I think that the Integra high def receiver decodes
AC3. I'm not sure, but that QualiTV or whatever it's called might also decode
AC3. I also think that Fortec said that it's new
HD model might do
AC3 too, but that model may never become available.
Re the Extigy, I'm the one who couldn't get it to work with the
Mercury, and despite Emailing Fortec and the Soundblaster people, and leaving multiple messages at the Soundblaster forum, I have yet to figure out why it won't work. Fortec claims that they don't change the
AC3 data at all, and yet the Extigy decodes
PBS AC3 from the other Fortec receivers, but it doesn't work with the
Mercury, even though other
AC3 decoders work with the
Mercury. Very Strange.
The cheapest solution for
PBS seems to be the Sonic Voom headset module. I use it to feed my stereo which doesn't have digital inputs, and it works great for all satellite
AC3 channels I've tried it on. I have seen two accounts of it NOT working for Dolby Digital that comes from DVDs though. Apparently what you get out of the module is only R/L channels or one person said it was the rear channels (I'm not sure how to tell), and apparently on DVDs they often carry the dialog in the center channel, so the sound you get doesn't include people talking. But this has never happened to me on a satellite signal.