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PS3 Slim bitstreams Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio, at last

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 21st 2009 at 1:53AM Breaking News

Slowly, ever so slowly we're beginning to learn about the internal differences between Sony's new PS3 Slim and its chubby ancestry. We already knew that it supported BraviaLink while talk of "faster gaming" was introduced (suspiciously) yesterday; something that remains very much in doubt until we can confirm. Now we hear that the fatboy gone slim supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream output to your receiver. Hear that audio nerds? Bitstream. See the HDMI chip on previous generations of the PS3 didn't support bitstream output of the new(ish) high def codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. As such, the PS3 had to decode it internally before sending it over to your receiver via LPCM. A process that could garble the lossless audio depending on your setup. Even though the vast majority of people will never notice the difference (or even care), PS3 Slim owners can still kick back in smug satisfaction each time the TrueHD or DTS-HD MA indicators light-up on their receivers.

Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo

by Steven Kim posted Jul 8th 2009 at 1:28PM Featured Story

Dolby front door
With AV software and hardware alike carrying at least one Dolby logo, not to mention the presence of that same branding on big screen cinema, Dolby is truly a household name. If you ask people exactly what Dolby does, however, you're likely to get a pretty fuzzy picture, which isn't too surprising -- the brand is so prevalent in the media space that it's kind of like asking a fish to describe what water feels like. So when Dolby invited us to spend a day with them to talk about their current goings-on in home theater, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

To get a look behind the familiar logo, we spent a day at Dolby's lab in San Francisco. During our time there we talked about TrueHD, Digital Plus, Dolby Volume, the new Pro Logic IIz, and even got a short peek at some current research efforts. It was a fast run over a lot of ground, for sure!

Continue reading Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo

Atlona AT-HD570 breaks lossless audio out of its HDMI shell

by Steven Kim posted Jun 7th 2009 at 7:39PM

Atlona AT-HD570 audio de-embedderIn its apparent quest to build up a product cutsheet on par with Gefen's, Atlona has added the audio-splitting AT-HD570 to its lineup. This gadget should be music (ahem) to those who want to hold on to their older receivers/processors, but are itching to get the new lossless audio codecs on Blu-ray discs. Send in a HDMI signal with audio in either LPCM or bitstream format (up to Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA), and this little box will break out the audio on SPDIF optical and 7.1-channel analog; those interested in the lossless codecs will want to grab those analog outputs. Meanwhile, the video signal stays on that HDMI cable, ready to go along its merry way to your video gear. The $219 price point might get you to consider picking up a Blu-ray deck with analog outputs instead, but definitely useful for cases where you're forced to deal with HDMI-less components.

MSI intros new motherboard with True Blu-ray audio support

by Steven Kim posted May 3rd 2009 at 12:16PM

MSI X58 Pro-E motherboardIf you're building out your own HTPC rig, add the new MSI X58 Pro-E motherboard to the list of contenders for your dollars. The board packs an Intel X58 Northbridge / ICH10R Southbridge combo alongside Realtek ALC889 audio to deliver "True Blu-ray" audio. It's not terribly clear exactly how the marketing-speak plays out, but between the 24-bit, 192kHz audio specs and our cynical selves, we'd wager that this is all about sending Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA downstream via LPCM rather than bitstream. All things considered, that's not a bad way to go (and not without precedent), but we'd really like bitstreaming support for HTPCs that's a little more streamlined than the current offerings; we want to see the fancy logos we paid for in our receivers light up, after all!

HD 101: How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3

by Steven Kim posted Apr 21st 2009 at 2:41PM Featured Story

DTS-HD MA on the PS3
If you read Engadget HD, it's safe to say that you're ahead of the curve when it comes to home audio/video. You do your homework before picking out gear, and you know that the PS3 can deliver Blu-ray audio bliss courtesy lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA tracks. One look at all the configuration options in the PS3's XMB (Xross Media Bar) interface, however, and you might find yourself wondering how to unlock the those audio codecs. In this installment of HD 101, we'll briefly cover the reason for the confusion and then go through setting up your PS3 for lossless audio step-by-step.

Continue reading HD 101: How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3

TrueHD on an HTPC caught in action

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 8th 2009 at 6:25PM

ArcSoft TrueHD demo
Next-gen audio on a HTPC was starting to seem like a dream, but tonight at the Digital Experience we got a chance to witness first hand Dolby TrueHD pass through on an HTPC thanks to ArcSoft TotalMedia Theater and the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 HDMI Deluxe sound card. Although the Xonar HDAV has been available for some time, it was just recently that ArcSoft and Asus were able to finally get their act together. As cool as this is, we can't help but think this solution is still a bit too complicated for most, but no one ever said being the first was easy.

Continue reading TrueHD on an HTPC caught in action

BDP-S300 firmware 4.20 adds Dolby TrueHD support, finally

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 2nd 2008 at 9:26AM


Still hanging onto that old Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player? Your faith has been rewarded now that the 4.20 firmware update adds Dolby TrueHD audio decoding. Support was rumored in past firmware updates, but as of 8/29, it's official, along with BD-Java fixes and BD-/RE BDMV compatibility. Remember when we thought $600 for a player with limited audio support and no Bonus View or BD-Live compatibility was cheap? Oh, how expectations change.

[Thanks, Mick]

Will Blu-ray audio discs take off, or flounder aimlessly la DVD-A / SACD?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 8th 2008 at 7:58AM


For those burned by either DVD-Audio, SACD or HD DVD (or, heaven forbid, any combination of the three), you're probably taking a rather defensive approach to Blu-ray audio. Now that said format is the sole king of high-definition media (in the physical realm, anyway), it's just a matter of time before firms start pushing out full-fledged audio discs while trumpeting the incredulous sound quality. After all, with 50GB of space, you can fit an awful lot of high-resolution audio on there. We've already seen the first BD record released and we already know that Neil Young's entire archive will soon be loosed on the format, but are the puzzle pieces aligned for Blu-ray audio to take off? From our standpoint, we're still hesitant to say yes. With CD players still dominating dashboards and BD drives still a long ways from being commonplace in computers, BD audio is apt to remain a niche good for years to come. Even still, do you think it has what it takes to overcome?

First Blu-ray record, Divertimenti, released

by Joshua Fruhlinger posted May 29th 2008 at 10:02PM

Divertimenti Blu-ray recordFans of high-def audio rejoice: The first Blu-ray recording has been released. Fans of anything other than Divertimento, hold your horses: The first release is from Thondheimsolistene, an orchestra from Norway. "Divertimeni", as it is called, will be released by the 2L label in full HD audio glory along with a SACD track for those not on the Blu-ray bandwagon just yet. Formats include 2.0 LPCM, 5.1 LPCM, 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, 5.1 Dolby True HD, 5.1 Dolby Digital at 48KHz, and it has been confirmed to work just fine on the PS3.

[Via MiC]

Transformers Blu-ray edition gets detailed, confirmed for September launch

by Darren Murph posted May 29th 2008 at 1:31PM


Check it, Blu-ray fans. That totally believable rumor about Transformers finally fitting into a BD sleeve was indeed accurate, and now we're starting to see the nitty-gritty details about what we can expect come September 2nd. For starters, the Blu-ray edition will feature a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track as well as a 5.1 PCM uncompressed track to complement the obligatory 1080p transfer. We're also told to expect a trailer for the BD release of Iron Man, BD-Live content and a lengthy list of supplemental material -- all of which is expected to be in beautiful high-def. Tap the read link for the full list of extras, and start saving that $39.99 (or so) right now.

[Thanks, Wii60Warrior]

Pioneer BDP-95FD review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Mar 19th 2008 at 2:00PM Featured Story

BDP-95FD Review
There are Blu-ray players, and then there are Blu-ray players, and when it comes to the best of the best, the Pioneer BDP-95FD is at the top. If you're the type that believes in love at first sight, then this might be the player for you, because one thing's for sure, you get a good looking player for $1k. But since looks aren't everything, we spent the past few weeks putting Pioneer's Elite player through the paces. As much as we love it, it's not all good, so read on for the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Gallery: Pioneer BDP-95FD Review

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Samsung BD-UP5000 review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 29th 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story

BD-UP5000 Dual-format HD media player
The biggest complaint about Blu-ray is that it's a work in process, and while that is hard to argue, the manufactures aren't making us wait for revisions. With each new generation of player, Blu-ray fans wait with baited breath to see if it'll satisfy all their needs, but until Profile 2.0 players emerge, it's likely they'll be left at least partially unsatisfied. The BD-UP5000 is the latest player to try to be everything to everyone by not only playing both HD media formats, but also by enabling a few firsts for Blu-ray like internal decoding of all the latest codecs. While the BD-UP5000 does have a lot of promise, we feel it's not quite there yet.

Gallery: BD-UP5000 Review

Continue reading Samsung BD-UP5000 review

How to actually use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 22nd 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD With HD DVD and Blu-ray also came the ultimate audio options in a time when convenience trumps quality in most of the audio world. While SACD and DVD-Audio are all but a bust, audiophiles can turn to HD DVD and Blu-ray for the ultimate audio experience. But even if you aren't an audiophile, it's still worth it to many to take advantage of the master quality audio available on the HD discs that you've already paid for. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it used to be, and after realzing how much confusion there was surrounding these next-gen codecs, we decided to try to help clear up the confusion. So if you want to know how to take advantage of everything on the discs you already own, but don't know why Toslink doesn't cut it anymore (and what's so special about about HDMI 1.3), then read on, will ya?

Continue reading How to actually use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD

Pioneer announces A/V receivers, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD support

by Erik Hanson posted Jan 6th 2008 at 4:16PM

Pioneer logoPioneer is expanding its CES lineup with four new audio-video receivers, one of which supports the new high-definition audio codecs found in Blu-ray and HD DVD. The VSX-518-K, VSX-818V-K, VSX-918V-K, and VSX-1018TXH-K A/V receivers all feature Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration with an included microphone for tweaking acoustics in the room, three 1080p-capable component inputs, and Auto Level Control for equalizing volume between sources. The VSX-518-K, 818V, and 918V all feature P.H.A.T (Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Technology) power sources and support for WMA9 Pro over 5.1 channels, with the 518 dropping support for XM and Sirius satellite, iPod, and HDMI inputs. The big news is the VSX-1018TXH-K, with its support for 130 watts over 7.1 channels using a Direct Energy power supply, HDMI upscaling to 1080p, six digital inputs, and support for the lossy Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution, and lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs. The VSX-518-K is priced at $199, the VSX-818V-K at $249, the VSX-918V-K at $349, all releasing in April, and the VSX-1018TXH-K will come to market in June for $599.

Marantz's new high-end Blu-ray player

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 4th 2008 at 1:54PM


Supposedly Marantz's new Blu-ray player was at CEDIA, but if it was, we missed it. We won't let that happen again next week and we guarantee we'll get our hands-on the new BD8002 at CES next Wednesday. This players seems it may be one of best players ever considering it includes everything we can think of -- as it should with a MSRP of $2,099.99. At the top of the list is the players ability to decode just about every new audio codec out there including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and output it via 7.1 analog outs or uncompressed via HDMI. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta video processor, which should help make it the best Profile 1.1 player yet when it's released the second quarter of 2008.




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