From what I understand the only audio paths that can support the bandwidth needed for Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master/High Resolution Audio is HDMI ver 1.3 or the multichannel analog. The Toslink Optical or Coax are not up to task, but will work for the lower bitrate Dolby and DTS mixes (but still better than what we have with standard DVD) that are included on HD-DVD for compatibility. There are limited HD-DVD titles with Dolby TrueHD tracks, such as Phantom of the Opera.
I believe the same is true for Blu-ray's multichannel PCM audio- only HDMI or direct analog inputs on a receiver can handle it.
As long as your receiver as free multichannel analog inputs you can run the HDMI direct to the display and bypass the receiver, and still get the new audio formats.
YMMV.
Last edited by dllewel; 09/14/06 10:39 PM.
