i hooked up a blu-ray player to my 970 and i was wondering if the 970 can decode Dolby HD 5.1 (i have a 5.1 setup) or will itjust play in Dolby Digital. If the 970 doesn't support Dolby HD is it possible they can include it in the next firmware upgrade? thanks. angelo.

Ah... A good question that I've become quite familiar with...

Short answer: no, sort of.

Long answer: HD-DVD and Blu-ray both support three new audio formats: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD. These all represent too much data bandwidth for coaxial and optical to carry, plus there was an insistence from the studios for there to be an insane amount of copy protection in place. As a result, there are presently three ways to get to the original, full resolution of these audio formats.

• One method is to decode the bitstreams to multichannel PCM and use HDMI v1.1 connections to pass the decoded PCM from player to receiver or processor. Of course, this requires the player to be able to decode the formats, and so far there are no players that can do all three. This also requires HDMI v1.1 at both the player and the processor. The only processors on the market presently with HDMI v1.1 are at least $4000, although you can find receivers from folks like Denon, Onkyo, and Panasonic for under $1000.
• Another method is to decode the bitstreams to multichannel PCM in the player and then to convert it to analog and output it via 5.1 analog outputs to the multichannel analog input on a receiver or processor. This again requires that the player can decode the formats. It also requires that the player have a multichannel analog output. The only Blu-ray player without multichannel analog output is the PS3.
• The last method is still theoretical: use a player with HDMI v1.3 output to pass the undecoded bitstream for DD+, TrueHD, or DTS-HD to a receiver or processor with HDMI v1.3. The problem is that the HDMI v1.3 standard wasn't even published until last June. There are no receivers or processors with HDMI v1.3 inputs, and I wouldn't expect any receivers before mid-year. A couple of companies have hinted at HDMI v1.3 surround processors by August, but I suspect those will not actually reach the market before the end of the year.

The Model 970 lacks HDMI inputs (the two versions I just mentioned may give some idea why Outlaw made that choice back in 2004 when the 970's hardware design was finalized, but the HDMI FAQ in my sig will make it even more clear), so the only way to support these formats with the 970 is via the 7.1 Direct multichannel analog input.

The question I've been wondering and the answer I was looking for. I knew that our receivers weren't going to get a magical update to read to decode the format but it's nice to know the analog input will work, assuming I buy another HD player in the future. (i'm sure I will).

Gonk, have you heard any of these formats firsthand? I've heard it was a noticeable difference but I'm so happy w/ the way Dolby PLIIx sounds so I'm not in a big hurry to get a new player just for the sound.

I haven't gotten first-hand experience with either new HD format. I have considered picking up a PS3 or one of the entry-level Toshibas a time or two, but I keep deciding to wait another three months or six months. On the one hand, I've also heard that the new audio formats are a great upgrade. On the other hand, I've also heard that the on-the-fly 1.5mbps DTS downmixes that the Toshiba players do gets surprisingly close to those new formats while still working with SPDIF connections.

If you've heard the MLP tracks on a DVD-A then you've heard Dolby TrueHD (uses the same lossless packing agorithm).

Good point, Sanjay...