PCM 5.1 (Uncompressed)

[AugustusBot]

So I buy a top of the line tv, a PS3, I watch Blu Ray titles in stunning 1080p...

And now I realize how behind my audio system is. This stuff never ends!! Obviously 7.1 and 6.1 (whatever those are) are superior (i guess? not so obvious then eh.), but almost every blu ray disc i've gotten so far has Dolby 5.1 and PCM 5.1 Uncompressed, and only American Psycho has had 6.1 DTS.

From what I read, digital / coaxial cables can't send the pcm 5.1 uncompressed signal, there isn't enough bandwidth. So now apparently I need a receiver with HDMI inputs in order to hear this superior audio signal.

Who knows when / if 6.1 or 7.1 will become 'the norm', so for now its looking like this Uncompressed signal would be worth investing in (not to mention any reciever i'd look at w/ hdmi would probaby support 6.1/7.1 anyways).

Ugh. Gotta save some money now, apparently i'm gonna be dropping another cash bomb soon. I hate audio video schtuff.

[Rossko_UK]

Well 7.1 and 6.1 are when you have 2 or 1 extra speakers to the regular 5.1 setup. 360 games only run in 5.1, and AFAIK so do PS3 games (could be wrong). I wouldn't worry too much, the difference isn't huge in my sole experience with 6.1, as 5.1 does the job just fine. If you're an audiophile though, then you'll probably want an upgrade at some point. For the average person, 5.1 is enough.

[wakeboardnmoto]

as long as the sound is really loud, not crackly, and the bass will throw you outta your chair then i dont care what kind of speaker signal/w/e it is im using :P

[Sage]

Like crabs in a bucket... fuck it(this whole sound thing, I agree moto.)

[kidkit]

screw 6.1 and 7.1

If you do go hunting for a new amp make sure the hdmi IN isn't VIDEO ONLY, the cheaper ones are...

What amp are you running now anyways? DD 5.1 still sounds pretty good unless you have rediculously expensive speakers.

[AugustusBot]

i probably won't upgrade til jan-feb, if then.
I'm running some sony amp from 2001. it has DTS and DD 5.1, and i live in an apt and dont have a sub hooked up anyways.

but when i do upgrade i definitely want one (and i still have a lot to learn on this front) w/ all the latest and greatest like Dolby TRU hd or whatnot i read about.

thats weird about video only. i heard a lot of lower end ones w/ hdmi sound don't support 1080p thru the hdmi in / output, so you couldnt use it to run sound from the ps3 then video to your tv. who knows. there's a lot to learn, and stumbling thru AVSForum makes my brain hurt sometimes w/ the overload of information you get.


all i know is my current stuff isn't the best. :P. so naturally, i want more.

[kidkit]

well.. start with the amps that support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD - then narrow it down from there. I'm guessing this would cost you close to $1200 or so US. worth it? yeck... I'm in the same boat as you - I have a Marantz amp from about 2000... I would love to replace with an amp to have all my inputs and then only have a single video out (HDMI) to my tv, but at what cost?