New audio formats...a bit confused.

[pearsall001]

I'm thinking about upgrading to a new AVR. My 4yr old NAD T773 is acting up & it is a bit long in the tooth as far as today's newer audio/video technologies go.

I've noticed that some AVR's come with Dolby TrueHD & dtsHD where others don't. I don't have a BlueRay player yet, but I forsee one in the near future. Is it a must that the AVR must decode these formats for the BlueRay disc to reach it's full audio potential? I'd hate to buy a new AVR that doesn't have the two new formats & find out that it's a must.

Man, even looking at all the different companies AVR's is a task in itself, there's just so many. I don't need a lot of power because I have an external two channel & center channel amp. I need just enough power to run the surrounds & a few bells & whistles would be nice. Any thoughts to help me narrow the field.

 

[jcPanny]

HDMI info.

Check out a few of the AH articles on HDMI.
http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-difference-hdmi-versions/

Any receiver that offers HDMI 1.1 audio processing will allow you to take advantage of the newer audio formats on BluRay. In fact, some players like the PS3 only offer internal decoding. Newer receivers in the $500+ range are starting to include HDMI 1.3 audio processing and internal decoding of DolbyHD and DTS-MA. There is no advantage to having the receiver do the decoding vs. the player.

 

[PENG]

Is it a must that the AVR must decode these formats for the BlueRay disc to reach it's full audio potential? I'd hate to buy a new AVR that doesn't have the two new formats & find out that it's a must.

Some BB players offer 5.1 or even 7.1 analog outs that can take advantage of the analog ins that your NAD has. So not only it is not a must for the AVR to decode those new HD audio formats, it is also not a must for the AVR to have HDMI inputs. That said, HDMI is a must, in terms of convenience.