Ears On

Dolby and DTS Go HDMI

Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 6, 2006

Memo to early adopters of HD DVD and Blu-ray: HDMI 1.3 will support every surround codec in the Dolby and DTS stables. How I wish I could leave it at that. However, only DTS-HD Master Audio requires the full monty of HDMI 1.3, which is a good thing, since HDMI 1.3 isn't here yet. Because HD DVD and Blu-ray players have surround decoders, panners, and mixers built in, lowly HDMI 1.1 or 1.2 will transfer decoded signals for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. In fact, even the player's 7.1-channel analog-outs will support all these new surround goodies at full resolution. Using the old-fashioned digital coaxial or optical outs will down-res the signal to Dolby Digital at 640kbps or DTS at 768kbps. There you go. Knock yourself out. I'll continue milking this thing Monday.

COMMENTS
raneil's picture
Submitted by raneil (not verified) on October 7, 2006 - 6:55am

Okay, your one of the really guys so, can you tell me what is rhe situational relationship between dvi as used in most front projectors and, the deep colour resolution of hdmi 1.3. To further clarify, will a dvi input capable of 1080p resolution be able to absorb the full detail enhancement of the new digital interface?

Joe Hafner's picture
Submitted by Joe Hafner (not verified) on October 7, 2006 - 10:31am

Are these new HDMI format improvements contained solely in the cables, or will I need to upgrade my display and/or DVD player?

Mark Fleischmann's picture
Submitted by Mark Fleischmann (not verified) on October 7, 2006 - 12:00pm

To Raneil: You can *physically* bridge DVI and HDMI with an adapter. But you can't assume that features of HDMI 1.3 will be compatible with a DVI-equipped display. As far as I know, DVI is equivalent to HDMI 1.0. The only way to get full HDMI 1.3 functionality will be between two HDMI 1.3 devices (when they become available).To Joe: You'll need to upgrade your DVD player to Blu-ray or HD DVD to get the new Dolby and DTS surround codecs. They will eventually migrate into other products but their first use is in BD and HD DVD.

Bob's picture
Submitted by Bob (not verified) on October 8, 2006 - 10:36am

I'm currently looking at in wall speakers, I almost purchased the floor standing Martin Logans but now in the wall make sense. Should I buy the Martin Logan in walls or do you recommend another brand? I just got rid of 2pairs of Mirage M1 and love the sound but need something in the wall. Looking to spend less than $4k for the fronts and $2-3k for the rears. What do you recommend?

Mark Fleischmann's picture
Submitted by Mark Fleischmann (not verified) on October 8, 2006 - 3:31pm

This is a little off-subject but.... Martin-Logan makes great speakers. You may also want to check out the BG Radia, reviewed by someone else in our July issue. I heard them at CEDIA in 2005 and they sounded amazing.

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