Surround sound

[Steve Burling]

Hi folks hope I am in the correct place.

Looking into getting HD TV and stepping into the new sound formats. I have been a "Home Cinema" nut since the late 80's when Yamaha were the leaders and Pioneer lead the way with the Laser Disc players. I am familiar with the 2 sourround sound formats in that era ie Dolby Digital (AC-3) and the better DTS, but now days there are alot more that are connected to the HD format. Would someone give me some advise as what sound does what, and whats better than what, and a lowest to best, and what to look out for when looking to purchase BD ?????? I will only be running a 5.1 system when eventually set up.

I hope you get the gist of what it is I am asking, so if there is anything I have missed out or got wrong please put me right

 

[davepuma]

I would start by reading these:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/av-a...06-attempt-explain-high-definition-audio.html

HD audio explained

To be honest, you can't go wrong these days. All the latest bluray players (profile 2.0) and AV receivers have HD audio decoding. It's obviously easier to set the AV Receiver to do it. That way you get the nice lights on the amp display telling you what you are hearing. It is only with secondary audio e.g. commentary and some extra features found on the latest discs, that the decoding has to be done in the player (sent as LPCM to the Receiver). It makes no difference where the decoding is done. People sometimes equate different volume levels as being better/worse. Unfortunately it is hard to compare but ultimately it makes no difference.

If you visit the relevant sub forums you will get advice on which kit is the best to buy but you can't beat a demo so that you can see/hear any apparent differences for yourself. If I was buying today, I would stick with a budget player (sub £300) that loads quickly as the 1080p/24fps and bitstream performance is pretty much on a par.

 

[Steve Burling]

Cheers for that I will enjoy reading.

I have a Denon AV Receiver 3805 (No HDMI)
Sky HD
Looking to get either VT20 or G20 46/50 Panasonic (want a 46 but like the look of the VT20 but don't do 46) If any one has either of these 2 TV's would appreciate if there is a noticable dif in PQ as looking for best I can.
K4 M&K surrounds
Looking for either K7's LRC or M7 yet again any advise would be helpful.
Rel Q100E sub
Arcam DVD DV79 SD player with HDMI
Looking at getting BD Oppo 83/ or 83 SE as sounds amazing on forums on here

 

[davepuma]

Split your questions into separate sub forums. You will get a better response and a better chance of reaching your target audience. For M&K speak to David at hifix, he's a big fan and knows their range inside out.