HDMI vs HDMI and Optical Digital input

[admin_exported]

I am quite confused about this.

Is it best to have the HDMI carrying both the video and audio signals or do you get improved audio quality by using an optical digital for the audio signal?

Viewing most av amp instructions and a few internet sites you can get mixed messages. It seems to be the case that you should just use the HDMI cable, is this right?

Thanks

Rich

 

[nads]

If you want to get the latest HD sounds then HDMI is the only way to do it other than Analogue.

Coax and optical does not have the required band width.

 

[Anonymous]

Nads,

Many thanks, but what do you mean when you say 'other than analogue'?

Thanks

Rich

 

[nads]

if the player can convert on board and it has all 8 analogue, for a 7.1 sound track. then that is another way to get the HD sound tracks.

 

[Anonymous]

So i could go from the blu ray to the av amp using the analogue inputs. Is this recommended or is it as good (easier and cheaper I guess) to use an HDMI cable? (assuming the AV amp can decode).

Rich

 

[nads]

if the AV amp does not have HDMI the Analouge connections is the only way to get the HD audio (player decode).

If the amp has HDMI then you can set either the Player or the Amp to decode depending on which can.

How depends first on what you can do and then what you want out of the set up.

 

[Sorreltiger]

All you need is one HDMI cable from the blu-ray player (I presume, not knowing anything about your kit). ÿThe analogue solution is only necessary if the AV amp is from a previous generation and unable to process the HD audio signal itself.

ÿIt is worth noting that the sound from a Sky+HD box CANNOT be sent via HDMI and so a separate opticalÿcable is also required - maybe this is the source of your anxiety?

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to but in.

All I have at the moment is HDMI from a PS3 to TV and optical from PS3 to old AV amp (no HDMI).

Therefore, am I getting HD audio from blu-ray?

 

[nads]

piobob:
Sorry to but in.

All I have at the moment is HDMI from a PS3 to TV and optical from PS3 to old AV amp (no HDMI).

Therefore, am I getting HD audio from blu-ray?

No. but a higher bit rate DD or DTS IIRC.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks - this answers a problem I have been playing with over the weekend. Have just bought the pioneer 51 bluray player and have experimenting with the audio. My dvd player had been connected with the iLink (no longer available). My PC goes into one of the optical ports, Sky into the composite. The amp is good and I had put the bluray into the other optical port but there was not as much sonic improvement as I expected. Need to buy some analogue interconnects. I should have about 6/12 left on the projector bulb based on usage over the past 3 1/2 years which gives me time to save up for a projector upgrade for when the bulb goes next

 

[Anonymous]

nads:piobob:
Sorry to but in.

All I have at the moment is HDMI from a PS3 to TV and optical from PS3 to old AV amp (no HDMI).

Therefore, am I getting HD audio from blu-ray?

No. but a higher bit rate DD or DTS IIRC.

Thanks.

I know it's purely subjective and probably a silly question, but do you think HDMI will improve the sound quality (from Optical) to the extent that it does to the image?

 

[professorhat]

Depends. Do you mean an HDMI connection into an amp capable of receiving and decoding the HD audio tracks on a compatible Blu-Ray disc? In which case, yes, without a doubt. The improved sound quality is a massive benefit of Blu-Ray and is unfortunately one a lot of people are missing out on at the moment.

ÿ

 

[nads]

As the Hat says.

and the sound was the reason i went to the HD format.

And do i get annoyed when the sound track is "only" DD

 

[Anonymous]

nads:
As the Hat says.

and the sound was the reason i went to the HD format.

And do i get annoyed when the sound track is "only" DD

Lol, only seems like yesterday that I used to feel that way when it was only pro logic instead of DD.

Cheers guy's, I'll have to save a bit harder to update my av amp now............................... I'd hate to miss out on anything.

 

[professorhat]

Sorry, didn't mean that as a negative comment towards you and hope it didn't come across that way

It was more to hit home to a lot of people who only think that Blu-Ray is all about improving the picture and sometimes preach that the gains aren't that good - especially if said people are using a small HD Ready TV. What they often fail to realise is the massive improvements in audio which can be experienced and how much this impacts the movie and your immersion into the movie.

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
Sorry, didn't mean that as a negative comment towards you and hope it didn't come across that way

Not at all.

I've got Andrewism.

Should have put the relivent smiley in.

I was going to upgrade my Sony amp with a new Plasma, but as my budget went on the Pio, I rigged up the amp (although I haven't put the rears in yet) and thought....this'll do!

But have had the nagging feeling that I'm dipping out on something since, especially as I can go the 7.1 route.

Think I'll go and test one soon.

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

It really depends on the capabilities of your source and amp / receiver / processor. What kit have you got? Or what kit are you looking at? In my system I have a Sky HD box and a PS3 feeding a Denon AVR 2807 receiver. The Sky HD box can't feed Dolby Digital over HDMI (no idea why) so I run an optical cable to the receiver. The receiver can't decode compressed HD audio (DTS Master HD etc) and the PS3 can't output some compressed HD audio formats, so I let the PS3 decode HD audio and output multi-channel uncompressed PCM over HDMI (which sounds awesome, by the way).

To my knowledge, optical supports compressed SD multi-channel audio and two channel uncompressed PCM. Use HDMI if you can. I'd only recommend using the analogue outputs if your amp can't accept compressed HD audio and / or multi-channel PCM over HDMI, or possibly if your source's internal decoding and A/D conversion is superior to your amp's decoding. Remember that with digital connections like HDMI and optical, you can get away with using cheaper cables and fewer of them.

I hope this helps.ÿ