HR20 and Dolby Digital

deltadave said:

Hello all you wonderful knowledge filled D* experts. I have a question for you all that has to do with the HR20 but also the Dolby Audio and I am hoping someone can help me understand it.

I have just never really understood the Dolby Digital and how it relates between my HR20 and my stereo system?

My stereo receiver is a receiver and 5 disc DVD player. I run my audio from my HR20 to the receiver with the red and white cables. I don't have the optical input on the receiver, so can I even use Dolby Digital from my HR20? The receiver has a Dolby "Pro Logic" mode. Should I turn on DD on my HR20 or is it useless without the optical input?

As always, thanks much for reading and thanks for your help!

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DD is "digital" and since your receiver can not accept dig signals (either optical or dig cable) it can not output DD. There is benefit in setting your H20 to DD.

here is benefit in setting your H20 to DD.

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I think he meant to say there is NO benefit in setting your HR20 to DD, since your receiver can't decode it.

DD is a digital transmission technology scheme. It can be passed from one component to another by either digitial coaxial cable or, in the case of the HR20, by fiber optic cable. To decode and play DD audio, you have to have a receiver capable of accepting the digital signal.

Benefits to DD include a much higher dynamic range and fidelity than PCM audio, and having access to specific, discrete audio channels. The DD "standard" is really DD5.1 - denoting 5 independent sound channels plus a low-frequency effects (e.g., subwoofer) channel. Not everything is broadcast in DD but when it is, it can be really incredible.