really beginner type question sorry

[kazza2ud]

This will probably bother a lot of you audiophiles but I'm thinking of getting a PS3 and was wondering if I could just use component cables to output audio to my stereo (like a real stereo, with radio and CD players etc, lol), just so I could use the 2 stereo speakers. How much better would the audio sound on games and movies if I used HDMI (I still don't understand if component cables are actually worse than HDMI or if HDMI is just an attempt to install that copyright protection protocol in all of our home theaters) and an HDMI AV receiver, like an Onkyo 606 or something? I understand that these receivers have decoders to process the HD audio formats. I guess my stereo doesn't have that eh? PS3 games don't have HD sound though do they? Would it matter for that? My current TV doesn't do 1080p, I don't know if that makes a difference with which cable I should use (like I don't need crazy bandwidth maybe if I'm not doing 1080p). Thanks, sorry for how uneducated I am with audio, it's the one tech thing I never really understood well.

[BIGD]

hdmi is the way to go, always check monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com for your cables best way to go

[CAB]

Lots depends on the rest of the gear outside your player. D to A converters, up-scalers, amps, interconnects, speaker wire, speakers, speaker positioning, acoustics in the room. If you improve the sourse content expect an improvement in the output.

You can't get the best audio out of conventional copper (coax) or fiber interconnects. While the medium itself might support the bandwidth, players and receivers should not to prevent copying of the lossless source. HDMI uses copy protection to insure the receiving device will not steal the material. There is no such animal on older mediums. It isn't the cable as much as it is the interfaces and what they are allowed to support.

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by kazza2ud

This will probably bother a lot of you audiophiles but I'm thinking of getting a PS3 and was wondering if I could just use component cables to output audio to my stereo (like a real stereo, with radio and CD players etc, lol), just so I could use the 2 stereo speakers.

Well, the component cables are the right type of connector, so theoretically you could do this, but you would of course have no surround sound, which is what really makes Blu-ray audio immersive. Unless you have some serious audiophile-grade stereo equipment, this is probably not the route you want to take.

How much better would the audio sound on games and movies if I used HDMI (I still don't understand if component cables are actually worse than HDMI or if HDMI is just an attempt to install that copyright protection protocol in all of our home theaters) and an HDMI AV receiver, like an Onkyo 606 or something?

MUCH better. First of all, with the receiver and a surround speaker package, you would actually be able to enjoy lossless surround sound from movies, which is a noticeable upgrade over DVD audio tracks and a complete revelation compared to stereo. Component and HDMI are merely different. To clarify, "component" cables typically refer to the red, green, and blue analog-type connector cables for video signals; they are often packaged with stereo red and white audio cables. HDMI is all digital and can carry both HD video and sound through a single cable. This explanation is very simplistic, but HDMI will give you surround sound whereas component cables only deliver video. The accompanying red-and-white audio cables will only give you stereo sound. You can use a set of six or eight (3 or 4 pairs) of red and white RCA cables to get lossless surround sound to a receiver without HDMI, but this doesn't apply to the PS3 because it lacks those outputs. With a PS3, the best way to go is with an HDMI connection.

I understand that these receivers have decoders to process the HD audio formats.

Yes, but the PS3 isn't capable of bitstreaming HD audio to the receiver, meaning that those decoders would do you no good. HOWEVER, the PS3 decodes all of the HD audio codecs internally and sends them as lossless uncompressed audio over HDMI. What does this mean? It means that you can still get lossless HD audio with these receivers or any other HDMI receiver, but the little lights for the codecs won't light up on the receiver because it's the PS3 doing the decoding. The end result is the same.

I guess my stereo doesn't have that eh?

Nope.

PS3 games don't have HD sound though do they? Would it matter for that?

I don't personally own a PS3, but it is my understanding that a few games do have lossless PCM soundtracks, which would require the HDMI connection to be fully experienced. But I think the majority have standard Dolby Digital, which is still surround sound, but not technically HD audio.

My current TV doesn't do 1080p, I don't know if that makes a difference with which cable I should use (like I don't need crazy bandwidth maybe if I'm not doing 1080p). Thanks, sorry for how uneducated I am with audio, it's the one tech thing I never really understood well.

No, not really. Component and HDMI are two very different animals. It is true that the resolution of Blu-ray discs can be limited to 1080i (and potentially 480p, though no studio does that) over component, but that's not really what you're asking, is it? My recommendation: save some $$ and go for an HDMI setup. Component cables with a stereo speaker system simply leave too much to be desired.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by kazza2ud

This will probably bother a lot of you audiophiles but I'm thinking of getting a PS3 and was wondering if I could just use component cables to output audio to my stereo (like a real stereo, with radio and CD players etc, lol), just so I could use the 2 stereo speakers. How much better would the audio sound on games and movies if I used HDMI (I still don't understand if component cables are actually worse than HDMI or if HDMI is just an attempt to install that copyright protection protocol in all of our home theaters) and an HDMI AV receiver, like an Onkyo 606 or something? I understand that these receivers have decoders to process the HD audio formats. I guess my stereo doesn't have that eh? PS3 games don't have HD sound though do they? Would it matter for that? My current TV doesn't do 1080p, I don't know if that makes a difference with which cable I should use (like I don't need crazy bandwidth maybe if I'm not doing 1080p). Thanks, sorry for how uneducated I am with audio, it's the one tech thing I never really understood well.

If your receiever is only Stereo, yes you can connect the PS3 with the stereo red/while left/right cable that comes with it. You'll get the sound in LPCM/uncompressed decoded to analog left and right. The PS3 with HDMI cable into a multichannel receiver that accepts LPCM though HDMI would get you the same thing but in discrete multichannels up to 7.1 instead of 2 channel Stereo.

[kazza2ud]

So if the PS3 is doing internal decoding, if I output to my stereo I'll still get HD-quality audio but only 2 channels?

The PS3 can't internally decode one type of HD audio codec though right, like DTS HD? Does this cause problems for PS3 owners, trying to figure out which audio setting to use? Does this make the PS3 a subpar bluray player?

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by kazza2ud

So if the PS3 is doing internal decoding, if I output to my stereo I'll still get HD-quality audio but only 2 channels?

The PS3 can't internally decode one type of HD audio codec though right, like DTS HD? Does this cause problems for PS3 owners, trying to figure out which audio setting to use? Does this make the PS3 a subpar bluray player?

Right, you can get lossless stereo.

With a recent firmware update (in May, I think), the PS3 can now decode DTS-HD MA internally. Every HD audio codec is fully supported by the PS3. At this point, many will argue that the PS3 is in fact the best Blu-ray player on the market. It's arguable, but it's a very popular position among some very knowledgeable people right now.

[kazza2ud]

Thanks everyone for your responses!

Just one last question. If I were to get a HDMI AV receiver, and if the PS3 is doing all the decoding, how much does the quality of the AV receiver matter? I guess I've just never had much respect for receivers, I mean they just split up the damn sound right, couldn't my crappy computer do that? lol

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by kazza2ud

Thanks everyone for your responses!

Just one last question. If I were to get a HDMI AV receiver, and if the PS3 is doing all the decoding, how much does the quality of the AV receiver matter? I guess I've just never had much respect for receivers, I mean they just split up the damn sound right, couldn't my crappy computer do that? lol

The quality of the AV receiver matters very much, because the receiver still has to handle the audio. While the PS3 is doing all of the decoding, the receiver still has to pull the audio from the HDMI signal, which is digital. All sound eventually ends up analog, and your receiver performs this conversion to amplify the signal. This is where the quality of the unit's Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) comes into play. This is, in part, the difference between your $2000 receiver with Burr-Brown DACs and the $400 receiver with god-knows-what. Other things come into play as well: high-current power designs and "clean" power are very good assets to a receiver that can distinguish it from lesser models. If you don't have "golden ears", anything like the Onkyo 605 or above will suit you nicely. Don't underestimate the importance of the receiver. It's a crucial link in the chain.