You've reminded me of something I read on here regarding DTS-MA and the processor musscle required to decode it. I believe this is the current restriction on standalones decoding DTS-MA? Has it been confirmed that no players on the horizon will be able to decode the MA on board ?? If so on the one hand I'm thinking that the EP35 then with DTS-MA Bitstream output would make sense... but then again..
if 90% or more of HD users are unable to decode this then how many titles will feature it??
I was also reading in the amp/reciever forum that not only do the players have to be able to output bitstream HD audio, but the discs themselves have to be authoured to 'allow' this. The interactive features that required onboard decoding in the player, has resulted in most discs not allowing this..
I'll have to see how common DTS-MA is already.. and then of course consider how likely I am to notice the difference on my humble set-up
I was reading ..
again on the forum.. that there's little noticable difference between bitstream and LPCM going to the amp in terms of audiable difference, apart from at lower volumes where Bitstream performs better..
Is this, and the quality of onboard upscalling, really the only difference between the players??
What about onboard storage for the web enabled interactive features etc etc.. I presume both have a bit?? But how much? Both seem to feature an "Expansion Terminal" (USB?) which I presume may be used for additional storage? But what about current on board storage?
***
Just been checking a US forum.. and it appears the EP30 and EP35 will only decode the core DTS track to LPCM.(at 1.5Mbps) Not the DTS-MA or the 'middle' spec DTS-HR. So the EP30 is unlikely to ever give you a DTS tracks above the core, where as the EP35 will allow you to send the DTS bitstream to your reciever giving you DTS-HR and DTS-MA. (with suitable reciever of course) In the same thread however, the point is made.. how many titles have the DTS-MA?.. The way I understood the DTS HD format, was that all DTS HD discs will have all 3 levels of the DTS as it is more a single item, with 3 levels.. Is this right? I guess the golden question then is what audiable difference is there between True HD and DTS-MA and will DTS-MA equiped titles always have True HD.. back to the search..
****
Ok, done some more reading and it appears that no one knows for sure what improvements the Ep35 will offer over the EP30 !
apart from Bitstream, analogue outs and deep colour as mentioned.. However the good news is the US is expecting these models soon.. so we should get some hands on reviews soon... I hope !
Deep Colour - It is as already stated an additional feature made possible with the HDMI 1.3a version. However you do need a compatable display, not sure if recievers with HDMI 1.3 just pass thru or not? Also though Deep colour is not part of the HDMI spec, so it is not required, just a possible addition to the discs if the studios wish... (And it has to be encoded on the disc, it isn't just a player process) so perhaps this will be a feature of the HD 'special addition, re-releases' a few years later..
Perhaps it'll never really happen ???
Bitstream v's PCM - this appears to be a hotley debated subject.. The EP35 will allow this with all formats upto and including DTS-MA the EP30 won't.. Yet although this flexibility, that most people have with their current SD set up, where both the amp and player can decode the sound and convert to analogue, allows for greater freedom there are reasons for the differing opinon in it's merits. Mainly with the spread of HDMI equiped players and recievers, capable of using PCM, the argument that it's better to pass coded bit stream to the amp, where it will usually perform a better D/A conversion than the player, is not valid anymore as the PCM is of course still digital, even if 'decoded' so there's no advantage with getting the amp to decode rather than the player, the amp will still do the D/A conversion..
There are also drawbacks to passing the bitstream. Many believe that the interactive features will not 'be heard' as this requires the on board decoding where the extra sound is added to the movie track.. So if you are outputting bitstream, you will loose some functionality. The possible advantages are the ability of the amp to accept PCM over HDMI or rather the way in which the amp handles both PCM and bitstream.. will some perform one better than the other. And if the amp used can apply various sound modes.. (such as THX 7.1 from 5.1) to both PCM and bitstream..
I guess we'll have a lot more answers before these players hit the UK.
It seems so far to me though.. as I expect you would hope, given the price difference, that the EP35 is simply more 'future proof' than the EP30... but then there are some features that may not be used for years.. or even become kind of pointless.. Yet the EP30 is more reasonablly priced, but I guess you are more likely to find a limitation in the future.. But will either player be a long term solution, HD-DVD may have finished specs, but experience tells me in 12 months there will be standard features I haven't even considered yet, and these may not be avaliable in the 3rd gen players.. so maybe a cheaper player now makes more sense..
Argghh.. it's tricky!