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How ancient are my pioneer elite?

post #1 of 8
11/22/08 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
I have a pioneer elite dvd player and receiver, vsx56txi and dv59-avi. I paid a mint for these several years back. How functional are these components now that HD is king? Can my receiver connect to any blue ray dvd players with optical cable for sound or am I going to not get good sound until I upgrade to HDMI compatable devices?
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post #2 of 8
11/22/08 at 8:13am

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

Sure, you can connect a blu ray player with optical cable. But, you won't get the HD audio formats over optical. Just not possible. If your receiver has 5.1/7.1 analog multi-channel inputs, you can get a blu ray player with 5.1/7.1 analog outputs, and get some HD audio that way.
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post #3 of 8
11/22/08 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

So tired of upgrading! Is HD sound really a huge upgrade? I may upgrade this one more time to be hd compatible but Im done after that.
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post #4 of 8
11/22/08 at 9:34am

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

Quote:
I have a pioneer elite dvd player and receiver, vsx56txi and dv59-avi. I paid a mint for these several years back.
I bought a 59txi and 59dvi combo earlier this year and love them. The two are connected with iLink (if yours aren't, what are you waiting for. DO IT!!! ).
Quote:
Is HD sound really a huge upgrade?
I also have a Samsung model 1400 BluRay player connected via 5.1 analog cables. The 1400 will decode Dolby TruHD (but not DTS-MA) and send it out the 5.1 analog. While the difference is noticable, it isn't huge. Think DVD-A vs. decreet DD. All you need is a BluRay player that internally decodes the new formats and sends it out the 5.1 analog connection. This information is confusing and hard to be sure of. Check with us before you buy. And don't assume that just because the BR player has analog out's that it internally decodes the new formats and sends them out the 5.1's. Most don't.

The reason I went with the 59txi is because it allows MCACC and Bass/Treble controls via analog in's. Most every other receiver doesn't allow those adjustments. I'm not sure if the 56txi does or not. On the negative side, it has to go thru another analog-to-digital conversion, but I think it's worth it. And I can always go "Stream Direct" if I feel like it.

I use the Samsung 1400 for BluRay only and the dv59avi for everything else. It's a wonderful dvd player.

So you really don't need to up-grade if you don't want to. You just need to choose the BR player carefully.
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...but Im done after that.
I've heard that one before!
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post #5 of 8
11/22/08 at 10:55am

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gene c
And don't assume that just because the BR player has analog out's that it internally decodes the new formats and sends them out the 5.1's. Most don't.
Ok, something I've wondered about.
What other possible reason is there for having the analog outputs then, since none of the BDs play dvd-a or sacd (until Oppo's BD player comes out)? They have the optical or digital coax, for the surround, if you don't have HDMI. It's a huge waste of money to have them, if they don't do that. I've read somewhere that the Sony BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 are basically the same machine, except the 550 has the analog outputs, and you see the price difference in those two.
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post #6 of 8
11/22/08 at 11:17am
Thread Starter 

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

I love my vsx56 and my dv59 too. Hate to see them come to no use. So would a PS3 work as a bluray player for this setup?
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post #7 of 8
11/22/08 at 11:35am

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

Quote:
So would a PS3 work as a bluray player for this setup?
I think you would only get DD and DTS, not DolbyTrueHD or DTS-MA. I don't think the PS3 has 5.1 anaalog outs anyway, only 2.0 (?). And even if it did, it doesn't decode the hi-res formats for output via analog connection. To use a PS3 for TrueHD and DTS-MA you need hdmi.

EDIT: I'm not confident in the accuracy of this reply. I really don't know that much about the PS3 (and finding info from Sony's website is like pulling teeth!) so maybe I should have left this one for someone else to answer. Hopefully someone will correct anything that's not correct.
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post #8 of 8
11/22/08 at 12:24pm

Re: How ancient are my pioneer elite?

Quote:
Ok, something I've wondered about.
What other possible reason is there for having the analog outputs then, since none of the BDs play dvd-a or sacd (until Oppo's BD player comes out)? They have the optical or digital coax, for the surround, if you don't have HDMI. It's a huge waste of money to have them, if they don't do that.
I've wondered about this myself. It's like putting 5/7 ch analog outs on a regular dvd player that doesn't support DVD-A/SACD. What's the use?
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I've read somewhere that the Sony BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 are basically the same machine, except the 550 has the analog outputs, and you see the price difference in those two.
But the 550 will send DolbyTruHD and DTS-MA out those m/c analogs so they can useful. But it'll cost you $120 more for a BR player if your receiver doesn't have hdmi. But that's still cheaper than buying a new avr just to get the new formats.
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