[judge_dredd]

Sorry if this question has been asked earlier, I couldn't find an answer when searching.


I am considering picking up a Toshiba HD-A2 or A-20 but i have a question regarding them not being able to decode DTS-Master HD. My question is, does this even matter? If every movie that becomes available has either PCM or Dolby HD for high def, and then one of the legacy formats then no, but is it possible that some movies will come out with only a DTS-Master HD high def soundtrack and then one of the older legacy soundtracks? This would suck, as you would be forced to play the legacy format in this case.

 

[khellandros66]

They support and decode DTS-HD Core, which is the Lossy version, since most disks seem to be either DD+ and/or TrueHD I chose TrueHD where possible.


~Bobby

 

[Iggster]

how many titles on hd-dvd even use dts hdma? ive rented close to 40 and owned about 50 and none are in dts hd ma. most are dolby digital plus and truehd

 

[alfbinet]

I don't think many do here in the US but Studio Canal HD DVDs have DTS-Master HD (I own a few.)


I wonder if the XA2 is firmware upgradeable for this? I asked on the Insiders thread but never received a response.

 

[FoolintheRain]

I've never received a response either. DTS-HD MA was demoed at CES using the A20. So I'm assuming at least it will be SW upgraded to support it.


I'm guessing not much changed on the audio decoding side from gen 1 to gen 2 players. So I'm hopeful that all will eventually decode DTS-HD MA (and HRA) with an eventual fw upgrade.


Unless someone can point out why the A20 could be upgraded and the others cannot (such as completely different audio-side makeup compared to all other players), I think its a safe assumption. As for when, that's another story altogether

I'm guessing TOSH anticipated DTS-MA and built the players to be able to upgraded accordingly.


It would be GREAT if SOMEONE or ANYONE would comment on the possiblity. I've brought it up like 10 times and nobody says yes or no. I've also asked about 7.1 DD+ and TrueHD audio decoding. I'm guessing this is also possible since TrueHD was upped from 2 channel to 5.1 via fw. Finally (and the farthest reach) would be IF the players can be upgraded to 7.1 via fw, can the analog outs (stereo + 5.1) also be remapped to be useful as well? This is probably a longshot, but again possible.


ANY INSIDERS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POSSIBLITIES??? I'm not asking if it will be done, but if it can be done with the exhisting hardware via fw upgrade.


Thanks!

 

[WirelessGuru]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Iggster /forum/post/0


how many titles on hd-dvd even use dts hdma?

Answer: 11


Wolf Creek

The Matador

The Pianist (European Import)

La Haine (European Import)

Scary Movie 4

Total Recall (European Import)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (European Import)

First Blood (European Import)

The Fog (European Import)

Derailed

King Kong 1976 (European Import)

 

[Damnationdoormat]



Quote:
Originally Posted by WirelessGuru /forum/post/0


Answer: 11


Wolf Creek

The Matador

Scary Movie 4

Derailed

?


The only ones I see in the U.S are Alice Cooper - Live at Montreux and Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up: Live.


Also there are quite a few more European HD DVDs that have it.

 

[MSmith83]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Damnationdoormat /forum/post/0


The only ones I see in the U.S are Alice Cooper - Live at Montreux and Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up: Live.


Also there are quite a few more European HD DVDs that have it.

That is correct. Those Weinstein titles only have 1.5 mbps DD+ tracks.


Every one of Studio Canal's European HD DVD releases has a DTS-HD MA track.

 

[WirelessGuru]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MSmith83 /forum/post/0


That is correct. Those Weinstein titles only have 1.5 mbps DD+ tracks.


Every one of Studio Canal's European HD DVD releases has a DTS-HD MA track.

My mistake.... I was just going off of Fett's information in the tier thread.

 

[YellowCows]

It isn't just Studio Canal that uses DTS-HD. In fact, the DTS/DD divide seems to correspond near-perfectly to which side of the Atlantic you're on. Dolby reigns supreme in the US/Canada, DTS in Europe. All the European HD-DVD producing Home Video companies - Optimum Pictures, Constantin Films (e.g. Das Parfum), Ascot Elite (e.g. Renaissance, Bugs!, etc.), and of course Studio Canal all use DTS-HD (MA) almost exclusively.


Although generally speaking, Hollywood subsidiaries produce the same content, audio format included, as the US parent, especially UK companies (such as Warner Home Video UK, with the UK-exclusive Harry Potter 4 in TrueHD, not DTS) whose content is often identical to US discs (for obvious reasons), many still use DTS for native-language audio streams (e.g. Spanish audio in DTS on the Spanish HD-DVD of 'Underworld:Evolution', English in DD+).

 

[Frank Derks]



Quote:
Originally Posted by FoolintheRain /forum/post/0


I've never received a response either. DTS-HD MA was demoed at CES using the A20. So I'm assuming at least it will be SW upgraded to support it.


I'm guessing not much changed on the audio decoding side from gen 1 to gen 2 players. So I'm hopeful that all will eventually decode DTS-HD MA (and HRA) with an eventual fw upgrade.


Unless someone can point out why the A20 could be upgraded and the others cannot (such as completely different audio-side makeup compared to all other players), I think its a safe assumption. As for when, that's another story altogether

I'm guessing TOSH anticipated DTS-MA and built the players to be able to upgraded accordingly.


It would be GREAT if SOMEONE or ANYONE would comment on the possiblity. I've brought it up like 10 times and nobody says yes or no. I've also asked about 7.1 DD+ and TrueHD audio decoding. I'm guessing this is also possible since TrueHD was upped from 2 channel to 5.1 via fw. Finally (and the farthest reach) would be IF the players can be upgraded to 7.1 via fw, can the analog outs (stereo + 5.1) also be remapped to be useful as well? This is probably a longshot, but again possible.


ANY INSIDERS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POSSIBLITIES??? I'm not asking if it will be done, but if it can be done with the exhisting hardware via fw upgrade.


Thanks!

It should be possible through firmware upgrade for the XA2 model as it uses an Analog Devices audio DSP chip ('Sharc').


It's a possibility to remap the 7.1 surround back channels into the 5.1 analog output by matrix encododing the additional two channels in the 5.1 back channels.


It can be done but if that gets implemented in firmware is unclear at this point.


It might be that the upcoming and recent European releases having a DTS HD MA tracks trigger such a firmware upgrade. Perhaps a lot of the work is already done. Now that content is becoming available the firmware department might starting to look into it or start testing with the discs to prepare for the firmware release.


I suspect we get 24fps output first.

 

[alfbinet]



Quote:
Originally Posted by FoolintheRain /forum/post/0


I've never received a response either. DTS-HD MA was demoed at CES using the A20. So I'm assuming at least it will be SW upgraded to support it.


I'm guessing not much changed on the audio decoding side from gen 1 to gen 2 players. So I'm hopeful that all will eventually decode DTS-HD MA (and HRA) with an eventual fw upgrade.


Unless someone can point out why the A20 could be upgraded and the others cannot (such as completely different audio-side makeup compared to all other players), I think its a safe assumption. As for when, that's another story altogether

I'm guessing TOSH anticipated DTS-MA and built the players to be able to upgraded accordingly.


It would be GREAT if SOMEONE or ANYONE would comment on the possiblity. I've brought it up like 10 times and nobody says yes or no. I've also asked about 7.1 DD+ and TrueHD audio decoding. I'm guessing this is also possible since TrueHD was upped from 2 channel to 5.1 via fw. Finally (and the farthest reach) would be IF the players can be upgraded to 7.1 via fw, can the analog outs (stereo + 5.1) also be remapped to be useful as well? This is probably a longshot, but again possible.


ANY INSIDERS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POSSIBLITIES??? I'm not asking if it will be done, but if it can be done with the exhisting hardware via fw upgrade.


Thanks!

Thanks for the excellent post and questions! After the Panasonic DMP BD10 issue and DTS-MA (many thought it would be fw upgradable and found out the chip inside it doesn't have enough power-per Kjack) I am guarded with any of my assumptions.

 

[judge_dredd]

Thanks for the help.

 

[FoolintheRain]

I might be wrong, but don't ALL ths Tosh's use the "Sharc" DSP? I'm pretty sure it says so on my XA1 (can't check at this moment, I'm at work

I don't think matrix-encoding the 7.1 into the 5.1 analog outs would do anyone anygood. Most receivers just amplify the analog ins. They wouldn't separate out the rear to channels and play them on separate rear speakers. I was refering to maybe using the stereo L/R and adding them to the 5.1's.


Ex: You could make the Stereo L/R the FL and FR. Leave C the same. Leave the SL and SR the same. Then make the 5.1 FL/FR into the RL and RR. Something to that affect so you could use 7.1 out into the receiver 7.1 ins. OR I suppose you could just make the Stereo L/R the RL and RR so you only had to remap 2 channels.

 

[khellandros66]

There are different revisions of the SHARC DSP lines, some are firmware updatable others not. I imagine Toshiba used the updatable on the XA1/XA2 but not he A1/A2/A20


I could be wrong in this logic though. I am pleased to say DD+ and TrueHD have me content, unless of course DTS-MA HD makes full use of the system I have in place with 7.1, and 7.1 PCM out.


~Bobby

 

[FoolintheRain]

So no insiders or dealers out there with ANY INFO to give on the subject? The silence is defeaning every time this topic is brought up.


Every reference I look at says the same thing about the audio side of things for all gen1 and gen2 Tosh players:



Built-in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 , Dolby True HD 5.1, DTS 5.1, DTS-HD (core only)


Four 32-bit Floating Point Signal Processors, High Performance Sharc DSP


Multi-Channel 24-bit/192kHz Audio DACs


HDMI Audio support up to 5.1 L-PCM



So if there are no differences on the audio side of the hardware among the players...

 

[TrevorS]



Quote:
Originally Posted by khellandros66 /forum/post/0


There are different revisions of the SHARC DSP lines, some are firmware updatable others not. I imagine Toshiba used the updatable on the XA1/XA2 but not he A1/A2/A20


I could be wrong in this logic though. I am pleased to say DD+ and TrueHD have me content, unless of course DTS-MA HD makes full use of the system I have in place with 7.1, and 7.1 PCM out.


~Bobby

The A1/D1/XA1/HDV5000 use the identical circuitboards and components and yes, they also use reflashable SHARC processors -- that's how the G1 players picked up 5.1 DD-THD last September (previously 2.0).


PS. Robert of VE reported being told by Toshiba reps last Fall that the G2 players would be upgraded with DTS-HD MA -- G1 players were not mentioned. However, this information should be considered speculative.

 

[blakeBBY]

So is it true that the A20 and the XA2 wouldnt beable to send the DTS-MA via bitstream through HDMI 1.3 into a 1.3 receiver?

 

[bobgpsr]

The A20 only has HDMI 1.2a so it can't. The jury is still out on the HD-XA2 since it has HDMI 1.3. Unless we get an official statement from Toshiba -- we are going to have to wait till somebody reports back on what happens with HDMI audio/bitstream connection using an Onkyo 605 AVR.

 

[khellandros66]

IMO the A20 is nothing more then a newer revision of the A2, only with 1080p enabled


~Bobby