Buzzing noise while Contour Record 6 (Cisco 9865HDC) DVR is on pause - Continued

 I also  have this exact problem. If I just press pause, I get the buzzing.  If I press rewind and then pause, there is no buzzing.  For the record all my sound is thru an Onkyo TX-SR608 receiver via HDMI.  TV not involved.  Cisco 9865 software is 3.1.0.7402.  

A big clue to isolating the problem is that the DVR function PAUSE function switches audio output format from Dolby Digital to PCM for the duration of the pause.  I believe the buzzing is actually the 9865 having problems decoding the audio when pausing and it switches to PCM and then tries Dolby again,repeating about 20 times/second. 

I believe the buzzing is really a click that is repeated at a rate that sounds like a buzz.  It is not a HUM and not due to a ground loop.  I know what they sound like. Switching audio feed to optical cable does not change a thing. 

This is, indeed, clearly a problem with the 9865 firmware.  Please fix it Cisco/Cox.Your users have given you more than enough clues to reproduce in the lab.  

DanD911Phz said:
PAUSE function switches audio output format from Dolby Digital to PCM

Out of curiosity, has anyone played with the Dynamic Range on the audio output format? Try setting it to full? I wonder if the problem is something with the receiver reverting to its default digitial audio settings when paused, which is PCM with medium range, which might be causing a problem with your audio receiver amp?

Also, if you bypass the audio receiver, can the buzzing be reproduced from the TV's speakers? 

Thanks for the response Dan.  Couple of questions:

Do you get the same audio sync issues I get?  It happens more when I have the audio output set to PCM than when it's set to DD.

How do you determine the software version you have?  Is there a way to boot the box into some sort of maintenance mode?

Thanks

Press and hold the front panel power  button until the power indicator blinks. Then release then press the button again while it is still blinking. You should have diagnostic display on your screen.

I don't have av sync issues...my receiver has adjustable av sync.

Just discovered that anything that stops the playback of us Dolby Digital audio causes the buzz, like the alert that comes up when viewing a recording reaches the end.

Dynamic range change does NOT affect buzz.

Not easy for me to recable direct to TV. However, neither of the non-DVR STBs (Cisco 4700) to Samsung TVs direct via HDMI exhibit the buzz problem, whether pausing live TV or playing and pausing a show recorded on the 9865.  The same show buzzes when played and paused on the 9865.

DanD911Phz, 

The pausing/Audio buzz on Contour is a known issue that we are working on. There is a fix planned with the next software update. 

Thanks for your patience. 

Woo Hoo!

Thanks Coleen!  That's good news.  Any time frame on this new update?  Not to rush you, I'm just curious.  I checked my software, I'm on 3.1.0.7402 as well, with an 8/13 date on it.  Will this update be pushed to our boxes automatically?

tomb993, 

Not yet. The release has been delayed. If there's an update on the timeframe we'll let you know, but because of everything that goes into and update we may not see an announcement until the actual release.