Page 1 of Question on dolby digital and Yamaha DSP-E800

I have recently bought a Yamaha DSP-E800 processor to go with a Wharfedale `late` 750s and am wondering about something. I only have 3 DVDs at present. Each claims to be Dolby Digital encoded but behaves differently with the Yamaha. Viz 1) ‘Fiddler on the Roof’: Dolby Digital light is on the 750s, DOLBY DIGITAL in main display on Yamaha. DD Digital in small letters at left.

2) ‘Blade Runner Director’s Cut’: Dolby Digital light is on 750s, PRO LOGIC in main display. Pro Logic AND DD Digital in small letters at left.

3) ‘Velvet Goldmine’ : Dolby Digital light is on 750s, PRO LOGIC in main display. Pro Logic AND DD Digital in small letters at left. If I reselect `5.1` sound on Audio Options Menu on the disc, the display changes to as 1) above but then intermittently switches to as 2) above, during which time no sound is heard for a few seconds. Wonder if my interconnect is a problem - Prowire high quality RCA phono cable – not branded ‘digital’ as such. Anybody shed any light on the above - I thought you can have Pro Logic or Dolby Digital not both? Thanks!

I`ve got the Yamaha with a Lecson DVD900 (which is, more or less, a Wharfie) and I get Dolby Digital without problems. However, while the films themselves maybe DD, extras and menus, etc., normally show as Pro-Logic. With some films, you need to select the soundtrack option from the DVD itself as quite a few default to pro-logic or even stereo unless you choose the DD option. I suspect that is what is happening in "2" and "3". The Yamaha is indicating the presence of both types of soundtrack, but defaults to the Pro-logic sound track until you select the DD one on the DVD.

You can set the Yamaha to use a specific sound type for some of the inputs. Normally it is set to "Auto", but you can also set it to "Last" where it will remember the type of soundtrack you last used and then default to that. Without digging the manual out, I can`t remember exactly, but I think you can specify the default sound output for the DVD input.

As to the occasional sound drop-outs, I get them too on the odd DVD, but not as bad as I had with the Schneider DVD player, so I suspect its more the player than the amp and doubt if its the cable.

Us Yammy & Lecson/Wharfie owners must stick together!

I got fed up waiting for my E800 (ya lucky buggers!) - already two months and apparently neither it nor the A5 due in until end of month.
So yesterday I bought the RXV596RDS receiver version instead....surprisingly still a few around. Don`t need a bloody "radio" but the price was right.

I`m still at the RTFM stage but also seem to recall a bit about checking/defining the DVD input as "Auto" so it`ll take care of itself.
I was also surprised that most of my DVDs "drop" from digital to pro-logic for the extras.
The only manual intervention should be to choose DTS (on your player)where available.

Right....off to run T2:UE/DTS (for the umpteenth time) and bounce even more of her ornaments off the shelves!

Managed to get mine at Sevenoaks soon after it got reviewed. Brilliant bit of kit!

Oh, and when you do get a DTS soundtrack, it slaughters Dolby Digital. Absolutely the dogs doodahs!!!!

Just to add my two penn`orth to the Yammy situation - depends how you`ve got it hooked up. If it`s via digital input (i.e. coaxial or optical) to the DVD socket then the A5, at least, is set to Auto by default, and then works out how the signal being received should be decoded.

Have you tried using the DSPs on your 800 ? For Pro-Logic soundtracks it`ll show say, 70mm SPECTACLE, for DD it`ll show DGTL SPECTACLE and for DTS - dur - DTS SPECTACLE.

It is also true that often the commentaries are only recorded in Pro-Logic so there might well be the odd cut out whilst the 800 sorts itself out - perfectly normal behaviour.

I`m sorely tempted to try out Gladiator (too broke after Christmas) to see what the DTS playback is like on it - is it really that good, Mick ?

This item was edited on Saturday, 6th January 2001, 00:52

Awesome.....(but I still can`t get over T2:UE on DTS to be honest!)

Gotta love this upgrading in stages mullarkey....real justification for watching films over again!

Totally with you, Yee-har - even simple things like buying a decent SCART cable is reason enough for me to watch every DVD I own again !

Clayts,

yes, the DTS soundtrack is stunning on Gladiator and, believe it or not, on Chicken Run. There is just no comparison between the DD and DTS soundtracks. DTS just gives more of everything, but what impressed me was the way DTS handled the music soundtracks. Just a totally huge improvement. If there`s a choice now between a film in DD with extras and the same in DTS, but no extras, I`d forget the extras and get the DTS version. It really is that much better.

I really want that little `dts` to light up on my amp, but suffering from post-Chrimbo saggy wallet, so I might have to hit Blockbusters !

Clayts!!!! Don`t do it!!! Not with a saggy wallet problem. It`ll make you want to go and buy one :)))))