Which is BEST?..Oppo 980/981/983 ?
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Yes, I have visited Universal Studios, Disneyland, and a few other places. The moving chairs I think is available in small mobile theaters in India also. I know of one in Spencers Plaza in Chennai, where the whole theater rolls and shakes along with the movie. Unfortunately these guys use the same DVD too many times, and the picture clarity is not too good.
In the US I once saw Star Trek. In one scene, the spaceship loses control and plummets into Earth. The whole theater looks downward and you are hanging on to your seat. BTW, these seats have seat belts. You really feel as if you are falling, and it hits you in the stomach.
Another time I saw a special version of Jurassic Park where they blow cold wind in small gusts and showers of water to enhance the experience. The shower is quite a different experience. Since you don't expect it, it is quite shocking.
Cheers
In the US I once saw Star Trek. In one scene, the spaceship loses control and plummets into Earth. The whole theater looks downward and you are hanging on to your seat. BTW, these seats have seat belts. You really feel as if you are falling, and it hits you in the stomach.
Another time I saw a special version of Jurassic Park where they blow cold wind in small gusts and showers of water to enhance the experience. The shower is quite a different experience. Since you don't expect it, it is quite shocking.
Cheers
But dont all those 'effects' distract you from the main experience of watching the action on screen?
Also where in Spencers is that theatre located? I am shocked that I missed this having been in Chennai for so many years!!
Also where in Spencers is that theatre located? I am shocked that I missed this having been in Chennai for so many years!!
Well the effect are cleverly merged with the scenes o the screen, so thay actually enhance the experience. But, yes, you do look abruptly elsewhere to see where the water shower is coming from.
Regarding Spencers Plaza, it is in the new wing, 2nd Floor I think. There is a Australian biscuit stall. If I am not wrong this is behind that in a small side lane.
Cheers
Thanks Venkat, although I am not sure I would enjoy a blast of cold water in the midst ofa movie watching session. Imagine what would happen if you were to watch Water world or Titanic in such theatres?
About the theatre in Chennai, I will look for it when I next visit Spencers. Is that 2nd floor of the 2nd phase by any chance?
A queston here , can you really make out the difference between FLAC Audio and a song compressed into 320kbps MP3 using a good compression software ? I found it to be the same and now I am planning to convert 5gb of FLAC music to 320 kbps MP3 to save on space !
Please go through the following 2 links:
1. http://www.hifivision.com/music/1187-differences-between-flac-mp3-lossless-vs-lossy.html
2. http://www.hifivision.com/music/871-human-hearing-standard-cd-vs-sacd-dvd-4.html
Whatever speed you use, an MP3 is a lossy format. There is data that has been removed from the original source. I think when you play though a good DAC, and a good amplifier, the difference will be certainly there. Hard disk space is cheap nowadays, so why bother? I am converting all my CDs to FLAC. The only issue is that the damn iPOD does not play FLAC. Arrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!
Cheers
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But as far as i remember you had your pc connected to your audio equipment ! Who needs an ipod after that
!!But as far as i remember you had your pc connected to your audio equipment ! Who needs an ipod after that
No, I don't have a PC connected to the audio system as yet. Currently I am playing all my CDs through Oppo 980 amplified by my Onkyo 875. I have planned a two step change:
1. To shift to a good CDP, an iPOD dock, and 2 channel amp by December end.
2. To move away from CDs completely by July/August 2009 and use the CDs only as backup. I already have some 500GB of music converted to FLAC. My system will then consist of a high end PC (assembly has started), a good DAC (lusting after the DAC1, but going to try Beresford and CA DacMagic) , and a Squeezebox transmitting music to my audio system.
I am also planning to play music in my car, and for that I need the iPod. I am currently using a JVC unit with a CD Player. I am little worried about the CDs getting spoilt. Secondly I am fascinated by Wadia's iTransport and am planning to get one on my next trip abroad. I need the iPOD for these two activities.
I did think of other players such as iRiver, and Cowon, etc., but with the coming of iTransport, I have decided to stick to iPOD. With iTransport, iPOD, and FLAC (AIF) files, you can come very very close to Redbook CD. Unfortunately with iPOD I have to constantly convert my FLAC files to AIF and the store them separately. Hopefully by this year end, Steve Jobs will make us all happy by allowing FLAC to be played on the iPOD.
Cheers
persiflage
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Amen to that, and for another reason: Since your plans also include a Squeezebox, most people find that the best way to sync your music database is to ask SB to use the iTunes database (SB's own software is extremely clunky). Problem is, iTunes will simply not recognise FLAC tags!
But more than Steve Jobs, I'm counting on a developer to write a FLAC support plug-in for iTunes. That's the way Ogg support happened, anyway..
Venkat - I found information elsewhere on the internet which points to the Oppo (at least the 980) using the Cirrus Logic - CS4361 DAC. So, both have DACs from the same company. Not sure about the exact DAC model numbers.
If you plan to play flac via your htpc , then do u still need CA DacMagic to upsample ? Also since you will be streaming a lot of music I hope you will be going in for a wireless n router. I am currently using dlink n router for all my streaming needs !!!
Googled up iTransport and that really sounds cool . My Archos is( was
) capable of digi pass thru . I used to use the dvr dock for the same.
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thevortex said:
You are correct Vortex. All three models - 980, 981, and 983 use Cirrus Logic DACs. I am sorry for that error. Cant understand where I picked up that information from. What I said, stays true though. A CDP is better than a Universal DVD Player for Redbook CD.
Illusion said:
Well, as far as my understanding goes, HTPCs do not have good DACs unless you install a high end sound card. I want to use the HTPC as just a storage device to store and play the FLAC files. If I get a external DAC such as a DAC1 or DACMagic, I can use it for the HTPC based sings as well as through the CDP and Universal DVD Player. Killing three birds with one stone, eh?
I already have Netgear N Router working at home. I plan to replace this with a Belkin in the near future. Why? I feel Belkin is the fastest router I have ever used. I did have a Belkin before the Netgear, but that got bunt out during a lightning strike.
The iTransport is really really good. I am just waiting for version 2 to be released with all the kinks removed from version 1.
Cheers
Ok but do you really need a s high end sound card for spdif pass thru ? Many mid end mobos have onboard spdif port. Those are the best best for digi pass thrus ! Belkin Routers are good but that does not mean all belkin routers are good. In fact this logic is there for all companies be it Dlink , or Belkin. I will advise you to go for a proper review before you decide on a good router. Are you getting full 300 mbps throughput speeds currently with your netgear router? Also what is the reason to change from Netgear to Belkin ?
The Mobo's on board SP/DIF is good enough for play back. But I am also planning to use the same HTPC for ripping my CDs into FLAC files. I have been keenly following EAC and am looking at the sound card he uses which is Marian Trace Alpha. This is available in India.
The speed between my Netgear router and the laptops around the house is fast enough (I will check the exact speed), but, of course, the actual throughput for Internet is limited to 25-50 KBPS. This is because of the external connection. I have not checked the internal speeds for audio transmission.
Belkin or Netgear? This is subjective. I like the way Belkin is built, it's ease of installation, easy modifications (IP address etc). I also feel it is faster than the Netgear.
Before I chuck my Netgear and look for a new router, I will certainly do research and get the best. My Netgear is hardly a year old.
Cheers
audiodelic
Well-Known Member
Anand:
To answer your question, you have to understand a few things. There are two ways of sending digital multi channel data from the DVD Player to the receiver - Bitstream and PCM. Bitstream has been around for some time and you can use either coaxial or optical cable for this. The only issue with bitstream is that is a compressed format and could lose some data. PCM on the other hand is uncompressed and a good DVD can send this across as RAW format for your AVR to decode. Till some time ago, sending PCM has been a bit tricky as it needs huge bandwidth. So if you had an decent DVD Player, you allowed the player to do the decoding and sent the data in analogue form through either 6 or 8 RCA cables. But HDMI 1.3 has solved that. HDMI has enough bandwidth to carry uncompressed data in it's raw form.
With the Oppo 981 and the Onkyo 705, you can send data either through bitstream or PCM. Any of the methods of connection will work for Dolby and DTS and all it's variants. For SACD and DVD-A, there is a restriction. You cannot use coaxial or optical connection. This is copyright restriction which both Oppo and Onkyo follow diligently. For SACD and DVD-A you have to use either HDMI or multi channel analogue RCA connections. If you use HDMI, the 705 will be doing the decoding. If you use analogue RCA cables, the Oppo player will be doing the decoding.
If you are using HDMI connection, here is what you have to do in the player.
In The Speaker Setup Page.
1. Down mix to 5.1 CH
2. Front Speaker to Large
3. Centre Speaker to Large
4. Surround Speakers to Large
5. Sub Woofer to On
In the Audio Setup Page
1. Set HDMI Audio to Auto
2. Set Digital Output to Raw
If you are using the 6 or 8 analogue audio cables, here is what you have to set:
1. In the Speaker SetupPage down mix to 7.1 or 5.1
2. Set the speaker settings as per the AVR
3. Enable or select multi-channel analogue outputs in your AVR.
If you are using coaxial or optical connections, in the Audio Setup Page, set Digital Output to RAW. This will ensure the original Dolby Digital and DTS audio stream will be sent to the receiver for decoding. It will also work for transfer of digital stereo data. As I said before it will not work for SACD or DVD-A.
Cheers
To answer your question, you have to understand a few things. There are two ways of sending digital multi channel data from the DVD Player to the receiver - Bitstream and PCM. Bitstream has been around for some time and you can use either coaxial or optical cable for this. The only issue with bitstream is that is a compressed format and could lose some data. PCM on the other hand is uncompressed and a good DVD can send this across as RAW format for your AVR to decode. Till some time ago, sending PCM has been a bit tricky as it needs huge bandwidth. So if you had an decent DVD Player, you allowed the player to do the decoding and sent the data in analogue form through either 6 or 8 RCA cables. But HDMI 1.3 has solved that. HDMI has enough bandwidth to carry uncompressed data in it's raw form.
With the Oppo 981 and the Onkyo 705, you can send data either through bitstream or PCM. Any of the methods of connection will work for Dolby and DTS and all it's variants. For SACD and DVD-A, there is a restriction. You cannot use coaxial or optical connection. This is copyright restriction which both Oppo and Onkyo follow diligently. For SACD and DVD-A you have to use either HDMI or multi channel analogue RCA connections. If you use HDMI, the 705 will be doing the decoding. If you use analogue RCA cables, the Oppo player will be doing the decoding.
If you are using HDMI connection, here is what you have to do in the player.
In The Speaker Setup Page.
1. Down mix to 5.1 CH
2. Front Speaker to Large
3. Centre Speaker to Large
4. Surround Speakers to Large
5. Sub Woofer to On
In the Audio Setup Page
1. Set HDMI Audio to Auto
2. Set Digital Output to Raw
If you are using the 6 or 8 analogue audio cables, here is what you have to set:
1. In the Speaker SetupPage down mix to 7.1 or 5.1
2. Set the speaker settings as per the AVR
3. Enable or select multi-channel analogue outputs in your AVR.
If you are using coaxial or optical connections, in the Audio Setup Page, set Digital Output to RAW. This will ensure the original Dolby Digital and DTS audio stream will be sent to the receiver for decoding. It will also work for transfer of digital stereo data. As I said before it will not work for SACD or DVD-A.
Cheers
Venkat, as informative as your post is, I am getting confused here. Can you help clarify a couple of things?
Regardless of how we connect the Receiver and the DVD player - if we use 'Source Direct' would not the DVD do all the work? And if we use 'Pure Direct' would not the AVR do all the work?
Also in your above example - for DVD Audio one cannot rely on HDMI connection. So how would we connect to the DVD and the Receiver? Do we need to switch from HDMI to Coaxial manually or should we have both connected at the same time?
And finally I have heard a lot about Receivers having the capability to deliver LPCM or Linear PCM - what is that supposed to do? And how do we use it? Is this relevant when listening to Audio CD's?
Regardless of how we connect the Receiver and the DVD player - if we use 'Source Direct' would not the DVD do all the work? And if we use 'Pure Direct' would not the AVR do all the work?
Also in your above example - for DVD Audio one cannot rely on HDMI connection. So how would we connect to the DVD and the Receiver? Do we need to switch from HDMI to Coaxial manually or should we have both connected at the same time?
And finally I have heard a lot about Receivers having the capability to deliver LPCM or Linear PCM - what is that supposed to do? And how do we use it? Is this relevant when listening to Audio CD's?
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