Though its not a receiver, my Emotiva pre/pro UMC-200 will decode 4.0 PCM. It also has MC analog inputs.
Receivers that decode 4.0 PCM/MLP recordings over HDMI
- Thread starter Mark Anderson
- Start date
Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:
No. If anything, its the other way around. Most can't decode 4.0 PCM. I would expect this problem to get progressively worse going forward. I think that is why the DV quad re-issues come with empty center and sub channels, and why the AF quad re-issues came with at least one empty channel. The software makers are anticipating the problem.
Thanks LuvMyQuad, I've added it to the list
Wow, news to me. Chicago bluray box, those quads are 4.0 (no silent channel if I understand correctly) so peoole with receivers that can’t decode 4.0 shouldn’t be able to play those?
I am not sure if its the same problem with all formats and equipment. They may be able to play 4.0 DTS-MA or the Dolby equivalent, but not 4.0 PCM (FLAC).
The problem with SACD is that many players output it in PCM, hence the need for the empty channels.
Only if one is wedded to playing the discs. Once you move over to file playback, there are a number of way to resolve this issue.
Thanks, added to the list
The56Kid
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Great future reference topic, Mark!
I have a 2008 Yamaha RX-V1900 and it successfully handles 4.0 from SACD, FLAC, DVD-A, and Blu-ray 4.0 sources via HDMI from either of my Oppos (BDP-93 & UDP-203). It’s obviously not a new receiver, but if someone finds a used one on eBay, they should be good to go.
I have a 2008 Yamaha RX-V1900 and it successfully handles 4.0 from SACD, FLAC, DVD-A, and Blu-ray 4.0 sources via HDMI from either of my Oppos (BDP-93 & UDP-203). It’s obviously not a new receiver, but if someone finds a used one on eBay, they should be good to go.
Thanks, It appears the Yamaha's are in the lead for the number of receivers that play good with our toys!
OK. That statement is only true for disc playback of Dolby Digital AC3 4.0 recordings.
If I flip the disc to the DVD-A side, the 4.0 surround tracks only play on the front L/R.
The same can be said of the several 4.0 DVD-A discs I tried.
In addition, I tried to play the files of these same discs using the Oppo to feed them from my server to the Marantz and, again, only the front L/R would play.
Finally, as stated, playing any of them via Jriver on my macMini and connected to the Marantz with HDMI was just fine since JRMC handles the channel routing just fine.
Kal, thanks so much for verifying this. Just to be clear, I only have this issue when playing the legit recording of pink floyd dark side and wish you were here 4.0 recordings from the bluray and home brew conversions to DVD Audio 4.0. No problems with 4.0 DTS, dolby or SACD. So 4.0 PCM / MLP is the issue.
Guess so............................unless you use an intelligent music player.
I’m likely to shop for the latest best AVR with analogue inputs next time I shop. Even if I have to give up HDMI and even if I must shop used equipment I want analogue inputs. And I want phono in as well. Remember for a long while “phono in” was becoming a rare thing.
Those requirements will certainly narrow it all down with respect to new equipment. I assume you mean multi-channel in. They all have stereo analog in.
Yes, in this forum and this thread in particular it would be multichannel.
There are some beautiful (slightly older) AVRs that have analogue 6 and 7 channel input. And prices are so low you really can’t lose there.
It seems unless things have changed recently that there has always been some format or codec that a given AVR does not accept, and can’t decode, and that the late Oppo models indeed do decode. And since I don’t do upgrades every time a new thing comes out on the scene, I’d rather be behind on each and every development. I like saving the cash as well as seeing what shakes out.
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The Chicago quad box is not DTS or DD right? It’s 24/96 pcm I thought. Anyway most are playing Blu-ray Discs on Blu-ray players I’d guess. And the channel layout would just work, right.
Not new receivers, but:
Onkyo TX-NR609 plays quad DVDA over HDMI from my Oppo 970HD, Oppo BDP-80 & Oppo BDP-103
Onkyo TX-NR656 plays quad DVDA over HDMI only from my Oppo BDP-103
When I contacted Onkyo about the TX-NR656 they were no help. The one I spoke to didn't really seem to understand what surround sound was. Sigh.
Actually at first when I changed receivers I had no clue what was happening, as detailed by my postings in the DVDA workshop last year. That's when Mark told me it was because of changes in the decoding chips. I had thought something weird was happening with the DVDA authoring/encoding software or just me.
Onkyo TX-NR609 plays quad DVDA over HDMI from my Oppo 970HD, Oppo BDP-80 & Oppo BDP-103
Onkyo TX-NR656 plays quad DVDA over HDMI only from my Oppo BDP-103
When I contacted Onkyo about the TX-NR656 they were no help. The one I spoke to didn't really seem to understand what surround sound was. Sigh.
Actually at first when I changed receivers I had no clue what was happening, as detailed by my postings in the DVDA workshop last year. That's when Mark told me it was because of changes in the decoding chips. I had thought something weird was happening with the DVDA authoring/encoding software or just me.
I'm not sure of all this .. because my actual experience with it is limited, and the issue goes across various brands and DRM levels. If some industry guy knows the real deal on this I'd love if he shared it.
First. to make sure we aren't comparing apples to oranges I want to make a distinction here between playing a BR disk and playing a PCM file
I'd check the Chicago box again. Mine are ripped and put away. I do believe they were truly 4.0 because I remember eventually adding empty centers and LFE channels and I thought the sample rate was higher than 96kHz. But even if there was a PCM option on the disk, I think it still wouldn't be playable from the disk itself without routing through something that has a BR license. When played as a BR disk the operation goes through HDMI.... and I think at this point is where there is a fork in the road in some equipment.. Will it play 4.0 from Blueray through HDMI with proper channel assignments. I think most do. But I wonder if its actually the BR player that directs it somehow on channel assignments.
The next fork is ..... without any blueray standard connected as a source, (like when you rip and play the Chicago box as PCM (FLAC) over HDMI through a PC), and the AVR sees straight 4.0 PCM, does it get the channel assignments right, or not? Most modern AVRs don't.
Why do I think this? Because I can take a Chicago BR disk and play it on my son's entry level system (Xbox player through Pioneer AVR) and it plays fine. But when I rip the disk and play the resulting 4.0 PCM files from PC, again through HDMI, it defaults to stereo.
So if you exclusively play physical disks this may not be an issue for you. It is a bigger issue for those who play files.
I never even knew the problem existed until last year my gear (older Oppo and older Emotiva pre/pro) never had a problem playing 4.0 either way. I noticed it when I set up my sons system and tried to play files.
