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In Reply to: Do you know if bitstream be passed via analog out? Or only thru HDMI connection? posted by Road Warrior on January 13, 2010 at 20:24:36:
Bitstream is a digital format. It has to be passed via a digital connection. A digital connection can be HDMI or via one of the other digital outputs on your player. You can only pass analog via analog connections.
Bitstream is basically kind of like a zip file—you can't use a bitstream signal directly. First the bitstream signal has to be decoded to PCM, then go through a digital to analog conversion and then you have something that can be played back.
You can choose to have either your player or your receiver decode the bitstream signal on the disc, but whichever component you choose has to have the capacity to decode the particular bitstream the soundtrack is encoded in. Any BD player can decode the older Dolby and DTS bitstreams that DVDs used but not all BD players can decode the Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks that many BD discs use. Early BD players didn't though some like the Sony PS3 have received firmware updates that now enable them to do so. Most recent players can decode these newer bitstreams. When it comes to receivers, older receivers won't be able to do so but many recent receivers can. You need to check the capabilities of your particular player and receiver.
If you're outputting a Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master Audio bitstream signal to your receiver and you can hear the soundtrack, then it means that your receiver is capable of decoding them but it doesn't mean that your player can. You'd need to check the player's specification.
Theoretically there should be no audible difference between having the player do the decoding or having the receiver do the decoding. There is one exception, however. If you want to watch the movie with some special features, say a commentary by the director and/or actors, and a second soundtrack has to be mixed with the movie soundtrack in order to do so, you need to have the player do the decoding, mix the 2 soundtracks, and then either send that signal to your receiver in PCM form or do the digital to analog conversion and use the player's analog outputs. Players can't mix and output 2 bitstream tracks simultaneously—each bitstream track has to be converted to PCM and the PCM signals mixed.
So, if you never use that kind of special feature and you're only interested in the movie soundtrack when the movie is playing you can take your pick of having the player output bitstream, PCM, or analog to your receiver depending on the player's capabilities and whether your receiver can handle the new high def bitstream audio formats. If you're interested in that kind of special feature, you only have the choice of PCM or analog output from the player since the player is going to have to decode and mix the 2 separate bitstream soundtracks.
And which option you use is going to depend on whether or not your player can decode all of the bitstream formats now in use and whether or not your receiver can also decode them. If either the player or the receiver can't decode all of the different bitstream formats, you're going to have to have the decoding done by whichever of them can do the decoding if you want the full benefit of the newer high def audio formats.
David Aiken
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Follow Ups
- RE: Do you know if bitstream be passed via analog out? Or only thru HDMI connection? - David Aiken 22:08:42 01/13/10 (0)
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