HDMI with optical audio?

[bmccord]

Hey all, I am switching from RGB and optical to HDMI. Would I be better off running my audio through the optical or is the HDMI better/worse? Thanks.

 

[jcPanny]

Audio formats

If you have HDMI audio processing on your receiver then you will want to connect your HD-DVD player to the receiver with HDMI so you can take advantage of the Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio track on new discs.

For other sources, a digital coax or optical audio connection to the receiver should work fine.

 

[bmccord]

Yes, My AVR has HDMI switching. I have heard that the sound through the HDMI is not as good as optical and visa versa. I was just wanting to make sure. So just the HDMI cable for audio and video huh? Good deal.

 

[Seth=L]

The Yamaha HTR-6080 is the big box store equivalent of the RX-V861. It does process audio via HDMI. I would recommend connecting the HD DVD player directly to the receiver via HDMI and that should be the only connection needed between the HD DVD player and the receiver.

The HDMI connection offers more in terms of sound when connected to an appropriate player such as yours. The player can decode Dolby TrueHD internally and convert it to 5.1-7.1 Lossless LPCM. It will also decode Dolby Plus and possibly DTS-HD. This is something that cannot be done over SPDIF (toslink, coaxial) for copyright reasons.

 

[iamnotaparkbenc]

If I have an OPPO DVD player with ONKYO 605, will it be better if I use optical or HDMI?

 

[j_garcia]

If I have an OPPO DVD player with ONKYO 605, will it be better if I use optical or HDMI?

Same answer, use HDMI.

 

[mtrycrafts]

If I have an OPPO DVD player with ONKYO 605, will it be better if I use optical or HDMI?

Standard def DVD movies do not have the hi res audio on them.

 

[iamnotaparkbenc]

Oh ok thanks guys

but I thought OPPO 981 is a High def player....

Edit: oh nvm, you meant the movies itself...i misread it

thanks

 

[Seth=L]

Oh ok thanks guys

but I thought OPPO 981 is a High def player....

Edit: oh nvm, you meant the movies itself...i misread it

thanks

At this point all you are doing is simplifying the process, and possibly saving some money. Using a toslink connection vs. the HDMI is going to yeild similar if not completely the same results with an upscaling DVD player.

 

[iamnotaparkbenc]

OO ic ic

toslink is the optical connection right?

 

[Seth=L]

OO ic ic

toslink is the optical connection right?

Yes, toslink is an optical connect. SPDIF is the format that is used on the digital receivers of yesterday as the primary termination between digital components. It is most commonly signified by the Optical (toslink) or Coaxial (RCA cable) connection. There are other ways to connect SPDIF, but they are uncommon and typically only seen on higher end equipment.

 

[guiness]

I have the Onkyo 605 and I used hdmi from sony blu ray to samsung tv, optical from blu ray to onkyo for sound. I did this b/c I was told that if I ran video thru onkyo I would lose picture quality. Is this true??

 

[avaserfi]

I have the Onkyo 605 and I used hdmi from sony blu ray to samsung tv, optical from blu ray to onkyo for sound. I did this b/c I was told that if I ran video thru onkyo I would lose picture quality. Is this true??

Not at all. Any AVR that is working properly will not effect/change video quality unless there is a setting that has it do so or it is not working. If it is the former you should be able to turn the setting off, although it is unlikely that it will degrade video quality. If it is the latter then you need a new AVR .

If I were you I would run everything through the Onkyo 605 as it is a great piece of equipment and it will in fact let you take full advantage of HD audio which you cannot do without using HDMI for audio as optical cannot handle the bandwidth load.

So get cracking and hook the HDMI up to your Onkyo and listen to your favorite Blu-ray!

 

[obscbyclouds]

I have the Onkyo 605 and I used hdmi from sony blu ray to samsung tv, optical from blu ray to onkyo for sound. I did this b/c I was told that if I ran video thru onkyo I would lose picture quality. Is this true??

This is exactly how I have my PS3 connected. HDMI to 605, then output to display via HDMI. I notice no difference in picture quality between this and a direct HDMI connection with the display, I'm also able to partake in the hi-res audio formats this way.

 

[guiness]

obs and ava, thanks i am going to do just that on sunday. i do remember reading that i couldn't take advantage of the additional sound quality but i was afraid of the picture loss... but i am pretty jacked up, looking forward to the new hook up, and yes i will be going to the store to get a couple new blu ray movies to crank it up... thanks again guys.

 

[bmccord]

thanks everyone.

 

[bmz]

I have an Onkyo TX-SR 505; so I have to use HDMI with a SPDIF. Other than copyright issues, is there any real loss in sound quality?

 

[EddieG]

If you have HDMI audio processing on your receiver then you will want to connect your HD-DVD player to the receiver with HDMI so you can take advantage of the Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio track on new discs.

For other sources, a digital coax or optical audio connection to the receiver should work fine.

My receiver does not allow for HDMI sound, just video, so I will have to use optical when I get a hd or blu ray disc player. Those players do have optical audio out, right?

How different is True HD vs. regular 5.1 via optical to the human ear?

 

[j_garcia]

I have an Onkyo TX-SR 505; so I have to use HDMI with a SPDIF. Other than copyright issues, is there any real loss in sound quality?

For regular DVD no, but for the high def formats it does cripple you a little bit because you won't be able to pass the full versions of them or lossless PCM.

My receiver does not allow for HDMI sound, just video, so I will have to use optical when I get a hd or blu ray disc player. Those players do have optical audio out, right?

How different is True HD vs. regular 5.1 via optical to the human ear?

The difference can be very noticeable, but just as with all movie sound tracks, it depends on the specific mix. A remastered True HD mix could be very different from an old 348K DD 5.1 mix and I can tell you already, I notice a difference just with a 640K DD 5.1 mix vs some older 348K ones.

 

[bmz]

For regular DVD no, but for the high def formats it does cripple you a little bit because you won't be able to pass the full versions of them or lossless PCM.

But what does that really mean, inasmuch as a regular DVD has sound quality significantly better than a CD?