Disclosure - i was a beta tester for the new tv box.
I have just ‘upgraded’ from the UPC digicard to the new Tv box. I originally had the infamous Horizon box which I thought was awful, so moved to a more simplistic Digicard setup. It has served me well.
However, I wanted to upgrade to the fastest UPC internet and get some of the newer channels and options to buy sports day passes etc so decided to move ‘up’ to the new box. It was a painful process (numerous chats, shop visits, tweets) but it finally arrived today. Oh dear.
Despite me reporting issues with Dolby Digital during testing it seems they have still not resolved a basic issue of a)informing viewers if a programme is broadcast in Dolby (2.0 or 5.1); and b) decoding appropriately, if present, defaulting to stereo if no surround sound signal.
As described by others, it’s either forced 5.1 for everything, which sounds terrible, or forced stereo for everything.
I am simply astonished something so fundamental is left unresolved in an end product. The Digicard Solution correctly decodes and the sound passed through the tv to the soundbar. I have tested to my satisfaction that the fault lies with the new tv box rather than elsewhere.
There also still appears to be sound delay issues when used with a soundbar (Sonos). Some form of sound delay configurator, as seen on tv’s/soundbars, should be considered.
I have gone back to my Digicard solution and hope that UPC don’t disable it. The Digicard works nicely but lacks the frills promised by the new tv box.
If anyone from UPC reads this, the Dolby issue (as also detailed in the German community) needs fixing as a matter of urgency, ideally prioritised above the frills promised elsewhere. This is basic stuff I mistakenly assumed would be corrected by launch date, and makes the box unusable for those like myself, other than for ‘catch-up’/Sports Passes.
I should also add that I’ve felt it necessary to force the box to output 1080p as its upscaling of HD to a 4K LG tv was so poor. Doing this makes a huge difference to the picture quality. UPC should consider an option to have the box auto switch to a mode native to the broadcast. I don’t think this Arris unit handles upscaling all that well.
I look forward to some positive UPC input on this, particularly a date for a fix by way of firmware update. I’m really disappointed, and this is far from being a ‘Happy Home’.