BDP 8000 Dolby Digital / DTS passthrough

[anduril]

Hello,
I have the BDP 8000 and my TV is the Philips 46PFL9704. My AV Receiver is a little older so there is only one digital input and no hdmi input. I connected my satellite receiver and Apple TV to the TV and the digital sound gets passed per HDMI to the TV and from there to the AV Receiver so that I can enjoy Dolby Digital and DTS. But I don't get the BDP 8000 to passthrough the digital sound. I can only listen to Dolby Pro Logic or Neo 6 and this is not comparable.
A direct connection from the BDP8000 to the AV Receiver is not possible cause of only one digital input. And always switching the cables from tv to the bluray player every time I wanna watch a Bluray is really annoying. What can I do?

thx

[Toengel]

Hi,

just to be sure:

Sat receiver -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO work

Apple TV -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO work

BDP8000 -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO NOT work

Am I correct?


Toengel@Alex

[anduril]

Hi,

just to be sure:

Sat receiver -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO work

Apple TV -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO work

BDP8000 -> (HDMI) -> TV -> AVR => DD and DTS passthrough DO NOT work

Am I correct?


Toengel@Alex

yes you got it all right

[Toengel]

Hi,

that is really frustrating! I own a BDP9600 and I am also not able to passthrough DD and DTS. But if you say that your SAT and Apple (connected via HDMI to your TV) do passthrough DD and DTS it seems that one of the Philips devices (BDP or TV) cuts down this functionality!

Philips, please fix that or give us an explanation for this kind of issue!

Toengel@Alex

[anduril]

that is really frustrating!

Philips, please fix that or give us an explanation for this kind of issue!

Agree!!!

Must be the Bluray Player otherwise Apple TV and SAT receiver would be cut down too

[a_Tom]

So the TV is connected via Digital Coax to the AVR, all other Devices are connected via HDMI to The TV.

Can you check what Kind of Signal the TV gets from the BDP? Just go to Options > Info, on the TV.

[Andreas]

Could it be that your Apple TV and Sat TV "only" use DTS and DD, which the TV can passthrough? For Blu-Ray, your BDP will use DTS-MA and DD True HD, which your TV may not be able to passthrough.

Either set the BDP to downmix the digital out to regular DTS/DD or use its analogue outputs (and built in D/A converter for Blu-Ray sound )and connect the BDP directly to your AV receiver using analogue inputs. Most AV receivers do have an analogue input, so that will most certanly work for you, albeit you will several cables (I assume six as you say you have an older AV reciever). You can set how many channels you have on your BPD so it can downmix correctly according you your speaker setup. The digital sound needs to be converted to an analoge signal somewhere in the chain, so why not use the unit that best can decode the signal in question (which for Blu-Ray audio would be your BDP)?

That way you can enjoy digital sound from your Apple TV and Sat TV and still get the multi channel audio from Blu-Ray.

[Toengel]

Hi,

connection with analogue is not a solution. Even if you play a DVD with the BDP (which only have 5.1 DD or DTS) the passthrough of DD or DTS do NOT work. Only PCM 2.0 is outputted...

Toengel@Alex

[Andreas]

...connection with analogue is not a solution. Even if you play a DVD with the BDP (which only have 5.1 DD or DTS) the passthrough of DD or DTS do NOT work. Only PCM 2.0 is outputted...

The original post only mentions the BDP as not beeing able to passthrough sound, not the Apple TV.

Why would my suggestion not be a solution for him? The built-in 7.1 decoder of his BPD would give him 5.1 with his av-receiver? What I suggest skips the passthrough problems as the BPD decodes the multichannel sound and outputs 5.1 with an analogue signal that his receiver can work with. He will need several RCA-cables, but it will work.

[anduril]

Why would my suggestion not be a solution for him? The built-in 7.1 decoder of his BPD would give him 5.1 with his av-receiver?

You are right. Currently this is the best workaround if you wanna have all channels decoded to an analog signal. Much better than sending a stereo down mix to the tv and decode it again to a surround sound. But in spite of everything it is still a bad solution cause you cannot compare the quality of a down mixed analog surround sound with the quality of DTS. It is like driving a ferrari with an engine of a fiat

And if you pay so much money for high-end components (TV, Bluray, Surround Sound) than you really wanna enjoy your movie. A good film is nothing without a good sound and you really don't wanna miss that or bother yourself by switching cables all the time if there is an official way to make the components work together

[sngbcn]

Hi,

I've heard about this issue some time ago in other user forums and if I recall properly this has to do with the definition of "HDCP content"* and the Digital Output restrictions. Contents Apple TV and SAT are probably not HDCP whilst a blu-ray is.

For example if you (@ Anduril or Toengel@Alex ) have a sat suscription HD channel, the behaviour should be the same as with the BDP.

Found this link in wikipedia ;-) :

*"HDCP License Agreement". Digital Content Protection, LLC.. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2011-05-16.

[Toengel]

Hi,

but then should a MKV or AVI with DD/DTS audio stream (played via USB from BDP) work, shouldn't it? But it doesn't.

Toengel@Alex

[sngbcn]

Hi,

but then should a MKV or AVI with DD/DTS audio stream (played via USB from BDP) work, shouldn't it? But it doesn't.

Toengel@Alex

I guess that all contents played via the BDP are encrypted as HDCP contents and therefore the rule applies. Is Philips applying the Licence Agreement properly? Maybe the moderator will also participate on this question?

[Toengel]

Hi,

but the HDMI connections of the sat receiver and apple tv are also HDCP encrypted since it is part of the HDMI specification, or?

Toengel@Alex

[sngbcn]

The contents from satellite provider that shall be protected with HDCP encryption will carry a broadcast flag. I'm no expert on the HDMI specs but I guess there are different parts which regard source and sink validation and then also the content itself.

That is why you can connect for example a PC with a bluray player. Windows itself is not HDCP encrypted but the BD disc will be. The software that you use for playback will check that the "environment" is HDCP compliant (see this FAQ). So the graphic card and its drivers shall support HDCP.

Conclusion:
Connection between PC and TV ---> "handshake" process to verify HDCP compliance
Windows or other O/S desktop ----> not HDCP encrypted content
Playback of protected content e.g. BD ----> HDCP encryption enabled by the content

So, the question remains: Is Philips applying properly the HDCP encryption on the BDP disregarding the content's actual source (e.g. MKV)?