Cheap DTS decoder for wdtv or go for xtreamer?

What country do you live in?


Xtreamer is priced in Euro, so it depends what currency your country is on to make it a cheap alternative or not.

Another option (not particularly fun) is to add an AC3 track to your media files. For my ts/mkv Blu Rays that has HD Audio I remuxed in an AC3 track to be played on non DTS decoder devices (such as the SageTV HD200).

If all you plan on is hooking it up to the TV to watch than sure, get the one that does DTS downmixing. If you have any plans on adding a CD/DVD player, or speakers than go for the cheap DTS receiver.

Depending on where you live, there may be other media extenders supporting DTS downmix availble at a similar price point. So you may not need to confine your list to only include the Xtreamer.





As far as standalone decoders, they are a bit hard to come by nowadays. Three that come to mind are the Technics SH-AC500D (which may be listed as Panasonic in some regions), the Klipsch ProMedia DD-5.1, and the CreativeLabs DDTS-100. The former two support DD, DTS, and DPL. The latter supports DD, DD-EX, DTS, DTS-ES, DPL IIx, and DTS NEO:6 iirc. Also, I believe the former two use standard RCA outs, while the latter uses miniplugs (there are readily available miniplug to RCA cables).

These have 6 or more RCA outputs, as they are intended for use with the multichannel analog inputs on older receivers. However, I suspect they can be configured for downmixing, as that is a pretty standard feature for DD/DTS decoding. I would recommend you look up info on that though.


Since they are a bit older, finding them new is difficult. And when you do, they are typically overpriced. However, you can find them used if you look around. For example, there are a couple of the Technics on ebay as we speak.

http://shop.ebay.com/items/technics%..._dmd=1&_sop=12

Another point to be considered is with the WDTV if you wanted to move or use it as a portable player, for DTS content, you'd have to bring the receiver with you everwhere you go. Whereas with the Xtreamer -- or any other media player that isn't too heavy and has DTS Downmix -- you'd have it already built it. Less footprint in your HT, less electricity, less to carry/transport if you want to show some movies at a friends place. It depends on your budget and your needs.

is better wait for a review and then decide

the other option is the egreat but is more expensive