Originally Posted By: gonk
If you're using optical or coaxial, you are actually getting lossy DTS - but typically at the highest possible bit rate offered by DTS. These high-bitrate DD and DTS tracks really do a pretty good job, even if they aren't truly lossless, and the 970's decoding is then fed into the good DAC and analog section, which certainly helps.


"Pretty good job" is an understatement IMO. I couldn't tell the difference between it and the the lossless audio and its one of the reasons I returned the Oppo BDP-83 and instead opted for a cheap commmodity bluray player sans analog outs. I think its a little known fact that the "true spec" (but still lossy) DD and DTS typically available on Bluray over "legacy" digital connections (coaxial/optical) is a significant upgrade over the standard DVD lossy audio.