I'm going to HD sound next week!

[Stu123]

So just a few questions.I'm using the ps3 slim (can bitstream dts HD) so is it best to bitstream the HD codecs or send them as PCM as my reciever is capable of decoding and displaying the codec lights.

If theres a PCM track and also one of the HD codec tracks on the disc which is best?

Do you always select PCM for a PCM track ,you never bitstream them?

[Adegan]

1) If your receiver is capable of bitstreaming by all means do it. There actually is little to no difference between bitstreaming or sending it as PCM. But if you have the equipment to decode then let it work the way it was intended.

2) The PCM track on a Blu-ray is the better track because it is uncompressed audio, whereas Tru HD and DTS HD have some degree of compression. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm not 100% sure.

3)No, when a PCM track is selected on the disc the receiver will display Linear PCM or something along those lines, regardless of whether you bitstream it or not.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by stubiedoo

So just a few questions.I'm using the ps3 slim (can bitstream dts HD) so is it best to bitstream the HD codecs or send them as PCM as my reciever is capable of decoding and displaying the codec lights.

If theres a PCM track and also one of the HD codec tracks on the disc which is best?

Do you always select PCM for a PCM track ,you never bitstream them?

I leave my BDP on Bitstream(audiophile) at all times , Never change it ! I have not seen A Blu-ray yet that has A PCM track & A DTS or Dolby True HD Track together , That does not mean there isn't some out there .

[turboLAZER]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I leave my BDP on Bitstream(audiophile) at all times , Never change it ! I have not seen A Blu-ray yet that has A PCM track & A DTS or Dolby True HD Track together , That does not mean there isn't some out there .

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-F...t-Blu-ray/456/

there are others out there, but i'm too lazy to search for them

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by turboLAZER

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-F...t-Blu-ray/456/

there are others out there, but i'm too lazy to search for them

Thanks turbo , I had A feeling there were some but is something I had not seen/Noticed before .

[Rob J in WNY]

Originally Posted by turboLAZER

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-F...t-Blu-ray/456/

there are others out there, but i'm too lazy to search for them

Audio on The Fifth Element is quite good - the PCM track selection is quite robust.

Superman Returns (the 2008 BD re-release) has PCM 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Super...-Blu-ray/1217/

Top Gun has Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Top-Gun-Blu-ray/475/

[solarrdadd]

you should experiment. watch the same movie with the ps3 (slim) doing the decoding onboard and send it over as an LPCM as well as say, another night, send it over bitstreamed and let your receiver do the decoding. you won't hurt anything and you might find that sometimes, having the player do the decoding is a good thing for some movies, whereas with others it's better for the receiver to do the decoding. be fortunate that you have the choice. folks with the ps3 (fat) don't have that choice. embrace your versatility!

now go forth and produce lossless!

[BIslander]

There's no difference in output when decoding a lossless track in a player or in a receiver. The PCM produced will be identical in both cases.

The same goes for choosing between a PCM track and a lossless compressed version. When decompressed, TrueHD and dts-MA will both be identical to the original PCM.

However, it is always possible that a receiver may handle the post-decoding processing of PCM and compressed lossless tracks differently. But, that would be a difference in a particular AVR, not related to the broader issues of player vs receiver decoding or PCM vs. bitstream transmission.

[quest88]

Originally Posted by stubiedoo

So just a few questions.I'm using the ps3 slim (can bitstream dts HD) so is it best to bitstream the HD codecs or send them as PCM as my reciever is capable of decoding and displaying the codec lights.

If theres a PCM track and also one of the HD codec tracks on the disc which is best?

Do you always select PCM for a PCM track ,you never bitstream them?

Cool you're in for a treat !

I'm going to HD sound next week!

When you get there can you send me a postcard that way I know where it is.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Adegan

1)
2) The PCM track on a Blu-ray is the better track because it is uncompressed audio, whereas Tru HD and DTS HD have some degree of compression. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm not 100% sure.

The word compression confuses many people. You have to distinguish between lossy compression and lossless compression. Dolby Digital and DTS compress the audio track and lose some information to accomodate the limited space on DVD. Both of them are recorded with higher bit rates on Blu-ray and should sound better.

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA losslessly compress the audio to save space. When they are decompressed, you will get the entire audio back without any loss of information.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by Adegan

1) If your receiver is capable of bitstreaming by all means do it. There actually is little to no difference between bitstreaming or sending it as PCM. But if you have the equipment to decode then let it work the way it was intended.

The argument for this is that it frees up processing in the player for the video. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter apart seeing the proper lights come on on the receiver. I personally like seeing the light on my receiver, so I do it that way, but it doesn't affect the quality.

2) The PCM track on a Blu-ray is the better track because it is uncompressed audio, whereas Tru HD and DTS HD have some degree of compression. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm not 100% sure.

First, no. The compression in True HD and DTS HD MA are lossless. Absolutely nothing is lost in compression. When the player decodes the compressed data, the PCM it creates is bit-for-bit identical to the PCM source they used to create the compressed track.

Second, no. PCM is not automatically better. In addition to compression, one must also consider the technical specs of the source audio data itself. The "temporal resolution" is given in kHz. Sometimes a PCM track will be at a lower kHz than the losslessly encoded version of the same. Sometimes a losslessly compressed track will maintain the higher kHz that the audio was originally mastered at while the PCM will be intentionally lowered in quality to fit on the disc more easily (uncompressed PCM takes up a LOT more room than losslessly compressed).

[Louisville Slugger]

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio are still lossless even though they're compressed on this disc. While being decoded in real time they re-create bit-for-bit the lossless audio track. It's like a zip file -- when zipped the file takes up less space than the original file. To get the original file, you “extract” the zip file. To get the lossless audio track you “decode” the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio track. I hope I understand this correctly. Please correct me if I am wrong.

PCM is just the raw uncompressed audio track. No decoding necessary. PCM bypasses the receiver's decoders and gets passed straight to the receiver's amplifier.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio are still lossless even though they're compressed on this disc. While being decoded in real time they re-create bit-for-bit the lossless audio track. It's like a zip file -- when zipped the file takes up less space than the original file. To get the original file, you “extract” the zip file. To get the lossless audio track you “decode” the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio track. I hope I understand this correctly. Please correct me if I am wrong.

PCM is just the raw uncompressed audio track. No decoding necessary. PCM bypasses the receiver's decoders and gets passed straight to the receiver's amplifier.

That's pretty much it, until the last statement about PCM going straight to the amplifiers. Encoded tracks must be decoded back into PCM. From there, a PCM track and a decoded TrueHD or dts-MA track are the same. The AVR may do considerable processing from that point forward - processing such as bass management, distance adjustments, and EQ. After processing, the PCM goes through the digital-analog converters. And, then it gets amplified.