Audio format on used discs

[ristopalazzo]

I just recently found out about blu-ray and I'm curious about the audio format(s). Will they still use Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks for movies or will there be something else? In other words, will I have to buy a new Home Theater Receiver in order to take full advantage of Blu-ray's audio capabilities? Maybe they could just use full-bitrate DTS tracks for all the movies?

[zombie]

They will still use Dolby Digital and DTS but may also use better audio formats as well.

[mk_kenshin]

I think they should include SDDS as well

[Dave Moritz]

I am glad that blue ray will include DTS track on the discs. That is one of the selling points along with an hd picture. If there would have been no DTS on blue ray I would have concidered not buying the format. And while sdds might have been better to have than dud digital aka Dolby Digital. I would not hold my breath :lol: not very many movies are making to the sdds format recently and from what I understand Sony is not really pushing SDDS in theatrical releases anymore. Besides SDDS was for comercial theaters only and I dont think Sony every planed to use it in the home theater market. I have heard sdds movies that dont sound any better than DD, and a few that sound better than DD. All that matters to me is that DTS will be present on selected blue ray disc. The movie studios will most likely do the same thing they have done with dvd. We will most likely see certain studios releasing blue ray movies in dts and other will be dd only releases. I would love to see all blue ray movies have both dd and dts and let us consumers choose what one we listen to.

[zombie]

The best thing that can happen to Blu-ray is for them to adopt lossless audio compression into their spec. They are currently considering this and I hope like hell it'll make the final cut. For those who don't know, lossless audio would give Blu-ray movies an exact representation of the theatrical audio. It blows Dolby and DTS away!!

[Dave Moritz]

lossless audio would give Blu-ray movies an exact representation of the theatrical audio. It blows Dolby and DTS away!!

That may be true with the current Dolby Digital and DTS formats. But with DTS-HD being a lossless format it is very doubfull without hearing the final product to make such a statement. Dolby Digital sucks anyway so Meridian's lossness technology would not even be in the same ballpark. But something else you need to consider is that not everyone can currently listen to a lossness multi-channel track. Many people out there just dont want to spend the money on new gear. I have a neighbor that still is using the old prologic set up and I have invited him over for movies nights showing off digital surround and still he prefers to stay with his outdated system. A lossless track if supperior to DTS-HD would end up being a nitch format at best and something that only audiophile people would end up with.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Dave Moritz

That may be true with the current Dolby Digital and DTS formats. But with DTS-HD being a lossless format it is very doubfull without hearing the final product to make such a statement.

Well we can't really do anything but speculate on nearly all aspects of Blu-ray and HD-DVD right now since neither are currently available.

something else you need to consider is that not everyone can currently listen to a lossness multi-channel track. Many people out there just dont want to spend the money on new gear.

Very true. I just read that 75% of those consumers who have purchased an HDTV aren't using the HD aspect... they haven't even purchased an HD-STB. I can hardly see the point in someone buying an HDTV just for SD but I guess that's what most do.

a nitch format at best and something that only audiophile people would end up with.

Again, I agree. It may be a niche format at most but it still would be nice for those of us who are willing to shell out the dough. Blu-ray and HD-DVD will likely use Dolby Digital as the minimum requirement but that's not to say they shouldn't have the option of including a superior audio track for those who'd like them. Remember DTS audio tracks were few and far between earlier in the DVD stage but now you can find them on numerous DVDs including those lame direct-to-video titles. I just rented Bionicle 2 for my son and even that had a DTS track. :lol:

[Rob]

Originally Posted by 720p

The best thing that can happen to Blu-ray is for them to adopt lossless audio compression into their spec. They are currently considering this and I hope like hell it'll make the final cut. For those who don't know, lossless audio would give Blu-ray movies an exact representation of the theatrical audio. It blows Dolby and DTS away!!

Do you mean no compression of the original recording when you say lossless sound. Not too clued up on sound formats. Though I did read somewhere that dvd sound only contains 20% of the original source info due to compression. Is this true?

[Gorkab]

Originally Posted by Rob

Do you mean no compression of the original recording when you say lossless sound. Not too clued up on sound formats. Though I did read somewhere that dvd sound only contains 20% of the original source info due to compression. Is this true?

It could be true because when you compress, you automatically loss quality. So, when you know that the CD quality, which everyone's trying to reach, is 1411 Kbps and that you compare it to the DVD, which is if I remember correctly, 448 Kbps, you can say it's true. 8)
The DVD has 8 Mbps max, HDTV has 20. 1.5 Mbps is required for real CD quality, it's just 1/13 of the Blu-Ray Disc, so you're sure you'll have Theatrical Sound ! :roll:

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Rob

Do you mean no compression of the original recording when you say lossless sound. Not too clued up on sound formats.

Yes, lossless means there's no loss of sound quality from the original recording because there's no audio compression.

[phloyd]

Perhaps it should be clarified that there is compression, just 100% reversible compression so that the original audio data can be completely recreated with no difference from the original - hence lossless.

Lossy compression is where the decompressed data is not the same as original - and there are some frequencies that are lost or have diminished resolution. Typically the lost frequencies are masked by 'loud' nearby sounds so we don't really notice (well, that is the theory at least).

Cheers!

[CathodeRayTube]

dident reely bother to read all the poasts ....but it had better be CD qualety PCM or some sort of lossless compressed format...and 5.1 , 6.1 ,7.1 , 600.1 and whatever els these geniouses have thought up sound formats , ARE POINTLESS....(unless of corse you have 6 or 8 ears) its a marketing gimmic...you have 2 ears you onley need 2 sound channels to reproduse true 3d sound , thats why back in the 70s when we were switching from mono(wich truley did suck) to sterio it was called STERIO SUROUND, more than 2 sound channels is just a waist of bandwidth and disk space.

5.1 sound just blends together into 2 channels by the time it hits your ears anyway...i have heard "surround sound" befor and it sounds no better if not WORSE than sterio...iv heard it with my own 2 ears, so dont argue.

[wraparound]

Uh! Cathodraytube.... the way i see it.. you have to options: shrug because you clearly do not know what you are talking about, or go see an O.R.L. and have your ears checked out, because they aren't workin!!
( and this by the way has got nothing to do with blue ray... )

Stereo can give you a simulation of 3D sound, but it is not a 3D sound source environment. the objective of 5.1+ is to have specific signals ( which translates to sound) per channel. Your brain then does the identification of sound sources and that's what generates a 3D effect.... which is VERY different from a stereo induced virtual 3D effect!! ( and usually of better quality )

Now, one thing that is true is that plain stereo sounds great, and for anything stereo, and you are better off having a two channel mono amp ( meaning that each channel is independent) driving a pair of speakers... for cd's or records.. that will give you a hell of a better sound than integrated amps. ( although it is really linked to the quality of the player as well and how many times it oversamples )
However when watching a movie, you aren't listening to a stereo recording of Glen Gould playing Bach, so your main concern is good effective sound for a real movie immersion!! and that's Exactly what surround sound is about!!

Now, if you want to have the best of both worlds I suggest you get a dual set up. ( I have primare system, and I can't complain )

get youreslf a high end cd player, (primare CD31, but naim, and linn are great too!) get yourself a very nice dvd payer ( if you don't need state of the arts stereo, don't bother with the cd player, high end dvd players like the linn unidisk 1.1 will kick the crap out of every commonly considered good brand cd players anyway )
get seperates: processor, stereo amp and a 3 or 5 channel power amp for 5 or 7 channels .
Note that seperates will always be MUCH better than integrated amps even if you don't get into high end gear!

now a note on compression: for home theatre systems and movie purposes DTS is probably amply sufficient... yes DTS HD is going to be better, but your amp and processor are probably MUCH more responsible for sound not being great , than the compression algorythms.

go to a very high fidelity store and watch a movie on a high end system... DTS will probably blow you away!!

[thunderhawk]

All very nice and so...

But the concept of each channel - seperate amp..?
I think I would have a problem with my cables I'd think.

I think the most ideal is, an 7.1 channel reciever, a preamp to process and to chose the source... and 2 endamps for the low tones and the high tones. Please know, I haven't got a set up like that...

Oh yeah, an old high-end stereo amp with lamps rules

[wraparound]

yeah... they are by far the prettiest pieces of hifi!
but for the level of sound quality i wanted, they were just NOT affordable!!

maybe i wasn't clear....
the setup i described only has 2 amps:
a two channel amp ( that gets the cd signal routed through te processor/preamp, but with a bypass option, meaning the signal is not processed, just preamped and sent into the amp.
it also gets the dvd front left and right signals routed through the processor

a 3 channel amp, which gets the signal from the processor for the center, Rear right and left.

what i meant by seperate amplification, is that the amp block for each channel is seperate and independant, ( each has it's own powersource etc....) but it's all in the same casing.

ok, so your looking at having 7 cables running from your processor to your amps, instead of 1 running from your DVD to your integrated 5.1... is 6 extra cables really that much a hassle for the sound quality difference????
price on the other hand... er.. well...

[thunderhawk]

ok, so your looking at having 7 cables running from your processor to your amps, instead of 1 running from your DVD to your integrated 5.1... is 6 extra cables really that much a hassle for the sound quality difference????
price on the other hand... er.. well...

I don't care about the cables
The more cables the better

And yeah... The price...
And the models? Have you seen some? I didn't knew it existed.