Dolby Digital, DTS, Pro Logic II, and the Denon 2802 (1 Viewer)

[Mike Matthews]

this weekend i watched Adaptation, and the audio setup menu had 3 choices:

Dolby Digital
Dolby DTS
Dolby Surround


it's weird, because both my receiver and dvd player support DTS. the Adaptation DVD menu has the option for Dolby DTS, but when the movie starts playing after i select that option, the DTS light on my receiver doesn't come on...only the "digital" light. the receiver is a Denon AVR-2802, by the way

basically, when i select Dolby Digital - the movie plays in Dolby Digital, and that's my only option...which seems normal

when i select Dolby DTS, the movie plays and my only sound options are selecting between Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6 (and i only have a 5.1 set up, so i don't know if there's even a point to using this DTS Neo:6 setting)

shouldn't the receiver tell me that there's a DTS signal if the DVD has DTS as an audio option?? Also, is Dolby Digital generally the best method to watch movies with, as opposed to Pro Logic II or DTS Neo:6 (which i think of only for a 6.1 setup). little clarification would be awesome.

"bitstream" is also set as my DVD player default

 

[Cees Alons]

Mike,

Most receivers are shipped with the DTS option off, to avoid possible damage to speakers of uninitiated users.

You may have to enter the setup-menu (or whatever it is called with your receiver) to switch it on. Please consult the user manual.

Good luck!

Cees

 

[Mike Matthews]

Just checked the manual, and it doesn't say anything about having to turn on the DTS feature

also...when i switch the input mode on the receiver from Auto to DTS...i get no sound at all. :frowning:

 

[Michael Reuben]

I think what Cees meant to say was that most DVD players are shipped with the DTS option turned off, and you have to turn it on from the setup menu.

Have you ever successfully played a DTS track on your current setup?

M.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

If your options are PL II and Neo 6, it sounds like you're only getting a stereo signal. Mike/cees are right, you need to turn on DTS on your DVD player.

 

[Jack Briggs]

That's correct, because the Denon's auto-detect should be working if you've configured it for auto-detect. On all three of my DVD players, DTS has to be enabled manually in the audio-setup menu.

 

[Mike Matthews]

well, you guys have done it again! i thought that my DVD manual said that "bitstream" was the default setting, but it turns out that i misread it and had to turn it on myself. problem solved. thanks, all!


also - could someone give me a quick overview on when it's best to use each setting? from what i gather:

DTS is the best - use this whenever possible
Dolby Digital is great, and pretty standard. all DVDs use this

not sure about Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6, though. when would i want to use these settings? would i ever want to use Pro Logic II or Neo:6 instead of Dolby Digital or DTS?

 

[GrahamT]

Generally that is correct. DTS then DD but this is not without debate, personally I cant tell the difference. You can use DPLII and neo6 for stereo recordings to playback in multichannel. You should never use this when a discrete multichannel source (dd,dts) is available.

 

[Cees Alons]

I think what Cees meant to say was that most DVD players...

Yes indeed, thanks Michael (in fact I had to go look what I wrote instead ).

Cees

 

[Mike Matthews]

very helpful info, as always...

one last question - if i want to watch tv (analog signal) in surround sound, as opposed to 5 channel stereo, would i want to go with Pro Logic II or DTS Neo:6?

or is it pointless to use Neo:6 with my 5.1 setup?

 

[Michael Reuben]

DPLII and DTS Neo:6 are intended for use with 2.0 sources; this includes a lot of older movies that have not been remixed for 5.1. For your TV broadcasts, try both and see which one appeals to you more.

As for the choice between DTS and DD 5.1, you can find endless threads debating this. A lot of people proclaim anything DTS to be superior. Others (and I'm one of them) think it's largely a waste of space. If you're interested in the results of one set of "blind test" comparisons between them, check out this thread in the Software Archive.

M.

 

[Mike Matthews]

thanks, michael


oh yeah, one more thing...

is Direct only intended for 2 channel sources, as well? i listen to music in stereo (sometimes 5 channel, but usually just "stereo") - will Direct produce music from the 2 fronts and sub, like stereo does?

 

[dan-0]

Mike,

I have a Denon AVR2803. As I understand it, in 'stereo' mode, you can use the tone management (as long as the cd player is hooked up digitaly). In direct mode, the audio bypasses the tone management circitry, and thus should produce a cleaner sound. You can also select stereo, then turn off the tone management by pressing the 'tone control' button on the reciever to off. I'm not sure by doing this, if you are now in theorecticly in direct mode or not.

In the manual, Denon states that stereo or direct mode are your two best choices for audiophile stereo listening, but doesn't necessarly say one is the better than the other.

I don't have a very critical ear and have a hard time telling any difference while toggeling between stero, stereo with tone management off, and direct mode. I usually just go to direct mode, as it should provide the cleanest signal to your speakers.

 

[Mike Matthews]

thanks, dan-o

 

[Jonathan Dagmar]

By the way, there is no such thing as "Dolby DTS"....

 

[Mike Matthews]

i was just told that "Stereo" separates the audio into left and right channels, but "Direct" puts all the music through both speakers.

what do you guys think?


also, i was watching tv tonite, and wanted to try out the Dolby Pro Logic II feature. i flipped it on while watching a movie on HBO, and the sound only came out of the center speaker, from what i could tell. i had the volume low cause my roommate was asleep...

the fact that the tv signal is analog has nothing to do with that, right? do channels like HBO, MTV, NBC, etc... broadcast a stereo signal? what exactly is the difference between analog and stereo?

 

[Michael Reuben]

what exactly is the difference between analog and stereo?

It's the difference between apples and oranges (i.e., they don't really have anything to do with each other). Stereo denotes a two-channel audio signal; it can be analog or digital, and there are numerous alternative formats for digitally encoding a stereo signal.

M.

 

[Mike Matthews]

thanks, michael. i've have to keep playing around with it, i suppose. i just have basic cable - so i'll have to keep an eye out for which programs broadcast in Dolby.


what do you think of the whole Direct vs. Stereo thing?

 

[Michael Reuben]

what do you think of the whole Direct vs. Stereo thing?

I think you got a very good explanation of it in post #13 above.

M.

 

[Mike Matthews]

so you think post 13 is the correct answer, whereas post 16 is false info?