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Author Topic: What device to decode optical digital sound into 6 analog channels out? Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 08-26-2010 11:34 AM                     I searched around the forums, but didn't find what I was looking for. Please recommend a thread if there is something about this already. I am looking for a device which accepts the digital optical audio output from a BluRay player and decodes the PCS, Dolby 5.1, or DTS encoded signals into 6 analog channels for my Dolby CP65 digital input (analog inputs.) Also, I would like to have the ability to set the levels of each of the channels before it arrives at the CP65 inputs. Oh, and I am looking for something cheap, but good sound quality. I have an external Sound Blaster Extigy which has an optical input and decodes Dolby 5.1 into multiple outputs - anyone used this?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-26-2010 12:10 PM                        I have looked into this a couple of times in the past. The expensive option is the DMA8/DMA8 Plus. It does not do DTS decoding for obvious reasons. Otherwise, it works well, and would be the easiest option if you have a DTS unit or DA20 connected as well. The cheap option would be a Blu-Ray player with 6-channel outputs, or, possibly, some sort of home stereo decoder box with 6-channel outputs. I've worked at a place that uses a B&K processor box for this purpose, but I thought that it was ridiculously over-complicated for the application (it also does video switching and other things that are not useful in a cinema environment). It sounds fine, though. Presumably, you have already considered and rejected the above. One possibility that is (presumably) cheaper than a DMA8 would be the Extron SSP 7.1. I have not seen this, but it claims to do what you want. It has a gain pot on it, which may or may not be a good thing (you didn't say if you wanted to set the channel levels individually or to adjust the entire program level). Another option would be the USL ECI-60, which others here have used. For my own purposes (home screening room), I decided to stick with 2-channel pro-logic decoding in the CP65. It sounds fine with most material, and I need to get better speakers before doing any other upgrades.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 08-26-2010 12:32 PM                     Eric, many home a/v receivers can do what you need, the trick is to find one with the "pre-amp out" connections. The built-in amps just sit idle or if you want to get fancy hook up those outputs to a set of speakers for a 5.1 booth monitor. I have used Denon AVR-3801ci with great results in the audio department. They are a bit pricey though at around $1,100.00 at Best Buy. I think Denon has one or two less expensive models with pre-amp outs. But, my last few experiences with Denon have been less than stellar..I got one brand new out of the box where ALL outputs (Video, Audio, Preamp and Mains) were dead. Almost as if someone at the factory forgot to connect a harness or something. This once great brand is now made in China. Marantz A/V receivers are very close to Denon in performance and functionality as well. Shop around and you will find one that fits the bill.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 08-26-2010 02:28 PM                     There are BlueRay players with discrete 6 channel RCA outputs and are volume set within the setup menu of the DVD. Its the easiest and cheapest alternative you can find. Demetris  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 08-26-2010 04:26 PM                     You want one of these.  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-26-2010 05:48 PM                     Demetris is on the right track. Get a player with analog outputs, they are very easy to come by. They will output lossless if the disc has lossless and you won't have to muck about with changing formats on a 3rd party decoder. Whatever is on the disc will comes out the RCA. You also want as few processing stages between your source and your processor. Each additional component you add increases the possibility of failure and loss of sync.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-26-2010 09:31 PM                     Tony...note Denon is moving AWAY from preamp output receivers...if you look at the x91 series that just came out...they have omitted the preamp outs except for the subwoofer. On the very upper end, they still have the preamp outs. Another problem with the Denon A/V receivers is that they still feed the amps and there is no way to turn them off. As such, if you don't watch your levels, you will actually clip the unused amps and cause the receiver to go into protect mode...very bad! It also appears that Denon's output level is closer to 150mV than 316mV...so you have another 6-8dB to make up on its output. If you are looking for an A/V receiver that is "Prosumer" grade...look at the Onkyo PR-SC5507P. Tons of HDMI inputs, preamp outputs (balanced or unbalanced)...it even has a VGA in and XLR inputs. It does not classify as "Cheap" though in this case but it does have a great bang for the buck in a full-blown systems since it can act as a Video (preview and program) and audio switcher/decoder. The Extron box does meet the criteria in many ways...except "cheap." It is tunable, and also remotable. Atlona also has a HDMI to analog audio out decoder.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 08-28-2010 05:15 AM                     The Extigy will indeed do Dolby Digital Decoding Standalone and might be good for a test. However, no adjustments are possible, you would have to add your own leveling circuit. At home, I use a dedicated Decoder box from a german company: http://www.teufel.de/pc-lautsprecher/decoderstation-5.html This is sort of a stripped-down AV-Receiver (without the Amps). If you don't have the BluRay-Player yet, or if you consider buying a new one - the Sony 550 is an excellent device for your need - it has a delay and level setup for it's discrete 5.1/7.1 outputs. Since this is hidden in the config menu, there is little chance for staff to mess around with these settings in daily operations. It's easy to adjust the surround delays (up to 15m) and levels with the remote and a simple SPL meter. Not EVERY Sony Player with discrete outputs has this setup option. If you can't get the 550 anymore, check the manual first. The 550 has other benefits as well - disable OSD, disable ScreenSaver, stays in play-pause unlimited time, etc. I checked a lot of BD-Players and found this to be the best for our cinema needs. Note that todays BluRay Players can output SurroundSound in three possible ways: - discrete 5.1/7.1 analog outputs - DolbyDigital or DTS through Toslink or S/P-DIF - all BluRay Audio Formats through HDMI As you see and might learn from the manuals, not all possible BluRay audio formats are supported through every connection method. However, I think that for compatibility reasons, there will always be at least a DolbyDigital track on future discs, since it's the most widespread format and there are so many surround systems using the S/P-DIF/TOSLINK method in use today that won't be upgraded to HDMI too soon. The device that Mitchell refers to looks promising as well, if it is reliable. Unfortunately, it lacks individual channel level adjustment. You might also consider transformer-isolating the analog audio outputs from player/receiver/decoder box, since they can introduce quite some hum. We use three stereo transformer boxes. If you have a DA20 connected to the CP65 - it has an external audio input that will loop through to the CP65 when the DA20 is not decoding digital, you can use this input for the BluRay Player instead of connecting it to the CP65 directly. No cable changing. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 08-30-2010 09:30 AM                     For the sake of simplicity, it looks like the Sony BDP-S550 would be the way to go. It would integrate well with the XD10P we have in the rack. The Sony BluRay multi channel outputs are rated at 2 Vrms/10kohm. Does this match well with the CP65 input impedance for the digital 6 channel analog inputs (the one that DTS uses.) What is the range if input voltage on the CP65? I tried to RTFM, but couldn't find the info.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 08-30-2010 04:39 PM                     We have the S550 connected to the CP65 through our DA20 as mentioned. As far as I know, there are only relays in the signal path (loop through works when DA20 has no power), so the level should be the same when connecting the player to the CP65 directly. We noticed that, when surround levels have been balanced, the overall sound level from the BluRay Player is slightly less than from DSR or SRD. Not much, you maybe need to push one number up on the CP. But in general, the levels are compatible. Might depend a bit on the transformers you use. Note that the BluRay Player has no 'volume control' itself. Theres Vol Up/Down on the remote, but thats for adjusting TV volume, not player volume. There's only the audio setup level and delay option in the system menu. We have been using the Sony for about a year now. It's not in everyday use, but so far is has shown no issues. Disabling screen saver and OSD is very helpful. The fact that it stays in playback-pause forever means you can 'thread' forward to the main feature before the audience enters, skipping all the copyright advisory, trailers, menus, etc., then hit pause - and you can wait 5min or three hours to start the main feature instantly by hitting play or pause again. The signal flow chart in the CP65 manual, page 71, quotes 300mV for the SRD inputs (upper right). That doesn't seem to match the 2Veff/10k of the Sony at all - but specific conditions are not given. The XD10P quotes 300mV default on the NonSync inputs as well. We had a consumer grade CD-Player connected to the CP65 NonSync input before. The BluRay Player outputs the same levels, so I simply assumed that it would match the 6ch input as well. And it did. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Robert Minichino Master Film Handler Posts: 350 From: Haskell, NJ, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 08-30-2010 05:17 PM                        The 300mVrms Dolby quotes is at Dolby level, that is -20 dB, so it expects 0 dB (what Sony is quoting for its 2Vrms outputs) to be 20 dB higher, or 3Vrms.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-31-2010 10:30 PM                     I reccomend the Opo Blu-Ray players. 6 analog outs for audio and superb image quality. Fairly resonably priced... Mark  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-01-2010 10:53 AM                        The Oppo that I have seen does not allow the on-screen display ("Play" graphics and such) to be disabled. That's a dealbreaker for me. Too bad, because the player is otherwise good, and much faster than the older Sonys. Has anyone found a region-free Blu-Ray player, or is it still necessary to have a regular DVD player for that purpose?  |  IP: Logged Jean-Marc Toussaint Film Handler Posts: 60 From: Paris, France Registered: May 2008 posted 09-01-2010 02:51 PM                        My Panasonic DMPBD80 BluRay player is multiregion (A, B & C + R1 to 6 for DVDs), it features 6 channel output to a Yamaha receiver (to which I have also connected the LD player) that goes to a Tascam Studio Bay patch that is linked to the amplifier rack. The Dolby CP with DTS6 are also connected to the patch and I can switch from one chain of devices to the other without altering anything.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 09-03-2010 03:26 AM                     I can only recommend to check for RELEVANT Features. That is, disable OSD, Screensaver, etc. Unlimited PlayPause is a clear Plus as well, as there are no 'presentation' BluRays out there, so you have to skip over 'Loading...' Screens, Copyright warnings, etc. well in advance in order to start right into the main feature in front of the audience. If you want to connect a satellite receiver as well with surround sound, an external audio decoder box is favorable, since there are no satellite boxes with discrete analog surround outputs. That way you use the decoder box/AV receiver preamp like a 'digital' cinema processor with source switching, volume control, setup, etc. for both BluRay/DVD and satellite box. If it's just for BluRay/DVD, the mentioned players with 5.1/7.1 analog outputs are the easiest solution, especially if they have a level setup option like the Sony 550. Sooner or later you will need a preview monitor for the player in the booth - it absolutely needs to have '24p' capability (cheap computer monitors with HDMI don't have 24p!). You will also need a simple HDMI switcher or splitter. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged

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