Best Blu-Ray W/Non-1.3 HDMI Connection
auto_pilot
Posts: 256
Hello all!
I have an older reciever (Cambridge Audio Azur 640R) which does have 1.1 HDMI, but as we all know that won't support the latest HD sound formats.
What are some viable choices for Blu Ray? I've read that I could hook up my sound via dedicated analog hook ups for each of the 5.1 channels I'm running to get HD Dolby Digital sound. However, I don't think I can get the HD DTS sound formats through the analog cables.
Any suggestions on which BR player will work the best?
TiA:D
I have an older reciever (Cambridge Audio Azur 640R) which does have 1.1 HDMI, but as we all know that won't support the latest HD sound formats.
What are some viable choices for Blu Ray? I've read that I could hook up my sound via dedicated analog hook ups for each of the 5.1 channels I'm running to get HD Dolby Digital sound. However, I don't think I can get the HD DTS sound formats through the analog cables.
Any suggestions on which BR player will work the best?
TiA:D
Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
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Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner
Post edited by auto_pilot on
Comments
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Oppo BDP-83, has analog hook ups and HDMI. If you have HDMI 1.1 you should at least be able to get PCM over HDMI as well.Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!
Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580 -
its a no brainer isnt it? ps3
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its a no brainer isnt it? ps3
I don't think the ps3 has analog outs...this won't work for the OP. -
He doesnt need analog outs... The PS3 does all the decoding of the audio and sends it via LPCM to his AVR.
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Panasonic BD80K. I'm not sure about the HD-DTS through analog outs though....Tschüss
Zach -
He doesnt need analog outs... The PS3 does all the decoding of the audio and sends it via LPCM to his AVR.
Can someone confirm this?
And does this mean LPCM will come through HDMI? Remember now my reciever only supports HDMI1.1.Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner -
HDMI 1.1 does not support DTS HD Master or Dolby True HD, so it will NOT work, you need HDMI 1.3 or later. That's why the Sony PS3 was the first HDMI 1.3 spec player. You will need a player that supports internal decoding and transmit the signal through the analog outputs.
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HDMI 1.1 does not support DTS HD Master or Dolby True HD, so it will NOT work, you need HDMI 1.3 or later. That's why the Sony PS3 was the first HDMI 1.3 spec player. You will need a player that supports internal decoding and transmit the signal through the analog outputs.
Ok...Does this include DTS HD? From what I've read DTS HD Master can only be heard through HDMI 1.3.Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner -
I was considering Samsung P2550 as my player of choice. It has the 7.1 analog outs. I also like the Oppo Blu Ray player as well, it looks very promising.Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner -
And can you firmware upgrade my Receiver to use 1.3 HDMI?Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner -
its a no brainer isnt it? ps3
OWNED! PS3 doesn't do everything.. no analog outputs. so he can't use it.
BD players with analog outs have come down in price.. so get yerself one of them.. and be good to go. analog rules even in a digital format like Blu ray.
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
analog outs on a player will support DTS HD MA and DD hi rez formats... if the decoding is done in the player not the receiver.. obviously.PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
danger boy wrote: »OWNED! PS3 doesn't do everything.. no analog outputs. so he can't use it.
BD players with analog outs have come down in price.. so get yerself one of them.. and be good to go. analog rules even in a digital format like Blu ray.
Yep, analog is very good. Until higher than 1080p comes out and I replace my tv I am going to use either DVI or Component connections with a digital coax for audio. I am staying away from HDMI for as long as I can.Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t -
OP you can get LPCM over HDMI. You can also enjoy HD audio over multichannel analog outputs. I recommended the Oppo as it gives you the ability tweak audio over analog outputs so you can get the audio just right. You could also test the HDMI connection and decide which you like better. Worth a look as I'm sure other players may offer this also, but I just recently added the Oppo to my own setup and it is very good.
Anyone mention PS3 for BD player I think my head may explode. Nothing against PS3 but it's not the player of players.Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!
Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580 -
A lot of misdirection and misinformation in this thread.
To the OP:
You have two choices to listen to TrueHD and DTS-HD MA given your equipment supports audio over hdmi 1.1 and analog outs.
Analog outs --> You get a player that decodes (uncompresses) these audio formats to LPCM (what an hdmi 1.3 receiver/pre does internally, same LPCM). Then the player does a digital to analog (lossy) conversion using its own internal DAC and out to the receiver/pre via analog outs. The receiver/pre must do another lossy conversion if it must apply further digital processing (surround modes etc.) or it can pass this analog signal on directly for amplification to the speakers.
HDMI 1.1 or above --> You get a player that decodes (uncompresses) these audio formats to LPCM (what an hdmi 1.3 receiver/pre does internally, same LPCM). Then transmit the LPCM digitally over hdmi 1.1 where the receiver/pre uses its own internal digital processing including its own DACs (usually higher quality than those in most players) to produce the analog signal that will be amplified to the speakers.
Both methods are capable of producing high quality HD audio. TrueHD and DTS-HD MA are just compression codecs for making files smaller. The losslessly reproduced PCM file is the actual product being compressed by the codecs and uncompressed (decoded) either in the player or a capable receiver/pre. Once you have LPCM decoded on the player side, you're good to go via hdmi 1.1. And yes, the ps3 can handle decoding both formats and sending them out via LPCM and hdmi 1.1 and above. But a lot of players have internal decoding and can do the same at this point. Just make sure you get one that does both TrueHD and DTS-HD MA as not all do. Or you can go the analog out route. But it's unecessary as hdmi 1.1 will allow you to keep everything in the digital domain until the final DAC conversion in your receiver. -
Only for clarification... You can get component or composite video cables for the PS3. I've heard varying reports about the sound that will go across, however analog cables do exist.
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Thanks for all the info! I'm glad I can get the HD DTS formats over analog or HDMI 1.1.
Will both sound significantly different? I banking the analog will sound better.Cambridge Audio AZUR 640R
KEF IQ2C Center, Fronts KEF IQ1 , Rears KEF Ci302Q
Sub Outlaw LFM2
Panasonic Plasma 1080i (50u)
Sony DVP-NS70H (DVD)
Belkin Pure Audio PF31 Line Conditioner -
auto_pilot wrote: »Thanks for all the info! I'm glad I can get the HD DTS formats over analog or HDMI 1.1.
Will both sound significantly different? I banking the analog will sound better.
My guess would be that with most systems and listeners, they won't be able to tell any difference between the two. Both will sound great. Since hdmi 1.1 will handle the LPCM all digital, I'm not sure why you would assume analog will sound better. Basically, you get a bit for bit reconstruction of the original master compressed by TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. This is as close as you can get to the original master and that's why it's called 'lossless' audio. Carrying that LPCM over to your receiver with no loss over hdmi 1.1 is as good as it gets.
Where the 'interpretation' comes in is when the digital signal has to be converted to analog by either the player's or the receiver's DAC (digital analog conversion) chips because speakers are analog, not digital. And there is no way to preserve the bit for bit fidelity to the original master. Instead, DAC chips do a lossy conversion where they 'guess' what analog sound to produce based on the digital input. Unless you are spending a thousand bucks or more, you are unlikely to get audiophile DAC chips in your player. Most people would have better DAC chips in their receiver or pre-amp. So it's unlikely that you will have a superior sound from a cheap blu-ray player using analog outs. Depending on the quality of the DAC chips in your receiver, it may be no worse. But betting that analog outs are always superior is a bad bet in most cases...;) -
Auto,
You should double check the hdmi capabilities of your Cambridge. According to this review, it DOES NOT meet the hdmi 1.1 spec.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/receivers/2247/cambridge-audio-azur-640r-av-receiver.html -
As usual a ton of wrong information and speculation. Cheddar beat me to the punch again. I'm amazed at how quickly people can type out misleading or out right wrong info. Everything what Cheddar said +1.
In theory with all things being equal an analog connection would be ideal over HDMI because of jitter issues; these issues are likely inaudible with the components in question however. -
Actually, HDMI should sound better. When using the analog outs from the player, you are stuck with the players processing. Most players have fixed global crossover points, and have no adjustment for speaker distance etc. The reciever will have selectable crossover points and adjustable speaker distances.
