For space and simplicity reasons, I recently bought a Panasonic DMP-BD91 Blu-ray Player to replace a 17"-wide Panasonic DMP-BD75 Blu-ray Player. I wanted something that had a small footprint and would play several kinds of media and formats and , and as I use an ethernet-connected Roku 3 for streaming Netflix, Amazon video, etc., and Plex Media Server and the Roku Plex channel on my (also ethernet-connected) iMac for DLNA functions, the paucity of those functions on the BD91 were no problem.
Then came the setup for the DMP-BD91 Blu-ray Player. Maybe I'm just old and stupid, but I still don't understand how to correctly set this very simple machine up, especially the audio. First, understand that the BD91 Is connected to a Denon AVR3312-CI A/V receiver, which in turn is connected to a Panasonic Viera 42" HDTV via HDMI (ARC). The BD91 is also connected by WiFi to my Apple Airport Base Station, and the BD91 just completed a firmware update.
Last night I tried to play my first Blu-ray disc on the BD91, the first disc of the complete "Battlestar Galactica" (modern) set. All the discs in this set contain extra material in the form of deleted scenes, interviews with actors and series creator Ron Moore, and other background info, but no matter how many different ways I tried to set up the BD91's audio, I got either the soundtrack to the episodes and no sound at all from the extras, or no sound at all, period.
I've attached an image of the audio setup steps from the manual, but I obviously don't know what I'm doing, and I'll try to explain my lack of understanding, referencing the attached image.
(I have Dynamic Range Compression set to "off")
My first question has to do with "HDMI Output" > "24p Output" On or off?
"Digital Audio Output":
<<Digital Audio Output
Press [OK] to show the following settings:
Dolby D/DoIby D +/Dolby TrueHD
DTS/DTS-HD
Select the audio signal to output.>>
I don't understand this. In "setup," this is NOT an "either/or" -- you get BOTH "Dolby D/DoIby D +/Dolby TrueHD" AND "DTS/DTS-HD," the only choice you have is to set them to "PCM" or "Bitstream," which brings us to:
<< Select “PCM”, when the connected equipment cannot decode the respective audio format. This unit decodes the audio format and transmits to the connected equipment.>>
Do I want "Dolby D/DoIby D +/Dolby TrueHD" or "DTS/DTS-HD" BOTH set to "PCM" or "Bitstream" (both currently set to "Bitstream"), or which one to Bitstream and which one to PCM?
<< BD-Video Secondary Audio
Select whether or not to mix the primary and secondary audio (including the button click
sound)
If “Off’ is selected, the unit outputs the primary audio only. >>
Is this this where I'm having a problem with extra material in the form of deleted scenes, interviews with actors and series creator Ron Moore, and other background info having no sound? "BD-Video Secondary Audio" IS currently set to "Off")
<< Downmix
Select the downmix system of multi-channel to 2-channel sound.
Select “Surround encoded”, when the connected equipment supports the virtual
surround function.
The downmix effect is not available when “Digital Audio Output” is set to “Bitstream”>>
Currently both "Dolby D/DoIby D +/Dolby TrueHD" AND "DTS/DTS-HD" “Digital Audio Output” are set to “Bitstream," so I assume this is a non-issue, unless I need to change the "Digital Audio Output” of both "Dolby D/DoIby D +/Dolby TrueHD" AND "DTS/DTS-HD" from "Bitstream" to "PCM."
<< The audio will be output in “Stereo” in the following cases:
AVCHD playback
Playback of secondary audio (including the button click sound).>>
Again, "BD-Video Secondary Audio" IS currently set to "Off;" Is this this where I'm having a problem with extra material in the form of deleted scenes, interviews with actors and series creator Ron Moore, and other background info having no sound?"
<< DTS Neo:6
2ch (2.1ch) audio is expanded to 7ch
(7.1ch).
This function works when the following
conditions are met:
Audio recorded at 96 kHz or lower is output.
“Digital Audio Output” is set to “PCM” when
audio other than PCM is output. >>
Don't understand this one at all. All I know (well, I THINK I know) is my Denon AVR-3312CI is natively 7.1ch, with 7 discrete channels, each channel with its own 175W power supply.
Hope someone can help.
Thanks
Barton Brown