bitstream or decode?

[dpo2o]

If what I have gotten what I have read in these threads correct and please correct me if I am wrong, then there are 2 ways audio can be handled. Either the player decodes it or the information is sent to the receiver and it decodes it. Is one method better than the other? I am thinking of upgrading my receiver to one that can decode all TrueHD etc. If I did that then wouldn't the best thing to look for in a Blu-ray player be how well it handles video from either Blu-ray or standard disks?

[saprano]

The same thing is happening if the player or receiver docodes. there both decoding the sound formats into PCM.

now some people say its better to bitstream it to the receiver,high end receivers have good DAC's to docode the sound to your speakers.

If your getting a receiver that decodes all HD sound formats then its best to get a player that can bitstream them.

[dpo2o]

Thanks saprano....can you suggest a player?

[saprano]

panasonic BD30 or BD50

https://www.blu-ray.com/players/play...d=5&show=specs

https://www.blu-ray.com/players/players.php?id=17

[saprano]

If you dont care about bitstreaming you can just get a ps3.

its profile 2.0 also( BD live) and is faster that any stand alone. pluse its easily updated all the time.

[dpo2o]

My thinking is to buy better receiver, let it handle the audio and get a player that does the best playback of Blu-ray and standard DVDs and can bitstream the audio info to the receiver

[saprano]

Thats fine,look into what i suggested then.

[dpo2o]

Thanks again....I was thinking about the Panasonic but I have read a couple of reviews that said it wasn't the best at playing standard DVDs.

[Yeha-Noha]

Some HT enthusiast prefer having the decoding done in the player especially one like the Panny DMP BD 50 that has 7.1 channel analog outputs. Thus a receiver that has no HDMI connections can be used so one can still get lossless 7.1 channel sound.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by dpo2o

If what I have gotten what I have read in these threads correct and please correct me if I am wrong, then there are 2 ways audio can be handled. Either the player decodes it or the information is sent to the receiver and it decodes it. Is one method better than the other? I am thinking of upgrading my receiver to one that can decode all TrueHD etc. If I did that then wouldn't the best thing to look for in a Blu-ray player be how well it handles video from either Blu-ray or standard disks?

Go to A Guide to Home Theater Audio Codecs. There is a section at the end of post #1 on Bistreaming and implications of bitstreaming on secondary audio.

[Yeha-Noha]

Thanks Big Daddy. Nice article and a lot of good info.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by dpo2o

Thanks again....I was thinking about the Panasonic but I have read a couple of reviews that said it wasn't the best at playing standard DVDs.

The current best at playing SD DVD's (for less than $2K) will be the newly-released, Reon-equipped Samsung BD-P2550.

[Harry_Krishna]

Originally Posted by RUR

The current best at playing SD DVD's (for less than $2K) will be the newly-released, Reon-equipped Samsung BD-P2550.

I was just about to mention that one. In fact, I just bought one earlier today. So far, playing "Over There" (TV series), and the first of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, all standard DVD's, they looked fantastic. But honestly, unless I had an A/B switcher to test back to back, I cannot 100% say that the regular DVD movies looked any bit better on the 2550 than what I had seen on the newer Sony S350 I had also bought a few weeks earlier. But the Samsung 2550 does have the best HQV upscaller chip made today inside it.

But both the S350 and the 2550 when playing normal DVD's looked way better, and sharper, than when played on my PS3. And as I have an Onkyo 805 receiver, I prefer bitstream so as to let the Onkyo do the decoding. So either of these two will suit my purpose. Now to figure out which one to really keep. There are features I like better on the Sony, specially the info displays, over the Samsung. It it weren't for the Reon chip in the Samsung though, it would have been an easy choice which to keep. But, having the Reon chip, I won't need an Oppo DVD player for watching my huge collection or standard DVD's - would cost a ton to buy yet another copy of the same movies in BD.

But for sure, the Sony remote is waaaaay better than the Samsung by far! Of course, remotes won't matter anyway though, once I program my Harmony 1000 with the Sammy codes. So that is a mute problem. It now just comes down to which has the best BD and DVD PQ, then the info screens, and the more tweakable settings . . . . . .

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Harry_Krishna

But, having the Reon chip, I won't need an Oppo DVD player for watching my huge collection or standard DVD's.

Although I watch DVD's with my Oppo, I bought it mainly for its SACD and DVD-A features and HDMI connection. I have about 5 or 6 DVD players around the house for DVD's, including the classic Sony DVP-S7000 first-generation DVD player that I bought for $1,000 in 1997.

[saprano]

OMG! you payed $1000 for a dvd player?

how the hell did the format succeed with that price?.......blasphemy!