upcoming formats - what will it all mean?

[alpina]

hi all,

currently in the market for an avr or pre-pro and am constantly being told to wait if i can.

i understand that we are currently on hdmi 1.1 and that 1.3 will be the next big thing, though i have no idea what the difference will be.

i also also understand that true hd tv will hit aussie shores around nov '06 (we will probably be an early adopter when pioneer release their model, upgrading from our 5060) and that bluray will have taken off by then.

what will all this mean for audio and video preamps, processors, etc? what new formats can we expect and will it all revolutionise the way we think?


thanks,

julie

[Hdale85]

Not sure about the other stuff but blu-ray is already in trouble if you ask me? HD-DVD is already out blu ray isnt even ready and now the PS3 has been pushed back to november which is going to be their main player for the Blu-Ray discs. They are going to find them selves in a real pickle i believe. As for HDMI 1.3 i wouldnt worry about it to much it'll be a while most likely before it goes into full effect probably a year or so.

The only things the AVR wont have (if you buy now) is DD+ DTS-HD (i believe its called) which will be the new multi channel formats, and of course HDMI 1.3.

[ShadowZA]

Hi Julie

I'm deep in thought over a similar issue. My plan is/was to upgrade my pre/surround processor around Dec 2006/Jan 2007.

However ... as a result of my recent upgrade, I am tending towards acquiring music (cd's, dvd-video, dvd-audio, SACD) which has been very well recorded. Some of this music is stereo & some multichannel. Some of it is coded in DTS and/or MLP lossless (DVD-Audio). Granted, most of my collection is still PCM stereo on cd, but I am tending towards replacing old cd's with new re-mastered versions.

I have read that upcoming new lossless audio encoded formats (Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio) will require a higher bandwidth for transmission and that the method of transmission will most likely be HDMI 1.3. To be able to decode and transmit the new formats, new hardware will be required. And this is the fly in the ointment

My plan is to have a combined pre-amp & surround processor so that I can play 2-channel audio (which may or may not be encoded in a high quality format) as well as multi-channel audio using a high quality component. Of course, a new source (Blu-ray/HD-DVD/HVD/Whatever) might also have to be considered.

I've been eyeing the Meridian G61 surround processor (which only does audio - I don't need any video ins or outs as the plasma is fed directly from my dvd player via HDMI 1.1 cable), and also the Krell Home Theatre Standard 7.1 (which is roughly twice the cost of the Meridian G61).

My problem: I simply cannot justify spending such a significant quantity of finance on a Krell HTS or Meridian G61 when new formats are probably a year or so away.

I'm still not sure what I will do. I may wait it out. A thought is to replace the Rotel power amp (RMB-1075) with a Krell KAV-2250 to drive the 2 rear N804's + appropriate high-end speaker cable. But then that will only be of pragmatic value once I have enough multichannel audio discs.

I've just put in an order with these guys for some discs: http://www.aixrecords.com/
Heard a sampler & it blew me away

I had a thought some time ago that this hobby would be easy: "Source great components; source great software; save like mad; spend wisely; relax & enjoy". Boy, was I wrong This is the age of change & everything is in a state of constant flux. To try to accommodate this, and to assist in what to save for ... I conduct the following exercise: If the difference between the old component and the new one is significant, then the battle is won.

I hope that I haven't confused you, Julie My sincere apologies if I have.

[Drew]

I have read that upcoming new lossless audio encoded formats (Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio) will require a higher bandwidth for transmission and that the method of transmission will most likely be HDMI 1.3.

1.3 doesn't provide any additional bandwidth over 1.1 or 1.2 but it does include the metadata necessary for the receiving product to know what format it is receiving. Of course, the receiving product will have to be able to decode these new formats as well. So, you'll need new source equipment (to send the metadata) and new decoder equipment. That's a big investment. Or you could always use good old analog connections for the audio and use HDMi for only the video. Then you only need new source equipment.

Last I heard 1.3 equipment will be hitting the shelves very late this year.

[DrJRapp]

Hi Julie

I'm deep in thought over a similar issue. My plan is/was to upgrade my pre/surround processor around Dec 2006/Jan 2007.

However ... as a result of my recent upgrade, I am tending towards acquiring music (cd's, dvd-video, dvd-audio, SACD) which has been very well recorded.

It sounds to me like you may be a very good candidate for a Statement D2. It has the audio quality you seek now, HDMI 1.1 capability now and knowing their track record, upgrades to 1.3 are a given, whenever they occur.

[DrJRapp]

Last I heard 1.3 equipment will be hitting the shelves very late this year.

We all wish that were the case, however, the standard isn't even finalized. I wouldn't bet much on it.

[ShadowZA]

Drew, thanks for the info. You've cleared a few things up. I'm not usually a first generation buyer. I prefer to read about the product and users' reviews, find out if there are any 'bugs' & then wait for a second generation release before taking the plunge. However, that was in the past. In the present/future, anything can happen. Let's assume that a decent high-end, new format source is released in say June 2007 (and assuming further, that there is sufficient high-end software available to make such new format source worthy of acquisition) . I would want to wait between 6 to 18 months thereafter before buying. And ... that's only once such piece of hardware is in use and supported by a community such as this one. :P

Jerry, the Anthem Statement D2 and the D1 look to be amazing hardware pieces. Unfortunately, they are not made available here in ZA (the equipment would have to be made compatible with our household supply voltage of 240V AC). That said, there is someone here who does high-end equipment modifications. So, if there is something out there, it is not impossible to get hold of it.

I think that I'm going to sit on the fence for the next few months until the year end. Given the information acquired so far, I'm not stressed over the new format debacle anymore. Probably still going to want to get something Dec/Jan and I think that I may be quite comfortable with this.

[ShadowZA]

Here's a link to info on Dolby TrueHD on the Dolby website:

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/trueHD.html

And, here's a link to a press release on the DTS website, being: "DTS-HD Master Audio Selected For The First European HD DVD Release":

http://www.dtsonline.com/company/press/press-article.php?ID=1820620549&cID=3&yID=2006

[zorg]

how much are the 1.3 receivers likely to be priced, is Rotel going to be the first to market?