Uncompressed PCM... huh?!

[Shawn1080p]

Hi everyone, so this is a newb question. I've been watching LOST Season 3 on Blu-Ray and I noticed that theres a Uncompressed PCM. I have a Sony KDS-50A3000, a PS3 and Yamaha RX-V620. When I go to this uncompressed PCM, my reciever registers it as 70mm (Dolby Digital goes to DGTL and DTS DTS). 70mm usually is for Dolby Surround or similar. So is my reciever taking this uncompressed signal and downgrading it to something it can handle (if that makes sense)?

I've been switching from Dolby Digital to PCM and all I noticed was that my center speaker gets alot louder. Can someone explain to me what PCM accomplishes? This reciever is about 5 or 6 years old, so could that be an explanation?

Thanks!

[Shock3755]

The way I understand it is that you can only get uncompressed sound through an HDMI cable so it your reciever is 5 years old like mine is you wont be able to play it uncompressed

[darkpoet25]

Welcome to the site. Yes the only way to get uncompressed audio is through an HDMI cable from the PS3 to the reciever. Most newer recievers have these. You can also run an HDMI cable to your TV as well, which simplifies things a bit too.

[Lord_Phan]

Couldn't he hook up 5.1/7.1 analog to get uncompressed audio?

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by Lord_Phan

Couldn't he hook up 5.1/7.1 analog to get uncompressed audio?

Nope, the PS3 does not have analog outputs.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by Lord_Phan

Couldn't he hook up 5.1/7.1 analog to get uncompressed audio?

Yes, you can use the analog outputs if your player has them. The best way to go with older recievers IMO. The ONLY way to go if your reciever does not have an HDMI input.

Edit: Whoops, I missed the fact that his player is the PS3, no analog outputs!

[Lord_Phan]

ah I see, I don't have a PS3 so didn't know that. Would seem to be a downside to buying one if you need a high end receiver to use lossless sound.

[glenn-bob]

I bought a new HDMI cable this past weekend so I could run it into my amp and then out to my TV. I found out after I got it hooked up that the sound was coming out of my TV and not my amp. After doing some frigging around and then reading the manual I found out that when I train the cables into my amp then out to a monitor then the sound does not stop at the amp but continues through. WTF is up with that. I would think that is the whole point of having HDMI in and HDMI out is so you can use the amp for sound and the TV for video. Anyway, i returned the HDMI cablle and I am back to an optical cable but my ampo tells me I am getting PCM sound but can I get that thru Opt cable??? It sure sounds good.

[jcdennis]

Originally Posted by glenn-bob

I bought a new HDMI cable this past weekend so I could run it into my amp and then out to my TV. I found out after I got it hooked up that the sound was coming out of my TV and not my amp. After doing some frigging around and then reading the manual I found out that when I train the cables into my amp then out to a monitor then the sound does not stop at the amp but continues through. WTF is up with that. I would think that is the whole point of having HDMI in and HDMI out is so you can use the amp for sound and the TV for video. Anyway, i returned the HDMI cablle and I am back to an optical cable but my ampo tells me I am getting PCM sound but can I get that thru Opt cable??? It sure sounds good.

Good Lord, someone on here close to me!

You’re going to have to adjust the settings on your amp in order for it to take the sound from the HDMI port, rather than have it all pass through to the display.

The PCM audio you’re getting through the optical cable is only 2.1.

[WickyWoo]

Make sure your amp actually supports sound over HDMI, many just switch video

[Shawn1080p]

Okay that makes sense then. Thanks to all of you! The reason I purchased the PS3 over a dedicated Blu-Ray was simply a way to get around the fact with two different high def players, Blu-Ray could have still lost the format war. With a PS3 (it was a 60 gig that Future Shop was getting rid of, so it was aggressively priced next to the 80 gig) I could at least play games if HD-DVD won (which they didn't, hurray!). Plus with the TV I got (Sony KDS-50A3000) I practically saved $1000!!

I'm looking at a Onyko receiver which plays HDMI. The Onkyo TX-SR605 sounds really good for the price and what you get for it.

Again thanks alot! ttyl

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by jcdennis

Good Lord, someone on here close to me!

You’re going to have to adjust the settings on your amp in order for it to take the sound from the HDMI port, rather than have it all pass through to the display.

The PCM audio you’re getting through the optical cable is only 2.1.

lol shocking!

[Theo Cupier]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

Yes, you can use the analog outputs if your player has them. The best way to go with older recievers IMO. The ONLY way to go if your reciever does not have an HDMI input.

I've got an older receiver that lacks HDMI (or support for HD audio formats). So i need the BD player to send the audio via analog to the receiver.

I'm familiar with the idea of the player converting something like TrueHD or DD+ (or even DTS-MA) onboard and sending it to the receiver, but is an uncompressed PCM track different?

I'm coming to this from HD DVD, so is this a Bluray only feature, or just something else being described in a different way?

[paulfromtulsa]

so if i have a hdmi 1.3 receiver and panasonic dmp30 if i want to use the uncompressed option on the disc do i need to change the option on my player to pcm from bitstream or can i just leave it on bitstream?

[supersix4]

for my bedroom since I dont need 7.1 or anything like that I just use pcm from the ps3 to the tv and man it sounds so much better than old 5.1.. I would say if you have a tv that supports it just run it through the tv if your in a middle to small sized room like I am.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

Nope, the PS3 does not have analog outputs.

It has them, but in stereo.

So he could listen to the Uncompressed LPCM matrixed into Stereo -> dematrixed into Surround (Pro-Logic, etc, modes) by the receiver (Maybe that's his 70mm mode?) vs listening to the compressesed lossy DD discrete multichannel track.

[J6P]

Originally Posted by Theo Cupier

I've got an older receiver that lacks HDMI (or support for HD audio formats). So i need the BD player to send the audio via analog to the receiver.

I'm familiar with the idea of the player converting something like TrueHD or DD+ (or even DTS-MA) onboard and sending it to the receiver, but is an uncompressed PCM track different?

I'm coming to this from HD DVD, so is this a Bluray only feature, or just something else being described in a different way?

Nope, they are exactly the same (decoded TrueHD/DTS HD MA vs. uncompressed PCM). When the player decodes the TrueHD track, it is decoding it to uncompressed PCM and passing it along to the receiver. An uncompressed PCM track on disc is effectively the same end product; it's just a PCM track that hasn't undergone a compression/decompression process.

[jcdennis]

Originally Posted by supersix14

lol shocking!

Don't I know it!

Originally Posted by Shawn1080p

I'm looking at a Onyko receiver which plays HDMI. The Onkyo TX-SR605 sounds really good for the price and what you get for it.

Again thanks alot! ttyl

If you can stretch the budget look at the 805 (I like the Yamaha myself, but it's more $, and everyone here seems to love the 805....).

[Shawn1080p]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

It has them, but in stereo.

So he could listen to the Uncompressed LPCM matrixed into Stereo -> dematrixed into Surround (Pro-Logic, etc, modes) by the receiver (Maybe that's his 70mm mode?) vs listening to the compressesed lossy DD discrete multichannel track.

That sounds really complicated but first to answer your question yes the 70mm mode is the Surround mode. That might be the answer but I don't know how to do that. Also I've been going back and forth to the two (lossy DD and lossless PCM) and I can't hear the difference. All I can hear is that the center channel contains alot of the audio (the voices are louder, etc.).

[powersfoss]

Some receivers with HDMI inputs do not separate the sound out and just pass it right on through to the TV. Which is not what you want since you have a receiver with 5 speakers and 1 bass channel. My old receiver did this, so I recently upgraded it to one that passes only the video through and sends the audio to the surround speakers.

Now I can enjoy the rich full surround sound and can select the highest level of audio that is on the blu-ray I'm watching. (The only exception is DTS-HD MA since the PS3 currently does not decode it. It should with a future firmware update though.)