How do you listen to DVDs? (1 Viewer)

[Jay Morrissette]

I'm a bit confused about all the playback formats.

When I first bought my DVD player it wasn't simple, but I think I understood it.

There was:
DD in 5.1 or stereo or mono.
DTS was only 5.1 (I think)
In some cases the stereo DD was Pro-Logic encoded. My Receiver would automatically recognize this.

Now I have a new receiver (Onkyo 898) and couldn't be more confused!??

It has:
THX Surround EX
DTS-ES 6.1 discrete/matrrix/neo:6 ???
Dolby Digital
Dolby Pro Logic II decoding

How do I know which format to use when I Watch a movie?

Did Pro Logic II replace Pro Logic?

What about movies like Star Wars Episode 1. What format should I use to hear the rear center as it was in the theater?


I consider myself a knowledgeable enthusiast. How in the world is a normal consumer supposed to handle all this?

While I'm on my rant- How can you tell an anamorphic DVD from the rest? Some will say Enhanced for wide screen tv, and others may say Anamorphic, but with many you just have to put it in and see what happens. It's embarrassing to have to re-start a movie when you have guests over because you can't tell what format to set the projector for.

Then there's the HDTV mess... I'll save that rant for another forum.


Sorry for the rant. Home theater is still quite enjoyable. I'd just like some more standards.

But in the mean time can you help me with the sound formats?

Thanks,
~Jay

 

[chella]

From your post I assume you have a 6.1 (or a 7.1) setup?
If so, my simple advise would be watch (DVD) movies in THX/DD EX. Leave it in this mode for all DD disks. If the disk contains DTS audio, then choose DTS-ES. In either case, the receiver will automatically switch to DPL when it detects 2-ch information. Between DPL and DPL-II, I prefer DPL-II.

 

[John Garcia]

Most or all of the answers are in this post.
Look in the second section: Software Concepts and Specifics