Stereo output from a DVD player for 5.1 coded sound?

[Umfriend]

I am considering a purchase (which ussually means I don;t buy anything): a DVD player. I need it to be able to play SACD and DVD-A (and CD) as well. I don't want a receiver, so it'll have to have analogue outputs/ I will also not go HT/Surround sound route, but stay stereo.

Now my question is: If I buy a DVD-video that only has 5.1 sound (ac-3 or DTS or whatever), will it still be able to ouput all sound simply in a 2.0 way? Does that depend on the DVD player?

I am considering a Denon DVD-2900, anyone have any experience with that?

[Gurm]

Virtually all DVD players downmix to stereo for all mixes.

Problems with your bizarre requirements:

1. The stereo signal coming off the analogue jacks is weak. You'll need an amplifier ANYWAY just to make it loud enough to hear... so that'll pretty much kill your "no receiver" idea - or were you planning to run into your Altec Lansing (or similar) speakers?

2. SACD support is a BOD on 99% of DVD players, sadly. Sony players seem to be the only ones to consistently make it sound good, and even they botch the stereo output of SACD.

- GUrm

[Umfriend]

Sry, I meant I do not want a surround sound/AV reciever, ya know, the things that are rated 400W, being 5x80W and suck with every channel. Of course it'll be amplified.

I have seen decent reviews of both the Philips 963SA (especially with a Van Medevoort upgrade) and the Denon DVD-2900. Course, SACD output won't be like a Marantz SA-1, but I ain't prepared to burn that amount of money.

What is a "BOD".

I do NOT buy Sony, not ever again,

[Gurm]

Bowl o' Dick.

Then again Denon is a much nicer unit than most consumer-level products you find at Circuit City here in the States.

Just go give it a listen at the store with a SACD before you buy it, since like I said a lot of current-gen DVD players have TERRIBLE SACD support.

- Gurm

[Gurm]

As an elaboration - many current DVD players only output the SACD signal over the discrete 5.1 outputs.

If you look at the back of nice DVD players, you'll see multiple audio outputs. Optical and/or Coaxial digital, Stereo, and Discrete 5.1 - which is to say 6 RCA-style jacks for the 6 "channels" of audio output. This is used to output the player's onboard DD decoded signal... and sadly, in many cases the SACD output (since SACD's are encoded with 6 discrete channels).

The reasoning is that the manufacturer doesn't want to take a discrete 6-channel signal, ENCODE it to DD (digital), and then DECODE it again to Stereo... so they just pipe it out the 6-plug output...

Sadly, the 6-plug output sounds like poo on a lot of units.

So, like I said - check it out first.

- Gurm

[Liquid Snake]

Besides the Philips 963SA, I've heard (not literally ) that the Pioneer DV-563A is also a decent multi-format player. You may want to look into that player.

The thing with SACD and DVD-A right now is that the standard SPDIF and optical links won't pass the signals in their full resolution. The signal is downgraded to a stereo 16/44.1 signal. Why? Copy protection of course. RIAA and friends are scared about you making a perfect digital copy of a 24/96 signal.

So you're stuck with the analog outs for SACD and DVD-A anyway. All SACDs have a stereo layer as well, so there's no concern about downmixing the surround layer into stereo. Most (not all) DVD-As have a stereo layer as well.

[TransformX]

Originally posted by Liquid Snake
The thing with SACD and DVD-A right now is that the standard SPDIF and optical links won't pass the signals in their full resolution. The signal is downgraded to a stereo 16/44.1 signal. Why? Copy protection of course. RIAA and friends are scared about you making a perfect digital copy of a 24/96 signal.

This is purely evil.

[Liquid Snake]

It depends on the player, but at least for SACD, I think, the digital outputs are not active at all when you play a SACD. I guess it beats getting a downsampled signal.

[rugger]

All this makes me so glad that I don't give a flying toss about SACD or 96/24 bit DAC resolution.

[Umfriend]

Well, I did hear the difference between a decent CD and a decent SACD (/CD only) player. Although the Marantz SA-1 can't really be called "decent" I guess....

I'll have to do some more research I guess. The guy at our local "high end" audio store know nothing, what a bunch of goons.

I think I have seen a review of the Philips stating that it does have digital outputs active with SACD playback and that it could and would even upsample clasic CD to 24bits/96khz and output that....

I don't need that however. IF, and this is a big IF, I would use a digital out, I'd want top-notch DAC's, and these I am not willing to pay for. I don't see a reason to buy mediocre stuff alongside a source device if it outputs analog/stereo are anywhere near decent.

My local store only does Denon for multi-format players, so it's hard to get a comparison there. Need to look I guess....

[Umfriend]

OK, so I got the Denon DVD-2900. I intended to do a sorta review of it here on GHWSW, but I'm not sure anyone would actually be interested in that, and it would take me quite some time to do it. So, anyone want to hear about it or is it either not interesting or do you already have enough reviews on the web/magazines?

[DukeP]

I would love to read a good review!!

~~DukeP~~

[DC]

I would like to read somthing about that "from someone I know".

DC