Is this correct? The HD200 cannot play LPCM tracks on BD rips?

[jcruse]

I've been thinking about trying out Sage (on WHS) with the HD200 extender, and after doing some research, I understand why the HD200 can't play back the HD audio codecs (TrueHD and DTS-Master) from Blu-ray rips. However, I saw a few comments where it stated it also can't play LPCM tracks, and people have had to convert them to AC3 to get audio on their extenders.

Why is this the case? LPCM is already decoded, and shouldn't take any additional work to output directly over HDMI or to downmix to 2-channel for stereo analog output. It's also a simple matter to convert TrueHD and DTS-Master to LPCM with eac3to. Wouldn't this be the easiest way to get support for the newer lossless codecs? Sure the rip would be larger, but only marginally so...

[stanger89]

It will play them, but you only get stereo. I don't know if it's downmixed or just the left/right though. Well at least that's my experience with mine, but I'm using S/PDIF at the moment.

[jcruse]

Originally Posted by stanger89

It will play them, but you only get stereo. I don't know if it's downmixed or just the left/right though. Well at least that's my experience with mine, but I'm using S/PDIF at the moment.

Well, your getting stereo makes sense, since S/PDIF only supports PCM up to 2 channels, but HDMI 1.1 supports 7.1 channel pcm. If you can hear dialog clearly, you are probably getting a down-mixed 2 channel. How sure are you sure it's the multi-channel LPCM track you're listening to and not an AC3 or stereo track?

So to refine my original question...is it possible to pass a blu-ray native 7.1 LPCM track with the HD200 (over HDMI), and if not, why, since there should be no technical hurdles?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by jcruse

Well, your getting stereo makes sense, since S/PDIF only supports PCM up to 2 channels, but HDMI 1.1 supports 7.1 channel pcm. If you can hear dialog clearly, you are probably getting a down-mixed 2 channel. How sure are you sure it's the multi-channel LPCM track you're listening to and not an AC3 or stereo track?

The only PCM BD I have is the Blue Man Group and it's only got an LPCM track. Also means given it's content it's quite hard to tell if it's a downmix or just a Left/Right.

[jcruse]

Originally Posted by stanger89

The only PCM BD I have is the Blue Man Group and it's only got an LPCM track. Also means given it's content it's quite hard to tell if it's a downmix or just a Left/Right.

Is it multi-channel or stereo LPCM?

According to blu-ray.com, that disk has the following audio tracks:

English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0

[stanger89]

The HD200 plays them all, the PCM tracks both end up as 48k stereo over S/PDIF, the DD is DD. There seemed to be more surround in the PCM 5.1 track (after DPL IIx processing) so it might be downmixed. That's all I can really test or tell you.