Help a 'tardo out......

..Regarding the quality of decoding for DD/DTS.. Yes, you could generalize that the decoder chipset in the typical A/V receiver or pre/pro is often better sonically (or more flexible) than that found in many mass-market players, but there will be exceptions as you look into better-quality players. For example, I'd put the decoder built into the Arcam FMJ DV-27A player against any Asian receiver up to ~$3-4k (Denon, Pioneer, etc.) any day. $.02

Hey guys;I could be wrong but I thought the 5.1 outputs on the back of a dvd machine were for dvd-a or sacd music.(Some read 1 or the other/some both) Movie soundtracts sound much better with the digital out going into a processor or rec. If I'm wrong I expect I'll be told. Then it is up to your processor to read dts--if its a menu selection from the disc.

Avguygeorge

Yeah the 5.1 outputs are standard for DVD-A (not sure aboud SACD, i think there are some SACD players that only do 2 ch)

With my old reciever it diddnt have an onboard decoder. I had to buy an outboard decoder, then later on i got a DVD player that had an internal decoder and it had the 5.1 outputs which i jacked directly to the reciever.

As far as i know, if the DVD player has 5.1 outputs it does have a decoder, may or may not have SACD/DVD-a capability

AVG - Yes, if the player is DVD-A and/or SACD compatible, the 5.1 analog outs do carry the multichannel audio for DVD-A and SACD to your preamp/receiver, but they also pull double-duty for outputting decoded DD/DTS movie soundtracks if you choose that option. If your receiver/processor will decode DD/DTS, you may prefer to connect the digital out from the player for decoding movie soundtracks and use the 5.1 analog outs only for DVD-A/SACD music playback.

In my case, my receiver will only decode Pro-Logic, so I let my player (standard DVD video) handle the decoding for DD. (No DTS, DVD-A or SACD,though). I have an upgrade path, however, if I replace the player to a universal unit I will be able to pass any decoded 5.1 source through the receiver (DD/DTS, DVD-A, and SACD).

Slappy - DVD-A is still a relatively new format and is not generally referred to as "standard DVD". Standard DVD still refers to the DVD video format in most cases.

Homer - It's fairly rare to find a player that you can plug straight into a power amp. In most cases you will need a preamp stage to control volume, etc. An exeption would be something like the Meridian 800 series reference player, (and there may be others), but that player is designed to work best with active speakers like their own DSP series of active speakers so the volume is controlled digitally in that player. This is a very expensive option, however.

Hope this helps! JZ

Slappy - Oops! Mis-read your line about DVD-A above. You were referring to the standard feature found on any DVD-A player, not the format itself. Sincerest apologies! - JZ