DV29 and Multichannel HDMI

[Bill4]

Can anyone tell me what does the 'Multichannel HDMI' setting does as opposed to 'Bitstream 6ch' after the v5.25 firmware update?
I can find no documentation on this in the DV29 handbook (PDF) or anywhere else.

I can only get 2ch 48KHz output when it's set to either when I play 5.1ch DVD-A trough my Denon AVC-A11XV Amplifier.
When I play DVD-Video and it's set to 'Bitstream 6ch', I can get 5.1 sound.

In otherwords, I can't get 5.1ch from DVD-A regardless of the setting I use.
Since Coax does not carry multichannel DVD-A, the only digital option is HDMI.
I would like to use HDMI for everything.

Also, when the setting is on 'Multichannel HDMI', the picture shifts 1/3 of the screen width to the right, cutting off the right hand side off complately. This is no good for movies or when the DV29 is in setup mode. My display is the Loewe SL32.

 

[Engineer]

Hi Bill,
The 'HDMI Multi ch' setting is the only setting that allows multi channel PCM audio to be transmitted on the HDMI.
On the old software the 'bitstream/6ch' setting would also allow it.
The reason for the change was because when giving out multi channel high resolution audio over HDMI, the DVD player has to do something called 'pixel doubling' (720x480p > 1440 x 480p), in order to make enough room for the extra audio data (the audio is sent in packets during video blanking periods).
Not all displays can tolerate pixel doubling. Your system is a good example: while the Denon receiver will work with pixel doubling, the Loewe TV that is downstream of it will not, because it is a DVI display (only HDMI devices will work with pixel doubling), hence the strange shift in the image.
So, if you want to listen to DVD-A, the only way is to connect the 6 channel analogue output from the DVD player to the receiver, and leave the menu setting on 'Bitstream/6ch'. With this set up you can still use the denon to handle the Dolby decoding for DVD-Video if you like.

I hope this helps

 

[Bill4]

Wow! Thanks Engineer.

Update: I can now get 5.1ch output from Dolby D and DTS sources with pictures over HDMI when the DV29 is in 6ch bitstream mode, but only stereo from DVD-A disks. When the DV29 is in HDMI multi ch mode, I can get 5.1ch from Dolby D and DTS sources as well as 5.1ch from DVD-A disks over HDMI.
But...

Strange that you can have DVD-A without any pictures or moving images, but the player still has to do pixel doubling.
My Loewe is Hi-Def compatible and I have verified this by going all the way up to 1080i inc. all the progressive modes using a Denon DVD3910 loaned to me. Strangely, I did not notice any problems regarding this pixel doubling, but I was busy playing with 1394 connectors and comnparing the 720p and 1080i output to the Arcam DV29's. The Arcam is better.
The Denon Amp shows this pixel shifting behaviour when no DVD player is connected to it, only by pressing the setup menu. Since there is no pixel doubling involved (Acording to the Loewe info screen) and no DVD-A is involved, I dont understand why it behaves the same way.

In conclusion, I think a firmware update to the Denon amp can solve the problem. In the mean time, I can have Dolby DD and DTS output with no picture problem over HDM when the Arcam is in 6ch bitstream output mode, or have DVD-A playback over HDMI with useless picture when in HDMI multi ch mode.
One day maybe all digital devices can talk to each other...but I will not hold my breath.