gar0u

Couple of questions:

First of all, I tried searching for variations of; 6.1 dvd player. All my key words were too small! Tried reading some faqs, http://www.dvdtalk.com/dtsinterview.html, but I still have some questions.

I just bought an Onkyo HT-R510 6.1 Home Theater setup. Did some reading here, and elsewhere, and it seemed to be the best system for the money I was willing to spend ($500).

Brought it home with the new LotR: Two Towers extended discs today, eager to hear horses and orcs throughout the living room.

I'm getting familiar with home theater hook ups and all the lingo, but I do already know my way around an audio studio. So I'm sure there's plenty of reading, researching, and optimizing to do before I'm happy with the sound, but...

I don't think I'm getting 5.1 or 6.1 or Dolby Anything(tm) out of my setup. I think all I'm hearing is a stereo signal through all six speakers; maybe PL II (is that 2.0?).

I have an old, entry level dvd player; Panasonic DVD-RV30. And I *know* it doesn't decode Dolby. But my question is, does that matter? Isn't it the receiver's job to decode the audio? I had my dvd player hooked up with component cables before, so I just have a left and right rca cable to plug into the receiver. The receiver has six RCA inputs, labeles sub, front, center, etc. I thought maybe those had to have input to get 6.1, but what about optical, or S-video? So that can't be right.

The receiver manual said that if an appropriate signal wasn't detected, that the mode wouldn't be available. I only had Pro Logic II modes available, and no Dolby Digital or DTS-EX.

Sorry for the long post. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking I need a new dvd player, or at least an optical cable, to get the data off the disc, through the player, and to the receiver.

NikePenguin

To get Dolby Digital or DTS, you need to use either a coaxial or an optical connection from your dvd player to your receiver. For DTS, your player has to specifically state that it can pass the DTS signal - not all players can do this. If you don't have coaxial or optical, you will need a new player.

You don't need to worry about the 6 RCA inputs on your receiver. That is what is called 5.1 inputs for use with a dvd player that can decode DD.

gar0u

Cool! Thanks for the info. I was hoping it was just a cable issue.

I'm pretty sure my old player doesn't do DTS, it does have an optical out. I'll pick up a cable tomorrow and see what that does.

Thanks again.

D-Ball

The optical cable will do the trick. The RCA cables can only carry an analog signal, but the optical or coax cable is needed for DD 5.1 and DTS. Also, I checked and your player does have a DTS decoder.

steebo777

Dolby PLII is a 5.1 sound field, with the two rear center channels being matrixed, as opposed to discrete, which is what DD5.1 and DTS5.1 are.

emoxley

gar0u.........
There is something else to check............ Most dvd players ship from the factory with the dts feature turned off. You will need to go into the dvd's setup menus and turn on the dts. THAT and DD outputs should read as BITSTREAM...........
Good luck!