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Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

post #1 of 16
9/1/08 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
If I have a Sony STR-DA2400ES would the receiver decode the DTS Dolby Master Audio from the Sony BDP-S300 blu ray player?
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post #2 of 16
9/3/08 at 2:32pm

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Yes, the receiver will decode both DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD. They are separate codecs. As long as the BDP-S300 can bitstream the codecs (and I have yet to hear otherwise), should be no problem.
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post #3 of 16
9/4/08 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Thank you for the reply.

My next question is what should I set the HDMI output to "Dolby Digital" or to "Downmix PCM" in order to get the DTS Dolby Master Audio for decoding in my STR-DA4300ES receiver?
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post #4 of 16
9/6/08 at 10:11pm

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

There is no such thing as "DTS Dolby Master Audio". DTS and Dolby are two separate companies. As Stephen said, there are two lossless formats available at the moment: 'DTS-HD Master Audio' from a company called DTS (formerly Digital Theater Systems) and 'Dolby TrueHD' from a company called Dolby Laboratories. The two companies and formats are in competition, like GM and Ford, or Pepsi and Coca Cola.

The Sony S300 does not include HDMI 1.3, so cannot send a bitstream (raw) output to your receiver for decoding (so you will never see the 'TrueHD or 'DTS-HD' lights illuminate on your amp with that particular player). TrueHD can be decoded by the player and sent to the receiver as PCM though, assuming the player has the latest firmware, but the player cannot decode DTS-HD Master Audio internally.

What you will hear from DTS-HD MA soundtracks is the 'core' DTS soundtrack upon which the lossless Master Audio version is based. This will be very good, but not lossless (not identical to the source).

I'm not familiar with the S300's configuration, but you should set the player's HDMI output to 'PCM' when listening to TrueHD. The amplifier should display 'PCM' or 'Multich' or similar when set correctly (if it displays 'Dolby Digital' it is not set correctly).

Adam
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post #5 of 16
9/7/08 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Thank you for the information Adam, I guess I will be buying a new S550 Blu Ray player when they are released next month.

Rick
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post #6 of 16
9/10/08 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Adam,

If my reveiver will decode the DTS HD MA will setting my S300 to PCM allow the receiver to decode DTS HD MA?

Thanks,

Rick
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post #7 of 16
9/10/08 at 9:53pm

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

No. The player needs to have HDMI 1.3 output to send the raw data to a receiver. The S300 doesn't have this capability, so all the receiver will 'see' is standard DTS (the same audio found on DVD, but usually at the higher 1509kbps bit-rate). If you want to see the DTS-HD MA lights on your Sony receiver light up, you will need a new player (such as the Sony S350, the S300's replacement).

Adam
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post #8 of 16
9/11/08 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Great information. Thanks for the reply.

RIck
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post #9 of 16
9/11/08 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Adam,

I just went out to Best Buy and bought a BDP-S350 player. Any suggestions on what to set the audio setting to for the BDP-S350 and the STR-DA4300ES?

All this stuff is confusing and all new to me. Thanks for all your help lately.

RIck
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post #10 of 16
9/12/08 at 9:29pm

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

In the player's setup menu you should set Audio Output Priority to 'HDMI', Audio (HDMI) to 'Auto' and BD Audio Setting to 'Direct'. Your amp should automatically detect the audio and decode it correctly if connected by HDMI. Remember that you may have to select the lossless audio through the disc's audio menu (sometimes under 'Languages' like they were on DVD). Also make sure you're using a disc with TrueHD or DTS-HD MA audio rather than PCM (or you will only see 'PCM' engaged on your receiver). If you see the TrueHD or DTS-HD lights activate on your amp then the settings are correct.

Adam
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post #11 of 16
9/13/08 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Adam,

Would you recommend watching a BD movie with the STR-DA4300ES set to NEO 6 cinema?

Thanks,

Rick
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post #12 of 16
9/13/08 at 3:43pm

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Probably only if the soundtrack is stereo, which is what the Neo:6 process was intended for (converting stereo to 5/6 channel pseudo surround, much like Dolby Pro Logic 2).

Adam
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post #13 of 16
9/13/08 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

So what is the best setting for the str-da4300es when watching a blue ray movie?

Thanks,

Rick
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post #14 of 16
9/15/08 at 6:33am

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Hey Rick,

You might want to consider the new Pioneer Blu-ray player as well. It is not an Elite model and it is the first regular Pioneer Blu-ray player.



Pioneer BDP-51FD MSRP $599
  • Picture Control Suite: 13 different video adjustments (Progressive Motion, PureCinema, YNR, CNR, BNR, MNR, Detail, White Level, Black Level, Black Setup, Gamma Correction, Hue, and Chroma Level)
  • Wolfson™ Audio DACs: Each DAC features a signal-to-noise ratio of 117db. Wolfson DACs provide top-notch audio performance from music and movie soundtracks.
  • HDMI 1.3a with Deep Color Support
  • 7.1 Channel Analog Audio Outputs: for compatibility with non-HDMI equipped receivers and preamps.
  • Internal Audio Decoders: The BDP-51FD features internal decoding of all advanced audio formats including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution, and DTS-HD Master*. The BDP‑51FD also provides bit-stream audio over the HDMI jack of all of the above formats.
  • Latest Generation PureCinema Deinterlacer: Multi-Format Compatibilty: The BDP-51FD is compatible with BD‑ROM, BD-R, BD-RE, DVD-Video, DVD-R (Video Mode) / RW (Video Mode), and CD media.
  • Exclusive Jitter Reduction Circuit: Utilizing a Pioneer developed IC, this circuit digitally reshapes the waveform of the audio clock to greatly reduce jitter for all content.
To my knowledge though you have to have one of two new Pioneer Elite receivers to use the jitter reduction circuit, that is the only drawback I have found so far. I am sure the Sony 550 would do a nice job but thought you might be interested in hearing about another possibility.


Quote:
So what is the best setting for the str-da4300es when watching a blue ray movie?

Are you refering to audio or video?

For audio I would just send it via HDMI and as far video I would set it to the maximum your display can handle.
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post #15 of 16
9/15/08 at 7:18am
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Thanks for the info. I just bought the Sony BDP-S350 last week.

I was wanting to know what would be the best audio settings to use on my Sony STR-DA4300ES when watching a blue ray movie.

Thanks again for the information.

Rick



Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Moritz
Hey Rick,

You might want to consider the new Pioneer Blu-ray player as well. It is not an Elite model and it is the first regular Pioneer Blu-ray player.



Pioneer BDP-51FD MSRP $599
  • Picture Control Suite: 13 different video adjustments (Progressive Motion, PureCinema, YNR, CNR, BNR, MNR, Detail, White Level, Black Level, Black Setup, Gamma Correction, Hue, and Chroma Level)
  • Wolfson™ Audio DACs: Each DAC features a signal-to-noise ratio of 117db. Wolfson DACs provide top-notch audio performance from music and movie soundtracks.
  • HDMI 1.3a with Deep Color Support
  • 7.1 Channel Analog Audio Outputs: for compatibility with non-HDMI equipped receivers and preamps.
  • Internal Audio Decoders: The BDP-51FD features internal decoding of all advanced audio formats including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution, and DTS-HD Master*. The BDP‑51FD also provides bit-stream audio over the HDMI jack of all of the above formats.
  • Latest Generation PureCinema Deinterlacer: Multi-Format Compatibilty: The BDP-51FD is compatible with BD‑ROM, BD-R, BD-RE, DVD-Video, DVD-R (Video Mode) / RW (Video Mode), and CD media.
  • Exclusive Jitter Reduction Circuit: Utilizing a Pioneer developed IC, this circuit digitally reshapes the waveform of the audio clock to greatly reduce jitter for all content.
To my knowledge though you have to have one of two new Pioneer Elite receivers to use the jitter reduction circuit, that is the only drawback I have found so far. I am sure the Sony 550 would do a nice job but thought you might be interested in hearing about another possibility.




Are you refering to audio or video?

For audio I would just send it via HDMI and as far video I would set it to the maximum your display can handle.
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post #16 of 16
9/17/08 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony DTS Dolby Master Decoding Question

Well, I think I have it figured out. By following Adam's directions on the Sony BDP-S350 Blu ray player and setting the audio to auto on the STR-DA4300ES it sounds really NEAT! WOW, I cannot believe the diffrence. I am glad I upgraded, well worth it!

Thanks for all your help.

Rick
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