I have an interesting situation and need some help from all the experts here on the thread. I have had a Toshiba 34HF85 TV (for watching dvds in the living room) for the last couple of years and decided to hook up my Sony BDP-S550 blu-ray up to it via the display's HDMI input after buying a new Oppo BDP-83 for my theater. obviously, the Sony can use all the scan rates and the Toshiba can use all but 1080p. I set my TV to HDMI and when I turned on the Sony, nothing. no set-up menu. no picture. the cable I was using was brand new but decided to switch to another never used cable and still no picture. tried hooking up through component and STILL no picture though I did get audio out of the TV from the blu-ray I was trying to play. I'm not too good when it comes to scan rates etc. and some home theater set-ups, but shouldn't this be working unless of course, the HDMI input on the Toshiba is bad. I have never used the input since I bought the display and it is only a little close to three years old. Am I missing something somewhere. I've scoured both manuals and can't figure out what might be going on. thanks for the help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikemoss1@gmail. /forum/post/17097321
Just bought a new pioneer elite vsx21 reciever. All works great EXCEPT that the reciever says there is an HDCP error when I try to play CDs with the TV off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digiti /forum/post/17106005
The Sony BD PLAYER is most likely set for a resolution that the Toshiba monitor cannot handle. Temporarily use a composite or S video cable as a low resotion hookup. Hopefully this will allow you to see the setup menu so you can chose 720p or 1080i or "Auto" to change the settings, then hook up the HDMI cable again.
Of course do not use the svideo or composite cable simultaneously with HDMI.
thank you very much for the help. it's great to have such a big safety net like this forum when things go wacky and drive you nuts. will try this tommorrow and hopefully be back in business.
Guys, need some info about Master Audio in HDMI and Muthichannel Anolog.My question is, is there any differents in the sound system?I'm using anolog connection and just curious about the sound system....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalai7275 /forum/post/17133396
Guys, need some info about Master Audio in HDMI and Muthichannel Anolog.My question is, is there any differents in the sound system?I'm using anolog connection and just curious about the sound system....
With HDMI, audio processing and the digital-analog conversion happens in the receiver. With analog, it happens in the player. So, any differences in audio come from the differences between your receiver and your player.
If I have my 550 audio set to 'direct,' i understand it is bitstreaming lossless audio to my Pioneer vsx21 reciever where the reciever does the decoding.
I can't get my head around how this bitstream works in practice.
If I choose an audio format on the BD disk menu, does the BD player stream this codec ALONE to to the reciever to be processed there?
If so, then the BD player is basically determining what codec reaches the AVR?
So if I want to change the audio format of a movie, I actually need to do it in the BD player, even though my AVR seems to offer a variety of different options like THX and PL?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikemoss1@gmail. /forum/post/17135463
Just some clarification please for a novice.
If I have my 550 audio set to 'direct,' i understand it is bitstreaming lossless audio to my Pioneer vsx21 reciever where the reciever does the decoding.
I can't get my head around how this bitstream works in practice.
If I choose an audio format on the BD disk menu, does the BD player stream this codec ALONE to to the reciever to be processed there?
If so, then the BD player is basically determining what codec reaches the AVR?
So if I want to change the audio format of a movie, I actually need to do it in the BD player, even though my AVR seems to offer a variety of different options like THX and PL?
There are two different types of processes involved here.
The first is the encoding/decoding process. A codec is a COmpression/DECompression scheme. Encoding zips up the original PCM file to save space. Decoding unzips it back into PCM. Encoded tracks cannot be "played" to produce audio. They must be decoded back into PCM first. Then, they can be played. Again, these codecs are actually just zip files designed to save space.
An encoded file can be decoded in a player or a processor. Sending an encoded file to a processor for decoding is called bitstreaming. For the most part, you can only bitstream a codec that is on the disc. You look at the audio menu on the disc and make selection from the available choices. If a BD has a TrueHD track, there's nothing the player can do to turn it into a dts-HD Master Audio track. Of course, there's no reason to do that since TrueHD and dts-MA produce identical PCM when decoded.
Once the track is decoded back into PCM, receivers can then do additional processing. ProLogic, DTS Neo:6, and various THX modes are called DSPs (digital signal processors). They are applied to PCM to alter the original recording. DSPs are used to matrix stereo sources into 5.1, 5.1 to 7.1, and to create effects such as "jazz club" or "super stadium".
So, to your questions....
Yes, if you bitstream a codec from player to receiver, the S550 sends that codec alone to your Pioneer for decoding and processing.
The BD player doesn't really determine what codec gets sent. You make that determination by selecting a track from the audio menu. If you don't make a selection, the player will send whatever track was set as the default when the disc was authored.
You can't change the audio format of a movie. If the disc has more than one audio choice, you make a selection onm the menu and that's what gets sent to your receiver. Once the AVR has done the decoding, turning the track back into PCM, then you may be able to apply a DSP such as PLII to modify the sound.
Hi guys, I am thinking of buying a used 550 and would like your input and personal experiences with this unit. Does it have great video quality, is it very good with upconversion on standard definition DVDs? Are there any blu-rays that it will not play? Any freezing, pixeling, etc. problems? Thank you very for your help in determining if I should buy the 550?
By the way I will be connecting the 550 to my Onkyo 805 receiver and Mitsubishi HD 1000 projector. Anyone have any handshake problems with the 805 or 1000?
Sorry if this a redudnt statement...i wasnt going to look for it in the past 112 pages but, has anyone herd of a new firmware update for the 550? I have the last update from april and i really shouldnt complain, I have no issues with the player. I am just so used to getting a update every 2 months...and when i had a HD DVD player i used to get them every month...I guess I am just always looking for the latest and greatest and am just surprised they havent updated anything lately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by golffnutt /forum/post/17137115
Hi guys, I am thinking of buying a used 550 and would like your input and personal experiences with this unit. Does it have great video quality, is it very good with upconversion on standard definition DVDs? Are there any blu-rays that it will not play? Any freezing, pixeling, etc. problems? Thank you very for your help in determining if I should buy the 550?
By the way I will be connecting the 550 to my Onkyo 805 receiver and Mitsubishi HD 1000 projector. Anyone have any handshake problems with the 805 or 1000?
I have had the s550 player since Black Friday and it has performed flawlessly with any disk I threw at it, purchased or Netflix rental. The BD playback quality is excellent the SDVD upconversion is acceptable to good. I feel my Oppo 970hd does a better job at SDVD upconversion but your opinion may differ.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digiti /forum/post/17141895
I have had the s550 player since Black Friday and it has performed flawlessly with any disk I threw at it, purchased or Netflix rental. The BD playback quality is excellent the SDVD upconversion is acceptable to good. I feel my Oppo 970hd does a better job at SDVD upconversion but your opinion may differ.
Quote:
Originally Posted by golffnutt /forum/post/17137115
Hi guys, I am thinking of buying a used 550 and would like your input and personal experiences with this unit. Does it have great video quality, is it very good with upconversion on standard definition DVDs? Are there any blu-rays that it will not play? Any freezing, pixeling, etc. problems? Thank you very for your help in determining if I should buy the 550?
By the way I will be connecting the 550 to my Onkyo 805 receiver and Mitsubishi HD 1000 projector. Anyone have any handshake problems with the 805 or 1000?
I've had the 550 for a little over a year and it has performed flawlessly. Had glitch with Lord of War blu-ray but it turned out to be a bad disc. Terminator 2 skynet edition was only disc out of about 4 dozen I couldn't get to play but I only tried to get it up and going about 3 times. Others have said it has played but takes forever to boot up. Everything else about the 550 is as solid as you can hope for. the analog outs sound great and PQ on my new 65" panny plasma has been extremely crisp and colors vibrant. I thought the menus were very easy to use and didn't have any problems with video or audio. Only played a few dvds in it and they looked fine. overall, a great player as far as I'm concerned and I was glad I waited for it to hit the market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIslander /forum/post/17133747
With HDMI, audio processing and the digital-analog conversion happens in the receiver. With analog, it happens in the player. So, any differences in audio come from the differences between your receiver and your player.
Quote:
Originally Posted by subavision212 /forum/post/17145430
I've had the 550 for a little over a year and it has performed flawlessly. Had glitch with Lord of War blu-ray but it turned out to be a bad disc. Terminator 2 skynet edition was only disc out of about 4 dozen I couldn't get to play but I only tried to get it up and going about 3 times. Others have said it has played but takes forever to boot up. Everything else about the 550 is as solid as you can hope for. the analog outs sound great and PQ on my new 65" panny plasma has been extremely crisp and colors vibrant. I thought the menus were very easy to use and didn't have any problems with video or audio. Only played a few dvds in it and they looked fine. overall, a great player as far as I'm concerned and I was glad I waited for it to hit the market.
Bought two last christmas, both performing flawlessly. I removed my oppo 981hd because I could not tell the difference in sd quality when compared to the 550's. No issues with netflix. Watched LOTR (sd) this weekend on a 60" xbr2 and not a huge difference from bd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iamthehunter /forum/post/17146187
Bought two last christmas, both performing flawlessly. I removed my oppo 981hd because I could not tell the difference in sd quality when compared to the 550's. No issues with netflix. Watched LOTR (sd) this weekend on a 60" xbr2 and not a huge difference from bd.
Thank you subavision212 and iamthehunter for taking time to reply to my post. Your comments are greatly apppreciated in helping me determine whether or not to buy the 550. Hope you have a great day.
People in other threads have mentioned that the idiots who wrote the Crank 2 menus require that you have an Internet connection and the USB memory stick plugged in to be able to get past the menus on a 2.0-capable player.
I am having the exact same issue with this movie. I have updated to the latest firmware which is VER019 and still have the same problem. Sony does not seem to know what the problem is either.
Hey Guys, considering the 550 for my setup via 7.1 Analog outs since my Sony ES receiver only processes PCM so no new Codecs.
Is there an appreciable difference when listening to the new hidef codecs as opposed to good ol Dolby Digital? If not then i'd simply leave it connected via Coax and let the receiver do the work
If i do use the Analog inputs, is there any audio menu functionality in the 550 that will allow me to taylor the output to my speakers such as subwoofer crossover/ speakers large small/etc?
My thought is while the added bandwith of the 7.1 Analog outs might be great, is it worth the tradeoff of no or limited audio setup/functionality?
Lastly, are there any players out there that have 7.1 analog connectivity AND the audio setup functions i'm looking for?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayhem13 /forum/post/17169349
Hey Guys, considering the 550 for my setup via 7.1 Analog outs since my Sony ES receiver only processes PCM so no new Codecs.
Is there an appreciable difference when listening to the new hidef codecs as opposed to good ol Dolby Digital? If not then i'd simply leave it connected via Coax and let the receiver do the work
If i do use the Analog inputs, is there any audio menu functionality in the 550 that will allow me to taylor the output to my speakers such as subwoofer crossover/ speakers large small/etc?
My thought is while the added bandwith of the 7.1 Analog outs might be great, is it worth the tradeoff of no or limited audio setup/functionality?
Lastly, are there any players out there that have 7.1 analog connectivity AND the audio setup functions i'm looking for?
Hi, I connect the BDP-S550 with my Yamaha Z9 analog 7.1. The sound is simply superb but until today i can't say that its the latest hidef codes sound that we get as what people get from HDMI output!!! I set the the Sony BDP-S550 speakers small and also the Yammy speakers small. Anyone there with any technical advise?
If your ES has HDMI 1.1, then you don't need to use analog. You can let the player do the decoding and send multichannel PCM to your receiver for processing.
Quote:
Is there an appreciable difference when listening to the new hidef codecs as opposed to good ol Dolby Digital? If not then i'd simply leave it connected via Coax and let the receiver do the work.
Not necessarily. The legacy codecs are encoded at higher bitrates on BD than on DVD and many say they sound as good as the loslsess versions.
Quote:
If i do use the Analog inputs, is there any audio menu functionality in the 550 that will allow me to taylor the output to my speakers such as subwoofer crossover/ speakers large small/etc?
You can set sizes, but the crossover is fixed. (Sony doesn't say where, but it is likely 120Hz.) You can adjust distances. That's about it for processing tools.
Quote:
My thought is while the added bandwith of the 7.1 Analog outs might be great, is it worth the tradeoff of no or limited audio setup/functionality?
The Denon 3800BDCI and some other expensive players offer complete processing toolsets that can be used prior to the digital-analog conversion.
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