Hello All! I'm setting up a new HT system and I am getting mixed reactions to what set up I need. I am looking to set up a 6.1 system but am being told that all I really need is a 5.1 system. I want to make sure that I'm ready to get the High Def DVD set up right.

What do you guys think.

Thanks,

Wynn

So far HD-DVD/BD's have only been released in 5.1. However they both support up to 7.1 So you should go 5.1 or 7.1, not 6.1. ;) 6.1 was for DVD's that only had a single matrixed (or discrete in DTS ES case) channel.

6.1 is as close to pointless as it is possible to get - unless you can only buy speakers in pairs (which is why I have a 6.1 setup).
The encoding options are essentially DTS only in 6.1, with the Cs channel being matrix derived from Ls/Rs, or genuine discrete.
It doesn't happen often.
Lord Of The Rings does this, Led Zeppelin's "How The West Was Won" is a 6.1 (from memory) and so are Midnight Oil's "Capricornia" & the Sheryl Crow "Globe Sessions".

People are trying to say 7.1 is the "next big thing", but I am sorry, I do not see it happening as the additional 2 channels have as many as 6 or 7 possible combinations:
SDDS type (5 front, 2 rear)
2 side, 2 rear.
4 rear
2 front height, standard 5 in other plane as per 5.1
front height & rear height
2 side channels, 5 front channels
2 side, 3 front & 2 front height channels etc

All these are legitimate options in the DTS-HD MAS encoder....
I would stay with 5.1 unless you really want to go the extra mile, and do not mind almost zero content. In which case I would go to 7.1
I am actually considering upgrading the studio to this, but I do not see myself getting bowled over with work though.

If you have a 5.1 source material what do AVRs that can output 7.1 typcially do? Only output to 5.1 speakers (leaving two spekers unactive) or do they typically send the two rear discrete channels to the sides and rears or ...?

If you have a 5.1 source material what do AVRs that can output 7.1 typcially do?They scale 2 surround channels to 4 surround speakers.

Sounds that are mixed mostly in the left or right surround channel are sent to the left or right speaker along your sides.

Sounds that are mixed more equally in the L/R surround channels tend to image inbetween (sounding like they're behind you). These sounds are extracted and sent to the speakers behind you.

So if a signal pans from the left surround channel to the right surround channel, that sound will move through all 4 surround speakers in a smooth arc from your left side to your right side. IF the processing existed, you could map that same movement to as many speakers as you wanted.

Sanjay

Just for the sake of complication (OK, not really just for that), how about 8.1? That is what I run: 3 LCR in front, 2 sides, and 3 LCR in the back. Rear center is run from a LR rear ADA matrix derived decoder. Rear center will work from any 5.1 source.

The 5 surround speakers are all identical and provide a really nice surround experience. Of course this is probably overkill .... overhead channel anyone?