Dumb DVD-Audio Questions

xandra
xandra Posts: 291
edited November 2007 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
My DVD Player does DVD Audio.

Is it necessary for my reciever to support the format also? Or... do I need to use multichannel inputs to get the benifits.

Also, can I assume this (DVD-Aud) and/or SACD are dead formats? If so what Audio Format(s) are replacing these?
LR Setup:
Polk RTi10's, RTi6's, CSiA6 (5 ch setup)
Onkyo 705 & Denon 3808ci Receiver, Onk 875
Parasound 2250 Amp
Sony 26" KDL series Bravia LCD
Panny DMR-EH75 Recorder
Panny DVD-F87 (5 disk DVD player)
NAD T585 (DVD/SACD)
Yamaha DVD-C961 (5 disk SACD/DVD)
SciAnt Explorer 8500HD Cable Box
Orig & 5Gen iPods, , Wii
Plans/Fantasies:
• 400 disk player that handles ALL formats, sounds as good as NAD with Panasonic interface & compatability.
Post edited by xandra on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • VSchneider
    VSchneider Posts: 443
    edited November 2007
    Yes, you can use multichannel input on the receiver to connect a DVD-A (or SACD) player.

    The formats are not dead, though it would not hurt to see more album releases.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • vonnie123
    vonnie123 Posts: 326
    edited November 2007
    Is your DVD player a dedicated DVD-A player. Sometimes the DVD player will play the DVD-As, but at a lower resolution. The 5.1 multichannel outputs you mentioned are analog, and can sound quite nice. I use them on occasion for a change of pace, but generally with SACDs. You would need 5.1 inputs on your receiver preamp for these to function. You can also listen to DVD-A via digital interconnect (optical, coaxial).

    The number of DVD-A and SACD titles are limited, and many great discs that were produced a few years ago are out of production. You can still find some of the old ones on amazon.com, and ebay. There are still sources for newly produced and released DVD-A and SACD, but titles are limited.
    [
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited November 2007
    you need 6 RCA cables to hook up your DVD Audio player to your receiver to get true DVD-Audio.

    and yes DVD-audio is dead.. it's being replaced by vinyl albums :p
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • xandra
    xandra Posts: 291
    edited November 2007
    Is your DVD player a dedicated DVD-A player

    I'm not sure what you mean by 'dedicated' DVD-A player, but the manual (and the logos on front of the DVD player indicate) that it can play DVD-Audio discs. It's my Reciever that doesn't mention any DVD-A support... which is why I thought I need to use either a 'Direct Mode' or multichannel

    hookup details:
    The DVD Player has 6 multichannel outputs (Fronts, Center, Surrounds, Sub) Currently I have it connected via both Toslink cables AND Multichannel (it defaults to dig audio, button on Reciever front allows me to select multichannel input)My Reciever has multichannel inputs for all these, plus 2 for surr backs.
    LR Setup:
    Polk RTi10's, RTi6's, CSiA6 (5 ch setup)
    Onkyo 705 & Denon 3808ci Receiver, Onk 875
    Parasound 2250 Amp
    Sony 26" KDL series Bravia LCD
    Panny DMR-EH75 Recorder
    Panny DVD-F87 (5 disk DVD player)
    NAD T585 (DVD/SACD)
    Yamaha DVD-C961 (5 disk SACD/DVD)
    SciAnt Explorer 8500HD Cable Box
    Orig & 5Gen iPods, , Wii
    Plans/Fantasies:
    • 400 disk player that handles ALL formats, sounds as good as NAD with Panasonic interface & compatability.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited November 2007
    xandra wrote: »
    I'm not sure what you mean by 'dedicated' DVD-A player, but the manual (and the logos on front of the DVD player indicate) that it can play DVD-Audio discs. It's my Reciever that doesn't mention any DVD-A support... which is why I thought I need to use either a 'Direct Mode' or multichannel

    hookup details:
    The DVD Player has 6 multichannel outputs (Fronts, Center, Surrounds, Sub) Currently I have it connected via both Toslink cables AND Multichannel (it defaults to dig audio, button on Reciever front allows me to select multichannel input)My Reciever has multichannel inputs for all these, plus 2 for surr backs.

    receivers don't have to be any kind of DVD-Audio compatible. all they have to have are 6 analog RCA inputs. IF yours does. it will work.

    Usually in the DVD-Audio player menu, sometimes you have to tell the player to play a DVD-audio using the analog connections. or it may default to digital audio connections. which you'll hear audio, but it won't be DVD-audio high resolution audio.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited November 2007
    danger boy wrote: »
    receivers don't have to be any kind of DVD-Audio compatible. all they have to have are 6 analog RCA inputs. IF yours does. it will work.

    Usually in the DVD-Audio player menu, sometimes you have to tell the player to play a DVD-audio using the analog connections. or it may default to digital audio connections. which you'll hear audio, but it won't be DVD-audio high resolution audio.


    I don't get this? Isn't this simply the difference between analog and digital without any resolution being lost. Outside of the "I can hear a difference in digital vs. analog cables" isn't this really the same (resolution wise)?
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin T2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC: Denafrips Pontus II Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Pass X150.8 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Morrow M4 ICs & Audio Art SC-5 ePlus, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited November 2007
    phipiper10 wrote: »
    I don't get this? Isn't this simply the difference between analog and digital without any resolution being lost. Outside of the "I can hear a difference in digital vs. analog cables" isn't this really the same (resolution wise)?

    to me the sound is very close.. with the edge going to the high rez audio.

    DVD-audio contains both a Dolby Digital track and a high rez DVD-Audio track.. which is what you want to play if your player can decode it. it's not a analog VS digital issue.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited November 2007
    So my player can decode DVD-A but I have a digital out to receiver right now. So you are saying there are two sets of data on the disc with different encoding/bit rates and one can only be had by using analog out?

    Sorry, I'm startled, I thought I knew what was going on seems like I'm wrong and need more cables to hear a higher resolution?

    Want to buy an optical cable cheap? ;)
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin T2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC: Denafrips Pontus II Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Pass X150.8 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Morrow M4 ICs & Audio Art SC-5 ePlus, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VSchneider
    VSchneider Posts: 443
    edited November 2007
    I see a lot of Jazz and Classical released on SACD - but these are not mass market Britney-Justin anyway.
    The artists who know and respect their audience continue releasing SACDs.

    Check out D. Krall's albums, for example.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited November 2007
    There is still some DVD-Audio and SACD material around, which I enjoy to listen to, but I wished there were more releases.

    Anyways, you should be able to get by with an optical cable, but DVD-A is limited to 48KHz over optical. Ideally, you would need six analog connections to listen to multichannel DVD-Audio. But I've used the optical connection with my HTPC and got great results.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MGPK
    MGPK Posts: 88
    edited November 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    There is still some DVD-Audio and SACD material around, which I enjoy to listen to, but I wished there were more releases.

    Anyways, you should be able to get by with an optical cable, but DVD-A is limited to 48KHz over optical. Ideally, you would need six analog connections to listen to multichannel DVD-Audio. But I've used the optical connection with my HTPC and got great results.

    You can get by with an optical/coax digital output but it won't be DVD-A. The best you will get is DTS 96/24, which can sound good but won't have the dynamic range of DVD-A. The only components that have digital links (which are proprietary) are Pioneer and Denon. The reason you probably bought that player is to experience the high resolution of DVD-A, so you should listen to it in its native form. Any DVD-V player can play the lower resolution soundtracks that are found on DVD-A discs. Because of copyright issues:mad: no player will output the high resolution layer except as noted above (and maybe a few others that I don't know about).
    System:

    H/K AVR430 Receiver
    Samsung DVDHD841 Dvd player
    Yamaha CDC506 5 Disc changer
    Jamo E855 Tower speakers
    Wharfdale Pacific P-10 Bookshelf speakers
    Acoustic Research Master Series Interconnects
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • xandra
    xandra Posts: 291
    edited November 2007
    Thanks MGPK
    Your summary jives completely with the maze of footnotes, asterisks and other confusing verbiage in my (otherwise well written) Onkyo Reciever manual about the topic.
    It's good to know that at least I'll get 96 bit audio - given the paltry number of dvd-audio disks out there, it hardly seems worth purchasing hardware to play it.
    Guess I'll look into SACD's.
    I find it ironic that in era where movie music has come so far, that hi-rez audio-only options are so limited.
    LR Setup:
    Polk RTi10's, RTi6's, CSiA6 (5 ch setup)
    Onkyo 705 & Denon 3808ci Receiver, Onk 875
    Parasound 2250 Amp
    Sony 26" KDL series Bravia LCD
    Panny DMR-EH75 Recorder
    Panny DVD-F87 (5 disk DVD player)
    NAD T585 (DVD/SACD)
    Yamaha DVD-C961 (5 disk SACD/DVD)
    SciAnt Explorer 8500HD Cable Box
    Orig & 5Gen iPods, , Wii
    Plans/Fantasies:
    • 400 disk player that handles ALL formats, sounds as good as NAD with Panasonic interface & compatability.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter