Audio decode question

[blkhrt]

I just posted this in the home theater thread, but then realized this might be the better place for it. Not sure about how to delete the other thread...

I am hoping that someone with more experience and knowledge can help me. I am currently using an LGBD390 as my player and a Pioneer VSX 9040TXH receiver. The player is set to Primary Pass-Thru on both HDMI and SPDIF, with a sampling frequency of 192Khz. Normally, I can keep my receiver on Auto Surround, and the proper HD audio format will be the default. However, every once and a while it doesn't select the proper format. Usually this happens on Criterion disks, where I will have to search around through the different receiver options until I can find the HD audio, and sometimes I can never find it. For example, I was watching Harold and Maude last night, and could never get the audio right.

Can anyone suggest a better way to set up my player and/or receiver so that the HD audio will automatically be the default, even on Criterion titles?

Thanks in advance!

[krazeyeyez]

Correct me if i am wrong harold and maude only has the uncompressed tracks. BTW there is no surround on this just the original mono and a 2.0 mix.

If your problem is with some earlier titles, for some reason many blu-rays released 2007-2008 defaulted to the lossy track and you must select the lpcm/lossless tracks through the audio menu unless i am misunderstanding your specific problem.

[BigAl87]

krazeyeyez is right, you have to change your audio through the your bluray player in fact and you don't really have to go trough the audio menu, all you have to do is press the audio button on the remote of your bluray player.

Let us us know if that was helpful.

[Remo]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I just posted this in the home theater thread, but then realized this might be the better place for it. Not sure about how to delete the other thread...

I am hoping that someone with more experience and knowledge can help me. I am currently using an LGBD390 as my player and a Pioneer VSX 9040TXH receiver. The player is set to Primary Pass-Thru on both HDMI and SPDIF, with a sampling frequency of 192Khz. Normally, I can keep my receiver on Auto Surround, and the proper HD audio format will be the default. However, every once and a while it doesn't select the proper format. Usually this happens on Criterion disks, where I will have to search around through the different receiver options until I can find the HD audio, and sometimes I can never find it. For example, I was watching Harold and Maude last night, and could never get the audio right.

Can anyone suggest a better way to set up my player and/or receiver so that the HD audio will automatically be the default, even on Criterion titles?

Thanks in advance!

I did a quick read of the manuals for your AVR and BDP, Its seems as if you are set up correctly.

Not all blu-rays default to HD audio. Check the audio option in disc menu before playing? This may be the culprit?

edit: Wow I was late to the party it seems. While I was off researching two other people posted, I should have refreshed the page before making my post

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Remo

I did a quick read of the manuals for your AVR and BDP, Its seems as if you are set up correctly.

Not all blu-rays default to HD audio. Check the audio option in disc menu before playing? This may be the culprit?

edit: Wow I was late to the party it seems. While I was off researching two other people posted, I should have refreshed the page before making my post

Correct! (they should IMO, but they don't).

[blkhrt]

Thanks for the feedback, but even when I select the audio from the blu menu it isn't correct. On Harold and Maude, when I selected the mono track I would get sound from all three front speakers, and not just the center channel. Sorry I wasn't clear before.

Edit: In other words, no matter what setting I selected on the receiver, I could not get just mono sound through the center channel, which I am able to do with most non-Criterion titles. Normally I can find a setting that will display PCM on the receiver and play the selected LPCM audio, but couldn't this time.

[Tech-UK]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Thanks for the feedback, but even when I select the audio from the blu menu it isn't correct. On Harold and Maude, when I selected the mono track I would get sound from all three front speakers, and not just the center channel. Sorry I wasn't clear before.

Edit: In other words, no matter what setting I selected on the receiver, I could not get just mono sound through the center channel, which I am able to do with most non-Criterion titles.

As you have a Pioneer receiver, set it to Pure Direct, this should play only whats encoded on the disc, i.e. number of channels. Different receivers handle mono differently, have a look at the receivers manual regarding any setting relating to mono tracks. I know there is a setting for Dolby Mono tracks, whether or not there are any other settings, I cannot remember.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

As you have a Pioneer receiver, set it to pure Direct, this should play only whats encoded on the disc, i.e. number of channels. Different receivers handle mono differently, have a look at the receivers manual regarding any setting relating to mono tracks. I know there is a setting for Dolby Mono tracks, whether or not there are any other settings, I cannot remember.

Great, thanks. I don't remember if I tried that with Harold and Maude, but I will try that tonight.

[Tech-UK]

Regarding Dolby Mono, it is actually dual Mono encoded Dolby Digital tracks, which the setting shouldn't affect LPCM 1.0 tracks. The setting is called DUAL and has a default setting of CH1, but it's when playing back two langauges, and to which one or both are heard.

[xXI GaMe IXx]

So I'm catching up on Batman and watching Batman begins how do I switch it to True Hd? The audio option only lets me choose language in the sound options.

[xXI GaMe IXx]

If it matters I'm using the pop u screen while movie is playing.

[BIslander]

Select TrueHD on the disc audio menu.

[Tech-UK]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Great, thanks. I don't remember if I tried that with Harold and Maude, but I will try that tonight.

Did it work? Also, what channels are showing on the front panel of the receiver when playing back the mono track?

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

Did it work? Also, what channels are showing on the front panel of the receiver when playing back the mono track?

It's strange. When I select pure direct with Harold and Maude I get sound from front left and front right, but not the center channel, whether I select mono or stereo on the blu audio menu. The receiver says "PCM Direct," but doesn't show the usual speaker layout image. In other words, i still can't get mono sound.

Edit: it appears that the only way to get sound from only the center channel is to select the Dolby PLII Movie option on the receiver.

[Tech-UK]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

It's strange. When I select pure direct with Harold and Maude I get sound from front left and front right, but not the center channel, whether I select mono or stereo on the blu audio menu. The receiver says "PCM Direct," but doesn't show the usual speaker layout image. In other words, i still can't get mono sound.

Edit: it appears that the only way to get sound from only the center channel is to select the Dolby PLII Movie option on the receiver.

Yep, that is quiet strange. I don't have any mono tracks to test on my setup, but atleast you have found a way to get the sound through your centre speaker.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

It's strange. When I select pure direct with Harold and Maude I get sound from front left and front right, but not the center channel, whether I select mono or stereo on the blu audio menu. The receiver says "PCM Direct," but doesn't show the usual speaker layout image. In other words, i still can't get mono sound.

Edit: it appears that the only way to get sound from only the center channel is to select the Dolby PLII Movie option on the receiver.

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

Yep, that is quiet strange. I don't have any mono tracks to test on my setup, but atleast you have found a way to get the sound through your centre speaker.

Not strange at all. On BD, mono tracks are recorded mono to both the left and right channel. That's because the assumption is that someone listening in mono is probably just using the TV speakers and TV sound is bad enough without taking away one channel's worth of speakers or that they're listening on a 2-channel stereo system and most people would get upset if the signal came only out of the left or only out of the right.

When you use Dolby PLII or any other similar option, it takes any Left + Right in-phase mono signal and "steers" it to the center channel. It would do this even if the track was stereo - it takes whatever part of the signal is the "same" in both channels - the purpose was to give a harder center channel back in the matrix days. On any 2-channel stereo system, you will get a phantom center channel on the mono part of the signal, but the Dolby PLII and other such systems, make it "harder". In today's world, some people prefer this and some don't - it really depends upon the quality of the center channel, but the vast majority of people, even those with center channels, have better speakers on the front left and right than they do in the center. So many still prefer to hear "mono" out of the left and right.

Back in the 1960s, there was a series of instrumental records on the Command label that made strong use of the phantom center channel. Especially when listening on stereo reel-to-reel tape, which had much higher channel separation than LPs, you would swear you had a center channel speaker. If you listened with headphones, you would swear there were sounds coming from inside your head in addition to left and right.

[Tech-UK]

@ ZoetMB, thank you for clearing that up. Although do all mono tracks on BD play through the left and right channels? As the OP said, they have no problem when playing other mono tracks. Or is it down to what settings i.e. matrix processing is enabled on ones receiver?

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

@ ZoetMB, thank you for clearing that up. Although do all mono tracks on BD play through the left and right channels? As the OP said, they have no problem when playing other mono tracks. Or is it down to what settings i.e. matrix processing is enabled on ones receiver?

I second the thanks, ZoetMB, and also Tech-UK's question. Some mono tracks seem to default to the center channel, whereas others default to the front left and right speakers. Regardless, thanks everyone for your help. This has been very informative.