Best Possible Sound

[David Gaudreau]

I'm wondering when playing a blueray movie, should I let the receiver automatically choose the sound decoding format? If so will it choose the best possible option? Reason why I ask, my current set up will play just about every coding, Master 7.1, true HD, yada yada..... I just want to make sure I'm getting them most clarity and mind blowing realism out of the system.

Thanks

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The receiver will choose the best possible sound format (TrueHD, DTS-MA, PCM) as long as YOU pick the format OUTPUT on the blu-ray player!

For example, if you had the "Red Cliff" BD (Chinese audio, English subtitle), you would have a choice of 7.1 PCM, 7.1 TrueHD, & 7.1 DTS-HD MA. It is 100% up to you to pick which Audio format to play. The receiver does not choose the format for you. Once you pick the audio format, the receiver will recognize the incoming bitstream and use the corresponding decoders.

 

[David Gaudreau]

got it, for example when I play the new RAMBO I select Master 7.1 in the BD setting and the receiver switches to MA 7.1, and that would give me the best setting correct.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

got it, for example when I play the new RAMBO I select Master 7.1 in the BD setting and the receiver switches to MA 7.1, and that would give me the best setting correct.

Exactly. You got it.

 

[David Gaudreau]

what about a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean with 5.1 uncoded??

 

[MatthewB.]

I think unless you have "golden ears" it is going to be real difficult hearing any difference at all between PCM, DTS-HD, DTS-MA or TruHD. In fact one of the A?V magazines (HTMag I think) had Geoffrey Morrison and somebody out to both DD and DTS to test out the new lossless audio formats and they had a hard enough time telling the difference between standard DD and Lossless and DTS and Lossless audio. They found some differences but they were very small and insignificant.

Personally I can tell a difference between regular DTS/DD and the new formats, but cannot tell the difference between PCM, DTS-HD and TruHD at all. As mentioned go with the selection on the Bluray player that is the highest. So if you have DD 5.1 and TruHD 7.1 you obviously want the TruHD.

There is also no diffence between Bitstream and PCM sound. Just what the reciever can add or take away based on your settings.

 

[Djizasse]

I think unless you have "golden ears" it is going to be real difficult hearing any difference at all between PCM, DTS-HD, DTS-MA or TruHD. In fact one of the A?V magazines (HTMag I think) had Geoffrey Morrison and somebody out to both DD and DTS to test out the new lossless audio formats and they had a hard enough time telling the difference between standard DD and Lossless and DTS and Lossless audio. They found some differences but they were very small and insignificant.

Personally I can tell a difference between regular DTS/DD and the new formats, but cannot tell the difference between PCM, DTS-HD and TruHD at all. As mentioned go with the selection on the Bluray player that is the highest. So if you have DD 5.1 and TruHD 7.1 you obviously want the TruHD.

There is also no diffence between Bitstream and PCM sound. Just what the reciever can add or take away based on your settings.

And even between regular DTS/DD and the new formats, do you think it's because of the technical superiority or the remastering that was made for the new formats? I guess this would be very noticeable in re-releases but I'm not sure about the new ones. Even in this case, different tracks may have different mixes.
What I'm trying to say is that a good old DD 5.1 might sound as good as the TruHD 7.1.
True? False? I would like to know

 

[jostenmeat]

what about a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean with 5.1 uncoded??

Just select it. No logo's on the receiver, but "lossless" audio nonetheless.

This is OT, but I've wondered why certain discs default to the lossless track, and some others don't.

With MA, it can be the default since SPDIF can still carry the core. Are there any discs that default to TrueHD I wonder? If so, I wonder if the player simply knows to select the legacy track (is using SPDIF), perhaps dependent on the setup. Meh.

David, when you select TrueHD, be aware that either always, or almost always, DRC is being auto-flagged wherever the audio is decoded (in your case, the receiver). Sometimes it sounds ok if you forget about, but on certain occasions it sounds terrible, notably with Iron Man.

j

p.s. how are you enjoying your movie theater these days?

What's the most popular selling candy?

 

[David Gaudreau]

David, when you select TrueHD, be aware that either always, or almost always, DRC is being auto-flagged wherever the audio is decoded (in your case, the receiver). Sometimes it sounds ok if you forget about, but on certain occasions it sounds terrible, notably with Iron Man.

j

p.s. how are you enjoying your movie theater these days?

What's the most popular selling candy?

oh I'm loving the theater, best selling candy is the hot tamale's !!!

 

[MatthewB.]

Dj, to answer your question (from my perspective) the matsering of the Audio is the most important. But I feel the difference in sound quality for the average joe is dependant on the speakers being used and room acoustics.

What I found interesting is that when HT Mag sent Geoffrey Morrison to hear the new formats, at DD they used high end B&W speakers, and a pre-pro in an acoustically treated room and they couldn't tell hardly any difference. meanwhile at DTS, they used a Denon 3808 hooked up to standard Klipsch speakers and again the reviewers had a tough time telling the differnce between regular DVD sound and the new lossless.

I explain it this way, with regular DVD you can hear rain falling all around you, with lossless you can hear individual raindrops falling all around, to me it is that clearer and the sound to me is more enveloping. But that is because of my setup and close placement of my rear speakers.

 

[trnqk7]

This fits with my experience as well-the sounds are more "obvious" directionally. Crisper, deeper, louder, and just much more dramatic sounding in general. Much preferred over the original DD and DTS.