Today I changed a setting on my Panasonic bluray player while listening to CD's and thought I would share after I recognized the instant change in sound.
My bluray player is connected by HDMI and has a built in option to select HDMI as the output for audio or to allow the player to decide (auto).
I changed it to auto and the moment I did the SQ improved.
My player is still connected by HDMI but my AVR display confirms an analog signal is playing.

It sounds more complete.

What prompted you to experiment so wildly?

I changed 1 thing. Lol.
I didn't know it was there previously.
I certainly wouldn't have expected quite as much change.
More good news when I stop. Lol.

How does it feel to discover something new?

Did you know you could pass analog through HDMI? I've been under the impression its a digital signal cable.
I need to try on pure direct and see if the signal changes back/shows 2.1 or anything other than "analog".

Edit: With respect to experimenting I was sure I already had it on the best option (PCM).I would have expected the same sound from both settings given the same information is being sent over the same cable.

Edit:To confirm it already sounded good. Now it simply sounds better.

My hope is someone else will read this and experience the same change.

1% for free.

Yes, maybe others can benefit.

I always expected that HDMI cables could be used for analog signals. It's a very tight tolerance cable designed for digital and that also makes it great for analog. However, the distance has to be kept to within a few feet because the gauge is small.

I think the problem with PCM is it has to be converted at least twice before it gets amplified. If the conversions aren't clean, a lot of nasties degrade the signal.

So would you recommend an actual analog connection or switching back to Bitstream?

I recommend whatever sounds better. I'd expect analog to sound better provided the cable isn't ridiculously long and not immersed in an electromagnetic battlefield.