no more analog for blu ray players

[movie_mike2]

anyone heard of no more analog for blu ray playres it sounds much better than hdmi

[ghebert]

Technically it's not supposed to sound better than HDMI. The only difference is where the decoding takes place, the sound quality should be identical unless you're using settings in your player to alter the sound before being sent over the analog outs or if you're using post-processing in your receiver/pre-amp.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by movie_mike2

anyone heard of no more analog for blu ray playres it sounds much better than hdmi

The problem with what you're saying is that the audio source is digital in the first place. The second problem is that many receivers and pre-pros take that analog signal and convert it to digital (if there's any room EQ applied or you're using any of those processing modes, it's digital) before converting it back to analog to send it out the speaker jacks.

So there's no technical reason why that should sound better than HDMI. If it had stayed in the analog domain all through the chain, I might agree with you in some cases.

Now having said that, while I watch movies via HDMI audio, I do usually prefer CDs via the analog outs. But unless the analog output stages from the HDMI chain are inferior to the analog stages from the "analog" chain (even though the CD is digital), there's no reason why the analog chain should sound better unless there was a concerted effort to make it better, like in the OPPO BDP-95.

When analog distorts, it tends to cap the wave, creating square waves. Square waves have odd-order harmonics and we like the sound of that - we feel it provides "warmth". So in the cases where people prefer analog sound, they might actually prefer it because of the distortion.

In the end, if one prefers analog, the BD audio needs to get converted to analog. But it doesn't matter if it's converted in the player or in the receiver/pre-pro. So even analog outputs do disappear from BD players (and I think it's only 5.1 channel that's disappearing, not stereo analog), it's still getting converted to analog in the receiver.

[saongcmc]

As penton man pointed out in the 4K thread, 4KBD will ensure BD stays stays around for a long time. It means the continuation of physical media.

Not that current BD needs it to survive but it's a good thing to see they have plans for it in the future.

[slimdude]

It was just a matter of time! Everyone who own a blu-ray player, uses HDMI connnections anyway to output both the video and audio signals. You kill two birds with one stone, instead of using separate cables for video and audio if it's being connected with analog cables.

[WesBlurayCollector]

Originally Posted by slimdude

it was just a matter of time! Everyone who own a blu-ray player, uses hdmi connnections anyway to output both the video and audio signals. You kill two birds with one stone, instead of using separate cables for video and audio if it's being connected with analog cables.

+1

[hakstone]

Glad I bought my oppo 93, still rocking old school, onkyo TX DS989.

[lobosrul]

Originally Posted by slimdude

It was just a matter of time! Everyone who own a blu-ray player, uses HDMI connnections anyway to output both the video and audio signals. You kill two birds with one stone, instead of using separate cables for video and audio if it's being connected with analog cables.

Really? Everyone does? I guess I don't count as everyone, because I still send audio to my receiver using TOSLINK.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by lobosrul

Really? Everyone does? I guess I don't count as everyone, because I still send audio to my receiver using TOSLINK.

Then you're not getting DTS-HD or Dolby TRU HD.

[lobosrul]

Originally Posted by gates70

Then you're not getting DTS-HD or Dolby TRU HD.

Nope, just plain jane Dolby/DTS, which sounds pretty good to my ears. Unfortunately for me I live in a situation where I can't really crank the sound more than once in a blue moon anyways. Someday I'll upgrade my receiver, but its just not a high priority.

[DRC72]

My Sony BDP-550 has 7.1 analog outs, and I used them on an old Sony receiver that had 7.1 analog inputs. Gotta say it sound pretty good, but alas I wanted the ease of HDMI , and room correction capabilities of the newer receivers. IMHO HDMI just sounds better to me.

[Flatnate]

Wait!? Stop the presses! So can someone clarify this one for me?

I know that the component video output was doomed now for a while with the whole Analog sunset imposed by the industry. And that some new discs can essentially limit your component video output on existing machines to SD quality. Ugh.

But are you guys saying they are essentially killing off all multi-channel analog audio ouputs on all blu-ray players as well? So really you have to go HDMI to get loss-less audio out of any new player too?

[Pondosinatra]

For movies I use HDMI. For music I use analog.

For me that won't change.

[DRC72]

Originally Posted by Flatnate

Wait!? Stop the presses! So can someone clarify this one for me?

I know that the component video output was doomed now for a while with the whole Analog sunset imposed by the industry. And that some new discs can essentially limit your component video output on existing machines to SD quality. Ugh.

But are you guys saying they are essentially killing off all multi-channel analog audio ouputs on all blu-ray players as well? So really you have to go HDMI to get loss-less audio out of any new player too?

I think analog outputs have been killed for at least year, if not more. I'm sure you can find a player on eBay, or some other auction site if you really need to get a hold of an analog equipped bluray player,


Sent from my AT&T iPhone 4 using Tapatalk

[Flatnate]

Originally Posted by DRC72

I think analog outputs have been killed for at least year, if not more. I'm sure you can find a player on eBay, or some other auction site if you really need to get a hold of an analog equipped bluray player,


Sent from my AT&T iPhone 4 using Tapatalk

Well I know the analog video outputs are gone now, but I'm specifically wondering about analog multi-channel audio outputs. For instance the Oppo BDP-103 is new to the market and no longer has component video ouputs as per the new requirement. It does however still decode DTS-MA and Dolby TRue-HD to a set of multi-channel analog audio ouputs. Are we saying that the analog sunset will come to the audio outputs as well? No one has addressed this specifically yet.

[budious]

All audio becomes analog at some point in the decoding chain before being passed to the speakers. Regulating a move away from analog audio outputs on players would be counter-productive. Whether the pre-out analog is available from player or from receiver, or amped is irrelevant, it some point will become analog. Analog video on the other hand is not required, the digital video signal chain can go straight to the display.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Flatnate

Well I know the analog video outputs are gone now, but I'm specifically wondering about analog multi-channel audio outputs. For instance the Oppo BDP-103 is new to the market and no longer has component video ouputs as per the new requirement. It does however still decode DTS-MA and Dolby TRue-HD to a set of multi-channel analog audio ouputs. Are we saying that the analog sunset will come to the audio outputs as well? No one has addressed this specifically yet.

No. Not happening. People are confused. Multi-channel and stereo analog audio outputs can stay. That's not to say that every manufacturer will keep them on every player, but there's no regulation requiring their removal.

[Flatnate]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

No. Not happening. People are confused. Multi-channel and stereo analog audio outputs can stay. That's not to say that every manufacturer will keep them on every player, but there's no regulation requiring their removal.

Thanks ZoetMB, you hit the nail on the head. I'm set.

[DRC72]

Originally Posted by Flatnate

Well I know the analog video outputs are gone now, but I'm specifically wondering about analog multi-channel audio outputs. For instance the Oppo BDP-103 is new to the market and no longer has component video ouputs as per the new requirement. It does however still decode DTS-MA and Dolby TRue-HD to a set of multi-channel analog audio ouputs. Are we saying that the analog sunset will come to the audio outputs as well? No one has addressed this specifically yet.

Sorry I should of been more specific. When i said analog outs, I was referring to the multichannel analog outputs. I'm not sure about analog two channel stereo outputs. I would venture to guess that those will be going away eventually as well.

[BIslander]

Multichannel analog inputs are no longer offered on most moderately priced AVRs and pre-pros. But, that's a matter of cost, not regulation. With HDMI so prevalent these days, there isn't a need for analog.