i dont yet own a receiver capable of hdmi switching and am using ps3 as my blu-ray player outputting 1080i to my 720p samsung dlp with audio thru optical.

my question:
since i can only use the DD5.1 track on my movies, are the DD5.1 tracks on BD discs any different from the ones featured on DVD discs of the same title.

example being Casino Royale, will there be any audio quality difference between watching on BD and DVD?

hardware question: in order to output PCM lossless, will i need 7.1 setup? my current setup is 5.1 and i'm wondering if i will need an extra 2 speakers when i upgrade receiver?

i dont yet own a receiver capable of hdmi switching and am using ps3 as my blu-ray player outputting 1080i to my 720p samsung dlp with audio thru optical.

my question:
since i can only use the DD5.1 track on my movies, are the DD5.1 tracks on BD discs any different from the ones featured on DVD discs of the same title.

example being Casino Royale, will there be any audio quality difference between watching on BD and DVD?

hardware question: in order to output PCM lossless, will i need 7.1 setup? my current setup is 5.1 and i'm wondering if i will need an extra 2 speakers when i upgrade receiver?

It depends, but most movies so far with DD have had 640kbps tracks. Casino Royale, however, has the same 448kbps as the DVD. Monster House is another with a 448kbps track.

You don't need 7.1 for PCM or any other audio format. The vast majority of discs are 5.1 (or less for older films), and it will likely remain that way for some time. Most films, even today, are mixed for 5.1, but since the advent of DD EX in 1999, there have been some films that have been mixed for 6.1 channels.

Nevertheless, some people put together 7.1 setups where the 2 surround channels are processed into 4 speakers. The extra speakers can also be used in DSP modes on receivers, and a few PS3 games support 7.1 discrete channels of output.

thanks a bunch.