A couple questions regarding uncompressed audio

[vessel]

First, let me say that I have little experience with high-quality cables and HD audio, I'm still using optical and component video cables through an Xbox 360, so please bare with me.

I have a sound system without HDMI, and I want to be able to take advantage of the higher-end audio formats on HD DVD. The only way I can with my system is through the 6-channel analogue inputs (I think). That's where my questions start;

1. Is there a big difference in quality between Dolby TrueHD in this configuration, against traditional means, i.e. standard audio through optical? I simply don't have the HDMI input that I need. Anyone who has possibly used this configuration, please enlighten me.

2. Does using the analogue 6-channel inputs even access the uncompressed, or higher-bitrate formats? I am still a newb.

The ultimate goal is to use HDMI for video on a standalone HD DVD player, and analogue connects for uncompressed audio. The optical is currently being used for the 360.

Thanks in advance. Any information on what I have wrong will also help here, I'm looking to learn as much as possible.

 

[MDS]

1. Is there a big difference in quality between Dolby TrueHD in this configuration, against traditional means, i.e. standard audio through optical?

This is not an apples to apples comparison. Dolby TrueHD is uncompressed whereas Dolby Digital and DTS are lossy compression formats. You cannot send Dolby TrueHD or any high resolution format over the optical cables because the s/pdif interface cannot support the bit rate.

Will the full uncompressed audio sound better than a lossy compression format like DD? Yes, No, Maybe - a lot still depends on the recording and mastering of the disc.

2. Does using the analogue 6-channel inputs even access the uncompressed, or higher-bitrate formats?

Yes, the only difference is that now the player is decoding the bitstream and doing the digital to analog conversion as opposed to sending it over a digital output to a receiver or processor that does the decoding.

 

[vessel]

This is not an apples to apples comparison. Dolby TrueHD is uncompressed whereas Dolby Digital and DTS are lossy compression formats. You cannot send Dolby TrueHD or any high resolution format over the optical cables because the s/pdif interface cannot support the bit rate.

Will the full uncompressed audio sound better than a lossy compression format like DD? Yes, No, Maybe - a lot still depends on the recording and mastering of the disc.


Yes, the only difference is that now the player is decoding the bitstream and doing the digital to analog conversion as opposed to sending it over a digital output to a receiver or processor that does the decoding.

Thanks for replying. I know about not being able to send the uncompressed signal through optical, but it's nice to know that I can actually use the uncompressed and higher-bitrate formats on HD DVD. I check sites like DVDTalk.com for all my reviews, they're highly-technical breakdowns of the best HD has to offer, so I understand that it really just depends on the source.