vladdo Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Without trying to get into too much detail, i'm after an amp that does DTS Master Audio and Dolby PureHD... anyone have a rough ballpark figure of what these go for? I currently have a 5 yr old Denon AVR-2805(i think)...and wouldn't mind upgrading it to the latest codecs.. i currently have a toshiba EP10 and a HTPC setup..
Topdog Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Sony have just released a new model which is supposed to do all that:STRDG820S.. RRP is $1199, but should be able to do better than that.. I'm starting to look at one as a replacement for my non HDMI Sony AVR. Still researching it, so can't tell you much..Go to the Sony web site for tech. details...It is a repeater type so it will pass video and audio over HDMI.
Ace_Beef Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Im not sure if its worth mentioning but the EP10 doesnt output bitstream as the HDMI is only ver1.2. As such getting an amp with the new codecs wont make any difference with this. Additionally i dont know if there are any HTPC sound cards available yet that output bitstream either. Just something to think about if these were the main reasons for wanting the new codecs.
vladdo Posted June 30, 2008 Author Posted June 30, 2008 Im not sure if its worth mentioning but the EP10 doesnt output bitstream as the HDMI is only ver1.2. As such getting an amp with the new codecs wont make any difference with this. Additionally i dont know if there are any HTPC sound cards available yet that output bitstream either. Just something to think about if these were the main reasons for wanting the new codecs. So you're saying that to be able to play DTS MA/DD PHD audio, it won't pass through SPDIF? It can only be sent via bitstream? if thats the case, i won't worry about it as i have no bitstream capable devices.. thanks guys..
Ace_Beef Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Theres a few threads on bitstreaming but basically the EP10 will decode the HD codecs internally and send it over HDMI to the receiver as LPCM. Therefor if you want these audio feeds from the EP10 any HDMI equipped receiver should be able to play them once they have been decoded at the player. Im sure there is someone else on these forums who can provide you with a better explanation if this isnt making sense.
Topdog Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 None of the HD sound formats will play thru SPDIF, not enough bandwidth etc etc. I'd say you're looking at new equipment. At the moment I'm getting by with analogue 5.1, which sounds quite awesome played from a Blu-ray disc. Still not convinced on whether to go the next step and upgrade.. Another thing to watch for is the HDMI version you have on each device because some audio formats will only play over HDMI if both ends are Ver 1.3...My Sony Blu ray player is only 1.2 and therefore most of the high end audio formats have to be passed as a PCM stream to your receiver... Head spinning??? It's not an easy subject and there are no easy answers....I wish you the best of luck.
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