Hi all.. I have got the Onkyo 605 amp paired with a 5.1 speaker set up, I am thinkg of buying an HD DVD player or Blue Ray player that is able to support the HD sound functions (dolby true hd and dts hd) I understand that the Onkyo is able to decode these sounds in the amp itself, but do I need the DVD player able to do this as well.? And can you get HD sound with 5.1 speakers or do I need to upgrade to 6.1 or 7.1.... Thanks Guys and Gals.......
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Do you stream hi-res music or download hi-res tracks? We want your opinions!
Dolby True HD Help....
- Thread starter fitzyboy2000
- Start date
Yes you can get "hd sound" with a 5.1 surround setup; it's as much about increasing the available resolution/bandwidth for the soundtrack including totally lossless ones like PCM uncompressed or TrueHD. DTS-HD Master Audio is the troublesome one as far as blu ray is concerned. No doubt the debate will continue to reign as to whether it's better to let the source decode these particular formats or have it passed via hdmi to let the amp do the decoding. Providing your source is capable of doing so, your Onkyo 605 has the ability to do both.
You might find this link useful (http://www.idoblu.co.uk/page2%20Blu-ray%20Players.html) in summarising the differences between various blu ray players; on balance, despite the lack of bitstream support currently I still feel a U.S. Playstation 3 is the most capable blu ray player right now. On the hd dvd side, probably the EP35 would be the one worth considering (because it allows bitstream output over hdmi which is what's required if you want the amp to do the decoding) though you should let the price settle first.Robert
You might find this link useful (http://www.idoblu.co.uk/page2%20Blu-ray%20Players.html) in summarising the differences between various blu ray players; on balance, despite the lack of bitstream support currently I still feel a U.S. Playstation 3 is the most capable blu ray player right now. On the hd dvd side, probably the EP35 would be the one worth considering (because it allows bitstream output over hdmi which is what's required if you want the amp to do the decoding) though you should let the price settle first.Robert
Thanks Robert
So if I decide to buy the Tosh ep35 connected via hdmi? the Onkyo should decode to HD sound format? and be able to choose dolby digital true hd or dts hd on the surround options?
Thanks....
So if I decide to buy the Tosh ep35 connected via hdmi? the Onkyo should decode to HD sound format? and be able to choose dolby digital true hd or dts hd on the surround options?
Thanks....
nads
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- Nov 29, 2007
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[quote user="fitzyboy2000"]Thanks Robert
So if I decide to buy the Tosh ep35 connected via hdmi? the Onkyo should decode to HD sound format? and be able to choose dolby digital true hd or dts hd on the surround options?
Thanks....[/quote] in a word yes. But please note that which it will put out is dependent on the disc.
So if I decide to buy the Tosh ep35 connected via hdmi? the Onkyo should decode to HD sound format? and be able to choose dolby digital true hd or dts hd on the surround options?
Thanks....[/quote] in a word yes. But please note that which it will put out is dependent on the disc.
Heloo there
still a bit confused, because when looking through the onkyo's book looking up the hd sound formats say's in so many words that you can only get hd sound if u got a 7.1 set up or your got bi amp speakers? is this correct or am I reding it wrong...!
still a bit confused, because when looking through the onkyo's book looking up the hd sound formats say's in so many words that you can only get hd sound if u got a 7.1 set up or your got bi amp speakers? is this correct or am I reding it wrong...!
[quote user="nads"]at the moment there are no discs with 7.1 on them.[/quote]
Erm, I know it's not Dolby, but we've just been testing with a Blu-ray of Oldboy, complete with DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack...
But you're right - good 'ole 5.1 is mighty fine and by far the norm.
Erm, I know it's not Dolby, but we've just been testing with a Blu-ray of Oldboy, complete with DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack...
But you're right - good 'ole 5.1 is mighty fine and by far the norm.
Thanks Clare, so just to get things clear, if I got the HD DVD player conneted to the onkyo by hdmi then from amp to tv with hdmi, no probs with selecting HD sound formats???
nads
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- Nov 29, 2007
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[quote user="fitzyboy2000"]Thanks Clare, so just to get things clear, if I got the HD DVD player conneted to the onkyo by hdmi then from amp to tv with hdmi, no probs with selecting HD sound formats???[/quote]
as long as you set the settings up correctly. Oh the TV connection is not relevant to the HD sound just the HDMI connection to the amp.
Clare so we do now have 7.1 discs, sooner than i thought.
final note most Onkyos seem to be able to to mix to a fair 6.1 or 7.1 sound as well.
as long as you set the settings up correctly. Oh the TV connection is not relevant to the HD sound just the HDMI connection to the amp.
Clare so we do now have 7.1 discs, sooner than i thought.
final note most Onkyos seem to be able to to mix to a fair 6.1 or 7.1 sound as well.
Thanks both.. I am getting very unsettled at the moment, I have got a Pioneer 42" Kuro very capable of HD and rave reviews, with now HD source...so need to get my fix as the wife and I watch alot of films...What would you suggest on the Blue Ray front? PS3 maybe? but not into game playing..!
Unless your current DVD player is an utter dog, i'd stick with it just a little longer - there's some corking new Blu-ray players just around the corner, and i'm loathe to recommend any of the current budget crop now i've had previews of the next-gen models.
Normally i'd say enjoy a PS3 in the meantime, but if it's other features don't grab you then I agree it may not be one for you....
And relax - you've bought about the best TV money can buy, and it'l be happily upscaling standard DVDs/TV for you while the HD battle rights itself.
Normally i'd say enjoy a PS3 in the meantime, but if it's other features don't grab you then I agree it may not be one for you....
And relax - you've bought about the best TV money can buy, and it'l be happily upscaling standard DVDs/TV for you while the HD battle rights itself.
If you just can't wait to get your teeth into some HD movies then at the moment I think my recommendation would be a PS3. While it can't bitstream HD audio to your amp for it to decode, you can instead set the PS3 to decode the tracks onboard and output multi-channel PCM over HDMI which your Onkyo will happily accept and you will be enjoying lovely 5.1 hi def sound from most of the discs you will encounter. The vast majority of Blu-ray discs have either PCM or DolbyTrueHD soundtracks which you will have no problem with. The caveat is Fox discs which tend to carry dts-Master Audio tracks, which the PS3 currently cannot decode onboard (or bitstream). The rumours are that this will be introduced in a future firmware update - though it can't be taken as guaranteed.
Otherwise I'd be inclined to wait for the new Panasonic players (BD-30 and BD-50), the first of which has been getting great reports stateside (the BD-50 isn't out anywhere yet).
Oh and I think the bit in the Onkyo manual that was confusing you was simply saying that you can either have it bi-amp the front left/right speakers, or have 7.1 speakers - you can't have both (I believe it uses the same speaker terminals for both functions so you obviously can't use them at the same time).
Otherwise I'd be inclined to wait for the new Panasonic players (BD-30 and BD-50), the first of which has been getting great reports stateside (the BD-50 isn't out anywhere yet).
Oh and I think the bit in the Onkyo manual that was confusing you was simply saying that you can either have it bi-amp the front left/right speakers, or have 7.1 speakers - you can't have both (I believe it uses the same speaker terminals for both functions so you obviously can't use them at the same time).
Positives of the PS3 as a blu ray player
1) Fast - both in initial loading of movies and menu/option selection
2) Popular player hence more likely to be updated when/if problem disks are found - what movie studio doesn't want their blu ray disk playable on 85%+ of blu ray machines out there.
3) Ethernet port and wireless networking for ease of updates.
4) Firmware updates able to add new abilities such as profile 1.1 support, downscaled blu ray movie scaling (from 1080p), 1080p/24hz support and dvd upscaling (all of which came in an earlier updates).
5) Standalone blu ray player plus free games console 🙂
Negatives
1) Styling - doesn't fit the look of other equipment. Shiny case shows up dust easily.
2) Bitstreaming of hi def soundtracks over hdmi ( - this is where the AV receiver/amp does the decoding rather than the player) - debate going on if this is fixable in firmware or a limitation of the hdmi chipset used.
3) DTS-HD Master Audio support currently lacking - no on board decoding for example. core soundtrack is what's currently playable.
4) Remote uses bluetooth so tricky to use other remotes with it i.e. learning remotes which use IR or RF.
5) No separate multi-channel surround sound outputs - useful for older AV receivers/amps especially those that can't handle LPCM over hdmi. Optical surround is an option of course providing you don't require PCM uncompressed or playback of the fully quality TrueHD soundtrack etc
6) Sometimes necessary to switch settings from bitstream to PCM and visa versa (uncompressed PCM soundtracks sent as bitstream are output as standard dolby digital for example) - An 'auto' setting would be nice.
So not perfect by any means; some of these issues ought to be fixable though. Hopefully profile 2.0 support should come at some point in the future (- no profile 2.0 movie releases right now anyway). At least DTS-HD Master Audio on-board decoding would be nice.
Robert
1) Fast - both in initial loading of movies and menu/option selection
2) Popular player hence more likely to be updated when/if problem disks are found - what movie studio doesn't want their blu ray disk playable on 85%+ of blu ray machines out there.
3) Ethernet port and wireless networking for ease of updates.
4) Firmware updates able to add new abilities such as profile 1.1 support, downscaled blu ray movie scaling (from 1080p), 1080p/24hz support and dvd upscaling (all of which came in an earlier updates).
5) Standalone blu ray player plus free games console 🙂
Negatives
1) Styling - doesn't fit the look of other equipment. Shiny case shows up dust easily.
2) Bitstreaming of hi def soundtracks over hdmi ( - this is where the AV receiver/amp does the decoding rather than the player) - debate going on if this is fixable in firmware or a limitation of the hdmi chipset used.
3) DTS-HD Master Audio support currently lacking - no on board decoding for example. core soundtrack is what's currently playable.
4) Remote uses bluetooth so tricky to use other remotes with it i.e. learning remotes which use IR or RF.
5) No separate multi-channel surround sound outputs - useful for older AV receivers/amps especially those that can't handle LPCM over hdmi. Optical surround is an option of course providing you don't require PCM uncompressed or playback of the fully quality TrueHD soundtrack etc
6) Sometimes necessary to switch settings from bitstream to PCM and visa versa (uncompressed PCM soundtracks sent as bitstream are output as standard dolby digital for example) - An 'auto' setting would be nice.
So not perfect by any means; some of these issues ought to be fixable though. Hopefully profile 2.0 support should come at some point in the future (- no profile 2.0 movie releases right now anyway). At least DTS-HD Master Audio on-board decoding would be nice.
Robert
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