Well, not "standard" DD, you do get a higher bit rate core which sounds noticeably better. And you can do 2 ch PCM over optical which sounds pretty nice, just loses the surround channels.

When I was using my outlaw 950 with my PS3, the improvement even in DD with the higher bit rate core file on Blu-ray was pretty decent (had a few titles to compare, like Cars).

And then when you step up to an HDMI pre/pro, you get another decent bump in quality.

BB

Edit : how do you post pictures here?

Gonk, try these sites for the PS3 info I was referring to...

http://screencast.com/t/zGaLqZnR

http://screencast.com/t/VTZt30OcQ

Cheers

I have played around briefly with the audio from the PS3 for the Dave Matthews Band Blu Ray disc that I have. I currently only have 3 LCRs set up. Pro Logic sends much more of the sound through the Center channel, vocals sound stronger. Overall volume seems higher (tick for tick, that is). Dolby Digital sends more audio to the LR and less to the center. Vocals aren't as pronounced and overall volume decreases...

Sorry if I missed it above;

When hoking up a PS3 to the 990 via optical cable, should the audio setting on the PS3 be "bitstream" or "PCM"?

Will any future software updates to the PS3 be able to change the audio output to allow RAW output via optical or is this a hardware limitation?

I'd recommend "bitstream"
Optical digital output can already handle raw output of the formats which are compatible with SPDIF: namely, Dolby Digital and DTS. Optical does not have the bandwidth to handle the HD audio formats or multichannel PCM.

I never did get back to this post... Here are a few thoughts.

Screenshot 1: This is addressing the three options for audio output from the PS3. You must choose whether the HDMI output, the optical output, or the stereo analog output handles audio. Only one can be active at a time. The chart offers a rudimentary description of the limitations of each, although it obviously isn't terribly detailed. When used with a 990, the decision is simple: use the optical.

Screenshot 2: This one will be affected by which choice was made previously. For the case of an optical output, you can't pick any multichannel PCM signal. You should select Dolby Digital and DTS so that it will output those signals as undecoded bitstream when they are available (both with DVD's and Blu-rays).

Thanks again Gonk

Can't wait until Outlaw comes out with the 990's replacement...

I went back and checked the settings on my PS3. There are 2 places where you enter audio output settings - one in the general audio setup (where you select the types of audio formats your receiver can accept - I checked all of these off) and another one that is specific for blu-ray playback. This second one is either bitstream or PCM. By default, mine was set to PCM.

I changed this to bitstream but did not notice any difference when listening afterward. When I toggle formats on the disc, the 990 receives either Dolby Digital or Dolby PCM Pro Logic II (just like before when the PS3 was set to PCM), which kind of confuses me.

In any case, my audio description of these 2 formats is above. The main difference is that PCM PLII is heavily biased through the center speaker and, tick for tick, is much louder.

Still kind of scratching my head...I think I just need to forget about it and enjoy the music, but I want to make sure I'm getting the best sound possible given my setup.

Cheers.

Just purchased a ps3 and having a bit of trouble. I have the hdmi and optical routed. When "default" sound is routed via the HDMI I get sound thru the TV. However when I select optical along with Dolby, dts, linear pcm 44.1 and 48, I get no sound through the 990. I have the ps3 connected via the optical 4 input to the 990. Am getting a picture no problem. Does anyone have any suggestions?

never mind my last post, i found the problem. Somehow I had inadvertently hit the mute button while getting everything set up and connected. Feeling a kind of dumb for awhile.