[hydraslav]

Please bear with my noob questions, but the more i read other posts, the more confused i get.


I am getting a 42LG50 LCD

From here i am considering two options:

- Get a standalone Bluray player (more expensive)

- Get a BD-ROM drive (less expensive) and then send the video/audio from the PC to the LCD/Speaker system.


Connecting video is not an issue (HDMI/DVI). But what about audio?


I thought it was as simple as just plugging a long optical cable from my soundcard into the speaker system with the TV... However after some research, i learned that basic bluray player software that comes with the BD-ROM does not support 5.1 sound. Now i need to upgrade that software (extra cost) in order to get 5.1 sound?


But then i read here somewhere that optical SPDIF does not support 5.1 either

Furthermore, people keep talking about motherboards in this issue.... What has the mobo got to do with this?


So, please help me understand:

- If i have a BD-ROM drive, can i get 5.1 surround sound locally on my computer?

- Is this going to be the TrueHD or something else?

- What is the difference between TrueHD and regular 5.1? (I am on a budget, and i am not an audiophile)

- Can i get that 5.1 surround sound out from the computer to another speaker system via the optical TOSLINK on my soundcard (Fatal1ty)?

 

[vladd]

The included software is 2.0 only I think. It's been so long that I cant remember. I believe that it will downmix to 5.1 SPDIF though. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.


As for the standalone BD player being more expensive, that's not quite true. I love my HTPC and will not purchase a standalone for may reasons but it can be costly. First thing you need to do is add the cost of AnyDVD HD to the BD drive for a computer (about $100). It's pretty much a necessity. If you purchase it today, you get lifetime updates but after today, the price goes up. Also, add in the time that it will take to tinker. If you don't want to do this, you should definitely get a standalone. Then you need to add the cost of upgrading to full version software for the full benefit of Bluray. A standalone can be much cheaper in comparison.


Oh, and you don't need to be an audiophile to hear the difference with TrueHD.

Much better quality of sound.

 

[DJ79]

It's possible that the OEM versions won't DECODE multichannel, but may still pass DD/DTS through to the receiver, which in most cases shoul be quite sufficient (by the way, DD and DTS are 5.1 surround).


As for the improvement with HD sound, unless you have a very nice audio system ($$$$), chances are that any differences you hear are due to either volume, master, or imagination. For TV or computer speakers, HTIB or similar equipment (or anything Bose), it's a non-issue.


The only real issue is that with Blu-rays with TrueHD and no user selectable DD you only get stereo in normal mode, but both PDVD and TMT have reencode modes.


And if all that bothers you, standalones are the the less expensive option, so choose based on your preference.