A Guide to Home Theater Audio CODECs

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by n9949y

Before I buy any Blu-Ray 2.0 Profile aka BD-Live player, I'm wondering how using a new player's 5.1 or 7.1 analog audio outputs would work w/my system. My reveiver's a Rotel RX-965, vintage 2000, equipped with a DB25 5.1channel audio input. Appears the Rotel was designed to utilize SACD (Super-Audio CD) when that format was considered to have been the last and greatest.

I recently picked up a 6 jack RCA to DB25 cable; the RCA's are labled: Right, Left, Rt surround, Left surround , Center, and Subwoofer-standard 5.1 set up.

When I do buy a Blu-Ray player with 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs, would connecting them to the receiver's DB25 cable 5.1 audio inputs work so I can receive Dolby TrueHD or DTS MA?

I don't know a lot about your receiver. However, if it can handle analog SACD and DVD-A, my guess is that you will get the new HD audio codecs through multi-channel analog input. It is important that you consider the following:
1. Make sure the BD player decodes the new codecs to PCM.
2. You may have to do bass management in the BD player's menu.
3. Your Receiver does not have HDMI or Component video input/output. Therefore, you need to connect the BD player directly to a TV with component or HDMI input to take advantage of 720p, 1080i or 1080p.
4. Since your BD player is connected to the TV directly, you will have to do input switching manually.
5. Since your audio comes from the receiver and your video comes directly from the BD player, you may have a bit of lip sync problem. I am not sure how much of that you can fix with your receiver.

I hope this helps. I invite others to correct me or add anything else that I may have missed.