what's all this decoding stuff?? (1 Viewer)

[Deborah*T]

I was going to buy some speakers seperate from my new DVD player but I am completely flummoxed.
Here is where I am at so far:
I am going to buy a standalone player at the end of the month (currently using PS2 with hifi speakers) and will probably get a cheaper end Pioneer multiregion. This of course, does not come with a 5.1 decoder.
My question is this:
Do I absolutely have to have a 5.1 decoder? Will I still be able to wire up surround sound speakers to it and then save up for an amp with a decoder?
Where can I get a cheap amp with a decoder??? This is all so terribly expensive but I feel I am on a roll just now and I may as well just buy the lot.
Cheers

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Your DVD player does *not* need a built-in decoder. Don't worry about it. You'll still be able to get 5.1 surround sound without one in the DVD player.

Here's a quick bit of terminology for you: an amp with with a sound decoding processor built into it is usually referred to as a receiver.

Now, if you buy a receiver with a built-in decoder, you will be able to get 5.1 surround sound. Just make sure that it can decode Dolby Digital and DTS mixes. When you hook the DVD player up to the receiver, use either the optical audio input or the coaxial digital input. These will give you 5.1 sound for movies.

 

[Deborah*T]

Thanks Jeffrey. Will I be able to hook speakers up to my DVD player in the meantime without a receiver? In other words, before being able to afford the expense of a decent receiver, will I be able to hook speakers up to it just to get a fairly good sound (albeit not proper surround sound)

 

[Carl Johnson]

All DVD players have the same kind of coax audio outs that you use to connect PS2 to hifi speakers.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Will I be able to hook speakers up to my DVD player in the meantime without a receiver?

No. The output from a DVD player will not drive speakers without some sort of amplification.

M.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

You cannot hook speakers up directly to a DVD player unless the DVD player is one of the "all-in-one" types that include an amplifier. The output from a DVD is either line-level or digital stream and neither one can be routed directly to speakers. Line-level needs to be amplified in order to power the speakers and a digital stream (DD or DTS) needs to be decoded and then amplified. In short, yes you need at least and A/V receiver for true surround sound.

 

[Deborah*T]

Cheers everyone. I knew I would still have my hi-fi sound (it's hooked up to the telly) but I wondered if I could hook up extra speakers to the DVD player. I suppose I could hook up another 2 speakers to my hi-fi but I think I will jsut wait and stick with my hi-fi the way it is just now until I finish being a student. I saw a great Sony speaker + amp set for £200 but it will just need to wait. Something to look forward to when I get a "real" job.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yeah, you can't hook up speakers directly to the DVD player. You can though, in the meantime hook the stereo outs from your DVD player into your stereo, as you have your game system hooked up currently.



No, you wouldn't want to do this, because you'd still be getting stereo, just through more speakers. Not worth it. And FYI Sony is not really worth your time, look for better speakers and electronics when the time comes.