Standalone Dolby Digital Decoder (1 Viewer)

[Daniel S]

hi,
i am planning to switch to digital sat tv, because of the perfect video and audio quality and the ability to receive dd5.1 sound. my actual setup is a sony str-de245 sourround receiver without built in dd-decoder but with analog 5.1 input. i didnt need a dd-decoder because my dvd has one built-in. i am very happy with that solution, but, you see the problem, a digital sat receiver only has a digital optical dd-audio output. now i need a decoder. only a simple box with one or two optical ins and an analog composite 5.1 out. that would be enough. i found this and this. i thinks these things would do it, but they have too many features and so they are too expensive.
does anyone know a simpler product? because for the price of the technics i also would get a new AV-receiver with built-in dd-decoder...

thx

 

[Philip Hamm]

Not sure what you found. It should be fairly easy to find a stand-alone DD decoder for your needs on the used market for about a hundred bucks or less. Check Ebay, this site's for sale section, audiogon, etc.

 

[Mike.W]

You'd be happier with a new receiver overall. Sony's consumer line of receivers leaves a lot to be desired, and you've clearly outgrown your current one. Perhaps an Onkyo TX-SR501 or 601, or the Pioneer VSX-D912K would suit your needs. Harman Kardon also has some good lower end receivers though I am not very familiar with them. With a new receiver, you'd get a better feature set of surround decoding (DTS-ES, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital EX being the most important) than with a stand-alone DD decoder, plus you'd get the digital inputs you need. I think you'd find it a worthwhile investment.

Mike

 

[John S]

It is true, unless you have a very high end older unit.

6.1 Quality receivers can be had for under $200..

 

[Daniel S]

oh, forgot to make links out of the "this's".

h**p://formen.ign.com/news/19818.html
and
h**p://w**.creative.com/products/product.asp?prodid=9468

i am using the h**t because i am not allowed to post urls until i have 15 posts... =P

thank you all...

 

[John Garcia]

You will be much better off with a new receiver.