[DarrellC]

I am in the market for a new receiver. I have a 5.1 set-up but may (someday) upgrade to a 6.1 set-up. What do I need...Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES? What are the pros and cons of each? PLEASE HELP!!!

[Michael Reuben]

It's not an either/or choice. Some DVDs offer only a DD EX track, with no DTS. Others offer a choice between DD EX and DTS-ES. And as you may know, there are two flavors of DTS-ES: matrix (roughly the same ast DD EX) and discrete. And the vast majority of DVDs are still either regular 5.1 or two-channel stereo surround (or mono).

My advice is not to let these formats drive your choice of receiver. There are many other more important factors to consider in selecting a receiver: adequate power to drive your speakers, quality of the digital processing circuitry, flexibility and configurability, etc.

M.

[Craig Robertson]

as Michael said, it's not an either/or, the receiver can have both and will decode whatever you feed it.

[DarrellC]

What if the receiver only has one or the other? Is one more commonly needed than the other? If a unit has DTS ES and not DD EX, is that a big deal? Will I still be able to upgrade to 6.1?

[Kevinkall]

Most of the receivers out now will decode these formats. Check out the Kenwood 6070. You can pick it up for around $330.

[Michael Reuben]

Quote:

Is one more commonly needed than the other?

There's a regularly updated thread in Software that lists discs encoded with DD EX and DTS-ES. Judge for yourself:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ighlight=dtses

Quote:

If a unit has DTS ES and not DD EX, is that a big deal?

I've never heard of such a unit. If a unit can do DTS-ES Matrix, it can also do DD EX. The difference comes with DTS-ES Discrete; not all units can do that, although, as Kevinkall notes, it's becoming more common and more affordable to have all of these modes included.

Quote:

Will I still be able to upgrade to 6.1?

Most receivers aren't upgradeable.

I'm going to repeat what I said above:

Quote:

My advice is not to let these formats drive your choice of receiver. There are many other more important factors to consider in selecting a receiver

M.

[Tony Casler]

My old receiver, a pioneer vsx-d810s only did DTS-ES, and not DD-EX or PLII, so such things do exist. I would imagine they are the vast minority now, though.

[DarrellC]

The Denon 1082 (3802) does DTS ES byt not DD EX. I will look at other more important items to make my decision. Thanks!

[Michael Reuben]

Quote:

The Denon 1082 (3802) does DTS ES byt not DD EX.

That is incorrect. The 3802 does indeed decode DD EX.

M.

[DarrellC]

My fault. This is the information I copied off of the Denon website. I did not notice Dolby Digital EX in this list.

Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II & DTS ES Discrete 7.1 A/V Receiver • Dolby Pro Logic II decoding with Cinema and Music Modes • DTS Extended Surround Discrete 6.1 decoding • DTS Extended Surround Matrix 6.1 decoding • DTS Neo:6 Cinema & Music Surround decoding • Dolby Digital decoding, including Matrix 6.1 decoding • DDSC-Digital featuring Analog Devices SHARC 32 bit floating point DSP processor • 7 Channels equal power amplifier section • 150 watts per channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz, <.7%THD) • 110 watts per channel (8 ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, <.05%THD) • Analog Devices 24 bit, 96 kHz high resolution DACs on all eight channels • Real 24 bit, 96 kHz Digital Interface Receiver • Adjustable High and Low Pass Crossover(80,100,120Hz) • 2 sets component video inputs, compatible with wideband (480p, 720p, 1080i) response for progressive DVD, DTV • 5 sets composite and "S" video inputs • 7.1 external wide bandwidth (100 kHz) input for future multi-channel formats (such as DVD-Audio) • 5 & 7 Channel Stereo • Personal Memory Plus • 4 assignable digital inputs • Optical digital output • 9 analog inputs including built-in AM/FM tuner • Multi-Zone 1 stereo pre-amp level audio outputs, fixed or variable level • Power Amplifier Assign function, lets you assign 2 of the 7 amp channels to drive second zone speakers directly • LCD dot-matrix programmable/learning remote features TV, VCR, DVD codes from other manufacturers; backlighting main function keys • Dimensions: 17.1"w x 6.7"h x 16.4"d • SRP $999 • Click on photo icon for Back Panel shot

Did I miss it somewhere?

[Scott Merryfield]

Quote:

Dolby Digital decoding, including Matrix 6.1 decoding

This spec means Dolby Digital EX.