 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
72.222.212.118
First, many thanks to those who responded to my post on the Sony BD below. Based on your responses I've researched the Panasonic blu-ray players and I think they are the way to go. One question: I have a two channel (stereo) HT setup using a Mcintosh tube preamp and tube amp. I plan to connect the stereo L-R analog outputs on the BD35 to my preamp. Will I still get Dolby HD and DTS Master this way? Thanks again for your advice.
Follow Ups:
No, you need the BD55 if you want the new codecs through the analog outputs
Any Blu-ray player that can decode the new codecs will have the option to down-mix the multi-channel audio to analog stereo, if that's what is preferred or needed.
Is the mixdown still lossless TrueHD or DTS master audio (on either the 35 or 55)? Or is it just the low bit mixdown like the first generation Sony? Thanks..... !
You will get the lossless mix-down to analog stereo of the lossless multi-channel soundtrack. The only time you will get the lossy mix-down is if there is only a lossy Dolby Digital (think Warner Bros) or DTS soundtrack on the disc or if you choose to listen to the commentary/extra features/player-added sounds/etc on some Blu-ray discs (which affects all players).
This might be an anomaly among BD players, but my Pioneer BDP-95FD (now just over a year old) downmixes only the lossy parts of lossless tracks to my 2-channel analog outputs. That is, it takes the core track of DTS-MA or the lossy 'companion' DD track of Dolby TrueHD, converts it to PCM and then to analog for the analog outputs. I found this out on an AVS Forum thread some months ago, and I wasn't too pleased. ;-(
Russel
"Any Blu-ray player that can decode the new codecs will have the option to down-mix the multi-channel audio to analog stereo, if that's what is preferred or needed."
It's in my above post and is a continuation of answers re: players which are able to decode the advanced audio codecs. Your Pioneer is not one that can decode the new codecs; therefore, "Not with my Pioneer" is irrelevant to this topic.
My Pioneer admittedly doesn't decode DTS-MA (it can pass it as bitstream via HDMI only) but it can decode Dolby TrueHD to PCM and pass it via HDMI (in addition to passing the native bitstream, of course). It just doesn't convert that PCM signal for the analog outputs, which is too bad...
That's way too retarded for a manufacturer to even think about. If it can decode the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack to PCM for HDMI, there's no reason it can't output the PCM converted to analog via the analog outputs.
If you can provide a link to the section of the thread at AVS Forum where this is discussed, I'd appreciate it.
I agree--it's pretty retarded. Start with the post below and read on for the next couple of pages or so. Lots of back-and-forth discussion and expressions of disbelief/disappointment.
I've got a question for you: are there any pre/pros out there that will properly decode all the advanced codecs via HDMI and send a 2-channel downmixed signal to its stereo analog outputs? I'm feeding my Pioneer BD player into a Musical Fidelity A3.5 stereo integrated amp (via the analog outs, of course) and don't want to replace the amp or the BD player. If I can find a decent pre/pro that I can connect between the two, I should be able to take full advantage (albeit in only 2 channels) of the advanced audio codecs.
Thanks,
Russell
My take: it's just speculation based on what is probably poor translation from Pioneer of the player's capabilities. There is no logical reason to perform such a backward-ass function when the player decodes PCM to analog. If it can decode Dolby TrueHD to PCM, it can output that PCM converted to analog. Unless Walkamo (or another Pioneer rep) confirms such retardation, the AVS members are full of shit.
I'll see if I can find a pre/pro that you can use. Does it have to be a pre/pro or can it be a decode-to-PCM-to-analog box? And, budget?
Thanks, Joe--I hope you're right! What I'm looking for doesn't have to be a pre/pro; a standalone DAC would do just fine, and probably preferable for my needs as long as it can downmix to 2 channels. I'm just casually shopping around at this point, so I just want to see what's out there. I don't really have a budget for such an item, but I suppose anything under $1000 (preferably well under) would be great.
Thanks again,
Russell
Thanks Joe, I researched this for hours without finding an answer and called two home theater stores where we shop only to get conflicting answers (both wrong btw). I've ordered the 55 and am going to move my old Sony s300 into the den system. I'll post my impressions when it arrives. Thanks again.
The downmix is done in the player, based on parameters set by the content provider. Downmixes generally tend to sound like crap.
Post a Followup:
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
