Decoder question...

110murphys

OK... so I'm about to swap the pass-through S5100 for the 606 (that's on a different post...), and was comparing features on the Onkyo site.

The S5100 has:
DOLBY decoder --- PLIIx, DD, DD-EX
DTS decoder --- DTS, ES, NEO6, 96/24

The 606 has:
DOLBY decoder --- DD Plus, TrueHD
DTS decoder --- DTS-HD Master Audio

So being ignorant, I might say "well... the S5100 has more decoder possibilities"... but you guys in this forum have spoken highly of the 606, so that must not be as important...

I've got a Panasonic BD35 Blu-ray, and the XBOX 360 w/HDMI using the Sony SXRD 55" and using HDMI cables throughout.

What are the pros/cons of the different decoders with that setup?

Thanks!

deadhead68

Get the 606 and enjoy. It will decode everything you can send it via Blu-ray and cable/satellite.

DeadHead68

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audionoob

Deadhead - the OP asked basically my same question - but mine is more geared towrd you answer. When you say it will decode anything you can send it..... do I understand that it does this on its own? Is there action needed on my part to make that happen? I have asked this in a new thread - but as I read through these - your answer is almost the info I need. Does the receiver decode all the formats on its own, or do I have to do something?

BIslander

audionoob - You need to set up the receiver, of course.

By default, it's set to detect and decode DTS and Dolby formats on the digital inputs. So, yes, it will decode everything on its own straight out of the box. But, there are listening modes to configure for some types of inputs and you need to do the basic speaker setups and run Audyssey.

110murphys - The 606 has the legacy decoders and DSPs, too (DD, DTS, PLIIx, etc). Then, it adds the HD decoders (TrueHD, DD+, dts-MA, and DTS-HD HRA).

Bigloww

As stated above, the 606 will do it all.. The 606 has the decoders built in for lossless Dolby True HD and DTS HD-MA.. So with the BD35K, you can send it via PCM (decoded inside the BD35K) or bitstream (raw) and let the 606 do the decoding. Will sound basically the same either way, but you have the choice. The 360 only does DD 5.1 via bitstream optical/HDMI, so the 606 will decode that as well.

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