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How can I improve cableTV audio?

I currently run my cable TV directly into my Samsung Tantus TXN2798HF 27" CRT tv, and then take a pair of RCA audio outs to my VAC preamp.

The sound for TV through my stereo this way isn't very good at all, better than just the TV alone, but I'm wondering if I can do better? like run the coax cable into something else (a DAC? something else?) and then run the video signal onto the TV, and the audio onto my preamp?
128x128dennis_the_menace

Showing 2 responses by reubent

reubent
6,935 posts
 
Dennis,

I don't know of any DAC or otherwise that will accept the raw coax feed from cableTV. If you have digital cable, generally the set top cable box will have digital outputs. Sometimes these digital cable boxes can be set to PCM and the output can be decoded by a DAC, however the last two different digital cable boxes that I've owned output DD encoded signals only. A DAC will not decode dolby digital.

Enjoy,

TIC
reubent
6,935 posts
 
My current Hi-Def digital cable box for Time Warner Cable is made by Pace. It only outputs DD signal over the digital coax or toslink cable. For non-DD 5.1 broadcast, it outputs DD 2/0. Most/All DACs will not convert DD 5.1 or 2/0, only PCM. My current and previous (Scientific Atlanta) hi-def cable boxes do not have a setting to change the output from DD to PCM. So, I can't use my DAC for any cable TV broadcast.

Some older boxes had a feature that would allow selection of the digital output format, like a DVD player has. If you can find a cable box that has a selection for PCM output, it should work.

Enjoy,

TIC
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