# Decoding question



## mlundy57 (May 21, 2013)

When it comes to audio formats such as DTS MA or Dolby True HD does both the Blu-ray player and the receiver/pre-amp need to be able to decode the format or just one of them.

For example, would you be able to listen to the full HD audio with an older receiver or pre-amp that would decode DTS or Dolby digital but not the Master Audio or True HD formats connected to a Blu-ray player that has the DTS MA and Dolby True HD decoders?


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

On a newer receiver, either can do the decoding if and only if the receiver has 5.1 or 7.1 analog, line level inputs. The choice depends on which unit has the best D/A chips.

If the newer receiver does not have multichannel analog inputs, then the HD audio is transmitted with the video from the blu ray player to the receiver via the HDMI connection.

On an older receiver that does not process HD audio via HDMI, then the solution is to buy a blu ray player with multichannel analog outputs and connect them to multichannel inputs to the receiver. If the older receiver does not have multichannel analog inputs and it cannot process HD audio via HDMI, then DTS or Dolby Digital is the best format that the system can process.


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## mlundy57 (May 21, 2013)

Thanks. 

I didn't explain the question well enough. What I am wondering is if I were to buy a 3 year old preamp that has 1080P HDMI 1.3 connections and built in decoders for DTS and Dolby Digital but not for DTS MA or Dolby True HD can I get the HD quality audio using the Blu-ray players DTS MA or Dolby True HD decoders and pass the signal as LPCM, via HDMI, to the preamp?

The reason I ask is that if I wanted to move from an AVR to something like a Rotel preamp the new models with HDMI 1.4 and HD decoders are well outside my price range while a used unit with HDMI 1.3a inputs and no HD decoder is affordable, provided that would work.

It doesn't make sense that the decoders would need to be in both the player and preamp. The signal can only be decoded once. 

Mike


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

If your BD player decodes the audio into multi-channel PCM, your pre-amp doesn't need to be able to decode. It just has to be able to accept (via HDMI) and play multi-channel audio. And it should.

Example (sort of): One of the shortcomings of my Marantz SR6003 is that it cannot simultaneously decode DTS-HD MA *and* apply Audyssey processing to it. So I have my OPPO BD player decode all the audio all of the time, and pass it as multi-channel audio to my Marantz, which can then apply Audyssey processing to it all of the time.


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## mlundy57 (May 21, 2013)

Thanks


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