Looking best audio option w/Samsung bd-p1590 Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Aubie]

I have a samsung bd-p1590 player that i am running the audio from into a panasonic sc-pt770 theatre surround sound system via a digital optical cable. I have audio output options from the blue ray player for PCM, bitstream (re-encode), and bitsream (audiophile). I tried the bitsream (re-encode) as i thought that it would be the best choice, but I can't get any sound that way. The PCM and audiophile option gives me sound however. The surround unit is able to decode surround sound signals. Which is the best choice here for me. Thanks.

 

[Michael Reuben]

According to the specs listed at Amazon, your system has both DD and DTS capability. Therefore, "bitstream (audiophile)" sounds like the best option. You won't get the lossless formats offered by Blu-ray, but you will get very high quality digital sound. I recently explained this in greater detail in this post.

 

[Aubie]

Thanks.

 

[Aubie]

Well the audiophile setting worked great until i tried to play 2012. I gave me no sound at all. Why would Sherlock Holmes and Madagascar have audio with audiophile setting but not this movie?

 

[Ed Moxley]

If you have BD Live enabled, disable it, and see if it plays then.

 

[Aubie]

Ok, so I went through every audiocombination possible for both the player and the receiver and the outcome was Madagascar is the only movie that works the the Bitstream(audiophile) setting. None of the movies will work with the bitstream(re-encode) setting. The only way to get sound out of Sherlock and 2012 was to use the PCM setting. This does not allow me to use surround sound, only stereo. Madagascar plays in surround sound though with the audiophile. I am lost here and do not understand why the others will not give me a surround sound audio track. Please give any info/advice you could recommend. Use the other posts in this thread to see what my equipment is. Thank you.

 

[Michael Reuben]

It's difficult to give advice when the information you've provided is inconsistent:

Originally Posted by Aubie

The PCM and audiophile option gives me sound however.

Originally Posted by Aubie

Well the audiophile setting worked great until i tried to play 2012. I gave me no sound at all. Why would Sherlock Holmes and Madagascar have audio with audiophile setting but not this movie?

Originally Posted by Aubie

Ok, so I went through every audiocombination possible for both the player and the receiver and the outcome was Madagascar is the only movie that works the the Bitstream(audiophile) setting.

So first you said the audiophile setting works with multiple discs. But now you say it only works with Madagascar. Which is it?

As Ed has already indicated, the issue is probably your player's settings for BD-Live (also sometimes called "secondary audio"). These can affect digital audio output in unexpected ways, and player manuals are frequently unclear on the subject. I'm going to edit the thread title and relocate this thread to the hi-def hardware area; maybe someone who knows more about this player will chime in.

 

[Aubie]

It is only Madagascar that works with audiophile. I thought Sherlock Holmes did, but I must have been mistaken because today it would not work. I have lloked through to find the bd live in the menus for the player and the individual blue rays but have not been able to find any such things. I think it may be how the disks are formated(???). Maybe some issues with Dolby or DTS True HD? Another bit of information that may help: All of the previews and title menus for the movies have sound, the sound just stops when I select play movie.

 

[Ed Moxley]

Have you checked for firmware updates?

 

[Aubie]

Yes, the player is completely up to date. I got it to play Pro Logic II surround last night with the PCM settings. I would like to get the "real" surround if possible, but I can live with Pro Logic II.

 

[Brian McHale]

According to the manual, Bitstream (Re-encode) sounds like the correct choice:

"Decodes Primary, Secondary and Effect audio streams together into PCM audio, then re-encodes the PCM audio into DTS bitstream."

It also says "Recommended choice if you don’t have an HDMI supported receiver, but have a receiver with an Optical input that can decode DTS."

Is your receiver set up properly to receive DTS?

 

[Michael Reuben]

Originally Posted by Brian McHale According to the manual, Bitstream (Re-encode) sounds like the correct choice: "Decodes Primary, Secondary and Effect audio streams together into PCM audio, then re-encodes the PCM audio into DTS bitstream." It also says "Recommended choice if you don’t have an HDMI supported receiver, but have a receiver with an Optical input that can decode DTS." Is your receiver set up properly to receive DTS?

I was just about to ask the same question, having found the manual online. It's interesting that "bitstream (re-encode)" is the one option that Aubie says has never worked for him. That, plus the fact that 2012 (which is a DTS-HD MA title) isn't giving him any sound, suggests that his Panasonic system doesn't have DTS playback enabled (or has limited DTS capabilties). Also, Madagascar has a separately selectable DD 5.1 track, in addition to TrueHD. That's probably what he's hearing on that disc.

 

[Aubie]

The re-encode give me no sound for any movie. I have poured through the reciver manual many times and it is very vague(in my opinion, but I don't know much about this stuff) about audio setup options. I have tried all the setting combinations I can think to try with no luck, except for madagascar.

 

[Brian McHale]

I took a look at the manual for your receiver. Bad news: "Only Dolby Digital and PCM can be played with this connection." Since this unit has a DVD player built in, it looks like the digital input is for connecting your TV or cable/satellite boxes, which only use Dolby Digital.

Looking at your BD player manual again, it looks like PCM is your only choice. You'll only be able to get surround via Pro Logic II.

 

[Michael Reuben]

So the DTS capability is limited to the built-in DVD player? That's a serious limitation. Sorry.

 

[Aubie]

Oh well, I'll deal with until I get ready to updgrade my equipment. Thanks for the help guys. This is a very useful forum. Keep up the good work so us less knowledgeable folks can enjoy awesome video and audio quality.