dishpan

i am researching getting into the whole HD/BR DVD thing. i have a lot of import dvds so i depend on the region free + upconverting player i currently have.

if i go the 360 hd-dvd / ps3 br-dvd route, do i need to get a newer receiver than the one i currently have? i have read a ton of posts on here and cant really figure out the answer to this one.

if no, is that because i can keep my current receiver and use it but it will not take advantage of the new audio capabilities of the nextgen formats?
sound quality is as important to me as video quality.

if yes, is the answer still yes if i decide to go with the LG or Samsung dual format player, rather than the game consoles? i am not clear on this point and still willing to go with higher priced devices, if i will see and hear the difference.

i kind of understand how the game consoles need to connect to the television inputs in order to maximize video quality, but how do they need to hook up to the receiver to take advantage of the best audio they offer? and does this change if they are stand alone nextgen players, rather than the game consoles?

i do not have a lot of space left in my home theater. if possible i would like to minimize or consolidate the amount of hardware i have. i know some hd/br players will also play and upconvert sd dvds. do any go up to 1080p (not just 1080i), and are any also region-free?

i realize there are multiple audio format options on the nextgen dvd formats. i also know that earlier waves of the nextgen hardware do not necessarily support all those audio formats, but some newer ones do (sometimes via firmware updates?). if you were me, what would you do?

thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice.
dan

Adam Tyner

The Xbox 360 add-on limits your audio options, and I don't believe you can take advantage of lossless audio with the PS3 without HDMI.

dishpan

thanks adam. can you clarify how the 360 add-on limits the audio? what audio does it not support? or is the combination with my receiver?
dan

Spiky

If you want to keep that receiver and still get the high quality of the new audio codecs, you need a player with 5.1 analog output. The XA2 HDDVD player has it, and most of the BD players. Neither of the game machines would work for you at all. But it is true that so far none of these support EVERY new codec.

Or you can wait for a combo player to save on space, someday they should be available. By the time a good one comes out, it should handle all the codecs. The discs aren't all that great so far, either. It's hardly a loss to wait, I watch HD material every day, just not from discs.

The Edit King

Adam Tyner

The 360 add-on doesn't have a way of passing through lossless audio intact, and I believe it mucks with Dolby Digital Plus audio by downsampling it for the same reason.

Spiky's post above sums up everything perfectly.

dishpan

thanks spiky. so for my clarification, if i wait for a dual format player that handles all the codecs, i can keep my current receiver and not be missing out on anything i need except for the region-free feature?
dan

Adam Tyner

As long as the dual-format player has six-channel analog output. You can't get this sort of lossless audio over coax or optical.

Spiky

Well, and no one can guarantee that this product will ever show up. I assume it will and for now I'm waiting for one, but you know what that means.

The only dual format player right now is missing at least one key HDDVD technology, I'm not even sure if it has the analog out or not.

dishpan

understood. thanks everyone.
the good news at least is it looks like i wont have to upgrade anything i currently have, and i may just have to purchase one new device at some point (rather than replace things).

dan