Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Receiver decoding vs source decoding

What is the point of the new receivers with all their internal decoding of the lastest formats when the source players also do the same decoding ? I'm looking for a solid, powerful receiver but the more I research, the more I get overwhelmed with the decoding and especially the video features .. If the BD player decodes the BD formats, then why do I need it on the receiver ?

Also, if my source is already 1080P or 1080I, what do I care about all the " up converting " features ? but they all seem to have it and make a point of showing it off .. big deal.. I have an Anthem AV20 with video in and I have never used it. I plug my dvd player and sat box directly to my tv.. not my pre-pro or receiver..

This is like when the first DVD players came out, the player did the AC3 and DTS decoding, the receivers did not.. then the receivers did and the players no longer did any decoding..

So, is this the same situation again and we are in the "transition" period until all receivers decode and none of the players do ?

I makes it difficult to choose !..

I like it when people answer their own questions. Yes, it is very, confusing.

I suspect that decoding will migrate to the receiver because all the content people want to push it as far down the chain as possible. I'm sure that Sony would love to put the decoders only in the display.

So people can have a choice. Some die hard audio nuts swear up and down that there is a difference, but I sure can’t tell and every year when I get my hearing tested, the techs tell me my hearing is well above average. It is cool to see the indicator lights tell me I have DD-TruHD and DTS-Master coming into the AVR, but that’s about all I get out of it. I suppose why it’s so debated is that it’s new and up till very recently, no player or receiver could decode DTS-Master.

Video scaled and de-interlaced in the receiver or the display does make a difference. Some do it better than others, but most don’t do either well. For BR/HD 1080P source inputs, there’s no reason to mess with them at all. However, 1080i from cable / satellite can be greatly improved by a good video processor as well as 480i from DVD. 480i from satellite / cable….forget it.

Also, depending on the "current-ness" of your receiver and whether it can do HDMI switching (let alone 1.3a), when the Blu Ray player does the decoding, you have to send the audio out via analogue cables (which are fine, don't get me wrong) using a pcm signal. The problem that I perceive (and face) is that the Blu Ray players do not adjust the sound field to compensate for room irregularities. That is, when a Blu Ray player is outputting the 5.1 signal (whether it be DTS-MA, TrueHD, DD+ or the standard DD or DTS), there is no chance to monkey with the paramaters to adjust for volume or distance, since (at least on my Yammy), those features are disabled when I use the multi-channel in sectio of the receiver.

At the end of the day, I think it will come down to a versatility issue. Having the receiver control the soundstage simply makes more sense than requiring each different component to be tuned accordingly. I don't think that the time has yet come for a person with a good reciever to upgrade simply for the satisfaction of seeing the little lights go on, telling you that you're receiving a TrueHD or a DTS-MA signal.

In re: upscaling - the issue is really with legacy discs (read: standard DVDs). Assuming you're going to get rid of your standard DVD player when you purchase a Blu Ray unit, you'll want it to do a good job upconverting that signal to match your TV's resolution. Great debate is had about this topic. At the end of the day, the choice on where to do upconverting (because it will happen somewhere in the chain, whether you like it or not), should depend on which device has the best chips. So, using a cheaper model HDTV, one might defer to the player to do the upconverting. With a more expensive, higher end HDTV, you might want to let the TV do all the scaling. Others might want the player to de-interlace and the TV to upscale. Again, it all depends on the chips in each device.

The other reason to run your video through your new receiver, whether you allow it to upscale or not, is that it overlays the GUI onto the display, which is extremely handy for all of the complicated setup options that the new crop of receivers have available. Just make sure when you're shopping, if this is important to you, that you confirm the GUI can be overlayed on all output resolutions and connection types. Even some of the newer receivers are limited in their ability to output the GUI over HDMI and at all resolutions.

Thanks guys for your wise words.

I have narrowed it down to either the NAD T765 or the Onkyo TX-SR705 or 805.

I'm leaning towards the NAD, but the Onkyo has more " features" than the NAD..trying to decide if those features are actualy required ie: DTS-HD Master audio and DD-HD etc..

The NAD has less bells and wistles, but is more upgradable with the removable boards. I think the power stage is better on the NAD, but Onkyo is no slouch either.

This is to drive an EPIC 500 package with a HD Projector and BD
drive.

If anyone has any advice regarding those 2 receivers, I would love to hear it.

Thank you

Riker

The PS3 decodes and sends PCM via HDMI.

Riker,

Too many issues with Onkyo's for my taste, but many folks around these parts love them....on paper that is. I don't have one, and I would not take serious advice from anyone who doesn't have one either.

Not real sure if the NAD plays nicely with HDMI or not. They've been behind the curve from its inception. Take it from someone who’s been fighting with HDMI from the beginning…..you want to find a processor that gets along well with it or you’ll be in constant frustration. I think Denon is leading the pack in this regards, and for that reason, I would look to Denon first. They have several new models coming out this fall. One of which I’m sure will fall within your budgetary constraints and offer everything you are looking for.

I know one forum member from kansas city (haylo75) had an onkyo 805 that kept shutting down when powering the m80's. I think this was at LOUD listening levels though.

Please note that HDMI switching does NOT mean that the receiver can handle the newer formats.

I can't speak to either of the receivers you're interested in. But if you're going to buy a new receiver, I think it's a good investment to get both TrueHD by Dolby and DTS-MA decoding done by the receiver.