Cable length will not affect volume level. I don't know just how Toshiba is handling TrueHD decoding or how TrueHD encoding is being done, but it's worth remembering that DVD's are intentionally mastered a lower volume level than CD and VHS (to name two examples) because it allows for more dynamic range. It's also worth noting that DTS is usually mastered at a level about 4dB higher than Dolby Digital.

I'm unsure about all of Toshiba's HD DVD players, but the HD-A1 and HD-XA1 have two 21266 and two 21262 Analog Devices SHARC DSPs built in that handle all audio processing. They can be "adapted" to handle present and new codecs. On the DAC end they use Burr-Brown PCM1755s with JRC 4580 dual op-amps.

They losslessly convert TrueHD to LPCM.

SHARC DSPs:



Analog section:

Any experience with typical levels used when mastering TrueHD tracks? I'd suspect that it would be similar to what has been done with Dolby Digital or DVD-Audio MLP tracks (since it is an MLP-based compression), but I don't know if the levels are comparable to Dolby Digital or if they are running a bit hotter (like DTS tracks typically are).

Well, based on what I've listened to Dolby TrueHD tracks tend to be a bit low, you'll find yourself always cranking the volume up a little more to match what is generally considered "normal". They aren't usually "louder" like DTS tracks are.

It's also interesting to note most TrueHD tracks have been 16bit/48khz. Universal's HD DVDs all feature Dolby Plus at 24-bit/48khz/1.5 MB per second as their "standard."

Here's my HD DVD (& DVD) collection , if anyone cares. :p

Won't the higher 24-bit sampling resolution of Dolby Plus generally yield better sound quality than Universal's 16-bit resolution?

Maybe, but DD Plus is still a lossy compression format while TrueHD is lossless, which could negate some or all of the advantages of the higher sampling resolution.

This is exactly what I have found as well.