Sony home theater system

[JCarr2]

I've read pages and pages of posts, and I'm still a little confused. Hopefully I can ask the right questions to get to the bottom of my long search.

I have a very old home theater system (no DTS, no analog connections, no HDMI,) and I have a Sony blu-ray S301 player.

I need a new home theater system so that I can still get surround sound (right now, any DTS-HD tracks only come out of the front speakers.)

I DO want to buy a complete system instead of buying a separate receiver and speakers to keep things cheaper. I'm looking to spend around $400.

I've been looking at the Sony HT-SS2300, and I realize not many people are fans of Sony around here, but I just have a few questions.

By hooking up my blu-ray player to this system with an HDMI cable, will I be able to get surround sound, even if it isn't HD?

My player does decode Dolby True HD, so can I get that in HD out of this system?

If down the road I get a player that can decode DTS-HD, will I be able to listen to that in HD with this system?

Finally, I'm a little fuzzy on the whole passthrough thing. What exactly does it mean, and specifically in regards to this system? Will I never be able to get HD audio with this system?

Thanks for reading this, and I hope some of you will take the time to respond. I really appreciate it. I'm grasping at straws to try and figure all of this out. Salespeople seem to give me blank stares when I ask them these types of questions.

[callas01]

this system can accept LPCM, so if you have a BDP that can decode the HD audio codecs it will let you have HD audio via hdmi connection.

I like sony, my AVR and speakers are sony. There is nothing wrong with them, although I would say that if you look at my set up, the speakers could all be bought for about $400 and then a receiver the 720 for about $200... although I would suggest a better receiver. but for very entry level it is ok i guess.

[JCarr2]

Thanks for the feedback. Lossless audio... is that the same as Dolby True HD or DTS-HD?

Also, my player only has HDMI 1.1 capability. Will this hinder my ability to transfer HD audio over an HDMI cable to the home theater system?

[Driver_King]

DTS HD-MA is what you should also be looking for in a player. Read here if you already haven't.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by JCarr2

Lossless audio... is that the same as Dolby True HD or DTS-HD?

Lossless audio is MPCM, Dolby True HD, and DTS HD-MA. DTS HD alone is just a better track than regular DTS but is not lossless.

[My_Two_Cents]

Stay away from the HTIB. Seriously. You'll be much happier with the sound quality and features of the following:

Onkyo 606 - $290

Polk RM705 5.1 Speakers - $400

Save up a little more. It will be sooooo worth it.

If you still insist on a HTIB, then this one is 5X better than the Sony you are looking at:

Onkyo HT-S7100 - $550

[Bizdady]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

If you still insist on a HTIB, then this one is 5X better than the Sony you are looking at:

Onkyo HT-S7100 - $550

+1 !

[TheFaze]

I recently purchased the Sony HTSS2300, and it's incredible!

I just need to figure out all the ins and outs...