Seeking Help PCM or Dolby Digital

[Rakesh M U]

My Samsung 5.1 HT have setting option for both PCM and Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital Plus not supported). Which gives best audio experience? I have connected this HT thro HDMI ARC port with my Samsung TV. requesting information and suggestions..

When you're using 5.1 HT then Dolby only can give you best experience.

 

[Siva]

PCM is 2.0 uncompressed/RAW audio. you can passthrough uncompressed audio and your AVR/HT can decode it to DD/DD+ provided you passthrough DD/DD+ as PCM. so in a way.... yes you can set PCM on your player(important part) and your HT can play as DD/DD+.

Even if we passthrough DD/DD+ as PCM by setting it up explicitly at source i.e. TV/STB, on the HT, if we set it to Original/Auto mode the audio will only be 2 channel. We need to let the HT perform an upscaling again by setting another mode like DD+ Surround or other such modes available on HT depending on the model. In my view, this is unnecessary, because when DD/DD+ is available at the source, we should just let it passthrough as-is, instead of manipulating it as PCM and again asking the HT to decode it as DD/DD+. Just my thought, and it's an individual choice after all.

 

[alienwrz]

Even if we passthrough DD/DD+ as PCM by setting it up explicitly at source i.e. TV/STB, on the HT, if we set it to Original/Auto mode the audio will only be 2 channel. We need to let the HT perform an upscaling again by setting another mode like DD+ Surround or other such modes available on HT depending on the model. In my view, this is unnecessary, because when DD/DD+ is available at the source, we should just let it passthrough as-is, instead of manipulating it as PCM and again asking the HT to decode it as DD/DD+. Just my thought, and it's an individual choice after all.

yes ofcourse, when you have good source with DD/DD+ then no need for decode/encode etc.

 

[Baba Yaga]

My Samsung 5.1 HT have setting option for both PCM and Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital Plus not supported). Which gives best audio experience? I have connected this HT thro HDMI ARC port with my Samsung TV. requesting information and suggestions..

Go with Dolby Digital as you can get 5.1 Surround , PCM stereo may be good and uncompressed but Dolby 5.1 always tops it, that is the reason why most of the channels providing movies in Dolby Digital 5.1 format even some regional TV Serials are available in Dolby 5.1 .

Note: You can Upmix PCM 2.0 to 5.1 with your HT only if it has options like Dolby Prologic , DTS Neo , etc . Still it will be upmix content which can not be compared with Original Dolby Digital 5.1

 

[trumee]

It won't. PCM is 2 channel.

LPCM on the other hand is multichannel. It is possible to send LPCM over hdmi.