[rad_sci_guy]

I currently have a 5.1 speaker setup with my Yamaha RX-V1400 receiver. This receiver can auto detect the soundtrack and selects either the EX or ES mode on a DVD. I'm wondering about which mode to use when watching movies that have either a DDEX or DTS ES soundtrack. I know these modes are great for a 6.1 or 7.1 setup but do they work well for 5.1? Should I allow the receiver to detect these modes or turn them off since I don't have the rear surround speakers and go with just the Dolby Digital 5.1 track instead?

 

[sfogg]

"I know these modes are great for a 6.1 or 7.1 setup but do they work well for 5.1? Should I allow the receiver to detect these modes or turn them off since I don't have the rear surround speakers and go with just the Dolby Digital 5.1 track instead?"


Leave them off and just use the DD5.1 mode. There is no point steering out the surround back channel from surround left and surround right if you aren't sending it to another speaker as you will just end up missing information that way.


Shawn

 

[BuddF]

correct me if i am wrong, but if you select the rear center to "none" then the reciever should automatically share the information to both rears when appropriate. Same should go for if you have a 7.1 reciever. Basically I don't think it really matters as long as you have the proper settings in on the reciever for the speakers present. Same goes for those who don't have a center channel and use the mains.

 

[sfogg]

Buddf,


"but if you select the rear center to "none" then the reciever should automatically share the information to both rears when appropriate."


There is nothing that needs to be 'shared' between the two surrounds in an ES/EX soundtrack. The surround back channel information is already in the surround left and surround right channel as that is how it is mixed into the sound track. This ALSO happens on DTS ES Discrete 6.1 tracks for backwards compatibility.


When you apply ES/EX decoding it literally removes this info from the left surround right surround and steers it to the surround back channel.


So if you don't have a surround back you just don't do any additional processing besides the DD/DTS decoding and are all set as that material is already in place for your surround channels.


Shawn

 

[rad_sci_guy]

Thanks guys


So which is it? If I leave the EX/ES decoding on would I be missing some of the info but if I turn EX/ES off and go with just the DD or DTS 5.1 I should be getting the full track?


Or are EX/ES settings backwards compatible with 5.1 and that it just acts like 5.1 DD or DTS because I don't have any rear surround speakers indicated in the receivers menus so It won't matter if EX/ES is left on?


Could someone please clarify?

 

[sfogg]

"If I leave the EX/ES decoding on would I be missing some of the info but if I turn EX/ES off and go with just the DD or DTS 5.1 I should be getting the full track?"


The thing to remember is that for DD EX and DTS ES there is no seperate/discrete surround back channel encoded on the disc. The soundtrack on the disc has 5 main channels plus a low frequency effects channel...IE 5.1. The material that would be steered to the surround back channel is simply matrixed into the Surround Left and Surround right channels. Much like how a center channel is matrixed into the Left and Right channels on Dolby Surround material.


For DTS ES Discrete 6.1 there *is* another discrete track for the surround back channel. However for backwards compatability with DTS ES decoders (and DTS decoders alone) that SB material is duplicated and still matrixed in to surround left and surround right.


So in a 5.1 system playing back an 'EX/ES' soundtrack in DD/DTS 5.1 is fine and you don't loose anything.


" Or are EX/ES settings backwards compatible with 5.1 and that it just acts like 5.1 DD or DTS because I don't have any rear surround speakers indicated in the receivers menus so It won't matter if EX/ES is left on?"


That will probably depend on your receiver. On some they won't even have an EX/ES mode available at all if they aren't configured for at least a 6 channel speaker system.


If you leave EX/ES decoding OFF and your receiver is behaving properly there should be no difference compared to straight DD/DTS 5.1 mode.


Shawn