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DTS & Dolby Digital decoding in DVD player?

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DTS & Dolby Digital decoding in DVD player?

Old 11-02-00, 10:37 AM
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Can someone please explain the point of having DTS and Dolby DIgital decoding in your DVD player. I mean if my reciever decodes the DTS and Dolby DIgital why would I need my DVD player to do this as well. I am asking becasue I am looking at the SOny 5-disc DVD players and the main difference seems to be that the $450 one has built in DTS and Dolby DIgital Decoding and the $350 model does not. On a side note, I am considering waiting for Sony to include EX and ES on their models - does anyone know if you will have to have both a EX and ES capable player and reciever in order to enjoy this feature on discs? and will next years Sony models most likely include EX and ES? Thanks in advance for clearing this up for me!
Old 11-02-00, 10:43 AM
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If your receiver can do the decoding, then you don't need a DVD player that will.
Only people with a "Digital-Ready" receiver will really benefit from having the player doing the decoding.

Anyone else help out on the ES/EX question?
Old 11-02-00, 10:56 AM
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I am under the impression that you need an EX/ES decoder to get the full advantage of this feature. I beleive if you do not have it, your system treats the signal as normal DTS or DD. If it were my choice, I would definately wait for a model with EX/ES - just one less thing to fall behind on
Old 11-02-00, 10:58 AM
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quote:<HR>Originally posted by Movie_Man:
If your receiver can do the decoding, then you don't need a DVD player that will.
Only people with a "Digital-Ready" receiver will really benefit from having the player doing the decoding.
<HR>


Not just people with a "Digital-Ready" receiver will benefit. People will a receiver with built-in Dolby Digital decoding and a 5.1 channel input - but without built-in DTS decoding - will benefit from a DVD player that can internally decode DTS-encoded soundtracks and send the signal out on a 5.1 channel output.
Old 11-02-00, 11:28 AM
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I also have a question about dts and dd. I have a panasonic dvd player. The problem i have is that certain movies that i play i hear the background music more than than what the actors are saying. Any suggestions as to what i can do about this.

THANKS IN ADVANCED
Old 11-02-00, 11:50 AM
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I also have a question about dts and dd. I have a panasonic dvd player. The problem i have is that certain movies that i play i hear the background music more than than what the actors are saying. Any suggestions as to what i can do about this.
THANKS IN ADVANCED

Have you tried calibrating your speakers? Maybe your center channel is set to low in respects to your fronts. Just a suggestion.
Old 11-02-00, 12:20 PM
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Moving to DVD & Home Theater Hardware forum.

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Old 11-02-00, 01:01 PM
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I think it is very important for you to get the DD/DTS decoding in the receiver and ignore DVD players with decoders.

The main reason is that most players don't have DTS decoding -- they only pass the DTS bitstream. Just because you see the DTS logo and the product says it has a decoder usually means it is a Dolby Digital decoder only. Always read the fine print. Pairing an item, such as the 5-disc Sony DVP-C650D, with a DD-ready receiver will not give you DTS sound. I have seen a number of people make this mistake lately. The best solution is to make sure that the receiver has DTS decoding, and you'll never have to worry about this.

Unfortunately, built-in DD decoders are almost difficult to avoid nowadays, because companies are now including them as a standard feature and not allowing a cheaper, decoderless alternative. So, many times, you'll just have to buy that model and "waste" the extra money on some built-in DD decoder that you don't need.

As a rule of thumb, I have noticed that most DTS-decoding DVD players run over $500. If you are paying less than $500 for a single-disc DVD player, you probably don't have built-in DTS decoding. (A quick check of Sony's site shows the DVP-S570D at a MSRP of $599.)
Old 11-02-00, 01:08 PM
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In response to the EX question: with EX soundtracks becoming fairly prevalent, I would imagine that across-the-board EX decoding will become a reality soon. You will need a "special decoder," but because the rear center is only matrixed, it really amounts to little more in the decoding process and the additional power needed for the speaker. Based on that, I would guess that Sony probably will have entry-level EX receivers next year.

You won't need to replace the DVD player, because the signal should be passed along any digital connection. The key is in the receiver, which needs to recognize the EX plag and extrapolate the rear center. (BTW, many people have created their own EX environment by adding a DPL receiver to the rear channels of standard DD, and if you're adventurous, have the equipment, and a mind like Dr. Frankenstein, do a search and find out how. Might be worth a test spin.)
Old 11-02-00, 06:03 PM
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quote:<HR>Originally posted by roger_d:
I also have a question about dts and dd. I have a panasonic dvd player. The problem i have is that certain movies that i play i hear the background music more than than what the actors are saying. Any suggestions as to what i can do about this.

THANKS IN ADVANCED
<HR>



Go to Radio Shack and get a sound level meter. The catalog number is 33-2050. Then get a reference disc like Avia and calibrate your sound following the directions carefully. There can be a big difference in DB level if you don't take these steps. Hope this helps it did for me.



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DTS - You don't know what you are missing!
Old 11-02-00, 08:05 PM
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A seperate DD/DTS decoding source (i.e. Reciever), will give a better sound than one built into a reciever, because the main purpose of a reciever is to DECODE DIGITAL AUDIO, while the decoding for a DVD player is 2nd in priority to playing the Video...

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