5.1 on HDTV: good?
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Most shows are as good as DVD 5.1 mixing. Lost on ABC comes to mind as a perfect example of Dolby Digital 5.1 sounding excellent. Monday Night Football also does a good job.
As with everything there are good shows and bad shows but for the most part, if a show is done in DD5.1 then they typically do a good job.
(This is assuming you are connecting the audio to your receiver using digital coax or fiber. Same as all digital audio connections.)
As with everything there are good shows and bad shows but for the most part, if a show is done in DD5.1 then they typically do a good job.
(This is assuming you are connecting the audio to your receiver using digital coax or fiber. Same as all digital audio connections.)
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The improvement will be much better if you use the digital out from the cable box to your digital in on your receiver.
There are several bit rates that 5.1 audio is encoded onto DVD. 5.1 DD HDTV audio uses the same bit rates depending on the program...PPV or OTA HDTV for example.
I cannot tell you if a certain movie on DVD will use the same bit rate for DD 5.1 audio for the same movie on HDTV, however I believe that you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference.
The Wall DVD sounded better than The Wall on HDNet and both are 5.1 DD audio. The difference? I believe it was the source of the audio. The DVD version used the best possible source of audio while the presentation on HDNet Movies was from some old sound track from the print used to show the movie. Believe it or not, it was not just the sound that was better on the DVD, it was the picture quality too...regardless of the resolution. The DVD version used the best picture elements and was very sharp and clean. While the HDNet Movies version was dirty, grainy and dark looking from what ever print they used when compared to the DVD.
In all cases your better off going with the digital out to get the 5.1 DD audio. And with newer movies, there is probably no audio difference between the DVD and the HDTV version of movies since the same audio source is probably used.
There are several bit rates that 5.1 audio is encoded onto DVD. 5.1 DD HDTV audio uses the same bit rates depending on the program...PPV or OTA HDTV for example.
I cannot tell you if a certain movie on DVD will use the same bit rate for DD 5.1 audio for the same movie on HDTV, however I believe that you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference.
The Wall DVD sounded better than The Wall on HDNet and both are 5.1 DD audio. The difference? I believe it was the source of the audio. The DVD version used the best possible source of audio while the presentation on HDNet Movies was from some old sound track from the print used to show the movie. Believe it or not, it was not just the sound that was better on the DVD, it was the picture quality too...regardless of the resolution. The DVD version used the best picture elements and was very sharp and clean. While the HDNet Movies version was dirty, grainy and dark looking from what ever print they used when compared to the DVD.
In all cases your better off going with the digital out to get the 5.1 DD audio. And with newer movies, there is probably no audio difference between the DVD and the HDTV version of movies since the same audio source is probably used.
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Ok lets get this straight.
Start with the cable box. See what kind of digital OUTPUT the cable box has.
THEN see what kind of digital INPUT the receiver has.
If you can go from coax out from cable box to coax in to receiver, your ok.
If you can go from optical out from cable box to optical in on receiver, your ok.
If the two types of connections are different like you said, get a converter. However, you do have to go from the cable box digital OUT to the receiver's digital IN.
I only mentioned this because you said "My receiver is optical out too". What type of output from your receiver is not important for what we are talking about here, unless your speakers have some kind of digital input. And I don't believe there are too many of those.
| Originally posted by union1411 My receiver is optical out too. But I found a coax-to-optical converter online. |
Start with the cable box. See what kind of digital OUTPUT the cable box has.
THEN see what kind of digital INPUT the receiver has.
If you can go from coax out from cable box to coax in to receiver, your ok.
If you can go from optical out from cable box to optical in on receiver, your ok.
If the two types of connections are different like you said, get a converter. However, you do have to go from the cable box digital OUT to the receiver's digital IN.
I only mentioned this because you said "My receiver is optical out too". What type of output from your receiver is not important for what we are talking about here, unless your speakers have some kind of digital input. And I don't believe there are too many of those.
it's as good as dvd 5.1 when you actually get it. it seems like, even after years of trying to integrate 5.1 presentation into hdtv, most networks still have lots of trouble with it. i wonder what's so complicated that like cbs can't just get seem to ever get it right after, what, three years of 5.1?
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5.1 from OTA HDTV can be as good or better than DVD. Just like a DVD, it depends on the "mix"..many syndicated shows on the networks sound VERY good, however the quality of live 5.1 mixes, as in sports, varies considerably. It's very difficult to create a good 5.1 mix on a live sports
event. MNF is among the best, but that's because the use the same audio
engineer (Wendell Stevens, if I'm correct) week after week..
event. MNF is among the best, but that's because the use the same audio
engineer (Wendell Stevens, if I'm correct) week after week..
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OTA HDTV 5.1 can't be better than DVD. They both top out at 448kbps. Quality will be dependent on the mix. Currently only Fox uses 448kbps OTA. All others use 384kbps.
| Originally posted by bdfox18doe 5.1 from OTA HDTV can be as good or better than DVD. Just like a DVD, it depends on the "mix"..many syndicated shows on the networks sound VERY good, however the quality of live 5.1 mixes, as in sports, varies considerably. It's very difficult to create a good 5.1 mix on a live sports event. MNF is among the best, but that's because the use the same audio engineer (Wendell Stevens, if I'm correct) week after week.. |
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Sure it can. Data rate alone is NOT an indication of quality.
BTW, DVD can go to 640k..Which is the pre-encoded data rate ABC uses
to distribute to their affiliates..
BTW, DVD can go to 640k..Which is the pre-encoded data rate ABC uses
to distribute to their affiliates..
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Bob, it is Wendell Stevens, Bill Bye from Milwaukee does the EFX mix.
It is good, although I think everyone here would agree it is also currently frought with errors. Nearly every HD broadcast I have access to (local or satellite) has audio dropouts, glitches, or instability. On more than one occasion I actually had to call Directv and tell them that HBO's center channel is nearly inaudible and needs to be turned up, although that was months ago.
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No it can't. Max rate for DVD is 448kbps period. There are some players that will pass 640Kbps but most won't. D-Theater max DD rate is 576kbps.
ABC uses 640Kbps to distribute but all affialiates have to encode it at 448kbps max as that is what ATSC OTA allows.
| Originally posted by bdfox18doe Sure it can. Data rate alone is NOT an indication of quality. BTW, DVD can go to 640k..Which is the pre-encoded data rate ABC uses to distribute to their affiliates.. |
ABC uses 640Kbps to distribute but all affialiates have to encode it at 448kbps max as that is what ATSC OTA allows.
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Also beware of the faux 5.1, where stations set the DD5.1 flag but only pass L+R stereo/DPL mix through the front right and front left channels. *cough* WTVQ Lexington, KY *cough*.
| Originally posted by CKNA ABC uses 640Kbps to distribute but all affialiates have to encode it at 448kbps max as that is what ATSC OTA allows. |
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HDNET rocks when they play Nothing But Trailers, the LFE is awesome.
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Sports on Fox is in true discreet 5.1. Some shows use DPL mix.
| Originally posted by HDTVChallenged Also beware of the faux 5.1, where stations set the DD5.1 flag but only pass L+R stereo/DPL mix through the front right and front left channels. *cough* WTVQ Lexington, KY *cough*. |
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Wasn't talking about FOX (which would have been FAUX vs. faux) .... Ironicly, my local FOX (ex FAUX) station is now the *only* local station in the DMA doing DD5.1. 
Edit: (Oops forgot about the KET (PBS) folks)
WTVQ is an ABC affiliate, they are setting the 5.1 flag deliberately, but have *never* passed anything more than stereo/DPL FL + FR. I have to switch to analog inputs to get my receiver to properly decode the DPL mix.
| Originally posted by CKNA Sports on Fox is in true discreet 5.1. Some shows use DPL mix. |
Edit: (Oops forgot about the KET (PBS) folks)
WTVQ is an ABC affiliate, they are setting the 5.1 flag deliberately, but have *never* passed anything more than stereo/DPL FL + FR. I have to switch to analog inputs to get my receiver to properly decode the DPL mix.
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