Confused about 5.1 - 7.1 PLIIx

[beanham22]

What I am confused about is this...

If I put this on will it be the same as the Multichannel but with the 7.1 over top of it.

What I mean is will PLIIx downconvert the DTS-HD or DDTHD track to 2 channels and then matrix them into 7.1 or will the 5.1 track remain the same while the PLIIx adds a matrixed 7.1.

Is there any ways to 'upconvert' 5.1 to 7.1?

[CCTM2000]

PLII (X) Movies/music takes a 5.1 source and expands it to fill a 7.1 theater. You can use the filters of music or movies.
If you have a 5.1 theater and a 5.1 source you will not have this option.
Its a dolby expansion mode to make use out of the 2 backs.
DTS' is Neo6: Music, Cinema.

Hope this helps. Use it whenever you can.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by beanham22

What I am confused about is this...

If I put this on will it be the same as the Multichannel but with the 7.1 over top of it.

What I mean is will PLIIx downconvert the DTS-HD or DDTHD track to 2 channels and then matrix them into 7.1 or will the 5.1 track remain the same while the PLIIx adds a matrixed 7.1.

Is there any ways to 'upconvert' 5.1 to 7.1?

With A 5.1 sound track ~ All PLIIx will do is split the signal from the surrounds & add it to the Rear surrounds If I'm not mistaken for your 7.1

[beanham22]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

With A 5.1 sound track ~ All PLIIx will do is split the signal from the surrounds & add it to the Rear surrounds If I'm not mistaken for your 7.1

Thank you that is what I was wondering, If all it did on top of a 5.1 track was split the rears and matrix them to a fake 7.1 or if it did old school pro logic and tried to completely fake the whole surround.

Also would you guys recommend doing this or leaving it in 5.1? for instance what is better over all? Lossless 5.1 discrete or the PLII 7.1?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by beanham22

Thank you that is what I was wondering, If all it did on top of a 5.1 track was split the rears and matrix them to a fake 7.1 or if it did old school pro logic and tried to completely fake the whole surround.

Also would you guys recommend doing this or leaving it in 5.1? for instance what is better over all? Lossless 5.1 discrete or the PLII 7.1?

I leave my receiver on PLIIx on everything . If I am watching A 5.1 sound track then I am Matrixing it . I don't change anything if it is A 7.1 sound track either .

[RocShemp]

Originally Posted by beanham22

What I am confused about is this...

If I put this on will it be the same as the Multichannel but with the 7.1 over top of it.

What I mean is will PLIIx downconvert the DTS-HD or DDTHD track to 2 channels and then matrix them into 7.1 or will the 5.1 track remain the same while the PLIIx adds a matrixed 7.1.

Is there any ways to 'upconvert' 5.1 to 7.1?

Pro Logic IIx: What it Is, How it Works, and a Comparison with Other Formats

[spinstersxrd]

I also leave mine on, it does a really good job of steering and delaying the rear left and right signal to the back surround and it sounds great!!!

[beanham22]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I leave my receiver on PLIIx on everything . If I am watching A 5.1 sound track then I am Matrixing it . I don't change anything if it is A 7.1 sound track either .

Well considering the Setup you've got I take you word that its a good idea to keep it on .

EDIT: Also thanks for the link RocShemp.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by beanham22

Well considering the Setup you've got I take you word that its a good idea to keep it on .

EDIT: Also thanks for the link RocShemp.

Thank You for the Compliment beanham !

I do it because I think it sounds best on my system that way . I spent money on the rears , so I may as well use them , Right

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by CCTM2000

PLII (X) Movies/music takes a 5.1 source and expands it to fill a 7.1 theater. You can use the filters of music or movies.
If you have a 5.1 theater and a 5.1 source you will not have this option.
Its a dolby expansion mode to make use out of the 2 backs.
DTS' is Neo6: Music, Cinema.

Hope this helps. Use it whenever you can.

Dude i didn't know that good shit. Do receivers have a way to do that in a lossless format??

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by deeman54

Dude i didn't know that good shit. Do receivers have a way to do that in a lossless format??

When you use Dolby PLIIx to expand lossless 5.1 audio to 7.1, the receiver does not convert the lossless to lossy. You will still get lossless audio in addition to matrixed back surround channels. The information for the two back surround channels are taken from the two side surround channels.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

When you use Dolby PLIIx to expand lossless 5.1 audio to 7.1, the receiver does not convert the lossless to lossy. You will still get lossless audio in addition to matrixed back surround channels. The information for the two back surround channels are taken from the two side surround channels.

I use PLIIx post processing primarily for TV sound or for discs with Dolby or DTS legacy codecs or LPCM soundtracks. For discs with DTS-HD MA 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1, since I have a DTS-HD MA full function decoder (not hampered by DTS 'Essentials' restrictions') in my PS3, I prefer to let the speaker remapping functionality of the DTS-HD MA decoder work without introducing post processing, thereby replicating the Studio Master sound image.

For Dolby codecs, including Dolby TrueHD, THX post processing is preferred, particularly on THX certified discs. You will see the THX logo on the disc packaging. If you don't have THX post processing in your AVR, then PLIIx post processing is acceptable. In the end it depends on your equipment capabilty including interconnect (standard or high speed HDMI, optical, component, composite, or analog); source media, and lastly but not leastly,personal preference. Enjoy.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

I use PLIIx post processing primarily for TV sound or for discs with Dolby or DTS legacy codecs or LPCM soundtracks. For discs with DTS-HD MA 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1, since I have a DTS-HD MA full function decoder (not hampered by DTS 'Essentials' restrictions') in my PS3, I prefer to let the speaker remapping functionality of the DTS-HD MA decoder work without introducing post processing, thereby replicating the Studio Master sound image.

You have a couple of odd statements in there. DTS HD Master Audio Essential decoders are fully functional except for a few legacy formats such as DTS 96/24 and DTS-ES. They decode dts-MA just fine. Second, speaker remapping doesn't do anything at this time because there's no way to tell the decoder how your speakers are arranged. If you have a 7.1 system and you want to hear the rear speakers with 5.1 dts-MA sources, you have to use a DSP such as PLIIx. Speaker remapping won't help there.

For Dolby codecs, including Dolby TrueHD, THX post processing is preferred, particularly on THX certified discs. You will see the THX logo on the disc packaging. If you don't have THX post processing in your AVR, then PLIIx post processing is acceptable. In the end it depends on your equipment capabilty including interconnect (standard or high speed HDMI, optical, component, composite, or analog); source media, and lastly but not leastly,personal preference. Enjoy.

I'm not aware that THX post processing is superior to PLIIx. In the end, I think the choice of a DSP is almost exclusively a matter of personal preference.

[crackinhedz]

THX

[uniquetreatone]

Personally I leave my onkyo receiver on the thx mode ULTRA2 Cinema for any 5.1 source to be matrix to 7.1. I just like hearing all speakers used. If the source is lower it switches to PLIIx automatically. Before the movie starts the oppo and onkyo flash which format it's decoding before it switches to thx mode.

[Silo5]

You can put me in the "I leave my reciever on PLIIx" column too.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

in my PS3, I prefer to let the speaker remapping functionality of the DTS-HD MA decoder work without introducing post processing, thereby replicating the Studio Master sound image.

Originally Posted by BIslander

speaker remapping doesn't do anything at this time because there's no way to tell the decoder how your speakers are arranged.

raygendreau sent me private messages describing how the use of set-up programs such as Trinnov or even Audyssey could provide the decoder with the needed information about speaker layouts. While that is possible, I suppose, it definitely does not happen now.

Because I am curious about such stuff, I called DTS in California and was able to talk to someone who knows how Speaker Re-mapping works. He confirmed that Speaker Re-Mapping can only do what raygendreau describes if the user is able to tell the AVR where the speakers are actually located. He also acknowledged that's not possible right now since there's a single standard speaker layout that is hard-coded into nearly all AVRs. In other words, you can't tell your AVR where you put your speakers. He said there were one or two receivers (didn't have any names, though) where there's a configuration setting allowing the user to select one of two layouts.

Bottom line: DTS agrees that Speaker Re-mapping does very little at the moment. If you get a 7.1 disc that was mixed and flagged with a non-standard layout (5 across the front or the "voice of God" configuration), then the dts-HD decoder will adjust the outputs to sound correct in the standard layout. That's all that Speaker Re-mapping will do until layout information is added to AVR configuration.

[RocShemp]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

THX

I don't get it. Is it cool to hate THX now?

I hate getting old.

[Buddy Christ]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

With A 5.1 sound track ~ All PLIIx will do is split the signal from the surrounds & add it to the Rear surrounds If I'm not mistaken for your 7.1

Exactly but in movies especially you might gunk up the feel depending on your speaker placement. With the DTS recommended 7.1 set up and have it matrixed, directionality of non music segments might not sound realistic. e.g. a bullet going from front right to back left might not sound so "directional if it is coming from 2 speakers a few feet apart. Now musically is different.

After a while I learned to only PLIIx it to music only

[pchin]

I wonder how the front wide/high front channels sound btw Dolby PLIIz vs Audyssey DSX.