Need some help please!

[Bmontbob]

Hey everyone ! Pretty new to the home theater game and have a couple of questions, I am def. glad there are forums like this out there! I made a post earlier but though this was a better area.

I would like to know the best way to hook up my Toshiba lcd , Sony PS3 , Rogers HD cable box To my Denon avr-588.

I have a a kenwood receiver hooked up at the moment as follows, HDMI from ps3 to T.V HDMI 1, HDMI from Cable box to T.V HDMI 2 and an optical audio cable from the T.V's optical out to the receiver.
When watching regular tv I can get dolby digital but when I watch a movie on the ps3 the digital light does not come on , on the receiver

I have seen on the menus of the various componets that you can change from bitstream to pcm, I'm not sure what this means ?

But I now have the Denon and want to know the best way to hook it up to all my components and get the best possible sound.

Thanks alot
Bobby

 

[mperfct]

I'll try and answer your questions...

Bitstreaming is where your player will send the "bits" of an audio stream to the receiver so it can decode it. Most every receiver can do Dolby Digital, DTS, and some of the variants, but only newer receivers can decode the hi-def codecs like Dolby True-HD and DTS-MA.

PCM is Pulse Code Modulation. There's lots to read about it, but what you need to know is that your player is doing the decoding and sending the audio via 5.1 over your connection, so your receiver just regurgitates this, it doesn't do any decoding. Most Blu-Ray players and 99% HD-DVD players can decode everything and push PCM to a receiver.

It doesn't look like your Denon will decode the newer codecs, so set everything to PCM.

I think you want to hook your cable box and your PS3 into your Denon, and then out to the LCD. I think the PS3 does PCM output, so maybe that's why your Dolby light doesn't come on (your receiver isn't decoding anything). Hope this all helps!

 

[lsiberian]

When you hook up an hdmi cable from your tv to the PS3 it will automatically set everything up. I suggest connection the cable box and PS3 with HDMI to the receiver. Then using the hdmi out on the receiver to connect to the tv. I find this is the simplest and easiest way to connect things and it will automatically get you the best format.

Usually the PS3 passes linear pcm to the receiver.

I suggest letting the PS3 and your reciever having as much control over the format as possible. Usually they get it right. If they don't you can always do something a bit different though.

On the cable box you should have dolby setting. Use that to pass Dolby sound. Most boxes will pass audio over hdmi.

To get sound via hdmi you will need an HDMI repeater on your reciever. Which I think that Denon has.

Also I suggest running the EQ on the system and if you can get an SPL meter from radio shack to make sure you are getting the best setup possible.

make sure to do the crawl test with your sub. Even if you can only do it for a few feet along a wall. Finding the best sound from your sub can make all the difference. Even a few inches can be the difference between boomy and just right. I suggest you read some of the articles here for more suggestions.

 

[Phil Taylor]

To get sound via hdmi you will need an HDMI repeater on your reciever. Which I think that Denon has.

I checked the 588's specs and it doesn't - 2x1 HDMI video switching only unfortunately - you'll need to run separate digital audio cables to your AVR from both sources.

Both mperfct and lsiberian are correct on the PCM/no Dolby light deal.