A Simple, If Daft, Question(?)

Brian Nunn

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I now have a Yamaha RX-A670 receiver. I see that it simultaneously supports Dolby Surround, Dolby Atmos, DTS-X for replay of DVDs/blu-Ray or streams. Like I say, it's probably that kind of question but how do I select which mode I want, if my blu ray (for example) supports BOTH Dolby Atmos and DTS-X?
 
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are audio formats and not modes you'd select. The audio coming into the AV receiver would need to be encoded as such and be inclusive of the metadata associated with Atmos or DTS:X in order for the receiver to portray it. You'd be best advised to engage the STRAIGHT mode on the receiver in order to prevent other processing interfering with the processing and the portrayal the audio as it was intended to be portrayed.

Blu-ray or UHD disc players don't specifically need to support Atmos or DTS:X in order for them to be able to output them. The Atmos or DTS:X metadata is packaged with more conventional channel based audio, in the case of Atmos this would be Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital PLus and in the case of DTS:X then this would be DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS-HD HR. All the Blu-ray player need is the ability to bitstream the channel based audio that the metadata is pacjaged with. The player doesn't even detect the presence of the Atmos or the DTS:X metadata. The AV receiver would however detect the metadata and process it accordingly.

You should set your player to BITSTREAM audio via HDMI and ensure that SECONDARY AUDIO option is turned off on that player. BITSTREAM means that the TrueHD or DTS-HD MA encoded audio with which the Atmos or DTS:X metadata is packaged will be output to the AV receiver for the AV receiver to decode. You do not want the player to do the decoding because you'd lose the metadata by decoding the audio onboard the player.

Also note that the AV receiver will only acknowledge the presence of the Atmos or DTS:X metadata if you've a setup that accomodates the portrayal of such formats. In the case of Atmos then you'd need at least a 5.1.2 or a 7.1 setup for your AVR to acknowledge the presence of Atmos metadata. You'd also be advised to disengage Neural:X upmixing if wanting the AV receiver to acknowledge the presence of Atmos and portray it. As previously suggested, the best way to do this would be to set the AV receiver to its STRAIGHT mode.

As to the film discs themselves. Very few titles will include both Atmos and DTS:X. Discs are more commonly encoded with one or the other and not both. If you were to encounter one of the very few discs that has both then you'd select which soundtrack you'd prefer via the films own audio soundtrack selection menu. Most titles inclusive of a 3D object based soundtrack come with Atmos and Atmos is by far the more popular of the 2 as far as the studios are concerned.
 
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Thanks for your input. So am I right in thinking that if the disc boasts DTS-HD then my AV receiver which is DTS-HD compatible will automatically output it?
 
Thanks for your input. So am I right in thinking that if the disc boasts DTS-HD then my AV receiver which is DTS-HD compatible will automatically output it?
If you do find a disc with both DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD you will have to select the soundtrack on the player. The disc may very well have a default soundtrack and if left to play automatically the default audio will be played by the receiver.
 
In some cases the disc will not automatically choose what I would consider the right choice. Case in point, Ready Player One always selects DTS-HD instead of Dolby Atmos although my system can play both.
 
I always cycle through the available Audio tracks on a disc.
Sometimes I get lucky & find a LPCM track hidden behind Dolby-Digital.
 

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