DTS-HD Audio question for player (CMMBX72)

[Runfellow]

Okay folks, new to the boards, and have a question (I hate posters like these; I promise I'll post more constructive stuff later).

I currently own a Curtis Mathes CMMBX72 Blu player, firmware updated (PINA). Now, the specs on the Target and Amazon sites tell that the player only plays the DTS-HD "core" rather than the full uncompressed audio. I recently got a cheaper surround system (I'm a poor college kid, but a film major so I can justify so much spending) (the system is a Sony HT-SS2300 Component Home Theater System, here: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HT-SS2300...dp/B00180MQWG).

Okay, so the question is thus: I notice a noticeable bump in audio between a normal DTS disc and this supposed "Core" DTS-HD track on the player. Firstly, is there any way to tell if the firmware updated the player to play DTS-HD, not just the 1.5 Core thing? Or can the average ear tell the difference between core and fully uncompressed, if the track already sounds better than DTS?

If indeed there is a notable difference, and my player does not support DTS-HD and probably never will, what players would you guys recommend in the cheaper, more "bang for your buck" category? Preferably a better brand than CM.

Thanks ahead of time for your help, and sorry again to start posting with a bunch of NoobQs.

[Runfellow]

Thanks for your help.

Since I'm a bit of purist, I went ahead and upgraded to a LGBD270, which should decode both formats. It's cheap on amazon, and I'm still a cheap college kid.

I'm sending the signal via lpcm to the receiver via HDMI, so no worries on that end. I just need a player that can do DTS-MA. Otherwise really why bother.

What annoys me the most is the fact that obviously these early players were just going off half-cocked, and now studios (most notably Fox, damn you Rupert) expect us to have a newer player that decodes DTS-HD. Whew.

[Runfellow]

Okay, I did some research, and found some things out:

As far as I could tell, the LG doesn't actually decode DTS-HD. It just has "Advanced Digital Out", which according to the DTS website is not decoding it, just bitstreaming it to the receiver, which obviously doesn't help.

Oddly enough, the Sony you mentioned ALSO does this. Very few players, it would seem, actually decode, but rather they like to put the logo on the player and put "Advanced Digital Out", because people don't know the difference.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by Runfellow

Okay, I did some research, and found some things out:

As far as I could tell, the LG doesn't actually decode DTS-HD. It just has "Advanced Digital Out", which according to the DTS website is not decoding it, just bitstreaming it to the receiver, which obviously doesn't help.

Oddly enough, the Sony you mentioned ALSO does this. Very few players, it would seem, actually decode, but rather they like to put the logo on the player and put "Advanced Digital Out", because people don't know the difference.

According to LG's website, though one spec sheet has the DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out logo (a feature the player does have), the other side of the sheet says it handles DTS-HD Master Audio. The manual also states it will decode "DTS-HD" to multichannel LPCM; though it doesn't have "MA" there, the manual cover says DTS-HD Master Audio. Thus, the LG should work just fine with the HT-SS2300 as well. (So does the PS3, which I use with my HT-SS2300.)

[progers13]

PS3 might be little out of your price range, but very much worth it if you can pull it. It decodes DTS-HD MA as well as TrueHD. If Sony is still offering the $100 credit on new Sony credit card accounts, you could get the PS3 for $199 - which is right in your range. And you'll have a means for access to some great games coming out later this month.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Runfellow

Okay, so the question is thus: I notice a noticeable bump in audio between a normal DTS disc and this supposed "Core" DTS-HD track on the player. ... can the average ear tell the difference between core and fully uncompressed, if the track already sounds better than DTS?

The DTS core on Blu-ray is substantially better than the same legacy DTS track on DVD. The version on Blu is less compressed. The 1509 kbps Blu-ray bitrate used is twice the rate used on most DVDs.

While there haven't been any rigorous scientific comparisons, I think most people would be hard pressed to pick the lossless track in a blind test. Take a look at this article in Home Entertainment Magazine:

http://www.hemagazine.com/node/Dolby...compressed_PCM

[Runfellow]

I think I'm going to have to disagree with you, Sooner, and here's why:

When I found the specs for the S360 on sony's website, it says thus:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...specifications

* Dolby® : Yes & Dolby® TrueHD bitstream out over HDMI™ (V1.3)
* Dolby® Digital plus Decoding : Yes
* Dolby® True HD Bitstream Output : Yes
* Dolby® TrueHD Decoding : Yes
* LPCM : Yes (multi channel decoder): Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
* MP3 Playback : Yes (BD-R/RE/DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R/CD-R,RW)5
* dts® Decoding : Yes
* dts® HD Bitstream Output : Yes
* dts® Output : Yes, & /DTS®-HD bitstream out over HDMI™ (V1.3)"


Now, while the top of the page lists "DTS-HD decoding" as a feature, the specs don't mention it, and it even goes so far as to say that it can bitstream it out (leaving it for our receivers to decode, which they can't, which leaves you with just DTS core) but it doesn't mention decoding at all.

This, coupled with the "Digital Audio Out" logo, which is explained by DTS as:
"DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out denotes the capability of
outputting DTS-HD Master Audio streams to an external
decoder such as an A/V receiver or pre-amp/processor."
Means to me that it denotes the player can only bitstream the DTS-HD signal, not decode it, and thus your receiver (if it doesn't decode DTS-HD) will simply play the DTS Core.

This also seems to be the case with the LG player, as that has the same logo, and while it says it is "capable" of DTS-HD, it does not say that it can "decode" it anywhere on the sheet that the other poster was referring. This seems to me like a cheap way for Sony to put a ruse on us all, thinking we won't know the difference.

All that said, I fully admit that I could be reading something wrong, so someone please correctly if I'm not seeing something. I'm here to learn, after all. Am I reading this wrong; does this actually mean that Digital Audio Out is actually better and that it can decode AND send out to a receiver via bitstream?

Ok, I'm lost. Thanks for your help so far.

[aramis109]

Going by the specs here: https://www.blu-ray.com/players/play...135&show=specs and the review that a user posted, it actually does decode DTS-HD MA.

Kinda confusing either way. Maybe you can PM that member to find out for sure.

[BIslander]

Here's how the Sony players work with dts-MA and an HDMI connection:

When set to Mix, the player will decode the track itself, using the legacy core instead of the lossless version.

When set to Direct, the player will negotiate with the receiver to determine what to do. If the receiver has a dts-MA decoder, the player will bitstream. If the receiver does not have the needed decoder, the player will decode the lossless track and send multichannel PCM instead.

With Mix, you get secondary audio (menu clicks and PIP commentary). With Direct, you do not.