Can someone please help me??

[Maximan]

I dont know where to post this so Ill try here and in the DVD section.

Anyway,I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH and a Toshiba HD-A30 dvd player.I was trying to watch 300 in True Dolby HD and my reciever would only decode it as PCM.I called Pioneer and they said it sounded like a DVD player problem and well Toshiba want really much help.He said "It might be a communication problem you just have to live with". This is kind of stupid.I know this sounds dumb but I want the little "True HD" light to work on my reciever.The guy from Toshiba said it wont.I tried everything and nothing works,can anyone help me to see if I can correct this or is Toshiba right??

BTW,Im running all HDMI cables.

Thanks

 

[The Chukker]

Are you sure you have your HDMI input settings for the Pioneer set to Auto? This will eliminate the receiver as the source of the problem. Make sure in your player's setup that your HDMI output is set at Multi (Normal) out (or "auto") and not Multi (LPCM) out. Sometimes players have separate settings for DD and DTS, my Pioneer BD player included. Make sure it outputs the full bitstream for both types of audio and not downmixed to LPCM.

 

[MDS]

I'm not familiar with that particular player but the early versions could not output the lossless audio as a bitstream which is what would be necessary to have the receiver do the decoding.

If your receiver is showing PCM, then it is receiving PCM. Either that is what the player does by default or it will have a menu option that is set to PCM currently and you need to change it to bitstream.

 

[Maximan]

Are you sure you have your HDMI input settings for the Pioneer set to Auto? This will eliminate the receiver as the source of the problem. Make sure in your player's setup that your HDMI output is set at Multi (Normal) out (or "auto") and not Multi (LPCM) out. Sometimes players have separate settings for DD and DTS, my Pioneer BD player included. Make sure it outputs the full bitstream for both types of audio and not downmixed to LPCM.

The DVD player doesnt have that many audio options so Im pretty sure thats right.I have it set on bitstream and the HDMI setting is on auto. The Pioneer is a little overwhemling for me and I feel that it is my problem.I called Pioneer and he tried to blame the DVD player and said to make sure I have a cable thats a 1.3 version.Do I have the wrong cable?When I bought the cable I didnt know I was supposed to buy a 1.3.

 

[MDS]

A cable that is '1.3' simply means that it has been certified to deliver the data rate necessary for using full HDMI 1.3 features over a given distance. It is highly unlikely that the cable is the problem.

 

[obscbyclouds]

The HD-A30 won't send the Hi-Res Tracks as a bitsream. You need the A35 for that. Here's a quote from the C-NET review:

Enthusiasts, take note: unlike the step-up HD-A35, the HD-A30 cannot send Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks in bitstream.

Here's a Link to that article: http://reviews.cnet.com/video-players-and-recorders/toshiba-hd-a30-hd/4505-6463_7-32563583.html

Sounds like you're going to be stuck with PCM unless you upgrade the player. That being said, there really shouldn't be much difference whether the player or the reciever is doing the decoding. Take care.

 

[MDS]

So obscbyclouds confirmed what I thought: the player itself cannot send the data as a raw bitstream.

However, before you get all worked up about it realize that PCM is a raw format, the lowest common denominator in digital audio, and is a sequence of numbers that represent the amplitude of the signal at various points in time. If the player could send the data as a bitstream your receiver will decode it and convert it to...wait for it... PCM.

You are not missing anything by having the player do the conversion to PCM instead of the receiver.

In the case of SD DVD there is a difference because in addition to decoding the multi-channel (DD/DTS) format it will also downmix to 2 channel PCM and you lose the surround mix (although you can turn it back into pseudo-surround using a matrix decoder like PLII). With the HD lossless audio formats the receiver will be sent multi-channel PCM which is the exact same thing that the receiver will do to the encoded format if it were sent as a bitstream.

 

[fmw]

So obscbyclouds confirmed what I thought: the player itself cannot send the data as a raw bitstream.

However, before you get all worked up about it realize that PCM is a raw format, the lowest common denominator in digital audio, and is a sequence of numbers that represent the amplitude of the signal at various points in time. If the player could send the data as a bitstream your receiver will decode it and convert it to...wait for it... PCM.

You are not missing anything by having the player do the conversion to PCM instead of the receiver.

In the case of SD DVD there is a difference because in addition to decoding the multi-channel (DD/DTS) format it will also downmix to 2 channel PCM and you lose the surround mix (although you can turn it back into pseudo-surround using a matrix decoder like PLII). With the HD lossless audio formats the receiver will be sent multi-channel PCM which is the exact same thing that the receiver will do to the encoded format if it were sent as a bitstream.

No, the player neither decodes the lossless audio formats nor will it send them via bitstream. You cannot decode these formats at all anywhere with this player. The same holds true for all of my players. I have a Pioneer 92 and I've never heard the lossless formats.

The best approach is to set the receiver to auto and the player to bitstream. That way he will at least get the highest level of codec available from the player and his receiver will decode it. The player will down-convert the audio to DTS or Dobly Digital II and bitstream it. The Pioneer 92/94 have really very good digital processors. I do it that way myself.

 

[obscbyclouds]

No, the player neither decodes the lossless audio formats nor will it send them via bitstream. You cannot decode these formats at all anywhere with this player. The same holds true for all of my players. I have a Pioneer 92 and I've never heard the lossless formats.

The best approach is to set the receiver to auto and the player to bitstream. That way he will at least get the highest level of codec available from the player and his receiver will decode it. The player will down-convert the audio to DTS or Dobly Digital II and bitstream it. The Pioneer 92/94 have really very good digital processors. I do it that way myself.

The A-30 does have onboard decoders for Dolby TrueHD and DD+, just not DTS HD-MA.

 

[Maximan]

WOW!! This all getting a little confusing.So then the problem is the DVD player? So,even though the "true HD" light doesnt come on my reciever,am I still hearing it in HD?

 

[obscbyclouds]

WOW!! This all getting a little confusing.So then the problem is the DVD player? So,even though the "true HD" light doesnt come on my reciever,am I still hearing it in HD?

Yes, if you are listening to a Dolby TrueHD or an uncompressed PCM track. As long as the player is set for PCM output, it will decode the TrueHD for you, and you are in fact listening to lossless audio. I do a similar thing with my PS3 and Onkyo 705. The PS3 won't send the tracks as a bitstream, so I use PCM. The only time this won't be true is if the disc ONLY has DTS-HD MA. Then you will get a down-rezzed version.

 

[aajj012345]

I am having a similar problem with my equipment. For me, I have the Panasonic DMP-BD55. I am almost positive this sends out the Dolby True HD signal. My receiver is the Yamaha rx-v3800. I am sure this is capable of receiving the Dolby True HD signal as well. Both tech support teams were not helpful on this. I have the Blu Ray player set to bitstream audio. I am connected using HDMI. Any thoughts? Also, a few questions;
Does it matter that I only have 5 speakers, not 7?
I am bi amping my additional channels, does that matter?
Thank you for any future help!!

 

[Adam]

Hey. I downloaded the owner's manuals for both your receiver and your blu-ray player.

One thing that I noticed was on the blu-ray player. Page 8 of the manual mentions that Dolby TrueHD will be output as Dolby Digital in bitstream if the "BD-Video Secondary Audio" is on. If you haven't already, set that secondary audio to off and give it a try. Please let us know if that works. Thanks!

 

[aajj012345]

Hey. I downloaded the owner's manuals for both your receiver and your blu-ray player.

One thing that I noticed was on the blu-ray player. Page 8 of the manual mentions that Dolby TrueHD will be output as Dolby Digital in bitstream if the "BD-Video Secondary Audio" is on. If you haven't already, set that secondary audio to off and give it a try. Please let us know if that works. Thanks!

I checked the audio settings and it is turned off but it still does not work. Thank you for the effort.

 

[Adam]

I checked the audio settings and it is turned off but it still does not work. Thank you for the effort.

Hmmm. I guess that would have been too easy.

Now (and don't take this the wrong way, but it's happened to a few people), are you sure that you have selected the Dolby TrueHD audio track on the disc that you are playing? I don't own a blu-ray player, but on several DVDs that I own, Dolby Pro-Logic is the default track and I need to go in a select Dolby Digital or DTS if I want it. I don't know if TrueHD would always be the default on a blu-ray.

Just a thought.

 

[aajj012345]

Hmmm. I guess that would have been too easy.

Now (and don't take this the wrong way, but it's happened to a few people), are you sure that you have selected the Dolby TrueHD audio track on the disc that you are playing? I don't own a blu-ray player, but on several DVDs that I own, Dolby Pro-Logic is the default track and I need to go in a select Dolby Digital or DTS if I want it. I don't know if TrueHD would always be the default on a blu-ray.

Just a thought.

I am using The Dark Knight for my tests. The only audio option on the disc is menu button audio. Other than that I have not been able to find any other options. I do know what you are talking about. I had/ have the same problem with my HD DVD player. ( another task to undertake but for a different day) I was using 300 for my test. In that menu you could select Dolby True HD as your audio. Needless to say it did not work. Bottom line, I do not believe there is an audio setting for the disc itself.

 

[pzaur]

From a review at cnet.com:

"In addition to supporting the standard Dolby Digital and DTS surround soundtracks found on standard DVDs, the A30 also offers onboard decoding for the two new, high-resolution Dolby formats: Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. In other words, it can send those new soundtracks to a compatible AV receiver or processor via HDMI as a PCM stream that most HDMI-equipped receivers can handle."

I don't think you have any issues.

-pat

 

[aajj012345]

OK, I thought about it and now the problem with my HD DVD player is really bothering me. Ihave the HD-A20. I did some research to see if the player could decode Dolby True HD and here is what I found
"The HD-A20 includes onboard transcoding of Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD to PCM for output over the HDMI output."
I have no idea what this actually means. Does it mean that the player can decode the Dolby TrueHD but then sends it as a PCM? Could someone please explain?! I am dying to get that darn little Dolby True HD light to light up on my receiver. Thank you!

 

[Adam]

If the audio is sent to your receiver as PCM, then the receiver almost surely won't have that light turn on - because the receiver isn't decoding the signal. If you send it as a bitstream to the receiver, then the receiver needs to decode it (and the light probably turns on).

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Dark Knight defaults to DD so you have to change it to DTHD, it is in the menu section of the disc.

I am using The Dark Knight for my tests. The only audio option on the disc is menu button audio. Other than that I have not been able to find any other options. I do know what you are talking about. I had/ have the same problem with my HD DVD player. ( another task to undertake but for a different day) I was using 300 for my test. In that menu you could select Dolby True HD as your audio. Needless to say it did not work. Bottom line, I do not believe there is an audio setting for the disc itself.