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Racin929
Avid Contributor I
April 20, 2013

Solving the 5.1, DTS issues with the Playbar

This thread is specifically for those who are trying to understand the Playbars 5.1 and DTS issues.

As most of you know the Playbar does not convert DTS signal. It also will only convert 2.0 to SIMULATED PCM 5.1 signal. If you can live with the simulated signal, then you are ahead of the game. IF you want PURE unadulterated 5.1 from your DirecTV or Cable, you WILL most likely have to buy a switch like this one. http://www.monoprice.com/products/7974
Or a Bluray converter like this one.
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/

MOST tvs will not convert true 5.1. There are some on this thread that say they do, but most dont. I found this out the hard way by buying one of Samsungs highest end tv's, only to find out that 2.0 is all im ever gunna get.
A $75 switch is a bargain IMO to have such sound to the Playbar the way it is intended. IF you want 1080p up convert video and and 5.1 audio, then a simular Bluray like the Oppo is for you.

Concerning movies that are only on DTS:
Oppo can convert the DTS signal to PCM 5.1 as well. I do not know about the Switch, because I do not have one.
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    205 replies

    Show previous replies
    jgatie
    jgatie
    June 1, 2013
    Hi Andy,

    you're right, of course. But nonetheless, I think the difference from upmixed stereo by sonos, or dolby prologic in the past to discrete 6 channel sound like dolby digital 5.1 is tremendous.

    I am sure there is also an improvement from DD5.1 to DTS or DTS-HD. But honestly, with my last setup (Denon receiver + fully wired Canton 5.1 set) I was never able to tell the difference between dd 5.1 and dts.

    So my guess here is that upmixed stereo -> dd 5.1 is like a 6 to 10 improvement, while dd 5.1 -> dts(hd) is maybe a 10 to 11 or 12 improvement and some people like me even can't tell the difference.

    But hey, I am pretty happy with the sonos system now that it is tweaked to support it's full capability :D

    You aren't alone. In double blind listening tests where the soundtracks are known to be from the same masters (I believe the Lethal Weapon series DVDs were used), the findings were that DD 5.1 was indistiguishable from DTS. Like much in the audio world, many DTS mixes are "cooked" to sound "better", usually by just bumping the volume, some with entirely new mixes. Especially true for films by Steven Speilberg, who just happens to own a stake in DTS (I know you are as shocked as I am to hear that ;)).
    655321
    Trending Lyricist I
    June 2, 2013
    That's exactly what I thought. It's louder but not different.

    ...and for the Spielberg thing... that's not possible. Not in our perfect world! 😃
    ecp23
    Contributor I
    June 27, 2013
    Hi, this link doesn't work anymore

    'IF you want PURE unadulterated 5.1 from your DirecTV or Cable, you WILL most likely have to buy a switch like this one. monoprice.com/products/7974

    Anyone have the product name and model number?

    Thank you.

    -- Ed
    mgutt
    mgutt
    Enthusiast II
    June 27, 2013
    Hi,

    try this:

    Sound Settings -> optical output -> from the selectable formats only chose "Dolby Digital 5.1", unselect everything else (the grey ones can't be unselected, that's ok)

    (I have Audio Multi-Output set to "off", but that probably doesn't matter )

    Video Settings -> BD Audio output format (optical digital) -> Bitstream (Mix)



    With these settings I get wonderful DD5.1 from every BluRay 🙂

    What do you think? You can check the output within the Sonos Controller app under "Settings".

    Did you verify that it is DD5.1? I think it will fallback to LPCM but this would be a ok, too.
    http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/hd-101-how-to-use-dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd-with-your-ps3/
    Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA and the PS3
    It is helpful to think of Dolby True HD and DTS-HD MA as "zipped" versions of the audio tracks that allows the Blu-ray disc to store more data (useful when space has to be reserved for other stuff -- like video, for example). Just like zip files, when you decode the Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA tracks, you get an identical copy of the original audio -- this is why it's called "lossless." On Blu-ray discs, the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA codecs can bundle up to eight channels of lossless audio information, each channel with up to 24-bits resolution at a 96kHz sampling rate, commonly referred to as "24/96." However, the PS3 cannot send these formats over HDMI for decoding in your receiver.

    First, the good news. What the PS3 can do is decode (unzip) the Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA lossless audio and send it to your receiver as a multichannel linear PCM (LPCM) stream, which just about any modern receiver can decode. The LPCM audio is identical to the Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA original format, so no quality is lost.

    Now, the bad news. An annoying side effect of sending the "unzipped" LPCM rather than the "zipped" Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA is that the receiver's Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA indicator will not light up because it's not decoding Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD MA -- the PS3 already did the decoding. Instead, the receiver will (correctly) indicate that it is receiving a LPCM signal.


    In 2008 it seems not to be available:
    http://forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-ray-hardware-general-discussion/60733-ps3-sound-down-converting.html

    Maybe a later firmware release of the ps3 made it possible, but I can't find any information regarding that.
    Racin929Author
    Avid Contributor I
    June 30, 2013
    Hi, this link doesn't work anymore

    'IF you want PURE unadulterated 5.1 from your DirecTV or Cable, you WILL most likely have to buy a switch like this one. monoprice.com/products/7974

    Anyone have the product name and model number?

    Thank you.

    -- Ed

    http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=7974&seq=1&format=2
    mgutt
    mgutt
    Enthusiast II
    June 30, 2013
    Will it convert? I think it will only distribute the dts signal through toslink.
    Racin929Author
    Avid Contributor I
    June 30, 2013
    i just got it. works great. if i need to convert dts, i will use the Oppo blu ray player. I use the monoprice switcher for the dierctv genie that has NO optical out.
    Danish
    Lyricist I
    July 8, 2013
    On page 64 of the OPPO BDP-103 player documentation (google for BDP-103_USER_MANUAL_English_v1.6.pdf ) I read that DTS source material is always sent as DTS (whilst in variants) on coaxial/optical.

    I am no expert in this field so any help would be appreciated before I spend 3 grand on a setup that would not sound like intended on contemporary DTS-only material.

    I wanted to get this very BD player anyway, but I really begin to question my planned Sonos purchase.

    Thanks in advance.
      Racin929Author
      Avid Contributor I
      July 9, 2013
      On page 64 of the OPPO BDP-103 player documentation (google for BDP-103_USER_MANUAL_English_v1.6.pdf ) I read that DTS source material is always sent as DTS (whilst in variants) on coaxial/optical.

      I am no expert in this field so any help would be appreciated before I spend 3 grand on a setup that would not sound like intended on contemporary DTS-only material.

      I wanted to get this very BD player anyway, but I really begin to question my planned Sonos purchase.

      Thanks in advance.

      The Oppo will down convert DTS to PCM. It works great. I Have done this myself with a Bluray Star Wars DVD
      mgutt
      mgutt
      Enthusiast II
      July 9, 2013
      And the Oppo Player is the only one on the market doing that?
      Show more replies
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