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Bitstreaming DTS-MA and True HD make a big difference?

post #1 of 5
11/7/09 at 2:56pm
Thread Starter 
 Hi folks. I have a PS3 for my blu ray player which cannot bitstream DTS-MA or TrueHD audio. It decodes then passes it to the receiver. Would getting a device that can bitstream it right to the receiver make a big difference?
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post #2 of 5
11/7/09 at 7:39pm
Here's how I understand matters, keep in mind I'm no expert here so my ultimate conclusions are questionable;

The new audio formats were, by design, never intended to be decoded anywhere other than the originating players. Because of this they can't mix multiple audio streams, one of the formats features, if you're bit-streaming audio. So various aspects can end up running without sound. It's worth noting HD-DVD didn't even allow for bit-streaming in its spec. 

Now, there were a couple of interconnected problems here.
  1. Customers were (and still are) unwilling to go along with player decoding, they irrationally fear that player decoding will somehow be inferior to receiver decoding.
  2. Many receivers won't process PCM input with its equalizing presets, only sending the raw unaltered audio feed. This is the only aspect that can alter the actual sounds you hear.

That second problem is what trips a lot of people up. They may interpret it as the receivers decoder being superior. What's ironic here is that if ill-informed consumers hadn't pushed for crippled bit-streaming then receiver manufacturers could have fixed their PCM processing to allow for equalization. (which may have happened by now anyways, IDK. It seemed to stagnate to me). Instead they add needless and expensive decoding capabilities.

There are also other incredibly obtuse reasons like wanting to "get their money's worth" from their receivers or "the DTS logo has to light up on the receiver's display."

To sum up; Don't worry about it.
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post #3 of 5
11/9/09 at 7:37am
 This is the same question I had.  I have an "older" PS3 as well... as well as a VSX-74TXVi which doesn't have TrueHD or DTS-MA.

I guess the only issue I have now is if it'll pass 1080p and it's only got 2 HDMI inputs.
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post #4 of 5
11/9/09 at 11:22am
My receiver doesn't support the HD audio formats, just PCM through HDMI - that's why I bought my receiver. It was the perfect match for the PS3, or was now that the new PS3 slim does bitstream. I've never had a problem with it, never had a quality issue, and could care less about what the display says or lights up because I'm watching the screen, not a receiver display or my equally distracting Cable box that displays the time.
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post #5 of 5
11/9/09 at 3:47pm
In fact, DTSHD-MA and TRUE HD are ways to compact the master sound losslesly.

It doesnt matter if it is decoded at the blu ray player or the receirver, once it is decoded, the audio is bit by bit the origininal recorded of the piece.

So, there is no difference between where it is the sound decoded, answering your question.

I have a PS3, it can decode DTSHD-MA and TRUEHD and sent it by LINEAR PCM (LPCM), If your receiver can accept the channel in LPCM, you don't need to buy a new receirver that decode it.

In PS3 SLIM, you have the choice to send to the receiver by bitstream (undecoded), for if your receiver has the ability to decode, it will do that.

I hope I have made myself clear enough, because english is not my native language.

But if you have any further doubts, reply this post and we will try do make it clearer.

Thanks, this is my very first post here!
Edited by Blackus - 11/9/09 at 3:58pm
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