TataSky - AVR - TV Interconnect Cables for best Audio Output

[kurups]

Hi All,

I am just in the final stage to setup by HT System.....connecting cables between all the AV equipments - TS Box, AVR (Harman Kardon AVR 3650 and HKTS 60 SUB) and TV (Sony KDL42W -850A). I have made few connections. Plz let me know if there are any improvements possible.

1) TS to TV = HDMI (Video & Audion for SD channels and Only Video for HD Channels, Audio during HD Channels is planned through Optical)

2) TS to AVR = OPTICAL for Audio (As soon as AVR is 'ON', default source is TS and all HD Channels play good)

3) AVR Out to TV IN = HDMI Cable (With ARC feature, the TV audio is played by AVR too when TV is selected as source)

4) BlueRay player is still now come.....so that connections are not made now.


Question 1 - Now, for HD channels, the audio quality that i get by using a direct Optical Cable from TS to AVR is much better than when i use all HDMI cable connections. (That is, TS to TV (hdmi) and TV to AVR also through HDMI Arc).....This combination is giving inferior sound compared to TS to AVR with Optical Cable. Any suggestions/improvements possible or am i missing something? Also, only in the TS- AVR through Optical route for HD Channels, i see that Dolby Digital is mentioned on the AVR. All other combinations show only PCM 48khz as the input audion description on the AVR....which is same as for all SD channels.

Question 2 - What is the Audio format in which Tatasky transmits Audio for HD & SD Channels? In the TS- AVR (through optical cable) route, the description comes as Dolby Digital for all HD Channels, and for all SD Channels, it comes as PCM 48khz.


I am not planning TS - AVR - TV (all HDMI), as i will have to keep AVR 'ON' at all times in this connection and it comsumes a whooping 680 watts with the Sub.

Rgds
Sreejith

 

[baijuxavior]

Your current setup (STB > AVR through optical) is the best since you don't want to connect the stb directly to avr. When using ARC, you will not get DD 5.1 because the TV downmixes the signal to PCM.

 

[kurups]

Thanks Baiju for the reply. I saw the following writeup in a blueray forum. PCM seems to be one of the best lossless tracks, but why is it that when a TV transmits it back to the AVR, nothing great comes out of it......I feel Dolby Digital to outperform PCM in my setup.


" PCM = TrueHD = DTS-MA -- these are "lossless" tracks and sound great. Make sure that your player and/or receiver can handle and decode the TrueHD and/or DTS-MA tracks. PCM needs to be handled by HDMI to get full 5.1 (or 7.1) sound.

Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HR are approximately equal -- lossy next-gen HD codecs, but generally very good.

DTS -- the best of the older DVD codecs.

Dolby Digital -- the most compressed of the codecs. But it still sound decent -- but not as good as any of the above"

 

[baijuxavior]

This is because the TV converts 5.1 channel DD audio to two channel PCM when connected through ARC. The conversion from DD to PCM may be lossy.

 

[kurups]

ok got it Baiju.
Now my further question:-

Other than a Blueray Player option with Original Blueray Disks, do i have any option to get to listen to these tracks like:-

PCM, TrueHD, DTS-MA, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HR, DTS ......the so-called lossless tracks.

1) If i try downloading these True HD & 1080p video tracks from Youtube to my laptop, the video finally gets coneverted to 720P and then gets downloaded and so i hope the audio also might get reduced in quality.

2) If i play this directly from you tube on TV (Audio to be played by AVR With HDMI ARC)....STILL i hope the TV might transmit only a weaker audio......SO ARE THERE ANY OPTIONS REMAINING FOR ME OTHER THAN A BLUERAY PLAYER....?

Regards
Sreejith

 

[baijuxavior]

Most of the new PC motherboards/laptops with hdmi out will support all the above audio formats. You can add an entry level graphics card if the PC is not supporting them.

 

[rbalagopalan]

ok got it Baiju.
Now my further question:-

Other than a Blueray Player option with Original Blueray Disks, do i have any option to get to listen to these tracks like:-

PCM, TrueHD, DTS-MA, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HR, DTS ......the so-called lossless tracks.

......SO ARE THERE ANY OPTIONS REMAINING FOR ME OTHER THAN A BLUERAY PLAYER....?

Regards
Sreejith

I think you are watching / downloading HD contents/movies from you tube, which is not a great or right way to get the full potential of the HD content. Try downloading directly from torrents, still each movie should be at least 4gb to get fair performance.

 

[sanro]

When using ARC, you will not get DD 5.1 because the TV downmixes the signal to PCM.

Is that applicable for all the TVs ? Recent LEDs maybe ?

Using ARC , I am getting DD 5.1 for the content and channels that does transmit it.

 

[baijuxavior]

It may be specific to his TV model. I'm not sure about new TVs.

 

[ontherocks]

Is that applicable for all the TVs ? Recent LEDs maybe ?

Using ARC , I am getting DD 5.1 for the content and channels that does transmit it.

Which brand & model of TV do you own?

 

[kurups]

the question was to someone else...but let me answer my tv model......i own the sony KDL-42W850A (Bought a month back and it is Sony's 2013 model)

I get the audio description as PCM 48Khz on my AVR, when i take the TV audio to AVR through HDMI ARC...the AVR (HK3650) through its own capability then converts it into 5.1 channels...but the audio is not that great as the below option....

If i connect the Tatasky receiver directly to AVR through an Optical cable, for the same HD channels, i get superb audio and it gets described on the AVR as Dolby Digital (3/2/.1) etc.....

 

[baijuxavior]

Check the TV ARC settings. There may be some option to change the mode from PCM to bitstream or raw.