Now that PS3 is v2.30, what audio settings to use???

[admin_exported]

My PS3 is updated to v2.30, and it is connected to my Onkyo TX-SR705 via HDMI. The audio out setting for BD/DVD has been PCM, but should I now be changing that to bitstream to allow the Onkyo decode the DTS HD MA?

I only have seven BD titles so far, and only one of those (The Simpsons Movie) mentions DTS HD MA on the back. So should it only be on bitstream when I'm playing that disc, and switch it back to PCM when playing the others, along with all my DVDs?

I'm a little confused on the issue!

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

I had exactly the same question, but I have the Onkyo 605.

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, stick to LPCM - the PS3 will decode it and output it as LPCM to the Onkyo.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response.

So what was all the whoopla about waiting for the PS3 firmware update that would allow it to output HD audio formats? Would it be possible to explain the situation in a few lines maybe? I thought I had a grasp of it, but it seems I keep reading stuff which contradicts other stuff!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Previously it wouldn't output the HD soundtracks as they should be heard, but downconverted them to lower-bitrate standard quality.

Now, they can be output as Linear PCM, which offers the same quality as the original soundtrack.

 

[Anonymous]

In a nut shell...

The PS3 cannot output the HD audio formats (incl. DTS- HD MA) via bitstream.

Instead, the PS3 decodes the audio signals internally and then transmits these decoded signals to the receiver as a Linear PCM feed...

...on provision that you have connected your PS3 to your receiver via HDMI (as you cannot transmit Linear PCM over optical) and that your receiver can accept a decoded Linear PCM signal via HDMI.

In an ideal world (in some people's opinion), the PS3 would pass the native untouched HD signal to the receiver where it could be decoded and subsequently light up all of the pretty HD lights on the receiver. However, the PS3 is unable to do this.

 

[Anonymous]

I see. I appreciate the explanations. I was under the impression that this was the capability that 2.30 was going to give. Is it expected, with future upgrades, that the PS3 will be able to "pass the native untouched HD signal to the receiver where it could be
decoded and subsequently light up all of the pretty HD lights on the
receiver"? Those pretty HD lights would be nice!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="jphealy"]Is it expected, with future upgrades, that the PS3 will be able to "pass the native untouched HD signal to the receiver where it could be decoded and subsequently light up all of the pretty HD lights on the receiver"? Those pretty HD lights would be nice![/quote]
The short answer is no-one knows for sure. There is evidence to suggest that the chip in the PS3 used for HDMI transmission just plain doesn't support the HD audio codecs (in which case it isn't a firmware issue but a hardware one), however it isn't official as the precise specs of the chip are under an NDA between the chip manufacturer and Sony.
To sum up though, basically before 2.30 the PS3 could output LPCM Blu-ray tracks as LPCM and it could output TrueHD Blu-ray tracks as LPCM, but with dts-MA Blu-ray tracks it could only output them as dts core (or decode the dts core to LPCM and output that). With the latest update it can decode and output all three types of lossless Blu-ray soundtrack as LPCM to an appropriate HDMI receiver, which means PS3 owners can now enjoy lossless audio from Fox Blu-rays (which tended to only have dts-MA as the lossless option), and a handful of other Blu-rays that had dts-MA but no LPCM or TrueHD.