Do you prefer TruHd and master audio over matrixed PLllx

[cantinflas]

Just curious to know if you guys prefer the lossless tracks over the matrixed PLllx 7.1

Some people have said that you lose some quality when you matrix from 5.1 to 7.1.

What is your preference?

[tilallr1]

Originally Posted by cantinflas

Just curious to know if you guys prefer the lossless tracks over the matrixed PLllx 7.1

Some people have said that you lose some quality when you matrix from 5.1 to 7.1.

What is your preference?

Maybe this depends on the receiver, but personally I notice NO loss in quality.

However, when I do matrix to 7.1, I do notice a huge boost in the surround sound effect. Which feels more enveloping which helps immerse me more into the movie.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by tilallr1

Maybe this depends on the receiver, but personally I notice NO loss in quality.

However, when I do matrix to 7.1, I do notice a huge boost in the surround sound effect. Which feels more encompassing.

Agreed.

To matrix or to not matrix is a valid question, and people do line up on both sides of the fence as it pertains to that question. I'm just not sure what that has to do with lossless? My PS3 decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD MA and sends them PCM over HDMI. Just because I branch most of the tracks out to 7.1 doesn't make them lossy. Unless there is something going on that I haven't heard about.

[un4gvn94538]

a movie can have 5.1 and have better surround than one that does 7.1, it just depends on the movie. i just leave it alone. the only time i matrix sometimes is when im playing older games

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by cantinflas

Some people have said that you lose some quality when you matrix from 5.1 to 7.1.

Loss in quality? How?

You may or may not like how matrixed rear channels sound. But, the PCM produced when decoding the 5.1 track is the same either way.

[cantinflas]

I was hoping to hear all these positive things about matrixing, so matrixing it is. I will take some updated pictures of my room as soon as I can with the new setup.
.
Thanks again for all the help!

[TKNice]

Originally Posted by cantinflas

I was hoping to hear all these positive things about matrixing, so matrixing it is. I will take some updated pictures of my room as soon as I can with the new setup.
.
Thanks again for all the help!

Your room looks awesome cantinflas.

I'd say go for it. As others have said, the lossless (ie no compression) shouldn't really change in the matrixed channels. With my receiver, I just leave it on PLIIx Movie all the time and it checks the source and does what it's supposed to. Sounds great!

[cantinflas]

Thanks for the comment. Your theater looks pretty damn impressive also.

[ReverendSlim]

Incidentally, most theaters use EX/ES matrixing on the 5.1 tracks to create the rear surround array, since ALL mixes today are done to that standard. 7.1 in the home exists solely to recreate that theatrical rear array, using two rear channels instead of one because of the psychoacoustic reversal people experienced in early home 6.1 systems. 7.1 using DPL-IIx is actually recommended by Dolby for all tracks mixed to EX standards... and since all 5.1 mixes follow the standard of using phase/amplitude to determine placement between the side surrounds, DPL-IIx properly steers that audio where it should go. You're essentially recreating the effect of a theatrical array in a smaller space with less speakers, and it doesn't degrade the sound in any way. In fact, since the lossless tracks on BD are higher quality than the optical AC-3 or digital DTS used in the theater, what you hear in the home is actually closer to what the original mixer intended you to hear.

I never turn matrixing off. Though in fairness, I'm using DPL-IIz with height channels full time, so I'm even using matrixing on 7.1 tracks.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by TKNice

Your room looks awesome cantinflas.

I'd say go for it. As others have said, the lossless (ie no compression) shouldn't really change in the matrixed channels. With my receiver, I just leave it on PLIIx Movie all the time and it checks the source and does what it's supposed to. Sounds great!

Yeah, but don't you use your PS3 to decode dts-HD MA 5.l to PCM 5.1 so you can matrix the PCM 5.1 to 7.1? I have the V663 receiver too. Although decoding dts-HD MA and DD True HD, it stays in the Straight mode and doesn't matrix to 7.1 using PLIIx. Has something to do with the V663's DSP lacking processing power to do all that. Consider yourself lucky for having a PS3 to decode DD True HD and dts-HD MA to PCM. My Sony S350 BD player only decodes DD True HD. So after setting it to secondary audio instead of direct, I can matrix DD True HD using PLIIx, but not dts-HD.

On a side note, and a little off topic, I see from your signature that you use the V663 as your processor for video and audio instead of the Emotiva UMC-1 AV processor. The V663 is just an entry level AVR. I don't own a UMC-1, but it seem to me that it would be the better processor and a better match for the rest of your Emotiva equipment.

[Stu123]

Ok i dont get this ,so you're using dolby pro logic 2 with your HD blu-rays? arnt i supposed to select dolby true HD and not dolby pro logic II? am i still getting the same thing if i do?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by stubiedoo

Ok i dont get this ,so you're using dolby pro logic 2 with your HD blu-rays? arnt i supposed to select dolby true HD and not dolby pro logic II? am i still getting the same thing if i do?

He's asking about using PLIIx, which is a version of PLII that expands 5.1 sources to 7.1. Regular PLII doesn't do anything with 5.1 sources.

[emoxley]

I listen to tv in Dolby Pro Logic IIx, whether it's a channel broadcasting in stereo or 5.1 surround. But, when I listen to dvds or blu rays, I listen in the format of the disc, whether it's 5.1, 6.1, or Dolby TrueHD or dtsHD Master Audio. I don't matrix the discs.

[callas01]

on thing I notice with my sony is that there is not the same boost on sound that many other describe with their recievers, I also notice that Sony's post processing doesn't change anything from lossless to lossy, as it seems some other receivers may do. When sony recievers do matrix it is in the format of one of three sound stages they have for their studios, so maybe that helps, IDK for sure, but for matrixing, when I do, its quite nice.

[LordoftheRings]

Highest def Audio codecs for me. ...Without Loss.

[Buddy Christ]

Many threads on this but anywho...I only matrix stereo music when I am in the mood

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

Highest def Audio codecs for me. ...Without Loss.

Originally Posted by Blu2U

Many threads on this but anywho...I only matrix stereo music when I am in the mood

These posts are meandering off the topic. The OP is asking about using PLIIx to matrix 5.1 to 7.1.

[lucv13]

Originally Posted by progers13

Agreed.

My PS3 decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD MA and sends them PCM over HDMI. Just because I branch most of the tracks out to 7.1 doesn't make them lossy.

What he said... I just leave my receiver on PLIIx and let the PS3 decode. I know the BD signal is still lossless due to the differences in volume levels when comparing DVD lossy to BD HD

[dvs1270]

Originally Posted by callas01

on thing I notice with my sony is that there is not the same boost on sound that many other describe with their recievers, I also notice that Sony's post processing doesn't change anything from lossless to lossy, as it seems some other receivers may do. When sony recievers do matrix it is in the format of one of three sound stages they have for their studios, so maybe that helps, IDK for sure, but for matrixing, when I do, its quite nice.

beat me to the punch. however, i leave mine on IIEX & esurround. that way i get 7 channels with all movies. i only switch to a matrixed modes when i listen to music. my avr does a great job of auto selecting fir movies. my brother has to/chooses to change his onkyo with every source,that's a pain to me. no reference from avr to avr?

on topic, matrixed is not as good for lossless audio on my set-up. the avr has less trouble going from decoding to decoding, when i do use matrixed 7.1. depending on the movie, mine will drop the rear the l&r surrounds while matrixed.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by callas01

Sony's post processing doesn't change anything from lossless to lossy, as it seems some other receivers may do.

I'm not aware of any receivers that do that. Do you have any specific AVRs in mind?