New Audio formats...Am I alone?

[Buckeye_Nut]

Am I the only one who isn't interested enough to replace AV gear to process the new audio formats?

Yes..... I will do it eventually, but it's way down on my list of priorities.

 

[GlocksRock]

I upgraded my receiver, but not necessarily for the new audio codecs. I needed a receiver that could pass 7.1 PCM via HDMI, whereas my old receiver could only do 5.1 PCM via HDMI, but could do 7.1 via analog inputs. I also needed my receiver to pass 1080p, and it was only capapble of 1080i/720p. As long as you have a HDMI 1.1 or higher receiver, I wouldn't worry too much about it since the player should be able to do the decoding of the new formats. But for most people, the core dts or Dolby Digital 5.1 track will be enough.

 

[adk highlander]

I understand this comment from a money perspective but are you saying this because you have heard them and are unimpressed or have you not had the chance to hear it and you don't think it will make that much of a difference?

I do hear a difference but I hear it more on some movies than others. To me the 300 TrueHD track is way better than the DD track.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I also needed my receiver to pass 1080p, and it was only capapble of 1080i/720p.

When my current 65" display dies, I plan to replace it with a PJ. When that day comes......I'll truly need a new receiver to pass through all my HDMI needs and I'll automatically get all the new processing. I doubt I'll replace my receiver until I buy a PJ. It's very possible I'll get the itch sooner, but that's my mental thought process at this time.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I understand this comment from a money perspective but are you saying this because you have heard them and are unimpressed or have you not had the chance to hear it and you don't think it will make that much of a difference?

I do hear a difference but I hear it more on some movies than others. To me the 300 TrueHD track is way better than the DD track.

I've heard them, but not in my own home so there is no way for me to draw a valid A/B conclusion.

Sound processing has evolved to such a point that we've now traveled far down the path of diminishing returns. Is the difference worth replacing AV components?? If I believed there would be any real significant and perceptible difference, I'd replace my AV components in a split second. As of right now, it's a low priority for me. I was curious to see if I was in the minority.

 

[Davemcc]

I'm not going to run out and replace anything just for that, but when I do I want to be up-to-date with the standard by which everything is operating. I could use a new receiver right now even if it's just for the rare occasion when I want to play an SACD from the PS3. (I put my universal player in the bedroom when the PS3 arrived, for rack space.) I'm in no hurry but when I upgrade, I don't want my new equipment to be outdated the day I bring it home.

 

[evilkat]

I just bought a receiver a year ago, and it does not have TruHD or any of the new HD format soundtrack decoding capabilities. Is there an appreciable difference in the decoding done by the standalone players (PS3, Samsung, Toshiba, etc) players vs what the receiver does?

 

[GlocksRock]

I just bought a receiver a year ago, and it does not have TruHD or any of the new HD format soundtrack decoding capabilities. Is there an appreciable difference in the decoding done by the standalone players (PS3, Samsung, Toshiba, etc) players vs what the receiver does?

Technically speaking there shouldn't be, since it's all lossless, but I'm hearing a lot of people on the blu ray forums saying that it sounds better when the receiver does the decoding. Since my PS3 and HD-A2 doesn't bitstream the audio, I have no way of doing an A B comparison. I would personally rather the receiver do the decoding, but I have heard that if you let the receiver do the decoding, you lose the ability to have certain features such as picture in picture commentary since the receiver wouldn't be able to process two audio streams at once, whereas the player would be able to do that.

 

[Duffinator]

Am I the only one who isn't interested enough to replace AV gear to process the new audio formats?

Yes..... I will do it eventually, but it's way down on my list of priorities.

I won't do it just for the new audio formats but any new equipment I buy will have to be compatible and decode them. My wonderful Denon 3805 does not have HDMI or decode the new formats so whatever replaces it when I do upgrade will need to support the latest technology. So for now I'd like a BD player that decodes both of the new formats and outputs them via analog so I can enjoy them on my 3805. But there are no players that do that as of today.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Glad to see I am not alone

With that said, of the action BD-discs I have watched thus far (the type of movies with impressive LFE/sound effects)....... I thought all the audio was top-notch.

 

[davidtwotrees]

I am with you Buckeye........movies are not a priority for me, music is. I watch about .7 movies per week and I tend to like dramas and comedies. You know what, I don't think the soundtrack is a big part of the movies I watch. If I was a big action flick person it might be different. I enjoyed Master and Commander and King Kong, etc etc, but that is about one in ten movies that I watch. 5.1 DD sounds fantastic when I need it. I owned a Pio Elite receiver a few years back and it had WAY too much crap on it for my taste. Modern receivers have went even further down that road, imho. I want to watch a movie, not launch a space shuttle mission. So, the new codecs are just another way to get in my wallet and I'm not interested in changing gear just to support the latest greatest codec.

 

[fmw]

I tend to use things for a long time too. I bought a receiver last year and another one this year - neither one was to get new audio codecs. The first was to reapace a 10 year old pre/pro and amps so that I could achieve better automation for my wife and the second one was to replace the first one which turned out to incompetent. I'll run with the one I have now until it dies.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Glad to see I am not alone
.

Nope, you are far from being alone on this

 

[mtrycrafts]

Technically speaking there shouldn't be, since it's all lossless, but I'm hearing a lot of people on the blu ray forums saying that it sounds better when the receiver does the decoding. .

Then one must ask how those comparisons were made, how carefully was it conducted. If not well done, who knows what is really the true story.

 

[GlocksRock]

Then one must ask how those comparisons were made, how carefully was it conducted. If not well done, who knows what is really the true story.

I want to know the same things... I'm guessing there is more volume when the receiver does the decoding, and many people will equate more volume with better sound, but we all know that isn't the case. Maybe one day I'll have a player that can send bitstream as well as do internal decoding, but until that day I will just be happy with what I have now.