PS3 and bitstream setting

[ratasnipes]

I just purchased a new receiver which is the sony str-dh800. It DOES support TrueHd and all the other high end and lossless audio tracks. I am using my ps3 as my blu ray player.

Ok, here’s my dilemma.
I was watching the matrix on blu ray which has a 5.1 truehd track. I have my playstation set to LPCM cause everyone says that its better. The movie sounded pretty clean but it kinda left me wanting for more…my receiver showed that it was putting out LPCM too so I know that there wasn’t anything wrong with my receiver.
Now, I switched the playstation to bitstream and re-watched the movie and I can honestly say that there was a huge difference. Changing it to bitstream sounded so much better and the surround was so much fuller. By better I don’t mean louder either.
For example, the part when Neo fights agent smith by himself. When they jump at each other and then it slows down, when I had it on LPCM, it sounded decent but I expected a much more better sound from this scene. When it was on bitstream, it sounded amazing. I could hear the shots coming from my center, then my fronts, then my surrounds and it felt like I was there BUT my receiver only showed that it was getting Dolby Digital.

Oh and all of this was at the same sound level.

So my question is, why does it sound better on bitstream??

[ratasnipes]

ok, that makes sense but do you know why my receiver only show that its putting out Dolby Digital when i have it on bitstream?

[mastertang]

Deleted my last reply when I realized a few things were incorrect. Anyway, I assume you have a PS3 non-slim. I understand the argument. At the same receiver output level the DD down-mix is louder sometimes. I have a few DD movies and I have to bitstream those because the PCM on board decoding is not better for some reason.

What some of this is about is clarity. IN HD mode you hear bullets along with the music and other effects all clearly played. One thing does not dominate the sound field.

Bottom line, what ever sounds best on your particular setup is best for you.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by ratasnipes

ok, that makes sense but do you know why my receiver only show that its putting out Dolby Digital when i have it on bitstream?

Which model PS3 do you have? The older PS3s ("fat" models) cannot bitstream TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, and PCM - which means you can only get lossy Dolby Digital, lossy DTS, or PCM 2.0 if you bitstream. However, the newer slim models can bitstream and shouldn't make a difference to that receiver.

It sounds like you have an older PS3 and it is bitstreaming the lossy track, which is why you see Dolby Digital on the receiver. Another way to check is to press select on the controller during video playback, and you will see the various codecs at work - this will tell you exactly which you are listening to.

I can't imagine the lossy tracks sounding better than lossless, but to each his own.

[mastertang]

To give an idea of what I use:
PS3 circa 2008 set to PCM out
Pioneer Elite receiver (HDMI PCM only, no DD or DTS HD decoding built in)
Polk speakers up front (overly expensive)
Bose Bookshelf in the back
Cerwin Vega 12 in. sub (nice and rumbly)
Samsung 72 in. DLP (gravy)

[Blue_Blood]

I dont know bro... I think I have to come over and check it out? Dont understand why LPCM would sound weaker...

[ratasnipes]

sounds like you got a pretty good set up.
well i guess i just want to make sure that i get uncompressed audio you know? thats the reason i bought that new receiver. according to everyone, LPCM is the way to get it but it doesnt sound as good as bit stream but i dont like the fact that my receiver only says Dolby digital you know? oh and you assumed right, i dont have a slim ps3

[Steve]

Originally Posted by ratasnipes

sounds like you got a pretty good set up.
well i guess i just want to make sure that i get uncompressed audio you know? thats the reason i bought that new receiver. according to everyone, LPCM is the way to get it but it doesnt sound as good as bit stream but i dont like the fact that my receiver only says Dolby digital you know? oh and you assumed right, i dont have a slim ps3

With a "fat" PS3 your receiver will never say Dolby TrueHD or DTS HDMA. The only way to get lossless is to put the PS3 on LPCM. People sometimes underestimate how good Dolby Digital or DTS can sound though. There are still plenty of reference level DVDs out there with Dolby Digital or DTS audio tracks that can hang with most any blu-ray, Saving Private Ryan and War of the Worlds for example.

[ratasnipes]

yeah i have the fat ps3 and i do understand that it cant bitstream truehd and stuff which is why it bothers me that it sounds cleaner than LPCM. ive been trying to make myself believe that LPCM sounds better cause its suppose to but i cant haha. the bullets sound like they are coming form every speaker so much better, there are parts that i dont even notice some of the bullets from my surround on LPCM and in bitstream they sound clean.

[ratasnipes]

so its possible that im not going crazy and that it might sound better in Dolby Digital or DTS?

[progers13]

Originally Posted by ratasnipes

so its possible that im not going crazy and that it might sound better in Dolby Digital or DTS?

The thing you have to remember is a keyword - ambience. Discrete sound coming from every speaker in a shootout is great. But it's those little things - whistling of the wind, rain falling, crickets chirping, etc. that truly makes the lossless tracks so good. It's not to say they don't exist in the lossy tracks, but they are much more present in lossless. It's all about immersion.

Like another poster said, many Dolby Digital and DTS core tracks sound quite good on Blu-ray. But, in my experience, they lack the ambient sound that we get from lossless.

Also, only you can be pleased with your setup. If you want lossless, then remember to turn it back to PCM. If you find you like the lossy tracks better, that's fine too. Whichever you choose, all I can say is enjoy it.

[ratasnipes]

yeah i guess youre right, maybe i should try and pay more attention to what you call "ambience." i guess i just expected so much more from the matrix and hearing it in DD gave it to me you know? well, thanks for your insight on this.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by ratasnipes

yeah i guess youre right, maybe i should try and pay more attention to what you call "ambience." i guess i just expected so much more from the matrix and hearing it in DD gave it to me you know? well, thanks for your insight on this.

Another thing, I found that increasing the volume to my sides and rears REALLY brought out the ambience. It took me a little while to realize that because I had them set to the same level I kept them at with my old receiver. But I bumped them up to about +5 decibels (a little more than most would recommend), but I found it makes a HUGE difference.

One last thing, I personally didn't think so much of The Matrix's TrueHD track. I don't know if you care for the movie Pitch Black, but try watching that for the ambience. I was blown away. If you don't have it and don't want to buy it, I'd recommend a rental. I think it's a better reference track than The Matrix (at least IMHO )

[progers13]

You know, one more thing just occured to me - make sure the DRC is OFF in your PS3. It sounds like you have it set to OFF in your AVR (bitstream means the AVR is doing the decode, and it sounds good to you). If the PS3 has the DRC turned on, since it is doing the decoding, that could also be why you're experiencing a difference.

[Tinman7783]

I have a reciever with 8 channels of LPCM...but no "true DD HD or DTS-HD MA" the receiver has the core DTS and DD. I have my LG 370 player set to muti Ch. pcm not pass thorugh...Is this the best I can get out of the receiver? It sounds really good.

[ratasnipes]

thanks guys for all your input. me and my brother checked out the sound again and it seems like the reason it sounded better and the fact that it sounded like it came out more on the rears is because bitstream actually made the sound louder. i just turned up the sound more on LPCM and it sounded louder but more clear. rookie mistake. thanks again

[SlmShdy1]

I just wanted to make sure because I saw no mention of it, but you are selecting the TrueHD track when the movie starts, right? It's a Warner disc so the movie automatically starts on its own and it defaults to Dolby Digital.

[ratasnipes]

ill double check on this but im pretty sure that i picked the truehd track

[progers13]

Originally Posted by SlmShdy1

I just wanted to make sure because I saw no mention of it, but you are selecting the TrueHD track when the movie starts, right? It's a Warner disc so the movie automatically starts on its own and it defaults to Dolby Digital.

Good catch. Always annoyed at those Warner discs for that very reason. I can appreciate auto play without going to a menu, but how hard would it be to make the HD tracks the default?

[progers13]

Originally Posted by Tinman7783

I have a reciever with 8 channels of LPCM...but no "true DD HD or DTS-HD MA" the receiver has the core DTS and DD. I have my LG 370 player set to muti Ch. pcm not pass thorugh...Is this the best I can get out of the receiver? It sounds really good.

It sounds like you should be getting the lossless tracks. With PCM (player does the decoding) it is sending the signal to the receiver. In this case, the receiver will show LPCM or Multi-Channel. Either way, the processing is being handled by the player instead of the receiver, which is why it won't show TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. But as long as your receiver is capable of receiving the signal over HDMI you should be ok. Is there a display on your player that will show you exactly what signal it is decoding and pushing to your receiver? You can't go by the display on the receiver because it will always show LPCM.