BDP-S360 - Should I set audio settings to "Mix" or "Direct" for best possible sound?

[homer860]

Hi all,

I'm kind of new to blu ray world and I just recently purchased my first blu ray player I'm trying to figure out all of the different soundtrack options.

My concern is how can I be sure that my BD player is set to output the optimal signal for my receiver and then decide what that signal is ?

I've read more into DTS-HD, TrueHD, and PCM and according to this site http://hd.engadget.com/2008/01/22/ho...hd-and-dts-hd/ DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, and PCM are all exact copies of the studio masters and arguably the same.

* PCM is Uncompressed and Lossless.
* TrueHD & DTS-HD MA are Compressed and Lossless.
* All 3 are suppose to be identical to the original master copy.


My receiver is 5.1 and has the following built-in Decoders: DTS decoder, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic (no TrueHD?)

full specs http://reviews.cnet.com/audio-system...=mncolBtm;rnav

My Blu ray has the following Dolby True HD and DTS-MA audio decoding

I have two audio options on the BD player. I can set it to "Mix" or "Direct" .
Am I getting TrueHD o DTS-MA on either one? Do they only specify which unit does the decoding whether it is the receiver or the BD player?

Supposly, If I want lossless dts-MA with an S360, the player must be set to Direct. The player will bitstream the track to the AVR for decoding. This sounds like the perfect option? Let receiver take care of all decodign since it is more powerful than BD player right?

I don't know why "Direct" soundtrack sounds somewhat weak to me as opposed to "Mix" when my receiver can apply CinemaDSP.

If I set audio to "Direct" mode on BD player, I can only choose either "Straight" or "Direct" sound on the receiver. If I choose "Mix" I can choose any of the options available thought the receiver: 7ch enhancer Cinema DSP, Straight Enhancer, 7ch Sci-fi CinemaDsp, etc.

I'm trying to figure out the best option possible, so that I know that I'm getting either TrueHD or DTS-MA sound.

Example:
If The Dark Knight has Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (not DTS-MA),

If I choose:
BD player - Direct in audio settings
Receiver - I can only choose either "Straight" or "Direct" (sounds weak, but from what I'm reading it is suppose to be the best)
(Am I getting TrueHD?)

If I choose:
BD player - Mix in audio settings
Receiver - I can choose any option I want including CinemaDSP, enhancers etc.
(Am I getting TrueHD?)

Because, the movie can also be played with just English: Dolby Digital 5.1
I'm wondering if I'm getting TrueHD sound with any options listed above? and not just Dolby Digital 5.1

[joker552]

In most, if not all cases, DIRECT is the best option if you want the best possible audio. The only drawback is that you would not be able to hear Pip (picture in picture) or any other special feature while watching the movie. In DIRECT mode, the player handshakes with the receiver to see whether it should bitstream the audio (if the receiver supports HD audio like Dolby TrueHD or DTS MASTER AUDIO) or send via LPCM (the player does the decoding). Either way, you win.

[JimSD]

Your cnet link to the type of receiver you have isn't working. Fix that and maybe someone with the same receiver can help solve your issue.

[Moefiz]

What type of receiver are you connected to and how are you connected to said receiver...

Lets start with that...

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Moefiz

What type of receiver are you connected to and how are you connected to said receiver...

Lets start with that...

There's a lengthy discussion about all of this that homer860 started in the Home Theater General Discussion forum.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=126676

That thread is stalled awaiting an answer to the question about what AVR his Yamaha system actually uses.