Audio Connections:
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HDMI
HDMI has high Definition Digital Video and Digital Audio. Different versions offer different levels of support for Audio and Video Signals, but all versions are capable of ATSC video standard resolutions, 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and the DVD related compressed formats (Dolby Digital and DTS)
Starting with version 1.2 supports SACD. With version 1.3 supports new lossless digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.
* HDMI Cables
The Good:
Supports just about any digital audio format you could want, but this also depends entirely on the associated equipment.
One connection!
SACD DSD audio support for capable devices.
Can support TrueHD and DTS-HD 7.1 PCM lossless audio to receivers capable of handling it, and will support bitstream for Receivers capable of decoding the new audio formats.
The Bad:
Audio format support is dependant on the equipment.
Support for any audio features at all seem to be completely optional.
The Ugly:
Some Receivers do not even support HDMI audio even though they have HDMI connectors.
Many confusing levels of Audio support over HDMI - See AVS Forums Future proof Receiver discussion thread
Many HDCP issues effect both video and audio.
A/V Receivers HDMI decoding support of new Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD are just now (spring 2007) being announced, even with many HDMI "equipped" receivers in the field.
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Stereo Analog Audio
connections use red and White color coded "RCA" connections. These support stereo and often mono analog audio.*Stereo Cables
The Good:
Pretty simple and we are used to it.
Can support quite excellent sound quality.
The Bad:
No surround sound - unless you use your receiver for that wonderful "Disco Hall" sound processing algorythm.
The Ugly:
That wonderful "Disco Hall" sound processing algorythm.
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Digital Audio
connections, Coax on left, Toslink Optical on the right. Digital Coax uses asingle orange color coded "RCA" connection. These support "AC3" Dolby Digital (5.1, etc.), DTS, S/PDIF.*Coax Cables
The Good:
Easy, one cable connection for multiple, discrete, surround sound channels.
Sounds pretty great (depending on equipment)
The Bad:
No SACD, DVD-A or the new Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD high resolution sound formats.
Optical cables have length restrictions unless they are "special".
The Ugly:
No SACD, DVD-A or the new Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD high resolution sound formats. Listen to a great recording on one of these formats on a nice system and then listen without. Maybe not ugly, but quite surely "lacking".
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*Toslink Cables
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Analog 5.1 (6.1, 7.1, etc) Multi Channel Inputs for Surround sound
. The color coded "RCA" connectors are still red and White, designating "analog" but insted of "L" and "R", you have "C" (center), "FR" (front right), "FL" (front left), "SL" (surround left), "SR" (surround right), and "SW" (subwoofer). For 6.1 you get a rear center and with 7.1 you get really-no-really-rear left and rights as well. Surround sound analog connections on computer sound cards use "mini" stereo phone plug connections instead of RCA's since they are smaller.*Analog 5.1 (etc) audio cables
The Good:
If you don't have digital connections you can still have discrete channel (Dolby digital/DTS) surround sound.
Can be used with SACD, DVD-A, HD DVD players and Blu Ray players to get SACD, DVD-A, TrueHD and DTS-HD into the receiver even if it does not have HDMI inputs capable of handling it.
Can sound spectacular if the Source and Receiver are of rather nice quality.
The Bad:
Problems with "Bass Management" (subwoofer levels) are common. Most receivers don't "do" bass management on the multichannel analog audio inputs. The Source should handle this in any case, so the receiverdoes not have to convert the signal to digital for processing and then back again for amplification.
The Ugly:
Many sources and receivers have poor quality digital to audio (DAC) or analog to digital (ADC) converters. Even many with high resolution audio format support.
* Denotes links to our products
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HD DVD and Blu Ray - Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Audio Support
The new HD Audio formats - Dolby TrueHD andDTS-HD offer very high resolution Audio that can sound quite spectacular. The tricky part at this time is getting the sound from the player into the Receiver/Processor. In fact, some Blu Ray and HD DVD players offer only limited support, even though they are the only devices capable at this time of decoding these Audio formats. Receivers and Processors have been announced and should start appearing in the summer of '07, but there are real reasons that the players can be a better choice for decoding. The AVS forum thread "5.1/7.1 PCM, HDMI, and DSP - An Explaination of the Future-Proof receiver " is a great resource for the latest information on this topic and we suggest checking out any receiver by searching this discussion for any information on a particular Receiver before buying.
The Problem? Receivers and Processors currently available do not know how to process the high resolution formats, so you are stuck with using the Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack which is also provided on the disc *or* you can output the soundtrack via 5.1 (or 7.1) multichannel analog outputs from the player to the Receivers multichannel inputs *or* you can output the audio in PCM digital audio via HDMI to an HDMI equipped Receiver that can handle HDMI audio. Some of us don't care about 7.1, we just want 5.1, and some of us don't care if the Receiver can actually process the PCM audio as long as it can play it back, and some of us don't care if the Receiver does Bass management properly, etc, but those are all things you need to decide about and investigate before making a purchase. Got a headache yet?
Dolby TrueHD (link to Dolby website)
DTS-HD (link to DTS website)
HDMI
You can get TrueHD or DTS-HD from the player to the receiver as uncompressed PCM over an HDMI 1.1 or above connection. This means the Player and Receiver need to have HDMI 1.1 or above.
If you Want to use the Receiver as the decoder, you will need a Receiver capable of decoding the formats and both receiver and player must support HDMI 1.3 and you would use the "Bitstream" output option.
This will use the "DAC's" on the Receiver to convert the digital audio into analog, so if you feel you have better quality DACs on the Receiver, this is best. If you have no choice, like with the PS3 which has no multi channel outputs, you must use this method.
* HDMI Cables
Analog 5.1 (6.1, 7.1, etc) Multi Channel Inputs for Surround sound.
Let the Receiver do the decoding and digital to analog conversion and connect the multichannel outputs of the receiver to the multi channel ins on the receiver.
This will use the DAC's on the player, so if you feel the player has better DACs, then this is best.
*Analog 5.1 (etc) audio cables
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