The Audio Conundrum
I feel sorry for the guys who will see the magnificent HD-DVD display kiosk at Walmart in the next couple weeks and dive in having no idea what technological constraints they’re about to encounter. Even devout techies weren’t prepared for how multiple audio outputs and formats were going to impact the simple act of watching a movie. For example, “The Phantom of the Opera” is the only launch title that supports the new Dolby Digital TrueHD lossless audio format. That would be great if a receiver existed that could actually decode and play it. So what ends up happening is a message pops up when DD TrueHD is selected stating the player has automatically detected you can’t decode it, thus you’re stuck selecting Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1.
The HD-A1 is able to handle Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1, available on all the release titles, but not in a straightforward manner. Current A/V receivers are unable to decode this relatively new format so the only way for it to work is if the signal is decoded and re-encoded in another format. When this format is selected the HD-A1 decodes the signal under its giant hood and then re-encodes it into DTS 5.1 for the receiver to recognize. Those with receivers that display the input will literally see the signal change to DTS in the readout. This solution works as a temporary fix until more capable receivers are available.
That’s not all, folks. I’m sure many of you have fallen in love with your spiffy optical or coaxial digital audio connections. With the HD-A1, this connection will yield the weakest results. The tech studs over at the AVS Forum have realized the HDMI audio feed is the best, followed by the 5.1 analog inputs, and lastly the optical connection. If you’re interested in the full technical reasons why I suggest you head over there with a few hours of downtime to read.
As if the various formats aren’t confusing enough, Warner Brothers appears to have had an issue with mixing the audio on “The Last Samurai” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” Both require upping the volume quite a bit resulting in levels way too high when switching over to “Serenity.” This will hopefully be rectified when “Million Dollar Baby” arrives in a few days.
