Feedback for May 15th's Xbox 360 HD DVD Audio Update

Dr_Kn0w · 05-14-07, 04:07 PM

Hey all,

As I'm sure some of you are aware, Amir in the Insider's Forum officially announced the HD DVD audio update to be out tomorrow (May 15). I've decided to start a thread where everyone can post their feedback on the update, and well as post questions and answers.

Let's hope the update lives up to the 6 month wait. Please post your feedback here!

Rambler358 · 05-14-07, 04:18 PM

I'm not aware of this update. Could you maybe clarify what this update will do?

delrmx01 · 05-14-07, 04:20 PM

^ I think part of are DTS, "night mode" (not really sure what this was, and a few for disc compatibility-- just a few from what I've read. This is for the 360 add on correct?

3DCadman · 05-14-07, 04:22 PM

I believe it will also fix the Digital Video Essentials HDDVD bug that freezes the unit when you try to access the video tests. I have been stung by it.

Dr_Kn0w · 05-14-07, 04:43 PM

Here's what the HD DVD audio update will include on May 15th:

- Fix DD being stuck in "Night Mode" which is essentially Dynamic Range Compression leading to the sound sounding very flat

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DTS 1.5Mbps (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed)

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DD 640Kbps, (which it currently does, but will be fixed from the Night Mode bug), list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs that I may have missed.

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as WMAPro 1.5Mbps, (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed) for those receivers that support WMA.

- Option to enable/disable Night Mode (with the default set to off)

- Fix a number of disc incompatibilities (including DVD Essentials) as well as a number of Lip Sync issues.

This update is SEPARATE from the Spring Dashboard Update that came out on May 7, 2007.

This was supposed to come out a long time ago, as the problem was identified back in November when the HD DVD drive was launched. I hope this clears the air as to what we're all waiting for.

ack_bk · 05-14-07, 04:51 PM

It is Christmas in May for many HD DVD owners....

Too bad this did not actually come out in Christmas 2006

PARASITE · 05-14-07, 04:54 PM

All good except the wma pro is also 1.5mbs. And according to the xbox insider is the VC-1 of the audio codecs.

Rambler358 · 05-14-07, 04:55 PM

Thank you for changing the thread title. I was confused for a bit.

TwisTz · 05-14-07, 05:34 PM

A date! Nice.

... but what are we going to bitch about now!

Poltergeist · 05-14-07, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwisTz

A date! Nice.

... but what are we going to bitch about now!

24p

delrmx01 · 05-14-07, 05:53 PM

^^Lossless audio !

bori · 05-14-07, 06:03 PM

I richhhhhhhhh biiiiiiiiitch!!!!!

UxiSXRD · 05-14-07, 06:10 PM

What are the implications of the DTS 1.5 output when the original program was Dolby? This would be transcoding, right?

BuGsArEtAsTy · 05-14-07, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UxiSXRD

What are the implications of the DTS 1.5 output when the original program was Dolby? This would be transcoding, right?

Yes, transcoding.

However, the original program may be a DD+ 1.5 Mbps track and some believe that re-encoding that to 1.5 Mbps DTS or 1.5 Mbps WMA Pro might be superior to re-encoding to 640 Kbps Dolby Digital.

FWIW, some of the Toshibas only offer 1.5 DTS output and no DD 640 Kbps at all. One wonders why Toshiba chose this, especially since not all receivers support DTS.

UxiSXRD · 05-14-07, 06:18 PM

Right. I'm wondering if there is the possibility, if not likelyhood of this causing degradation of AQ, though. Obviously I'll try it out if/when it's ready...

What receivers accept WMA Pro anyway?

Dr_Kn0w · 05-14-07, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PARASITE

All good except the wma pro is also 1.5mbs. And according to the xbox insider is the VC-1 of the audio codecs.

Thanks, I edited my post to reflect this. Lets all hope this update was worth the wait!!!!

Dr_Kn0w · 05-14-07, 06:32 PM

Just an FYI.....I've heard a lot of people asking about how this update's going to come. From why I heard, you'll be prompted to update when you insert an HD DVD into the HD DVD drive (just like when most of us inserted King Kong into the drive for the first time).

This means it WON'T be an automatic update as soon as we log into Live (like the Spring Dash update). Hope this clears the air for those who fire up their 360 tomorrow and don't see the update and say "WTF?? Where's the update??!"

jagouar · 05-14-07, 06:33 PM

i know it hasnt been tested yet but will forcing the audio to DTS be the best since its 1.5mbit vs the 640 DD?

And I assume there will be an option in the system settings to do all of this?

Kevin Lowe · 05-14-07, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwisTz

A date! Nice.

... but what are we going to bitch about now!

HDMI w/ 5.1 PCM?

ptaaty · 05-14-07, 06:41 PM

This is great news...finally I can watch some of my DD+ only HD-DVDs without them sounding like crap.

The NIN disck was particularly bad because it had DD crippled by DRC and the TrueHD track was bugged and playing with high pitch static/chirps.

Hopefully the NIN disk is one of the bugs that are fixed (must be that is a well known and noted problem)

Preditor74 · 05-14-07, 06:42 PM

I have a quick question about this update...

I currently have a Sony Theater in a Box 550 Watt 5.1 surround system. My 360 is hooked up via Optical.

Will my recieve be able to recieve the 1.5Mbs signal with tomorrows update using DTS (which is does decode) or will I still be stuck with 640kbs?

Will I notice an obvious improvment in sound with this update and my little $250 surround system?

chad386 · 05-14-07, 06:43 PM

Sorry for my ignorance on this, but what option are most of you going to opt for your HD DVD audio? The DTS option sounds the best for me since my receiver supports it. Are there other considerations to explore?

PARASITE · 05-14-07, 06:58 PM

According to amirm the wma pro option is the best. His words was it was the VC-1 of the audio codecs. Problem is not too many recievers support this codec, however I have a Pioneer elite VSX59TXI which does whoooo hoooooo. I think all pioneer elite recievers support it. DTS would be my next choice if I didnt have wma pro.

UxiSXRD · 05-14-07, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Lowe

HDMI w/ 5.1 PCM?

Eh, just wait until the next SKU/revision of the Elite comes out. From Amir's statements this will almost certainly requiring engineering and hardware rather than a software fix.

BuGsArEtAsTy · 05-14-07, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Preditor74

I have a quick question about this update...

I currently have a Sony Theater in a Box 550 Watt 5.1 surround system. My 360 is hooked up via Optical.

Will my recieve be able to recieve the 1.5Mbs signal with tomorrows update using DTS (which is does decode) or will I still be stuck with 640kbs?

Will I notice an obvious improvment in sound with this update and my little $250 surround system?

You will hear a big improvement, but the reason is because right now DD on the 360 with HD DVD is broken.

ie. Even DD will sound much, much better after the update. Whether or not DTS is even better still is another question. On your system, probably not.

Dr_Kn0w · 05-14-07, 07:14 PM

I'm personally going to use DTS in almost every case. I've heard what this conversion sounds like on a Toshiba player, and I'm very impressed!

BuGsArEtAsTy · 05-14-07, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr_Kn0w

I'm personally going to use DTS in almost every case. I've heard what this conversion sounds like on a Toshiba player, and I'm very impressed!

You can't compare on the DTS-capable Toshiba players, because they don't have DD to compare against IIRC.

Caurus · 05-14-07, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy

You will hear a big improvement, but the reason is because right now DD on the 360 with HD DVD is broken.

ie. Even DD will sound much, much better after the update. Whether or not DTS is even better still is another question.

Exactly! When I watched the Planet Earth HD DVDs I was totally amazed by the great sound. And Planet Earth does not even have a spectacular sound, it is just plain DD - but this plays without the xbox bug - and compared to the usual buggy DD+ of the HD DVDs it sounds awesome. So the improvment with "real" movie sound will be huge - GARGANTUAN!

@Preditor74: Good news: you will be able to hear the difference. Bad news: the full dynamics might destroy your Sony HTiB. You better be careful when you crank it up!

DrCrawn · 05-14-07, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr_Kn0w

Here's what the HD DVD audio update will include on May 15th:

- Fix DD being stuck in "Night Mode" which is essentially Dynamic Range Compression leading to the sound sounding very flat

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DTS 1.5Mbps (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed)

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DD 640Kbps, (which it currently does, but will be fixed from the Night Mode bug), list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs that I may have missed.

- Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as WMAPro 1.5Mbps, (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed) for those receivers that support WMA.

- Option to enable/disable Night Mode (with the default set to off)

- Fix a number of disc incompatibilities (including DVD Essentials) as well as a number of Lip Sync issues.

This update is SEPARATE from the Spring Dashboard Update that came out on May 7, 2007.

This was supposed to come out a long time ago, as the problem was identified back in November when the HD DVD drive was launched. I hope this clears the air as to what we're all waiting for.

FYI, Relentless Enemies is apparently still NOT fixed with this update.

JasonD_ak · 05-14-07, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrCrawn

FYI, Relentless Enemies is apparently still NOT fixed with this update.

Hmm, I had been looking forward to this. Have you heard something specific? I assumed that the R.E. problem was due to "Basic" mode, blah, blah encoding and should be fixed per

"- Fix a number of disc incompatibilities (including DVD Essentials) as well as a number of Lip Sync issues. "

Guess I'll find out for sure tomorrow.....

05-14-07, 04:07 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
Dr_Kn0w Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 382	Feedback for May 15th's Xbox 360 HD DVD Audio Update Hey all, As I'm sure some of you are aware, Amir in the Insider's Forum officially announced the HD DVD audio update to be out tomorrow (May 15). I've decided to start a thread where everyone can post their feedback on the update, and well as post questions and answers. Let's hope the update lives up to the 6 month wait. Please post your feedback here! Last edited by Dr_Kn0w; 05-14-07 at 04:45 PM..

05-14-07, 04:22 PM	#4 \| Link
3DCadman Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Marysville, Michigan Posts: 124	I believe it will also fix the Digital Video Essentials HDDVD bug that freezes the unit when you try to access the video tests. I have been stung by it. __________________ Andy Around the survivors, a perimeter create! - Yoda

05-14-07, 04:43 PM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
Dr_Kn0w Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 382	Here's what the HD DVD audio update will include on May 15th: - Fix DD being stuck in "Night Mode" which is essentially Dynamic Range Compression leading to the sound sounding very flat - Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DTS 1.5Mbps (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed) - Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as DD 640Kbps, (which it currently does, but will be fixed from the Night Mode bug), list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs that I may have missed. - Option to output ALL HD DVD audio as WMAPro 1.5Mbps, (list includes DD+, TrueHD, DTS, and any other audio option offered on HD DVD discs I may have missed) for those receivers that support WMA. - Option to enable/disable Night Mode (with the default set to off) - Fix a number of disc incompatibilities (including DVD Essentials) as well as a number of Lip Sync issues. This update is SEPARATE from the Spring Dashboard Update that came out on May 7, 2007. This was supposed to come out a long time ago, as the problem was identified back in November when the HD DVD drive was launched. I hope this clears the air as to what we're all waiting for. Last edited by Dr_Kn0w; 05-14-07 at 06:27 PM..

05-14-07, 05:34 PM	#9 \| Link
TwisTz Obligatory Jackass Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 314	A date! Nice. ... but what are we going to bitch about now! __________________ Blu-ray - 47 HD DVD - 19 Latest Addition: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (BD)

05-14-07, 06:03 PM	#12 \| Link
bori AVS Special Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,636 Classified Rating: 100% (4)	The update is finally here!! I richhhhhhhhh biiiiiiiiitch!!!!!

05-14-07, 04:18 PM	#2 \| Link
Rambler358 Advanced Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 964	I'm not aware of this update. Could you maybe clarify what this update will do?

05-14-07, 04:20 PM	#3 \| Link
delrmx01 Rotary Rules Join Date: May 2006 Location: Simi Valley Posts: 783	^ I think part of are DTS, "night mode" (not really sure what this was, and a few for disc compatibility-- just a few from what I've read. This is for the 360 add on correct?

05-14-07, 04:51 PM	#6 \| Link
ack_bk AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,072	It is Christmas in May for many HD DVD owners.... Too bad this did not actually come out in Christmas 2006

05-14-07, 04:54 PM	#7 \| Link
PARASITE Advanced Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 761	All good except the wma pro is also 1.5mbs. And according to the xbox insider is the VC-1 of the audio codecs.

05-14-07, 04:55 PM	#8 \| Link
Rambler358 Advanced Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 964	Thank you for changing the thread title. I was confused for a bit.

05-14-07, 05:53 PM	#11 \| Link
delrmx01 Rotary Rules Join Date: May 2006 Location: Simi Valley Posts: 783	^^Lossless audio !

05-14-07, 06:10 PM	#13 \| Link
UxiSXRD Jedi Master Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,502	What are the implications of the DTS 1.5 output when the original program was Dolby? This would be transcoding, right? __________________ -- "No matter where you go, there you are." SXRD/Denon/Polk/PS3/360 Blu-ray bliss with the great PlayStation 3! SXRD Owner's Thread PSN: Uxi

05-14-07, 06:18 PM	#15 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
UxiSXRD Jedi Master Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,502	Right. I'm wondering if there is the possibility, if not likelyhood of this causing degradation of AQ, though. Obviously I'll try it out if/when it's ready... What receivers accept WMA Pro anyway? __________________ -- "No matter where you go, there you are." SXRD/Denon/Polk/PS3/360 Blu-ray bliss with the great PlayStation 3! SXRD Owner's Thread PSN: Uxi

05-14-07, 06:32 PM	#17 \| Link
Dr_Kn0w Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 382	Just an FYI.....I've heard a lot of people asking about how this update's going to come. From why I heard, you'll be prompted to update when you insert an HD DVD into the HD DVD drive (just like when most of us inserted King Kong into the drive for the first time). This means it WON'T be an automatic update as soon as we log into Live (like the Spring Dash update). Hope this clears the air for those who fire up their 360 tomorrow and don't see the update and say "WTF?? Where's the update??!"

05-14-07, 06:33 PM	#18 \| Link
jagouar AVS Special Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 5,446	i know it hasnt been tested yet but will forcing the audio to DTS be the best since its 1.5mbit vs the 640 DD? And I assume there will be an option in the system settings to do all of this? __________________ AggieFans.com http://www.bundyology.com/bal2.jpg "Pretty women make you buy beer. Ugly women make you drink beer." -Al Bundy-

05-14-07, 06:41 PM	#20 \| Link
ptaaty Techie Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bremerton, WA Posts: 671	This is great news...finally I can watch some of my DD+ only HD-DVDs without them sounding like crap. The NIN disck was particularly bad because it had DD crippled by DRC and the TrueHD track was bugged and playing with high pitch static/chirps. Hopefully the NIN disk is one of the bugs that are fixed (must be that is a well known and noted problem) __________________ Paul Taatjes

05-14-07, 06:42 PM	#21 \| Link
Preditor74 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 231	I have a quick question about this update... I currently have a Sony Theater in a Box 550 Watt 5.1 surround system. My 360 is hooked up via Optical. Will my recieve be able to recieve the 1.5Mbs signal with tomorrows update using DTS (which is does decode) or will I still be stuck with 640kbs? Will I notice an obvious improvment in sound with this update and my little $250 surround system?

05-14-07, 06:43 PM	#22 \| Link
chad386 Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 133	Sorry for my ignorance on this, but what option are most of you going to opt for your HD DVD audio? The DTS option sounds the best for me since my receiver supports it. Are there other considerations to explore?

05-14-07, 06:58 PM	#23 \| Link
PARASITE Advanced Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 761	According to amirm the wma pro option is the best. His words was it was the VC-1 of the audio codecs. Problem is not too many recievers support this codec, however I have a Pioneer elite VSX59TXI which does whoooo hoooooo. I think all pioneer elite recievers support it. DTS would be my next choice if I didnt have wma pro.

05-14-07, 07:14 PM	#26 \| Link
Dr_Kn0w Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 382	I'm personally going to use DTS in almost every case. I've heard what this conversion sounds like on a Toshiba player, and I'm very impressed!