Anole

Nov 11, 2005

on the other hand...

Well, in fairness, the AC3 DVDs that I make from my Dish PVR, play fine in my cheapo system, and Formula One races on Speed Channel light up all 5 speakers.
Same for all commercial 5.1 DVD, of course.

The decoder is built in, but hooks only to the DVD out, if you will.
So, I have 5.1, but only for DVDs I play...

Mine is an RCA HTS-1000 that I got at Radio Shack for maybe $115, around four years ago.
Come to think of it, I don't believe there are 5 discrete inputs, either...
...it is a thin little thing, and the rear is full of connectors...
So, as much as I'd like to bitch, it does well what it's intended to do.
I wasn't cheated. Just inconvenienced.

W_Tracy_Parnell

Nov 11, 2005

baya said:
Iceburg, Could we get the brand name and the model #

Walmart changes equipment so much they may not have it anyway. You need a unit that decodes Dolby Digital AND has a digital audio input of the type you require. There are 2 kinds-Digital Coaxial and Optical (Toslink). Check your unit and see which you require.

If you already have a home theatre system you may just need a new receiver. I got the Sherwood RD-6500 for something like $127 and it works well and has both types of inputs.

mk279

Nov 12, 2005

baya said:
Iceburg, Could we get the brand name and the model #

I believe Iceberg and myself have the same one. It's a Durabrand HT-395. It has 2 inputs. 1 optical and 1 coaxial. I think he gave me a heads up on these a couple months ago and I found one on eBay for around $40.00. Not bad for use with the PBS channels......do an eBay search and you'll probably get lucky ..........MK

dogstar1313

Nov 12, 2005

You can also use a SoundBlaster Extigy USB external soundcard. It will work as a stand alone Dolby Digital/AC3 decoder without a computer. I got a remanned one off eBay direct from Creative for $49 with warranty as well as a set of 5.1 speakers for $29. I think I'll be investing in some better speakers in the future though, but not immediately.

drhydro

Nov 12, 2005

dogstar1313 said:
You can also use a SoundBlaster Extigy USB external soundcard. It will work as a stand alone Dolby Digital/AC3 decoder without a computer. I got a remaned one off eBay direct from Creative for $49 with warranty as well as a set of 5.1 speakers for $29. I think I'll be investing in some better speakers in the future though, but not immediately.

There is a review about the extigy in the review section. I have had mine for a couple of weeks now and i love it. I paid under 30.00 used on that auction site.

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply 16 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

You can't even trust the cost per ounce info in grocery stores anymore

I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

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Jimbo

Today at 9:23 AM

dishstaller said:
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

Walmart isn't the only one ...

Juan

Today at 11:17 AM

dishstaller said:
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...the product label only shows the weight of the product...I am sure if you brought your own plastic baggies to bring the product home you could get the cheaper price

harshness

Today at 11:18 AM

Jimbo said:
Walmart isn't the only one ...

I've been seeing this more and more on Amazon. Sometimes it seems there is no way they could have arrived at the number.

What rankles me even more is Costco changing units of measure between similar products, so you have to convert them to compare prices.

dishstaller

Today at 11:47 AM

Juan said:
When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...

Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.

b4pjoe

Today at 12:41 PM

Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.

harshness

57 minutes ago

b4pjoe said:
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.

Bone-in is a well-known and often prized attribute. Adding the tray and the film isn't right.

Reactions: dishstaller

Juan

16 minutes ago

dishstaller said:
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.

You are paying for the whole thing

SuperDish_Fan23

Last reply 20 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Its crazy how the ViP922 is so rare for no reason.

Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!

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HipKat

Monday at 8:55 AM

I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.

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telstar_1

Monday at 1:22 PM

HipKat said:
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.

I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.

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Nominal

Monday at 4:30 PM

telstar_1 said:
I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.

You are thinking of the 921. The 922 was the first DVR with Sling functionality built in (that was eventually disabled along with the Sling Adapter for the 722s and the 1st Hopper because they relied on now-defunct Adobe Flash technology). With the bugginess described by others and the removal of its marquee feature (Sling) the 922 faded into obscurity once the Hopper 2 with built in Sling was released and they finally made the concept into a fully functional product.

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dishdude

Monday at 5:05 PM

I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.

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MikeD-C05

44 minutes ago

dishdude said:
I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.

I had both the 921 and the 922. I used to buy them from DishDepot.com in Florida and trade in my older owned receiver towards the newest receiver. The 921 was a reboot receiver and the sling part was hit or miss. I look back on all those receivers I paid for over 25 years and I think it was just TV. If I had that money back now I would be lot richer. My Owned Hopper 3 is sitting in a drawer in my office not being used.

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telstar_1

20 minutes ago

That was part of the Ergen scheme, to sell the product as well as the service. And who didn't want the best box?

Maybe they went to the hopper because they were running out of 3-digit model #s- 1022 would have been kinda clunky. Folks would have tried to say "one-thousand and twenty two" instead of "ten-twenty-two".

Like some say "two thousand and twenty six".

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply 30 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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gms49ers

Today at 10:40 AM

Where's My Thing? - Rush

harshness

Today at 11:08 AM

I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith

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Bobby

Today at 11:20 AM

Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard

Reactions: RaiderPower and gms49ers

dishstaller

Today at 11:42 AM

Little Miss Dangerous - Ted Nugent

RaiderPower

30 minutes ago

Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Spin Doctors

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reubenray

Last reply 37 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Dish vs Streaming Apps?

Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.

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Bruce

37 minutes ago

reubenray said:
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.

USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.

Philo - Stream Live and On-Demand TV

Why pay more for TV? Start your Philo free trial and enjoy live TV plus on-demand content starting at just $25/month. Stream hit shows, movies, and more.

www.philo.com

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dfergie

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply Today at 11:26 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Gas Price Info With National Gas Temperature Map

Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

5561 Replies · 461016 views

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harshness

Sunday at 11:30 AM

I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.

harshness

Yesterday at 5:32 PM

harshness said:
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.

It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.

Foxbat

Yesterday at 8:39 PM

harshness said:
It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.

Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.

Bobby

Yesterday at 9:05 PM

Foxbat said:
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.

Winter blend is cheaper than Summer blend.

Reactions: dishstaller and Foxbat

Bobby

Today at 11:21 AM

Regular$5.839
Premium$6.299
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

harshness

Today at 11:26 AM

Foxbat said:
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price?

Winter blend is reportedly 10-30 cents cheaper, but I would point out that prices have dropped as much as 62 cents at RP.

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Former member 209992

Last reply Today at 11:18 AM · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center

Site is slooooow

For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.

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Scott Greczkowski

Saturday at 3:21 PM

Ok checked it out and for some reason the web server (NGINX) tried starting before the DNS resolver fully loaded. This is why it worked when I rebooted the machine.

Thanks to ChatGPT it had me change the NGINX config to prevent this from happening again.

With that said I can't prevent the ISP from doing emergency upgrades which was the cause of all of this.

Reactions: long_time_Dish, Foxbat, FTA4PA and 1 other person

navychop

Saturday at 3:39 PM

Nature will develop better idiots.

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TRG

Saturday at 4:19 PM

navychop said:
Nature will develop better idiots.

God help us.

Reactions: FTA4PA and charlesrshell

Scott Greczkowski

Monday at 11:15 AM

I guess this is what the downtime was about.

Reactions: long_time_Dish, Foxbat, Bobby and 3 others

Scott Greczkowski

Today at 11:18 AM

Just a heads up... I just patched our PHP to close the major PHP exploit announced this morning.

Now on PHP 8.4.27 (cli) (built: Oct 20 2026 00:00:00)

Reactions: RaiderPower, dishstaller, FTA4PA and 1 other person

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Booredatwork.com

Today at 10:52 AM · posted in BooredAtWork.COM

iPhone Duo Folio Kickstand Case!

Time for another AWESOME video from BoredAtWork!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RTpsyCQSAgA

Direct YouTube Link - iPhone Duo Folio Kickstand Case!
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook

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Gary Toma

Staff member Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 10:40 AM · posted in DIRECTV Technical Resources Forum

DIRECTV Transponder Map ~ Data 10/14/2026

The TPN Map Excel Presents all DIRECTV Channels:

National (50-States or wide/NAT+PR beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)

Additional tabs provide:

OTA the (Over-The-Air) Database
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders

Domestic Satellites
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8

Understanding the TPN Map

Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions

DIRECTV_TPN_Map_261014.xlsx 1,874 KB

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KyL416

Yesterday at 2:37 PM

WCWW/25 CW South Bend and WBKP/5 CW Marquette are now testing on the stream server. These are both already available on satellite.

Now live in the satellite guide:
663-2 PISTONS (663-1 is likely being reserved for an overflow feed of Detroit Sportsnet, if there's a 2027 MLB season)
675 THUNDER
693 CLIPPERS

Reactions: Mr Tony

doctor J

Today at 7:22 AM

DirecTV Satellite Transponder Updates for Oct 21 2026

Comparison of Transponder Data for Oct 21 2026 vs Oct 14 2026:

No changes in system tables for any transponder tuning parameters.

Changes to the use of defined transponders:

1 Transponder cleared of all Streams::
Net 10 TID 126 Beam NAT is a National Transponder on D11@99cb, TPN 3

1 Previously unused Transponder with current APG records::
Net 15 TID 15 Beam NAT is a National Transponder on D12@103ca, TPN 16

Stream (PID) counts:

LIVE Streams	National		Spot Beams
	Count	Change	Count	Change
4K	4
HD	264	2	1449
SD mpeg4	145		194
SD mpeg2	433
RB
Audio	89
Push	26
Slate	19		1

TEST Streams	National		Spot Beams
	Count	Change	Count	Change
4K
HD			1
SD mpeg4
SD mpeg2
RB
Engr Work	38	-2

The PID count Excel workbook provides much more count detail.

Newly updated tables of Streams on each transponder are available in the DataDigesters TPN Grids

More details of changes in individual channels will follow in the Weekly Analysis
and Gary Toma's Domestic TPN Map Excel files

NBA Updates
Weekly Analysis soon
Enjoy
DataDigesters

doctor J

Today at 7:23 AM

weekly Analysis for 10/21/2026:

Weekly_Analysis_261021.xlsx 16 KB

KyL416

Today at 7:25 AM

HAWKS, HORNETS, GRZZLIES, HEAT, MAGIC, CAVLIERS, TWOLVES, BUCKS, PACERS and SPURS channels have also been added, however they are pointing to a TV Promise slate, which says they are working with DAZN and others to strike a deal for those teams.

Some more TPN swaps

Mr Tony

Today at 10:40 AM

KyL416 said:
HAWKS, HORNETS, GRZZLIES, HEAT, MAGIC, CAVLIERS, TWOLVES, BUCKS, PACERS and SPURS channels have also been added, however they are pointing to a TV Promise slate, which says they are working with DAZN and others to strike a deal for those teams.

Some more TPN swaps

Wait…..
So even though DAZN keeps touting 'only way to see games' if you are a subscriber to Choice (like my stepdad) if an agreement is reached he can see the Wolfies on 668?
I know the Wild are in dispute and a slate is on 668-1.

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Marques Brownlee

Today at 10:32 AM · posted in Marques Brownlee

ASMR iPhone Duo Unboxing

Time for another AWESOME video from Marques Brownlee!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_4ELeWAgMwo

Direct YouTube Link - ASMR iPhone Duo Unboxing
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store

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Booredatwork.com

Today at 10:22 AM · posted in BooredAtWork.COM

iPhone Duo: Is the Bigger Screen Worth It for Games?

Time for another AWESOME video from BoredAtWork!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yufu0zgbWZQ

Direct YouTube Link - iPhone Duo: Is the Bigger Screen Worth It for Games?
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook