Page 1 of Sky are broadcasting in DTS 5.1 now, but are there any Digiboxes out there...

As far as I know, Sky are now broadcasting in Dolby Digital 5.1 format...

That sounds great. Doesn`t it. Something we have all wished for I am sure over time.

But are there any Digiboxes outhere with Digital audio outputs, needed to decode the 5.1 information in the signal apart from the Sky plus box @£350 that is on offer.

If not, are there any workarounds to this problem.

Thanks.

I also wanted to know if any "standard" Sky Digital decoders where coming out in the future or are already available because of films now being broadcast in Dolby Digital on "Sky+", so i sent them an e-mail asking them about it, they just replied with information about "Sky+", you know the useual "Sky this, Sky that" and didn`t even mention anything about the question i asked, we pay God knows how much and get so little back.

Spoke to the shop I got SKY from today, and was told Sky has no plans to do 5.1 on the "OLD" Digiboxes !?! OLD does he know something we don`t?

Anyway I only asked as my Sony has the optical link, and outputs it as PCM, so was wondering the same thing, looks like if you want 5.1, we have to PAY AGAIN!

Bit of a con really, get a box that can output digital then make it old before it`s had time.

Wait a few month, and when they see SKY+ isn`t taking off, they`ll be £100, Just like when sky first came out (btw this shop has only signed on 3 SKY+ since launch!)

Optical link output on the Sony Digibox... Doesn`t that mean it can output the audio information to a suitable 5.1 decoder?

By the way what`s PCM?

£100 for the new box.... now that sounds much better. I will certainly go out and get one. Let`s just hope we get it at that price soon.

One more thing, does the sony box you mentioned come in Silver.


Thanks

PCM = Pulse Code Modulation : 2 channel sound in reality

According to ` Ickle Yoda `, who is sometimes on this forum and appears to work for SKY, they have no plans to reduce the price of SKY+ boxes as they cannot keep up with demand !.
I`m not saying Yoda`s wrong as such, but I do find this hard to believe.I know dozens of people who all have SKY and not one has gone to SKY+.
They would all love to, but will not pay £399 + an extra tenner a month.
I think £100 would see them shifting a lot quicker and then SKY would benefit from the extra tenner a month from everyone.
I think SKY are either guilty of stupidity or arrogance in the marketing of SKY+. I know it`s pretty revolutionary but asking people to fork out £399 is shameless, especially when there`s no trade-in facility. My silver Pace box cost me £230 only 11 months ago and I`d get nothing for it !

I don`t think "not sure" was meaning that they ARE going to be.. but we all know what happend when skydigi first came out, the first people to get it had to pay £200, and had a choice of errr 1 box! then the "free box" offer started, and sky shot up with members, with a choice of boxes.

And if you look at it now, your paying Sky £300+, for sky+ with a choice of 1 box! when an ordinary TIVO can be bought for £150-200, the only difference is that this sky box can output 5.1 were as TIVO has NO digital output!

So i think what he was saying was, if they start to sub them, and sell at "cost price" then people will want them,

But isn`t this sky+ a con, i mean you pay to use sky and you have to pay again if you want to record! so infact your paying out 3 times! and that could be £1000 in the first year!

And as for the Sony, it`s an errr "sony silver" color

If you are willing to buy your own box, there is a new Nokia digi box with DD5.1 pass thru. It works with any digital satellite signal.

Here is the link

http://www.nokia.com/multimedia/9470s/index.html

Sean

"It works with any digital satellite signal."

Not so. It doesn`t have a built-in Videoguard decoder (for Sky channels), and with no CAM available you`re snookered really.

Mike

To be honest I think you are going to be waiting a long time for DD to be standard on digital TV. ITVD doesnt have the capacity (it barelty has enough capacity for TV stations). Cable digital quoted me yesterday that they are using Linear Stereo (with encoded Prologic) for the foreseeable future and SkyD are going to milk Sky+ for all it can in the next few years.