Need Advice On HDMI Receivers

[Neobendix]

I recently received the Ultimate 1 package and hooked it up to my older AVR-3300 Denon Receiver. I have an HD-DVD Player as my source playback using digital coaxial. I am considering purchasing the Denon AVR-2807 so I can use the HDMI interface. Unfortunately, the interface is using the HDMI 1.1 version. Now I read somewhere that in order to take advantage of certain audio tracks from the HD-DVD player (I think it was TrueHD) you need HDMI version 1.3. As of now, audio tracks from the HD-DVD player can be played back through the AVR-3300 receiver as Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM. I've been using PCM since that has lossless compression. My question is this: Should I wait for Denon to come out with a new receiver that supports HDMI 1.3 or buy the Denon now as audio difference may not be that different from PCM and TrueHD?

Thanks

Neobendix

[Zivman]

I recently received the Ultimate 1 package and hooked it up to my older AVR-3300 Denon Receiver. I have an HD-DVD Player as my source playback using digital coaxial. I am considering purchasing the Denon AVR-2807 so I can use the HDMI interface. Unfortunately, the interface is using the HDMI 1.1 version. Now I read somewhere that in order to take advantage of certain audio tracks from the HD-DVD player (I think it was TrueHD) you need HDMI version 1.3. As of now, audio tracks from the HD-DVD player can be played back through the AVR-3300 receiver as Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM. I've been using PCM since that has lossless compression. My question is this: Should I wait for Denon to come out with a new receiver that supports HDMI 1.3 or buy the Denon now as audio difference may not be that different from PCM and TrueHD?

Thanks

Neobendix

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994

in short:
* You don't need HDMI 1.3 to take advantage of Dolby True HD
* You don't need HDMI 1.3 to take advantage of Dolby Digital Plus
* You don't need HDMI 1.3 to take advantage of DTS-HD Master Audio

[blindcat7]

This is one of the biggest misconceptions out there about hdmi. The new audio formats are meant to be decoded in the player. There is a sticky thread on AVS reciever forum discussing why 1.3 is not as important as people think. What you need is at least an HDMI 1.1 reciever. The player will be set to output PCM, it will then decode the advanced formats and output them as LPCM which can be transmitted over HDMI and can be handled by any reciever since that is the format one gets after uncompressing all compressed audio formats like DD and DTS and is also what is stored on CDs. You will get the full, lossless audio in the case of True HD and the lossy but higher quality of DD plus and DTS core HD.

The mixup on this comes from the fact that 1.3 adds the ability to transmit the new formats undecoded for the reciever to handle. But, even though several recievers coming this year will do this, it is not how this new audio scheme was meant to work. Movies with advanced HD audio features like commentary and such will not allow this method of transmission since the audio elements are stored separately on the disc and must be decoded and mixed on the fly. Only the player can handle this.

There is nothing currently useful that 1.3 gets you except for future proofing and possibly lip synch functionality in the digital domain. Since I don't know how current lip synch correction is done, I don't know how useful this is.

Regards,

Chris

I recently received the Ultimate 1 package and hooked it up to my older AVR-3300 Denon Receiver. I have an HD-DVD Player as my source playback using digital coaxial. I am considering purchasing the Denon AVR-2807 so I can use the HDMI interface. Unfortunately, the interface is using the HDMI 1.1 version. Now I read somewhere that in order to take advantage of certain audio tracks from the HD-DVD player (I think it was TrueHD) you need HDMI version 1.3. As of now, audio tracks from the HD-DVD player can be played back through the AVR-3300 receiver as Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM. I've been using PCM since that has lossless compression. My question is this: Should I wait for Denon to come out with a new receiver that supports HDMI 1.3 or buy the Denon now as audio difference may not be that different from PCM and TrueHD?

Thanks

Neobendix

[Neobendix]

Zivman and Blindcat,
Thank you so much for your valuable information. I have reviewed the AVS forum link and now understand the HDMI debate better. I will probably buy the Denon receiver as it is listed as a level 5 AVR.

Neobendix