Mandatroy and optional Surround codecs for HD DVD players.

DTS 5.1 - Not included.

DTS HD - Mandatory (DTS core only, compatible with
standard DTS decoders on market today).

DTS HD Master - Optional (up to 192khz/24 bits).

Dolby Digital 5.1 - Not included.

Dolby Digital Plus - Mandatory.

Dolby Ture HD - Mandatory (2 channels only).
2 to 7 ch.

5.1 channel PCM - Not included (192khz/24 bits).

7.1 channel PCM - Not included (96khz/24bits).

All surround formats passed through a SPDIF will be transcode to DTS 5.1. Optical has a bandwidth of only 1.5Mbps and therfore can not pass the higher transfer rates of Dolby Digital Plus or DTS HD. Both of these formats are limited to 3Mbps with the current form of HD dvd's regardless of how many channels are on the disc. Producers could expand on that by at least 2Mbps in later version of the disc if they so choose.
Just for the record the Toshiba HD-A1 will output hi-def over both HDMI and component outputs. However, HD DVD producers may include copy protection instuctions in their discs that prohibit output over the component out jacks. In this case you will have no choice but to utilize the HDMI output.

Hi all,

I've been listening to SACD via analog for a while now and I think it is fabulous. In other words, sending a digital signal from the DVD player to the preamp doesn't seem to offer enough "extra" to the sound quality to make it worthwhile to fret over. So, as long as the Blu_ray DVD player does the decoding and supplies a good analog signal to the pre-amp, I think it will sound just fine.

my two cents anyway.


Marcus

Sniffer, I agree that SACD sounds great--but what kind of transport are you using to develop the analog signal output? In my case, with a Denon 3910 I don't hear meaningful any difference between the Denon DACs sending analog from a CD or the DACs in the 990. I think you're absolutely right if HD and Blu-Ray manufacturers see their device as a video AND audio device and build them with quality DAC and op amps like my example above. I fear, however, that they will shortchange the audio seeing themselves as an HD video device. Does it make a difference? Probably not in reality. The included formats are likely to be as good as or better than what's on DVDs now and some of those sound awesome. Fact is, we tend to ignore the importance of quality source material. GIGO. A well-recorded soundtrack will doubtless sound great.

Looks like HD sound will have to wait. I bought the 990 over a Anthem D1 in part because of the 7.1 analog inputs. Looks like I get to use only 6 of them which is what the Anthem had. I'm $4000 better off this way and not at all unhappy with the 990. Until the format war all shakes out I am not buying an HD player anyway. It would be fun to watch both formats die an ugly death and a new single format has to be created. But that's not going to happen either--nobody really cares--or not enough of us, so we will go merrily on with format wars, incomplete implementations, incompatibilties, and output flags. You know, the wisdom of the RR2150 becomes clearer and clearer. Things were so simple with two channels.

Isn't anyone aware that the HD/Blu-Ray war is over before a shot was even made? Disc formats are dying. By the time the prices come down for an affordable HD player, HD movies will be downloaded from the internet.

This is inevitable. Why buy another player that's going to be obsolete in two years?

Watch Apple. They are on the Blu-Ray board as well as on Disney's board. The movie studios are putting in iPod formatted movies on the new Blu-Ray disks. It's just a matter of time before full resolution movies will be available along with 7.1 sound and a HD capable iPod.

I agree that we will be moving to a new on demand paradigm, in fact I said as much here. In answer to your question as to why, who knows what the actual timing will be on these services, in the mean time HD-DVD is here today. As an enthusiast I’m pretty excited about the new formats but I also realize they may never reach the popularity of standard DVDs. If we go full circle back to the OP’s original question about audio even this on-demand video is going to need a transport mechanism and I suspect for the next decade or so that is going to be some incarnation of HDMI.

I have a high speed internet connection and I downloaded a copy of the DVD-A "Dark side of the moon". It took over eight hours! I can just imagine how long it would take for an HDDVD! No one is going to want to wait a day to watch a movie..

It took over eight hours! I can just imagine how long it would take for an HDDVD

That is exactly the reason why HD downloadable files are not ready for prime time. More than likely HD files will be compressed during downloading and expanded afterwards.

The true Digital Media Center is just around the corner.

No one is going to want to wait a day to watch a movie

People will download the movies overnight. This is more of an inconvenience than an obstacle. Technology is undoubtedly improving. Watch what Apple does. Their connections with Hollywood and Blu-Ray are key along with their ability to execute.

Cable with QAM modulation can already do real time streaming of HD to HD-DVRs. I have had one for a while and it works quite well. I just wish my cable company would offer some decent movies on the HD On-Demand channel.

These services of the future may use something slightly different then the present internet. Bandwidth in general is still expanding and getting faster and cheaper, so in a few years things may be radically different then today, until then we have HD-DVD and Blu-Ray to fight over.

I don't know about the way of the future being all download and pay per view in any of its various incarnations. Personally, I like having my libraries. I like the look of them on the shelf. I like the artwork. I like being able to physically hold the product in my hand. I like being able to take it wherever I want and and actually be able to play it there. I find physically owning my media comforting.

With downloads, the DRM schemes (and whatever other restrictions they can create) can make creating a physical copy to take with you impossible, or close enough to it not to be any different. Never mind the playback limitations with them (only one PC, etc.).

While the download times may be improving, you'll always be limited in storage capacity by the size of your system. Lets not forget that HD formats consume massive amounts of space. If I run out of room for a physical disc, I can always add more shelves/drawers/rooms, whatever. I don't have to throw away something to make room for another.

Maybe I'm old school in this, but I think that I will always prefer buying my media and having it in hand.

I also like having my media in hand as Owl's does. There just something about having it in an existing form that one can look at and touch that is hard to beat. But, I have got to admit it will be interesting to see what is coming down the pipeline in the next few years.