No 5.1 with PS3

pmckeealaska

I recently bought a PS3 but am having problems with the sound. I cannot get the 5.1 audio layer to play on my system. I get dolby digital when playing video games, but when watching blue ray or other movies, I only get 2channel, and nothing like DTS or any other 5.1 layer. I have gone through the PS3 audio setup, but cant figure out what I'm doing wrong.

izafar

You cant get HD Audio (Dolby True HD or DTS MA HD or lossless PCM) from PS3 via optical out. To get those you need to upgrade to a receiver that can accept HDMI 1.3 signal.

You need to setup your settings that PS3 is setup to audio out via optical out and you should choose bit stream vs PCM as output format.
Once you do that PS3 will default to regular quality DD soundtrack as bit stream on optical out even if you chose a higher setting from the Movie's setup menu.

BIZILL

in the main ps3 menu, under settings, i believe there is a separate setting under 'blu-ray' for audio output. and bitstream/linear pcm are available under the a/v settings during movie playback with the pop-up menu via the ps3, not the disc itself.

pmckeealaska

I have setup my PS3 as suggested by izafar, but i'm not getting surround. It is putting out dolby digital two channel. So, as long as I have a receiver with just optical outs and no HDMI, I'm stuck with just 2 channel for blue ray playback??

cheddar

Tap the select key on your controller to bring up the geek stats during playback. Along the upper boarder of the screen will be the audio output. Double check that it is dolby or dts multichannel. If it is trying to play LPCM, you can only get a downsampled stereo version to play over optical. Press the green triangle button to bring up the in movie menu and you can cycle through the audio tracks until you find the appropriate DD or DTS multichannel track. You can do a lot of things on this menu including changing screen ratios (helpful if you're looking at other types of media besides blu-ray) and navigating to the main disk menu. There's also a code you can enter to calibrate your HDTV with test signals. I can't recall at the moment what the code is, but I'm sure you can google it without too much trouble.

Edit: The test pattern code is 7669. Works with any sony blu-ray.

chillywilly

I use the optical and have never had a prob.

pmckeealaska

I have called up the menus Cheddar suggested and it does say "Dolgy 5.1" or something to that effect. Does that mean the PS3 is trying to play 5.1? Could it be an issue with my receiver and not the PS3??

BIZILL

does your receiver show 'pcm 48 khz' or dolby digital? did you go to the sub-settings for blu-ray under the main ps3 screen?

cheddar

pmckeealaska wrote: »

I have called up the menus Cheddar suggested and it does say "Dolgy 5.1" or something to that effect. Does that mean the PS3 is trying to play 5.1? Could it be an issue with my receiver and not the PS3??

It will report it is playing LPCM 5.1 or something like that. But HD audio will be downsampled at the optical hook-up. What you want is the plain vanilla Dolby Digital or DTS core multichannel tracks. Just go to the green triangle menu, click on the music note, and you can cycle through the available tracks until you find the right one.

pmckeealaska

I'll have to check again and see if it says pcm 48 khz or dolby digital.

cheddar

If you've cycled through the half-dozen or so tracks on the disk and none of them show up as a dolby digital ex track or whatever on your receiver, then it might be time to double check that you have optical output at bitstream instead of linear pcm and have your receiver properly configured to play DD surround. The ps3 should be giving you vanilla dolby digital or DTS surround just like a regular dvd player (except at the maximum bitrates of 640kbps or 1.5mbps). But that shouldn't make any difference to your receiver.

pmckeealaska

OK.....I got the audio figured out (thanks to cheddar for the help!). Now I'm interested in getting all I can out of the video side of things. Cheddar mentioned there is a code that can be entered on the PS3 to calibrate my TV to test patterns. Does anyone know how I access this code/function? Is it under the Blue-Ray functions menu or somewhere else??

RobXant

-Hit the Triangle button when you are at the main menu of a BD to get a dialogue box.
-Using the Sixaxis controller enter 7-6-6-9

See: http://ps3mods.blogspot.com/2006/12/calibrate-your-ps3-video-using-blu-ray.html

cheddar

Just make sure you have a sony blu-ray disk loaded as the patterns are on the disk. Also, you should pause at each pattern to make the adjustments otherwise it just "plays" the patterns. You should have all the other basic outputs set from the blu-ray and video set-up screens. Especially the native resolution of your screen, 720p 1080p etc., and the proper color space. If you have a regular TV, then I believe all the default color settings are correct. However, if you are using a computer monitor or a high end set that allows super whites and deep blacks, then you will need to enable the larger color space in the set-up menu (Full vs. limited color). Also, enable Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr and 24fps blu-ray cadence if your hdtv supports them.

But remember, these are all advanced features of more expensive hdtvs. (Full vs. limited color are supported by computer monitors too.) So you should consult your TV's manual to see which goodies you can turn on.

Edit: Oh, almost forgot, many of these settings and good stuff like dvd upscaling are only available after you update to the latest firmware.

pmckeealaska

OK, so i tried to download a firmware upgrade the other day using a USB memory stick and when I tried tro load it onto my PS3, nothing happened. It didnt recognize the device. Suggestions?

cheddar

Well, I always connect directly to the internet to do the upgrades. But I know that some people have trouble reading files on removable media because the ps3 searches for specifically named folders to get at things, VIDEO, UPDATE, etc. Also, some people say that inserting the sticks so they are seated properly can sometimes be tricky. Duo users saying that if they used the adaptor for it, it was easier to insert properly for instance. But google it. You'll find plenty of advice if people here can't help you...

pmckeealaska

Do all Blue Ray discs have the test pattern on them? The only BD I own is Apocalypto. Does anyone know if the test pattern is on this disc? I'd like to try it tonight as I just donwloaded the the latest PS3 update this weekend. Any other cool things i should try out from this update? Thanks.

cheddar

pmckeealaska wrote: »

Do all Blue Ray discs have the test pattern on them? The only BD I own is Apocalypto. Does anyone know if the test pattern is on this disc? I'd like to try it tonight as I just donwloaded the the latest PS3 update this weekend. Any other cool things i should try out from this update? Thanks.

Only Sony blu-rays have the test patterns. If you've never had upscaling, you're in for a treat with your standard dvds...

pmckeealaska

So in order to get upscaling, I go to the BD/DVD section and make sure it's set to what? I have it set to normal as this point.

Also, I was unable to get the test patterns as suggested by Cheddar. I went to the opening menu of Apocolypto and couldnt get anything to happen. Please advise!

cheddar

pmckeealaska wrote: »

So in order to get upscaling, I go to the BD/DVD section and make sure it's set to what? I have it set to normal as this point.

Also, I was unable to get the test patterns as suggested by Cheddar. I went to the opening menu of Apocolypto and couldnt get anything to happen. Please advise!

There is a nice summary of ps3 upscaling settings here:

http://au.playstation.com/support/ps3/faqs/ps3_upscaling.jhtml

And with the test patterns, I've mentioned this several times already, but I guess you haven't understood what I meant. The test patterns are on Sony (AKA Columbia) Studios Blu-rays. Apocalypto is a Buena Vista/Touchstone (AKA Disney) Blu-ray. Don't forget to enter the code at the green triangle menu as mentioned above.

pmckeealaska

Thanks Cheddar. Sorry I didnt pay closer attention to what you were trying to tell me! I'll rent a Sony BD this weekend and check it out.

pmckeealaska

OK...I got a Sony movie (Stealth) and got to the screens for adjusting the TV. So, does it adjust automatically, or do I need to do something? Also, does the PS3 upscale automatically for SD discs? I have it set to "normal" under DVD Upscaler. Is there anything else I need to do? Thanks.

cheddar

It's not automatic. You have to adjust the settings manually from each screen. Here are some online guides using THX screens. The sony screens are similar but may combine some screens and have much more detailed sharpness screens.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2005/07/29/hdtv-calibration-done-dirt-cheap/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1975752,00.asp

Some adjustments like contrast and black level are pretty easy to do. Other adjustments like color/tint and sharpness are a judgment call and take additional equipment to do at a professional level.

But if you can just get the black levels and contrast set properly, you should see a good improvement in your video quality. The other stuff probably looks fine at factory defaults. But you can tweak them if you want and adjust them to your taste.

Contrast and black level are pretty important for seeing all the detail in high definition disks. I found that color/tint are pretty acceptable at default settings for blu-ray disks. And I prefer my blu-rays with as much sharpness and edge enhancement disabled (its optional on some tvs) as blu-rays don't really need detail enhanced. The sharpness screens on the sony blu-rays are very detailed and cover an entire 1080p screen. Basically, you're looking for smooth, not jagged lines with no blurring or smudging of individual lines. But the maximum sharpness quality you can get will vary depending on how much scaling your TV does to get to its native resolution. 1080p to 720p for instance. And on how much you can disable and fine tune sharpness options with your particular hdtv.

With upscaling, you should notice that another option besides normal is "off". Unless you set it to off, it is upscaling dvds.