Audio: Sony S550 vs Samsung BD-P1600

[tivoyahoo]

Which unit would give me better sound for blu-ray playback?

I am pairing the player with a Pioneer VSX-D850S AV Receiver (Dolby Digital/DTS-ES) which has 7.1 analog inputs.

The S550 has analog multichannel outputs. Would that be the preferred connection over coaxial or optical? Is that the only way to listen to Dolby True HD & DTS-HD via this Pioneer AVR? Is this lossless?

The bd-p1600 lacks analog output and only offers optical. If I was pairing the bd-p1600 with the Pioneer AVR would I want to use the Bitstream (re-encode) audio setting vs. PCM? When using the Re-encode setting the Pioneer AVR lights up showing it is getting a DTS stream. For PCM, the samsung manual states that it may not come through as multichannel.

In summary, for this Pioneer receiver, should I opt for a player with analog multichannel output? Will that provide me with significantly better audio quality for BluRay discs as opposed to a player with coax/optical only?

As far as picture quality considerations, my initial impression (viewing 2 BD discs) was that the sony s550 had a little better picture quality compared to the Samsung bd-p1600. They were attached to a Philips 55pl9447 (LCOS) which I believe only supports 720p, however I was able to set the Sony to output 1080p and the Philips seemed to accept it fine although it seemed that forcing 24frames may have caused an issue for the Philips TV so I turned it off. Is the Philips tv simply able to downconvert the 1080p signal from the Sony?? I am not sure why it worked when it's not a 1080p TV.

I have a bit of a preference for the Samsung since it offers Pandora. The other on-demand services from Samsung (netflix & youtube) are available via Tivo which is connected in same room to the same TV. I expect the Samsung & Tivo will both get Blockbuster on-demand access. So the only added benefit in that respect boils down to Pandora on the Samsung which the Sony doesn't have.

What other factors should I consider? Do both models playback the same file types from usb? such as .mkv? or does one offer more video codec playback from usb?

As another thought, I saw an open box Samsung BD-P2550 for $150 at Best Buy. That model offers both analog multichannel output and Pandora. Would that model be a better fit in this situation? What drawbacks does the 2550 have in comparison to the Sony s550 (other than Picture Quality I presume)?

Any other sub $200 players that I should consider? How many in that price range have analog multichannel outputs?

Or should I spend money on replacing the Pioneer AVR? Would I want one that has hdmi input and decodes Dolby True HD & DTS-HD? What's the starting price for a receiver that offers this?

Input and Feedback is appreciated.
Thank you very much.