Question regarding DTS-HD Master Audio

[Joe Christ]

I'm new to this whole home audio thing so please excuse me if I sound like a fool. I was pre-ordering a blu-ray disc today when I happened to notice that the audio format on the disc is "DTS-HD Master Audio" so I began to look at my receiver(Onkyo HT-S3200) and noticed that option was not available on it. It's options are: Dolby Digital Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS NEO6, and DTS 96/24.

So my question is, what exactly should I do to get the most decent 5.1 surround sound possible with my current set-up and the DTS-HD Master Audio blu-ray disc? Is it possible? Should I choose one of the other DTS settings on the receiver? If so, which one? Will there be a significant loss in audio quality?


Thanks if you can answer,

Joe

 

[Lordoftherings]

Hi Joe,

Welcome to the club.
Just use the digital connection (Coaxial or Optical), you will get DTS compressed audio, but still at 1,500 kbs, which is still pretty good and better than normal DTS at 754 kbs. Just leave your receiver on "Auto" mode, it will automatically reverse to DTS. Just make sure that you choose the DTS-HD MA audio soundtrack from the disc audio menu.
For a system like yours (HTIB), it's fine (or is it?).

* If you want the full enchilada, you need a new receiver with the new audio decoders. Some can be had for as low as $199.

What blu-ray player do you have? A PS3?

Bob

 

[Joe Christ]

Hey LOTR,


Thanks a lot for the reply! You have me so relieved after reading your response. I'm really new to this whole thing and have had the set-up for less than a week and I began stressing that I had wasted my money on an outdated system or something else along those lines. Thanks for suggesting a new receiver but this one is still fresh out of the box and even though it doesn't perform the whole sha-bang, I'm satisfied that it will even work let alone produce a more than decent signal. Maybe after I break this one in a little and become a little more knowledgeable in the audio department I'll upgrade.


Oh and yes I am using a PS3 as my blu-ray player and my receiver is the Onkyo HT-R370. (I made the mistake before of listing the item number of the whole package and not the receiver model alone)



Thanks again!


Joe

 

[Lordoftherings]

Good news for Joe.

Hi Joe,

Very good news for you. You are in excellent shape, even better than what I originally thought.

I just check the manual for your Onkyo receiver, and you can plug the HDMI cable from your PS3 to your Onkyo receiver, and the HDMI out from your receiver to your TV, of course. It is well indicated in your manual.

Set the digital Optical audio out to "Bitstream" and the digital HDMI audio out to "Multichannel Linear PCM" (or it might just say LPCM), from the audio menu setup on your PS3. And you should have the new high resolution audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) going into your Onkyo receiver by way of Mutichannel high resolution PCM. Voila! You'll have the full audio resolution.
Only, your receiver front panel display will show Multichannel PCM.

So, you are all setup to enjoy the new high res. audio from your receiver with your PS3.

Bravo and Cheers,

Bob

 

[Lordoftherings]

gr8 tnx ..nice post bro gr88

What? ???

 

[Seth=L]

What? ???

He's post padding. There's a thread for post padding but I guess people don't bother to read the stickys and end up post in random threads about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

 

[Joe Christ]

Hey Bob,


Are you sure that's possible with my receiver being the HDMI is "Pass-Thru"? I was under the impression that my receiver only passed video through it's HDMI ports to make it less of a hassle when switching between sources and an optical/coax cable was the only available high quality sound option.


Thanks again for the replies,

Joe

 

[mohitBihari]

ITS very useful post tnx to share it..i love that...

 

[Lordoftherings]

He's post padding. There's a thread for post padding but I guess people don't bother to read the stickys and end up post in random threads about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

I already figure that out, but thanks anyway.

And I did respond to him in another two posts, you will see...

 

[Lordoftherings]

Absolutely and positively certain.

Hey Bob,


Are you sure that's possible with my receiver being the HDMI is "Pass-Thru"? I was under the impression that my receiver only passed video through it's HDMI ports to make it less of a hassle when switching between sources and an optical/coax cable was the only available high quality sound option.


Thanks again for the replies,

Joe

Hi Joe,

Yes I'm sure, 100% certain. The "Pass-Thru" is for Video only.
The HDMI ports on your Onkyo receiver accept Video and Multichannel Audio.
So, from only one HDMI cable, you get the full enchilada, Audio and Video.
Voila! Simple!
And your PS3 decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA internally and convert the signal to mutichannel LPCM from it's HDMI output.
And you receiver will show "Mutich. PCM" in it's front panel display.

Bob

 

[Lordoftherings]

ITS very useful post tnx to share it..i love that...

Another one bite the dust.

Must have lost his paddle, or simply fell off his canoe.

 

[Joe Christ]

awesome!


So just to get everything straight; From the PS3 audio menu set-up, I set the digital Optical audio out to "bitstream" and the digital HDMI audio out to "LPCM" and the whole "enchilida" will work automatically on my receiver with just the HDMI plug? And no optical plug or anything is neccessary?


Thanks a lot for your help and I promise to stop bothering you after this question,

Joe

 

[Lordoftherings]

Oh Ya!

awesome!


So just to get everything straight; From the PS3 audio menu set-up, I set the digital Optical audio out to "bitstream" and the digital HDMI audio out to "LPCM" and the whole "enchilida" will work automatically on my receiver with just the HDMI plug? And no optical plug or anything is neccessary?


Thanks a lot for your help and I promise to stop bothering you after this question,

Joe

YEP. Just the HDMI cable will do. So, if you don't use the Optical cable, you don't even need to set it up.

But I'm not familiar enough about the PS3 for the regular Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks from regular DVDs. There must be another setting to send the "Bitstream" signal for these audio codecs, or unless it does it automatically. You might know more than me about this.
Or someone else might and will chime in.

One thing that I do know for sure, is that the PS3 is full of various video and audio adjustments. With it's x-bar menu, it is quite cool and very elaborate too, with a huge number of setups, right?

But for the HDMI Audio Out, I do know that you have to set it up to "LPCM" in order to get Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio soundtracks in their full glory.

Bob

 

[Joe Christ]

============================================

 

[Joe Christ]

Hey Bob,

Thanks for all of your help it has really been appreciated. When it comes to your question regarding the regular dolby digital 5.1 and the DTS 5.1 I don't really know but while I was reading your response I was looking at this,

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/2_60/settings/audiooutput.html

By selecting all those other compatible formats would that automatically set the "bitstream" signal to the other regular dvd audio codecs? Oh and one more thing, I'm guessing from that audio menu I would set the LPCM to 5.1ch 44.1khz option as the HDMI audio out option? Should I click off the other LPCM options as compatible as well or will that somehow interfere with the LPCM 5.1ch option?

Joe


PS sorry for the last post but it said I needed at least 5 posts to add the link above and i didn't know what to write so I just submitted that.

 

[Lordoftherings]

Hi Joe,

No sweat man.

You are right, you just choose all the audio formats supported by your receiver.
And YES, you also select the "Linear PCM 5.1 ch." from the list.
Your Onkyo receiver is compatible with most of these audio formats, so you just select them (DD 5.1, DTS 5.1, Linear PCM 5.1 ch., Linear PCM 2 ch., etc.)

With your link, it is well explained now for you to understand.
And you will see what happens when you put different type of discs with different audio formats in your PS3, and what your receiver will display in it's front panel display, and what sound will come out from all your speakers.
* Just remember to select the right audio soundtrack from the menu of each disc. But you already knew that.

So in the end, in order for you to get Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Ma, you do also select in your PS3 audio menu, the "Linear PCM 5.1-ch.", in addition to the others. Quite simple after all.

You are good to go now. And if there is anything else that you're not sure, just ask.

Bob

 

[Joe Christ]

You've been a real help and I wouldn't know what to do without you! haha Hopefully one day they'll make these things a little easier to operate and understand. Thanks again Bob.

Take care,
Joe

 

[Adam]

I wish that I would have been following this thread earlier this morning.

I read the manual for that Onkyo last night. It can NOT process audio over HDMI. It specifically states that on page 22 of the manual:

Audio signals received by the HDMI IN jacks
are output only by the HDMI OUT (Pass-
Thru). HDMI sources are not output by the
speakers connected to the AV receiver.

It's stated again on page 24:

If you want to listen through the speakers connected to the AV receiver, in addition to an HDMI connection,
you’ll also need to make a separate analog or digital audio connection.

Sorry for the confusion on this, Joe. You will need to keep using the optical cable.

 

[Lordoftherings]

What?!!!

But then earlier in the manual, it says that HDMI carry the video and multichannel audio signals through a single cable!

By the way, how old is this receiver? It is the Onkyo HT-R370, indicated on the 1st page of the manual with the HT-S370.

I was looking for the HDMI version, but I could not find it anywhere.
Is this mean that it will be HDMI version 1.0?

Are you sure, Adam?

 

[Adam]

But then earlier in the manual, it says that HDMI carry the video and multichannel audio signals through a single cable!

Yes, HDMI can carry video and multichannel audio signals through a single cable, but that receiver can't process the audio portion. It will, however, pass it through to another device (like a television).

EDIT: I'm sure about this, Bob. If the unit is the Onkyo HT-S3200 (which has the HT-R370 receiver), then it can't process the audio over HDMI.