HD decoding question

[admin_exported]

If first like to start by saying what a great forum this is and I’ve learnt allot from all the posts and phenomenal website.

I’m a bit of a newbie regarding the new home cinema technology and all, my current system that I have is a entry level Marantz stereo amp and CD player with Kef coda 7 speakers that I bought a number of year back, I’m looking to upgrade and trying to come to terms with all the new developments in audio technology.

The question that I have is regarding the decoding of HD audio, I’m a little confused by differing opinions / posts. Say now if your DVD player is capable of decoding the audio format (such as the PS3), is it still a requirement that your AV receiver be able to decode this format or does the PS3 supply it via HDMI in a format that doesn’t require further decoding by the AV receiver?

As stated earlier, I’m looking at putting together a new home cinema system using a PS3 as the DVD / Blue-ray player, while the PS3 is able to decode for example Dolby TrueHD and the likes, would using a AV receiver such as the Onkyo TX-SR506 which can’t decode this format be suitable if you want to have this capability?

If there is a link to a website that explains all these Home Cinema intricacies, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[professorhat]

Effectively, there are three ways of sending HD audio to an amp / receiver:
1. The Blu-Ray player sends the HD audio out in its native format (known as bitstreaming) via the HDMI socket for the amp to decode. For this, you need an amp with an HDMI 1.3 spec input and the ability to decode all the HD formats (in most cases, this will be Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio, but there is also Dolby Digital Plus and a few others). Some Blu-Ray players are incapable of sending out the HD audio formats in bitstream format e.g. the PS3 cannot do this.
2. The Blu-Ray player is able to decode all the HD audio formats onboard and send them out via the HDMI socket as Linear PCM (like the PS3). For this you need an amp which is capable of receiving the 5.1 / 7.1 Linear PCM signal via its HDMI socket, but it doesn't have to have the ability to decode the HD audio formats as this has already been done. Unfortunately, the Onkyo 506 can't even accept the Linear PCM signal, so this would be no good for the PS3 when it comes to the HD audio formats I'm afraid.
3. The Blu-Ray player is able to decode all the HD audio formats onboard and send them out via 5.1 or 7.1 analogue multichannel outputs. For this, you need an amp with the 5.1 / 7.1 multichannel inputs - a lot of older AV amps have this feature so this is a good option for someone who already owns one of these.
It's obviously pretty hard to list all the different options of which Blu-Ray players work with which amps here due to the sheer number of options there are. My advice would be, even if you are going to get the PS3, if you are buying from new and have the available budget, I would get an amp which is capable of decoding all the formats. This then future proofs you if you ever decided to upgrade your Blu-Ray player in the future for one which only offers the ability to bitstream the formats.
Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Prof Thank you for all the valuable information. Out of interest, where do you see whether or not an AV reciever accepts Linear PCM, it's really listed on the specifications on the reviews. I think I will be biting the bullet and saving up for something like the new Denon 1909, might just take a little longer, it will probably be quite a few years before I do another upgrade after that.

 

[Anonymous]

This is a really interesting thread for me. I'm thinking of getting the Panny BD30 player, but won't be upgrading my AV receiver for a while. Can I connect the Panny to my receiver with the 6-ch analogues without a problem? There's no digital or optical input on my receiver so this is the only way I can see of doing it. Do you think this will work OK?

Thanks,

Joey

 

[professorhat]

SouthFly:Out of interest, where do you see whether or not an AV reciever accepts Linear PCM, it's really listed on the specifications on the reviews. I think I will be biting the bullet and saving up for something like the new Denon 1909, might just take a little longer, it will probably be quite a few years before I do another upgrade after that.
It can be tricky to tell sometimes I agree. Usually I end up downloading the manual if possible and going through the full tech specs with a fine comb! From what I've heard, the Denon will stand you in good stead, though have a look out for the WHF awards issue next month - as this issue shows, Yamaha seem to be making a good comeback with their budget receivers. Will be interesting to see which one wins out from WHF's point of view.

joey74:Can I connect the Panny to my receiver with the 6-ch analogues without a problem? There's no digital or optical input on my receiver so this is the only way I can see of doing it. Do you think this will work OK?
Yup, the Panasonic BD30 has the multi-channel outputs so this will work okay. Bear in mind this player can't decode most of the HD formats onboard though, so you could only enjoy Blu-Ray films with the PCM soundtrack. Any films with one of the Dolby or DTS HD soundtracks would only export the core Dolby Digital / DTS 5.1 mix. Also bear in mind the BD30 has recently been replaced by the BD35 which does not have the 6ch outputs so make sure you get the correct model.
Your other option is to get the BD50 or the BD55 which both include the multi-channel outputs and can decode all the major HD formats onboard so you would be okay with any soundtrack included on the Blu-Ray disc.

 

[Anonymous]

Really? Now I am confused. According to What Hifi, the BD30 decodes DD+, DTS HD and Dolby TrueHD. Isn't that any good? Sorry for my ignorance!

Joey

 

[professorhat]

Hmmm, I was going by this on Panasonic's website - under the Audio section, each of these only has Bitstream output next to it, whereas on the BD50 spec page, it says Decode and Bitstream output next to them which led me to believe the BD30 couldn't decode these onboard...
Can anyone on WHF team confirm?

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know how far to trust the WHF Buyers Guide any more... it says the BD30 has a scart output too but it doesn't!

 

[professorhat]

Yup, publishing errors are all too easy for a number of reasons so you should definitely do some research into something before you buy, especially if buying over the internet so you can't see and hear something for yourself. I'll raise another post to look into the BD30 specs to see if they need correcting. Don't forget, it could be Panasonic's website is wrong - Panny don't have a great reputation with it.

 

[professorhat]

And here's the answer. Told you Panasonic were pretty bad when it came to their own website! (Mind you, what manufacturer is?!).