Sony Amp STR DN 1050 audio problem

[poddysparkles]

Dear Community, Thalamus and any other Gurus,

This is my first "post,"a desparate one at that, but I think I should at least greet you all with a BIG Hello. I have been the proud owner of my Sony Amp STR DN 1050 since last October 2014, purchased from Richer Sounds in Chester, after reading a great review in Home Cinema Choice. Despite numerous attempts by three"professional installers", not to mention a great deal of time and money spent by yours truly,my AV system is still not up and running - hence my plea to the community for some valued professional advice!

I raised my issues with Sony Technical Support via email and phone September 2nd 2015 Case ID 13140305 but after speaking with Salem, Hazem and Mohammed in Egypt they admitted my query was so technically challenging it would have to be passed up the chain of command with a promise I should hear a result by Monday 21st......I'm still waiting and exasperated! Considering I raised my issue 2nd September I remain unimpressed!

Essentially, I purchased a brand new high quality home November 2013 boasting many 'Eco Features' including Cat 5e cabling for a comprehensive AV system throughout the home. In order to embrace thIs system I purchased an Antiference TruColour 4X4 Matrix with HDBaseT Outputs to distribute Digital TV, 4K,Freesat and DVD signals from three devices to three Panasonic TVs and a Samsung 4K TV in four separate rooms. All the cabling in the entire home is sourced from 'network" wall plates in every room to a Comms cabinet in my ground floor study. My three devices in the cabinet, Humax Freesat, Panasonic DVD Recorder and Panasonic Blu Ray player all feed HDMI's into the Matrix Inputs with corresponding Patch cable Outputs from the Matrix to a 48 Port Patch Panel in my Comms Cabinet. Consequently, I cannot use the 6 HDMI inputs on the STR DN1050 and have no sound coming through my Monitor ceiling speakers! 

My good friend has an identical Antiference Matrix and I noted only yesterday his installer has employed great ingenuity in "converting a patch plug' at one end to a triple Audio Component Plug to his Pioneer Amp Sc 2023, linking Sub woofer 1-blue component jack; assignable CD In - white component jack and red component jack. The other end of this cable is a patch ethernet cable plugged into his patch switch feeding his lounge TV I think. He also has two optical cables in his Amp, one of which we know is directly linked all the way to his TV (big job) - we're not sure if the other optical cable is also lin ked to his TV or his PS Games TV? All very complicated - but if my installers have been baffled perhaps i shouldn't be so hard on myself!

Anyway, the matrix works perfectly at distributing signals from all three devices to all four TVs. I just need some sound advice, if you pardon the pun, as to how to distribute sound from my Crystal skull crusher to my Monitor Ceiling speakers. I welcome any constructive suggestions asap. Many thanks in anticipation. For the record I can stream music via the Amp using bluetooth but sound only comes through two front ceiling speakers, not five for some reason - any comments?

Enthusiastically Yours

Poddy Sparkles 

[Peter_S.]

Good morning Poddy,

Thanks a lot for your feedback - think we're getting closer.

I assume that you want to playback the sound from your sources via STR-DN1050 as well. Therefore you need to connect the STR to the matrix using a HDMI cable.

If your Samsung TV is located in the lounge as well you can connect the STR to the HDBT receiver as follows:

But if you want to use the STR separately you need to add a fifth HDBT to your set-up in principle. Anyway, I'm not sure if the matrix can handle this since it has been built with 4 outputs only.

Therefore I would recommend the setup as shown in above picture.

Hope this helps

Have a great day

Cheers

Peter

[poddysparkles]

Dear Peter,

Sorry for the delay in acknowledging your very welcome message! I am extremely grateful to you for your detailed reply and with a tremendous illustration to boot! Thank you....as you remarked we are getting closer, much closer to nailing it! Of course I am the weak link!! Ha Ha

You are correct - I do wish to play sound from all my 3 devices through the STR! I also agree with you the Matrix has only 4 outputs which could be seen as a limiting factor - given I haven't introduced a Sky Box or Apple TV - but no matter for now. The main thing is getting sound through my STR to my lounge in support of my 4K TV. Currently, great picture - shame about the sound!

Firstly Peter,are you suggesting I utilise the 'spare' HDMI input 4 on my Matrix ( see the hand drawing I sent you previously) and connect this to my STR? If so, which "Output" do you advise I use on the STR, One Output,Output B or Output A ARC? (Does it matter which one?) Or do I use an 'Input" HDMI on the STR, if so which one?

Secondly, in your diagram you refer to 4 x PoE. In this specific context are you referring to the HDBT Receivers or my Patch Panel Ports (48 Ports) or Internet Switch panel (16 Ports)?

I'm under some added difficulty as my installer recently reterminated every wall plate in the entire house and every single data wire in my Comms Cabinet and has 'rejigged" the sequence different to my "original recorded list of ports"  to hand. He still has to provide me with an updated list! Arghhhhh!!!!

Once the 'penny has dropped' I'm sure I will be laughing out loud....so please help me through this process.

Gratefully yours

Poddy Sparkles

[poddysparkles]

An Afterthought Peter,

As you can see my IR's for current 3 devices are positioned in OUT 1,2 & 3. Is your drawing suggesting they should be in IN 1,2,3 & 4 for the Amp? 

Regards

Poddy Sparkles

ps seems like I'm getting in a right "kerfuffle" Ha ha ha

[Peter_S.]

Hi Poddy,

Thanks a lot for your reply and the additional picture,

Don't think you're the weak part as this is not a standard everyday set-up.

You should connect the output of an HDBT Receiver (e.g. that one that goes to the Samsung TV if this TV is located in your lounge) to an input of the STR. Then connect the an output of the STR to the ARC HDMI input of your Samsung TV.

Doing so you should be able to hear the sound of all you sources and the connected TV via the STR in your lounge room.

Please let me know if it works.

Good luck

Peter

P.S. Regarding you last mail - no your sources should stay connected to the Atiference matrix.

[poddysparkles]

Good Afternoon Peter,

A hospital appointment kept me away from my Mac this morning so I've been on tenderhooks trying to return your reply of this morning for which I am extremely grateful. I wish I had your skillset - AV AND Illustration! You are a Maestro! Thank you.

And I? Well, still confused sadly despite your best and patient efforts because my Amp is situated in my Comms Cabinet connected to speaker cables and the HDBT is situated on the wall behind my Samsung 4K TV. So the direct links you portray so eloquently by diagram omit my matrix. Which as you know are RJ45 connections! You are clearly one step ahead of me, ha ha!

I've removed my TV from the wall in the lounge and enclose photos for your perusal. I've identified the 'ARC HDMI 4' Port to which you refer but the only HDMI cable available to me is the one currently linked from the Antiference HDBT Receiver 'Out" to the TV HDMI 3 In (MHL) Port. Are you suggesting I simply remove one end from the HDMI 3 and insert in the ARC input on the TV?

Are you also simply suggesting I take the spare Matrix HDMI 4 Input and insert in the STR HDMI INput (Sat/Catv). If you are not then I am mystified how to use HDMI to link my STR to the TV? Should I resort to alcohol? Hopefully not, and once you've picked yourself off the floor from laughing..you can put me straight. Fingers crossed!

Kind Regards

Poddy Sparkles

[poddysparkles]

A further afterthought Peter,

Photo of the data switch behind my TV and position of TV ....nb also got additional Data / Aerial switch at right hand bottom/below window for flexibility/table mounted TV configuration.

Regards

Poddy Sparkles

[Peter_S.]

Hi Poddy,

LOL - I really love your sense of humor

It's really fun writing to you.

Also thanks a lot for your patience with my broken English - unfortunately it's not my mother language.

I see your problem with the different locations but you need to disconnect the red HDMI cable from the TV an plug it into the STR input. Then you have to connect the STR output with the TV input. Doing so you should be able to hear the sound via the STR.

Plugging the STR into the spare input will not work as you can't connect input to input.

What's the distance between your comms cabinet and your TV? If the distance is too big we probably have to rethink the strategy as the maximum HDMI cable lenght will be 49 feet.

Good luck

Cheers

Peter

[poddysparkles]

Good Evening Peter,

Have a great weekend buddy and just reply when you are 'active' again - hopefully Monday?

I'm glad you appreciate my humour Peter - careful, it's infectious  and I can repay the compliment as your English Language is excellent! So you can speak at least two languages, have excellent AV knowledge and a great illustrator to boot. Well 'shiver my timbers'!!!!!  Ha Ha

On a more serious front I do not envisage linking a 56 Foot HDMI cable from my Comms cabinet in my study,through my kitchen and large hallway into my lounge and climbing up the wall behind my TV. The whole newly built home has been wired so that cables are not visible anywhere so the only links between my STR and the lounge TV have to go through the matrix surely? i haven't utilised the ethermet on the STR Peter, is that an option? 

Thinking outside the box for a second I could abandon the idea of my Samsung TV being sited on the wall and place it on a TV stand in the corner of my lounge and tap into the other Data Port under my window. I could then site my STR near the TV and achieve the wiring connections you previously advised. But then my speaker wires are fed, together with all my other cables, into my ground floor study and I've then got two AV control stations -not one (one in my study,one in my lounge)  - and I'd still end up relaying speaker cables in our brand new home, newly decorated etc! Doesn't bear thinking about really!

If you get a 'brainwave" I'd love to hear from you. Like I said, the Matrix converts HDMI from my sources to Cat 5E and is reconverted to HDMI via the HDBT Receiver positioned behind each of the 4 TV's in the home. As there are three Data ports behind each TV is their potential to utilise the unused ones to connect the STR? Or am I talking a load of rubbish?

Incidentally Peter, are you aligned to Sony Technical in any shape or form or are you simply  an enlightened,inspired Sony and/or AV Technical enthusiast? 

I know, don't tell me, you work for VW in their software department! 

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Grateful as ever

Poddy Sparkles

[poddysparkles]

Good Morning Peter,

Just an afterthought at the beginning of a new week - must be the unique SuperRed Moon effect! Thought I'd measure the distance between my Comms Cabinet in my srudy and the Lounge TV Wallplate assuming i went up the wall in my study, and across floorboards and down the lounge wall. Sadly, i reckon that is still 16 metres!

Cheers for now....

Poddy Sparkles

[Peter_S.]

Good morning Poddy,

Oh well - that's what I've feared :S

First a bit about my backgrounds: I've studied radio and TV technics and worked in the Sony service in the beginning, later I move to technical marketing before I ended up in communities. So yes, there's a little bit of technical background Anyway, did not do thr programming for VW - lucky me

Using the ethernet on the STR is not an option as you won't be able to transfer the necessary information forth and back to the TV. And also moving the STR to your TV seems not to be the best option as it will ruin your house with several visible cables

So we need to find another way to transfer the HDMI signals from the HDBT receiver to the STR and back to your TV.

So here's probably a solution using some additional hardware in you Comms cabinet:

1. Remove the HDBT receiver from your Samsung TV an move it to the comms cabinet.

2. Use a short network cable and a HDMI cable to connect this HDBT receiver to your STR's HDMI input and to teh matrix output you've used before for your Samsung TV.

3. Use the transmitter of this set and connect it via HDMI to your STR's and the network cable to your Samsung TV.

4. Connect the receiver of this set to the other end of the network cable and then via HDMI to your Samsung TV's input.

Doing so it should work in the end. Anyway, there's one dis-advantage: You will not be able to control your Samsung TV via infrared remote signals - but of course you can control the STR (don't know if you use this function of the HDBT receivers).

Please let me know if this makes sense.

Have a good start into the new week

Cheers

Peter