If the blue ray player supports HD audio decoders (true hd and hd audio master, etc) and has analog output, then I don't need AVRs with HDMI in or the decoder requirement - Is this right ? This is assuming that my TV is full HD.
If the Blue ray player has the decoders, taking the output via coax and connecting it to AVR that doesn't support the decoders will give me the HD audio ? As I said already, TV is Full HD.
Sud98 has already answered answered this query, but I thought I will elaborate a bit, as I have seen this question being asked many times.
At the outset, it is not just a question of which part of the system can decode the audio signal. And, for audio, it really does not matter if your TV is FullHD. What matters to the TV is the video part and not the audio.
The audio can be decoded anywhere, but for it to reach the next part in the HT chain, something called bandwidth or transmission speed comes into play. Typically, Dolby Digital needs a transmission speed of about 440-640 kbps, while DTS demands 700-1.5Mbps. When we move into Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD, and DTS Master HD, the bandwidth requirements jumps to between 4 Mbps to 24 Mbps. This speed cannot be handled by either digital coaxial or by optical transmission.
Let us assume we have a DTS Master HD and I connect the player to the AVR with a optical fibre for digital transmission. What will happen? Typically all movies have a standard Dolby Digital or DTS in addition to Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD/Master HD. If you use digital coax or optical, the Dolby True or DTS HD/Master HD will be ignored and standard version transmitted.
If you opt to decode at the player, you have to connect 6 audio RCA cables for 5.1 and 8 cables for 7.1. This is assuming the player has analogue audio out. Even if a player has analogue out, the quality of sound depends upon the decoders used as well as the DAC used.
If you want to transmit Dolby TrueHD and/or DTS HD/Master Audio in digital form, the only option is HDMI.
cheers
