What is lost if AV Receiver doesn't have HDMI?

[Mr Peabody]

LJ tells you right.

Avoid running HDMI into your receiver. According to Dolby's website and other sources it's not likely that HD disc players will even be able to output a digital HD signal via HDMI.because it has to be encoded into the disc to allow it to bypass the internal decoder and this isn't likely to happen. If you are happy with the B&K, which is a good receiver, then keep it, there is NO reason to upgrade for HDMI. It would be a waste to upgrade just for HDMI. HDMI marketing is a scam. Sure some manufacturer's have it on there but it's various versions, some are limited as to the capability, some would even decode HD digital BUT will it ever see it. And, as LJ said, the HD disc players decode from the disc and send out a multichannel uncompressed analog signal that by all reports is incredible.

Unless DirecTV has something new it will only output 1080i at best and there is no HD audio. Satelite is only Dolby Digital and you'd be surprised at how many shows aren't even 5.1. Most modern movies in HD are though.

So if you run HDMI from the satelite receiver to your TV and the digital out to your A/V receiver you will be fine.

[gman086]

>>And, as LJ said, the HD disc players decode from the disc and send out a multichannel uncompressed analog signal that by all reports is incredible.<<

That's incorrect - HD disc players CAN decode HD audio but will send it COMPRESSED via analog and you lose the whole point if you ask me. Does it sound good? Sure! But the ONLY way to get TRUE HD audio is via HDMI ver. 1.3a which is now available. My new Sony S500 Blu-ray DOES output true uncompressed HD DTS and Dolby (one of the first players to do so) and the ONLY way to get the full benefit is to connect it via HDMI to a AV receiver that has the capability to decode it (and those are also just now available). So much for the "no need for HDMI 1.3 because no compatible formats" eh? It's here, it's NOW and the difference is amazing - go hear for yourself!

Have FUN!

G

[L.J.]

>>And, as LJ said, the HD disc players decode from the disc and send out a multichannel uncompressed analog signal that by all reports is incredible.<<

That's incorrect - HD disc players CAN decode HD audio but will send it COMPRESSED via analog and you lose the whole point if you ask me. Does it sound good? Sure! But the ONLY way to get TRUE HD audio is via HDMI ver. 1.3a which is now available. My new Sony S500 Blu-ray DOES output true uncompressed HD DTS and Dolby (one of the first players to do so) and the ONLY way to get the full benefit is to connect it via HDMI to a AV receiver that has the capability to decode it (and those are also just now available). So much for the "no need for HDMI 1.3 because no compatible formats" eh? It's here, it's NOW and the difference is amazing - go hear for yourself!

Have FUN!

G

I would suggest you go back and read more info on TrueHD. TrueHD can be decoded in the player and sent via MC analog or HDMI as PCM. I'm using a PS3 which decodes the TrueHD and sends it via HDMI to my AVR which is v1.2. I've been enjoying it for awhile now, thank you very much. Personally, I'd perfer uncompressed PCM. BTW, TrueHD & DTSMA are lossless but they are not uncompressed.

From Dolby regarding the player outputting decoded TrueHD via MC analog outputs or HDMI:
Multichannel Analog Connection
"A next-generation optical player may also include line-level audio outputs derived from the multichannel mixed PCM signal passed through digital-to-analog converters. The advent of SACD and DVD-Audio in recent years has led to the incorporation of 5.1 and even 7.1 external inputs on many A/V receivers. If your A/V receiver is equipped with 5.1 or 7.1 external audio inputs, the selection of an optical player equipped with 5.1- or 7.1-channel line-level outputs will provide full-bandwidth reproduction of the audio signal originating from your HD player. A connection through either of these existing interfaces will let you experience the full potential of the high-resolution audio delivered on next-generation optical formats."

From Doldy regarding TrueHD & AVR's:
Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus in A/V Receivers
"Eventually, A/V receivers will have direct access to Dolby® Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD bitstreams. We are working with the IEC and HDMI organizations to update data protocols to enable future versions of these high-bandwidth interfaces to carry these bitstreams.

To decode these bitstreams, the A/V decoder will need to support the updated data protocols, as well as incorporate these new decoding algorithms. In addition, it will be necessary to select HD discs in which the content maker has permitted the core 5.1 or 7.1 audio bitstreams to bypass the player’s mixing process and be sent directly to the digital outputs of the player. We expect that certain HD discs will permit this, but they may represent a minority of titles. In the end, the sound quality will be essentially the same as that of audio decoded within the player as PCM signals and transported through a current-generation HDMI connection to the A/V receiver."

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/techno...HD_avrs_1.html


From Highdefdigest:

"Dolby TrueHD
What it is: Dolby TrueHD is a "lossless" compression codec. Although it is compressed to take up less disc space than a PCM track, once decoded it is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master (at either 16-bit or 24-bit resolution, at the discretion of the studio). It may help to think of it like a ZIP file that holds a PCM track. Once you unZIP the file, you get a 100% identical copy of the original PCM, without compromising any sound quality.

How to get it:

HDMI - If the player does not support TrueHD, it will revert to the standard Dolby Digital track. Some players may decode the TrueHD to PCM and transmit it over any version of HDMI. Other players will instead transmit the TrueHD bitstream to a receiver for decoding (HDMI 1.3 required).
Multi-channel analog - Either the Blu-ray player will decode the standard Dolby Digital track, or (on some models) will decode the TrueHD and convert it to analog."

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/1064