Sharp BD-HP21 and Onkyo TX-SR505

[davidgayle]

What is the best way to set up my Sharp BD-HP21 BD Player with my Onyko TX-SR505 receiver? Am I right in thinking that the Onkyo receiver will not decode the TrueHD signal, and I can't send PCM because the Sharp BD player has no Multichannel Analog outputs!

If so is there any point in using HDMI inputs or should I just stick to optical?

[DonRSD]

today is your lucky day

i JUST set up a bd21 last night.....to a bose system

optical = you only get dolby digital/dts audio
hdmi = you get lossless dolbytrue hd.dts master audio sound

set the bd21 to pcm

only difference is
bitstream = receiver decodes and you will see dts hd/dolbytrue hd

pcm = bluray player decodes and you will see multich for all lossless audio

set it to PCM as your receiver will NOT decode the sound (you have a 505)

make sure to set the pcm SECONDARY AUDIO to off

if you have any other questions pm me while my knowledge of this bluray player is still fresh


quick question.........does your receiver accept audio AND video from hdmi inputs?
i dont think it does which means youll never get lossless audio

[DonRSD]

youre screwed

your hdmi is pass thru which means you NEED an optical cable

optical cable = NO lossless audio

id look to upgrade the receiver to one that acdepts hdmi audio/video for lossless audio

[davidgayle]

Thanks, you confirmed what i thought. So back to my original question, is there any point using hdmi? will the receiver treat the sound as dolby digital exactly like the optical input, or will it sound better through hdmi?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by davidgayle

Thanks, you confirmed what i thought. So back to my original question, is there any point using hdmi? will the receiver treat the sound as dolby digital exactly like the optical input, or will it sound better through hdmi?

You won't get any sound from HDMI. Your receiver just does pass-through, sending video and audio to your TV. You have to use a separate audio connection to your receiver for sound.

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by davidgayle

Thanks, you confirmed what i thought. So back to my original question, is there any point using hdmi? will the receiver treat the sound as dolby digital exactly like the optical input, or will it sound better through hdmi?

id use an hdmi from bluray player to tv to get the best picture quality.....but you will need to use the coaxial/optical cable from bluray player to receiver to get sound.

and any dolby true hd content will go to dolby digital. any dts master audio will go to regular dts.

youll STILL HAVE SURROUND SOUND (not stereo sound) but it will NOT be lossless audio.
even if you set up the bluray player to be lossless output.....the coaxial/optical cable will only go up to 5.1 LOSSY audio (dolby digital/reg dts)

all you need is an onkyo 507/605/606/607 or above to reap the benefiots of all hdmi connections thru the receiver to get lossless audio. you may want to look into buying one.
picture quality is nice.....but without the lossless audio you ARE missing out on clearer dialogue and better discrete sound from each speaker.

good luck man!

btw try amazon.com for the onkyo receivers
here are some clicky links for onkyo receivers, from amazon, that process hdmi audio/video
the ones that end on 07 are the 2009 models.....06 are the 2008 models and so on
ONKYO 507
ONKYO 605
ONKYO 606
ONKYO 607

me personally....id go with the 507....same features as the 600 series EXCEPT youll have 4 hdmi inputs as opposed to only 2 inputs. PLUS the 507 is cheaper than the rest

all the links above provide hdmi switching (non pass thru) which means the hdmi inputs accept audio & video.
so you put ALL of your components (cable/sat box, ps3, bluray player) hdmi outputs into the receiver hdmi inputs.
then your receiver hdmi output goes to the tv hdmi input.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

without the lossless audio you ARE missing out on clearer dialogue and better discrete sound from each speaker.

The question is how much better. The legacy DD 5.1 and DTS core tracks on BD are less compressed than on DVD and they sound great, too. So, BD audio is a considerable improvement over DVD either way.

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by BIslander

The question is how much better. The legacy DD 5.1 and DTS core tracks on BD are less compressed than on DVD and they sound great, too. So, BD audio is a considerable improvement over DVD either way.

what kind of system/speakers do you have?
i ask you this because ANYONE with lossless audio can tell you....EASILY....that lossless sounds so much clearer/fuller than that compressed dolby digital/dts crap.

you know those times.......youre watching a movie and you dont really understand the dialogue as its very muddled. so you rewind the part and have to turn up the volume to hear it better.
that my friend is dolby digital/dts trash

youll never have trouble with lossless.

uncompressed > compressed

the reason for blu....for me.....is the audio quality. the pic looks good too....but the audio is wwhere it seperates itself from reg boring dvd

dont forget to let us know your receiver/speaker setup.......

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

what kind of system/speakers do you have?
i ask you this because ANYONE with lossless audio can tell you....EASILY....that lossless sounds so much clearer/fuller than that compressed dolby digital/dts crap.

you know those times.......youre watching a movie and you dont really understand the dialogue as its very muddled. so you rewind the part and have to turn up the volume to hear it better.
that my friend is dolby digital/dts trash

youll never have trouble with lossless.

uncompressed > compressed

the reason for blu....for me.....is the audio quality. the pic looks good too....but the audio is wwhere it seperates itself from reg boring dvd

dont forget to let us know your receiver/speaker setup.......

Sorry, but I find these discussions tiresome. My hearing is fine. My equipment is fine and properly calibrated. My room, while far from perfect, is not a problem. I don't have muddled dialog with lossless or with the max bitrate lossy encodes on BD unless the movie is poorly mixed.

There aren't many rigorous studies. But, the only real evidence suggests the differences between lossless and DD 5.1 at 640k and DTS at 1509k are subtle, at best. I'm not sure I've ever seen a post from an audio professional who claims that "anyone" can tell the difference "easily". If you think lossless sounds clearly better than the max bitrate lossy tracks, that's great. But, that only means it's better for you, on your equipment, in your room. Nothing more. (You mention comparisons to DVD. So, perhaps you misunderstood my post. I said, DD 5.1 and DTS also sound better on Blu because they use higher bitrates - less compression - than DVD.)

I have a Denon 3805 with DefTech Mythos 3s and 4s across the front, BP/A surrounds, and a SuperCube I sub. I have my BD55 connected using 5.1 analog for lossless and coax for digital transmission. I also have a Denon 2900 universal player connected with analog for SACD and DVD-Audio playback.

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by BIslander

Sorry, but I find these discussions tiresome. My hearing is fine. My equipment is fine and properly calibrated. My room, while far from perfect, is not a problem. I don't have muddled dialog with lossless or with the max bitrate lossy encodes on BD unless the movie is poorly mixed.

There aren't many rigorous studies. But, the only real evidence suggests the differences between lossless and DD 5.1 at 640k and DTS at 1509k are subtle, at best. I'm not sure I've ever seen a post from an audio professional who claims that "anyone" can tell the difference "easily". If you think lossless sounds clearly better than the max bitrate lossy tracks, that's great. But, that only means it's better for you, on your equipment, in your room. Nothing more. (You mention comparisons to DVD. So, perhaps you misunderstood my post. I said, DD 5.1 and DTS also sound better on Blu because they use higher bitrates - less compression - than DVD.)

I have a Denon 3805 with DefTech Mythos 3s and 4s across the front, BP/A surrounds, and a SuperCube I sub. I have my BD55 connected using 5.1 analog for lossless and coax for digital transmission. I also have a Denon 2900 universal player connected with analog for SACD and DVD-Audio playback.

sounds good

lossless is better than lossy.
play half of say ironman......then half way thru change the blu and pop the dvd in......then tell me you dont hear the difference.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

lossless is better than lossy.
play half of say ironman......then half way thru change the blu and pop the dvd in......then tell me you dont hear the difference.

Of course, the Blu will sound better.

Was I really that unclear? Or are you simply ignoring what I have written?

Originally Posted by BIslander

The legacy DD 5.1 and DTS core tracks on BD are less compressed than on DVD and they sound great, too. So, BD audio is a considerable improvement over DVD either way.

Originally Posted by BIslander

(You mention comparisons to DVD. So, perhaps you misunderstood my post. I said, DD 5.1 and DTS also sound better on Blu because they use higher bitrates - less compression - than DVD.)

If you haven't already done so, you need to use optical or coax between your player and receiver and compare the lossless and lossy versions on BD. That's the only comparison that matters because that's what the OP will be hearing - the higher bitrate BD version fed over optical to his Onkyo 505.

As you know (yes?), when you play a dts-MA track, the lossless version can be heard over HDMI or multichannel analog while the lossy DTS core is bitstreamed over optical. That's the relevant comparison.

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EDIT: It occurs to me that you may not realize the nature of the difference between the legacy codecs on DVD and Blu-ray. BDs have more room, meaning soundtracks don't have to be compressed as much to fit on a disc.

DD 5.1 is limited to 448 kbps on DVD and is usually encoded at 384 or less. On BD, DD 5.1 tracks have 640 kbps bitrates.

DTS is usually encoded at 768 or 754 on DVD. But, the DTS core on BD is 1509 kbps.

That's why the same DD 5.1 or DTS soundtrack on BD sounds better than it does on DVD.

As for the comparison to lossless, there seems to be a point of diminishing returns here. Once you get to the maximum legacy bitrates, reducing or eliminating compression doesn't produce much more, perhaps no more, improvement in audio quality.