HD Audio Compatibility Question

[Jedi2016]

This is in regards to the new audio formats for the next-gen video discs (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray).

Will they still work with "old" equipment? My reciever now can process pretty much everything I throw at it by today's standards (DD, DTS, Pro Logic, da woiks). Will it still be able to decode these "new" Dolby Digital and DTS signals? Are they actually encoded differently, or are they just taking advantage of the extra space in terms of compression and such? (in which case, it'll work fine, it'll just sound really frikkin' awesome).

Kind of a silly question, but my reciever is one of the things I really like about my entertainment center, and I'd be kind of miffed if it became worthless when I upgrade to Blu-Ray.

 

[supervij]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong . . .

Your present receiver will still be useful with the next-gen discs, provided you have analog audio inputs. If you use a digital coax or digital optical cable from the new player to your current receiver, you'll get Dolby Digital and DTS, but if you use the six, seven or eight analog cables (for 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1) for audio from the new player to your current receiver, you should get everything -- DolbyTrueHD, DTS-HD, and whatever else fancy schmancies they've got. At least, that's what I've heard. So don't toss out your receiver just yet!

cheers,
supervij