No Audio on Certain Blu-ray Movies?

[sfjack]

Please forgive a very simple question. We just bought a new Blue Ray player to go with our new HD TV. It has been great!

The question is this. We have an older Harmon Kardon audio receiver that has been great for watching movies. Last night we put the movie Eargon in the new Blue Ray (Samsung 1400) and there was no audio from the stereo. I have been watching Blue Ray movies with the output set to Bitstream using a coax digital connector to the stereo. The stereo normally senses the signal and switches to Dolby Digital. I know it does not do DTS.

I checked movie setup and noticed they was no English Dolby Digital option, only the new English Dolby Digital DTS HD and PCM or other languages in Dolby Digital. Is it possible that the movie studios are no longer including the older Dolby Digital sound tracks and only the older PCM, Dolby HD DTS and other language support?

I changed the output on the Blue Ray player to PCM and was able to hear the audio then through my stereo system although it was not near as good.

I am guessing that I have to buy a new receiver that can decode the new Dolby HD audio? Like I said, this is a really simple question but I looked around the Internet and found no one really addressing this question. Mostly people are talking about their Blue Ray players not outputting the correct HD sound to their new receivers.

Please be kind and let me know if I have diagnosed my problem or if I am just way off base.

Thanks,

Jack

[Deciazulado]

Eragorn has a DTS HD MA soundtrack, so if your receiver doesn't do DTS you can't listen to it in DTS bitstream. You have to have your player convert it to something that your receiver accepts.

Originally Posted by sfjack

I changed the output on the Blue Ray player to PCM and was able to hear the audio then through my stereo system although it was not near as good.

Not as good as what? Dolby Digital 5.1? Don't know on your particular set up, but you're probably listening then to the DTS 5.1 track changed to LPCM 2 channel? (Would need to apply a Dolby Pro Logic Surround mode to it then, to make it quasi 5.1 again but that's not the same as true 5.1). Check your manuals.

Originally Posted by sfjack

I am guessing that I have to buy a new receiver that can decode the new Dolby HD audio? Like I said, this is a really simple question but I looked around the Internet and found no one really addressing this question. Mostly people are talking about their Blue Ray players not outputting the correct HD sound to their new receivers.

Please be kind and let me know if I have diagnosed my problem or if I am just way off base.

Thanks,

Jack

Dolby HD audio is not DTS audio.

There's Dolby Digital audio, Dolby Digital+ audio, and Dolby TrueHD audio
Then there's DTS, DTS HD HR, and DTS HD MA audio.

And of course LPCM stereo and multichannel.

With multichannel going up to 7.1 in some formats/discs.

Depending on the player/receiver, a player would decode some or all of these Dolbys and DTSes into LPCM (2 channel or multichannel) and send the LPCM as an analog signal (2 to 8 RCA phono jacks) or through a digital HDMI cable, or send the Dolby or DTS bitstreams directly through the coaxial/optical or HDMI connection and the receiver decode them itself. It's complicated as there are so many audio codecs and connections and depending on the equipment or connector they do all formats or are limited to some, 7.1, 6.1 5.1 channels or limited to 2 , etc etc. Read more threads about this (and about the Samsung 1400) on the Home Theater Forum. From the 1400 to get all the sound formats you should need a receiver that accepts all those codecs through HDMI and decodes them.

[sfjack]

Thanks for the quick reply. I think I understand that by outoutting from the Samsung 1400 in PCM over Coax I am limited to two channel. I checked the Samsung manual and it mentions that is the case, unless output over Bitstream. I think I was just surprised to find out that the movie studios would drop one of the codecs that has become so common for receivers many people like I have. I guess it really is time to up grade.

Thanks again,

jack

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

Eragorn has a DTS HD MA soundtrack, so if your receiver doesn't do DTS you can't listen to it in DTS bitstream. You have to have your player convert it to something that your receiver accepts.


Not as good as what? Dolby Digital 5.1? Don't know on your particular set up, but you're probably listening then to the DTS 5.1 track changed to LPCM 2 channel? (Would need to apply a Dolby Pro Logic Surround mode to it then, to make it quasi 5.1 again but that's not the same as true 5.1). Check your manuals.




Dolby HD audio is not DTS audio.

There's Dolby Digital audio, Dolby Digital+ audio, and Dolby TrueHD audio
Then there's DTS, DTS HD HR, and DTS HD MA audio.

And of course LPCM stereo and multichannel.

With multichannel going up to 7.1 in some formats/discs.

Depending on the player/receiver, a player would decode some or all of these Dolbys and DTSes into LPCM (2 channel or multichannel) and send the LPCM as an analog signal (2 to 8 RCA phono jacks) or through a digital HDMI cable, or send the Dolby or DTS bitstreams directly through the coaxial/optical or HDMI connection and the receiver decode them itself. It's complicated as there are so many audio codecs and connections and depending on the equipment or connector they do all formats or are limited to some, 7.1, 6.1 5.1 channels or limited to 2 , etc etc. Read more threads about this (and about the Samsung 1400) on the Home Theater Forum. From the 1400 to get all the sound formats you should need a receiver that accepts all those codecs through HDMI and decodes them.

[sfjack]

Hi Again,

I figured out that my Samsung 1400 has 6 channel analog outputs and my Harmon Kardon receiver has the inputs. I just got through enjoying Final Fantasy, Earagon and Flight of the Phoenix on Blue Ray and listening to the audio sound track set to Dolby HD Master DTS. The sound was great, although I did not find it to be much different than I had been listening to before using the regular Dolby 5.1 Digital over both Toslink and Digital Coax.

I am going to wait to upgrade the receiver and wonder if it is really worth it now having gotten my system to work? Thanks again.

Merry Christmas.

Jack

[ryoohki]

Originally Posted by sfjack

Hi Again,

I figured out that my Samsung 1400 has 6 channel analog outputs and my Harmon Kardon receiver has the inputs. I just got through enjoying Final Fantasy, Earagon and Flight of the Phoenix on Blue Ray and listening to the audio sound track set to Dolby HD Master DTS. The sound was great, although I did not find it to be much different than I had been listening to before using the regular Dolby 5.1 Digital over both Toslink and Digital Coax.

I am going to wait to upgrade the receiver and wonder if it is really worth it now having gotten my system to work? Thanks again.

Merry Christmas.

Jack

The Samsung doesn't output the DTS HD Master Audio in PCM.

Each DTS HD MA track containt a DTS 1.5mbits for back compatibility. The samsung 1400 can only take that Track and decode it to PCM. You should be able to ear a little amelioration from DVD DD and DVD DTS.

In order to use the DTS HD MA Track with you're 1400, you need a HDMI 1.3a AMP such as the Onkyo 605 (witch goes for 399$ i think), connect it to it in HDMI, then connect you're tv in HDMI too and set everythign to Bitstream.

Same goes with DD True HD, the 1400 can't decode the track, but it decode the standart 640kbps DD track inside (once again for backward compatibility) and it send it in PCM, once again you need the same type of receiver.

The only track you'll get with you're 1400 is when Sony or Disney is putting pure PCM, you're 1400 will send those PCM track untouched to you're receiver. Altought they are getting rarer by the months..

[sfjack]

Hi Folks,

I think I got it now on the need for the Onkyo 605 or such. I am happy I can get the 5.1 Dolby over analog for now so we can enjoy Blue Ray movies, but I understand that to get the full DTS HD I will have to upgrade to a receiver with HDMI that can decode the data.

Maybe after Christmas we will save some money and buy the Onkyo. It sounds like almost everyone likes that receiver.

Once again, thank you for taking the time and a Happy Blue Ray Holiday to All.

Jack