PCM or Bitstream?

[techguy40]

If you have a hdmi receiver Onkyo 607 and a blue ray player that can both decode loss less audio, what is better to setup on the blue ray player. PCM and have the blue ray player decode or Bitstream and have the receiver decode?

[cartman781]

Originally Posted by techguy40

If you have a hdmi receiver Onkyo 607 and a blue ray player that can both decode loss less audio, what is better to setup on the blue ray player. PCM and have the blue ray player decode or Bitstream and have the receiver decode?

I prefer the receiver but it really is up to you. Do it both ways and see what you like

[solarrdadd]

I agree with cartman781, let the receiver do the decoding and bitstream it via HDMI (this also takes care of your vanity and you get to see the codec light up on your receiver saying DTHD or DTS-HD-MA, and despite what you'll hear from others, we all want to see that instead of something like LPCM or MULTICHANNEL LPCM)

But, yes, try both and see what you like. (bitstream! )

[ozzman]

Let the reciever decode.bitstreaming is the best option.

Letting you blu-ray decode is really only for people that don't have a choice in the matter ,so they ride it analog.

So my vote is the reciever all the way,If you got it -take advantage of it

[Rob J in WNY]

It's always cool to see the decoding on your receiver.


Decoding bitstreamed Dolby TrueHD on my Pioneer Elite SC-05 receiver.

Bitstreaming will induce the audio format to be displayed on your receiver. If you are letting the player decode, you will simply see "PCM" displayed because your player decodes the lossless audio and sends it to your receiver as LPCM (PCM) via HDMI.

I bitstream because my Sony BDP-S350 player will decode Dolby TrueHD, but not DTS-HD Master Audio.

As an aside, when checking to see which way you want to decode, I would also suggest turning off DRC (Dynamic Range Compression) on both your player and receiver's audio settings. This way, you will get the most dyanmic audio results to make a proper comparison by.

[Zman2k2]

Another couple of small reasons to consider bitstreaming, or letting the receiver decode, are bass level control, and ease of connection. When you use the analog connections, you need to set up bass levels with the player separately, and that usually requires an SPL meter to get it done correctly. And there's the ease of hook-up. One cable vs. 6 or 8 (depending on 5.1 or 7.1).