Blu ray and older tv with no HDMI

flyfisher

I have a few questions about hooking up a blu ray to our television which has no HDMI inputs.

My wife has had an Mitsubishi TV before i met her about 4 yrs ago.Still works well for being an older set.It has s-video,composite and component video inputs,no HDMI inputsCurrently I have it running component out through my reciever.

The thing is,i was looking at the Pioneer BDP-320 blu ray player and interested in purchasing one.One of my problems is that if i want to watch a blu ray with Dolby true hd or dts master hd audio,wouldn't i need an HDMI cable to get either format?I know if i use coax or optical it will strip it down to either DD or dts.

I think on my Pioneer i cant assign dvd for hdmi audio,just coax or optical.
Here's what i was thinking:
1.hook up blu ray to receiver hdmi cable,then video output using hdmi cable to and hdmi/component adapter to run to TV.
2.Run blu ray straight to TV using component and an hdmi cable to blu ray or any hdmi input for the audio.
Any other options you guys think?

We wont be upgrading to a new TV sometime til next yr.But like i said earlier.It puts out a good picture for an older set.

Anthony

cnh

1. One would work but there may be some handshake problems due to HDMI copyprotection?

2. Might work ONLY if the Blu-ray player ALLOWS THAT...MANY do NOT!

3. If your receiver has multi-channel analog RCAs in and your BDP has multi-analog out. That would allow you to get HD sound formats decoded by the player internally and output to the analog channels. That WOULD work. And you can run the video via component cables. This is the most likely scenario!

cnh

flyfisher

DOHHH.I forgot about the multi channel inputs.How could i have over looked that..lol
So with the multi channel input i can get true hd and dts master hd correct?
And also,if i wanted to watch a standard dvd,would those multi inputs work as well or would i need a coax or optical?

Thanks for mentioning the multi cnh:D

cnh

You'd have to look at your manual, but I'm pretty sure that your blu-ray will decode not only HD formats internally but also Dolby and DTS older standards as well?

But check you manual to make sure.
And yes. Multi-channel outs from the Blu-ray to the AVR WILL give you Tru-HD surround formats!

cnh

flyfisher

Thanks cnh,i will look at the pioneer blu ray manual online.

Anthony

wutadumsn23

With what I have read up on the BDP-320 it looks like you will be fine using the 7.1 multi outputs to your AVR. Here is a quote from Pioneer's website on the BDP-320 "7.1 Channel Analog Audio Outputs: For compatibility with non HDMI equipped receivers and preamps." Here is another "7.1 channel surround outputs powered by 4 Burr-Brown® audio DACs and everything you hear is also equally impressive as well" Finally "Internal Audio Decoders: The BDP-320 features internal decoding of all advanced audio formats including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®-HD High Resolution, and DTS-HD Master Audio" So it looks like you are good to go in any way you choose to run it.

-Jeff

flyfisher

Thanks for the help guys,just one more question.What kind of cables should i look into for connecting the blu ray to the receiver?reg composite stereo cables,coax?

Anthony

wutadumsn23

I would go with a decent set of component cables like the ones in the link below from Newegg. There are many options out there and many places to get them from, and many different lengths. Monoprice is another good place to look for cables too. Don't have to spend an arm and a leg on them, just get ones that will suit your needs in the length you need. Does your TV support 1080p or just 1080i? Some cables will only support 1080i, while other will support 1080p, have to do a little research. If it is not something like a 60" TV, chances are you will never notice the difference between 1080i and 1080p anyway. Good luck.

-Jeff

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123006

wutadumsn23

Atleast he actually tried to help out, and not just spam and leave, lol.

-Jeff

cstmar01

just as a forewarning, your player will normally play SD DVD's in SD format, it will not upconvert if you are using component cables. On a smaller TV this isn't really an issue but once you start using a PJ you will notice it lol. Also seeing his TV only accepts component it at most would accept a 1080i signal and then display it in 720P (assuming it supports 720P). So make sure you set your Pio to 720 or 1080i when you get it otherwise you will have no video at all.

ikolbyi

flyfisher wrote: »

Thanks for the help guys,just one more question.What kind of cables should i look into for connecting the blu ray to the receiver?reg composite stereo cables,coax?

Anthony

Use optical for sound and S-Video for picture. This way you get the 'better' image over component and optical for sound is equal to the HDMI experience.

cstmar01

kolbtod wrote: »

Use optical for sound and S-Video for picture. This way you get the 'better' image over component and optical for sound is equal to the HDMI experience.

Optical nor Coaxial has lossless ability. They will only play the core format so you loose Dolby True HD and Master HD.

ikolbyi

cstmar01 wrote: »

Optical nor Coaxial has lossless ability. They will only play the core format so you loose Dolby True HD and Master HD.

I'm curious if one can tell the difference between Dolby T-HD vs DTS 7.1?

Here's the kicker, if his AVR is newer, he could connect the BlueRay player to the AVR using HDMI, but then have the AVR transmit the video feed as S-video. My Denon has the ability to perform this so I will assume the others can as well. HDMI input to S-Video output (yes it can be done on some receivers.

This way at least you get the sound you want and overall connectivity uses less cables.

cstmar01

I can hear a difference between the lossless formats, it does make a difference.
Also he's using a Pio, I have the SC-05 and you can upcovert video signals, so for example s video in component out or hdmi out but you can not go from hdmi to s video or hdmi to component, trust me I've tried it, doesn't work.

flyfisher

cstmar01 wrote: »

I can hear a difference between the lossless formats, it does make a difference.
Also he's using a Pio, I have the SC-05 and you can upcovert video signals, so for example s video in component out or hdmi out but you can not go from hdmi to s video or hdmi to component, trust me I've tried it, doesn't work.

That's correct,Ive read the manual.Oh well.And i tried it also.I will use the analog outs from blu ray to multi channel in on receiver.

wutadumsn23

kolbtod wrote: »

I'm curious if one can tell the difference between Dolby T-HD vs DTS 7.1?

I noticed a huge difference between the two once I started buying/watching Blu Ray's. Not only with my own ears, but I also noticed that I didn't have to turn the volume up as much on my Onkyo as I did before with DD. The new HD lossless audi formats are the way to go, IMHO.

-Jeff

ikolbyi

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

I noticed a huge difference between the two once I started buying/watching Blu Ray's. Not only with my own ears, but I also noticed that I didn't have to turn the volume up as much on my Onkyo as I did before with DD. The new HD lossless audi formats are the way to go, IMHO.

-Jeff

Interesting - the BlueRay disks I own only play in DTS format on my AVR, not Dolby T-HD even if I select the option, but I will have to experiment further to quantify that comment. I'm curious if my experience is because the BlueRay disks I am using are for movies 4+ years older and not new (off the shelf) flicks. DVD's have that issue, newer DVD have more audio tracks than the earlier ones and sound much better. This is especially true with the 'double sided' DVD disks vs the 'multi-layered single sided' ones.

cstmar01

Depending on your blue ray player make sure you have it set for either the player to decode or the AVR and make sure the AVR can decode the format as well. If you use the analoge out the player will decode, if you HDMI you can normally set it for the AVR to decode.
Another thing is check the firmware. for example on my BDP-05FD in order to get the lossless you had to do a firmware update in order to get them. it was like 2 or 3 after the player was released.

cheddar

Just to clear up some possible misinformation in the above posts...

The only way to get high resolution video and audio is:

Analog -- Component Video connections, Analog Audio connections
Digital -- HDMI

S-Video is a very old 480i technology that is better than composite but nothing near component and hdmi HD quality. And digital coax and optical also lack the bandwidth to transfer the high resolution audio signals.

For the OP, it sounds like component video and multichannel analog audio outs are the way to go. Just make sure that your player is configured properly (you'll have to initially set it up properly just like you did your AVR since you'll be using the player to bypass the digital processing of the AVR).

cheddar

kolbtod wrote: »

Interesting - the BlueRay disks I own only play in DTS format on my AVR, not Dolby T-HD even if I select the option, but I will have to experiment further to quantify that comment. I'm curious if my experience is because the BlueRay disks I am using are for movies 4+ years older and not new (off the shelf) flicks. DVD's have that issue, newer DVD have more audio tracks than the earlier ones and sound much better. This is especially true with the 'double sided' DVD disks vs the 'multi-layered single sided' ones.

If you are using the connections you recommended here:

kolbtod wrote: »

Use optical for sound and S-Video for picture. This way you get the 'better' image over component and optical for sound is equal to the HDMI experience.

You are not able to transmit either HD video or multichannel lossless audio signals.

ikolbyi

cheddar wrote: »

If you are using the connections you recommended here:



You are not able to transmit either HD video or multichannel lossless audio signals.

Chedder - nope, that was my recommendation for the original poster since they do not have HDMI or RGB-component support. I'm using HDMI straight through in my setup.

cheddar

kolbtod wrote: »

Chedder - nope, that was my recommendation for the original poster since they do not have HDMI or RGB-component support.

When did the OP say he has no component support?

flyfisher wrote: »

It has s-video,composite and component video inputs,no HDMI inputs

ikolbyi

I took the word "component" as a RCA video connector, not the RBG-component connector. (miss-read on my part?)

cheddar

Well, in any case, the OP would be better off using component for video and multichannel analog outs for audio rather than s-video and optical. The former support both HD video and multichannel lossless audio, the latter do not. And when properly configured, the OP should notice a significant improvement in both picture quality and audio quality from blu-ray movies with lossless audio.

Your conclusion in your last sentence just isn't true. S-video is not equal to a component connection and optical can't get you the lossless capabilities of HDMI.

kolbtod wrote: »

Use optical for sound and S-Video for picture. This way you get the 'better' image over component and optical for sound is equal to the HDMI experience.

ikolbyi

cheddar wrote: »

Well, in any case, the OP would be better off using component for video and multichannel analog outs for audio rather than s-video and optical. The former support both HD video and multichannel lossless audio, the latter do not. And when properly configured, the OP should notice a significant improvement in both picture quality and audio quality from blu-ray movies with lossless audio.

Your conclusion in your last sentence just isn't true. S-video is not equal to a component connection and optical can't get you the lossless capabilities of HDMI.

If you are referring to component meaning RBG-component, yes you are correct, S-video is inferior. I was referring to RCA-video vs S-Video, S-Video is better.

In comparing RGB-Component vs HDMI, both will provide an HD experience, but HDMI provides higher bit rate therefore will go beyond 1080 that RGB-Component can only do. (for Video signal only since RGB-Component does not carry sound unlike HDMI which does both - for the readers who don't know the difference)

We are saying the same thing but using different terms which is causing the confusion.

cheddar

What you are referring to as RCA-video (red/white audio and yellow video) is commonly referred to as Composite, not Component. If you refer to it as component, you will likely run into a lot of confusion with your posts as Component is not used to reference the Composite connection. So you are definitely saying something false if you say that S-video is better than the component video connection for the OP.

Since as you noted before, the OP doesn't have the ability to use HDMI, component sounds like the best video connection for the OP with his available equipment. And the multichannel analog outs take care of the lossless audio just fine with a player that internally decodes the lossless formats.

ikolbyi

cheddar wrote: »

What you are referring to as RCA-video (red/white audio and yellow video) is commonly referred to as Composite, not Component. If you refer to it as component, you will likely run into a lot of confusion with your posts as Component is not used to reference the Composite connection. So you are definitely saying something false if you say that S-video is better than the component video connection for the OP.

Since as you noted before, the OP doesn't have the ability to use HDMI, component sounds like the best video connection for the OP with his available equipment. And the multichannel analog outs take care of the lossless audio just fine with a player that internally decodes the lossless formats.

I have tipped over my king on the chess board regarding the AV/cable terminology. I'm glad at least we are united and saying the same thing in terms of the capabilities of the technology.

cheddar

Except, of course, you still haven't clarified this statement...

kolbtod wrote: »

optical for sound is equal to the HDMI experience.

Not playing chess with you, just trying to clear up any misconceptions your statement may have caused is all...optical will not get you the same as blu-ray lossless over HDMI, but multichannel analog outs are a pretty good substitute if you can get everything configured properly.

ikolbyi

cheddar wrote: »

Except, of course, you still haven't clarified this statement...



Not playing chess with you, just trying to clear up any misconceptions your statement may have caused is all...optical will not get you the same as blu-ray lossless over HDMI, but multichannel analog outs are a pretty good substitute if you can get everything configured properly.

....agreed