do i need a new receiver to appreciate dolby truehd?

[clw2230]

I currently have an onkyo txsr500, panny bd60 bluy ray player and panny plasma with polk surrounds. do i need a receiver with hdmi inputs for the best audio? I am looking at spending less than 500.00 and looking at some of the Denon products. any thoughts? thanks in advance.

 

[Lordoftherings]

Welcome to the club.

You could still be using your TX-SR500, but you need to get a new Blu-ray player, like the Panasonic BD80. Then, you connect the multichannel analog outputs from it to your receiver 5.1-channel inputs.

* But, you'll do much better with a new Denon A/V receiver in your price range, that have all the internal audio decoders, including Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD MA.

 

[AVRat]

The Panny doesn't have multi-channel outputs, so yes the receiver needs HDMI inputs to obtain the new lossless codecs. Depending on your speakers, the Denon 590/790 should work for you.

 

[tedi055]

Yes

to put it plain and simple. yes you do need the HDMI cable. it will definitely improve audio quality in your situation.

 

[gonk]

You either need a new receiver, or a Blu-ray player with onboard decoding and multichannel analog output (such as the Panasonic BD80). There are arguments in favor of either, although an HDMI-equipped receiver is the simpler approach in some ways.

 

[lsiberian]

Another alternative is the implementation of an Ambery Decoder. However given the cost I think you may as well get a new receiver. See accessories4less, ecost or 6ave for the best prices.