DTS 96/24 and the 1055

[Amras]

Sorry- I didn't have luck with any searches-

Will it be possible to upgrade the 1055 to handle DTS96/24? Will the hardware support a firmware upgrade or will it require new hardware? Is Rotel even considering this or any further updates to the 1055 or does it just have it's eyes on the 1055's replacement?

Thanks in advance-
Russ




Amras
Take it easy... If it comes easy, Take it twice!

[Kevin D]

Will it be possible to upgrade the 1055 to handle DTS96/24?

Probably not by Rotel.

Will the hardware support a firmware upgrade or will it require new hardware?

New hardware.

Is Rotel even considering this or any further updates to the 1055 or does it just have it's eyes on the 1055's replacement?

I think Rotel had mentioned that anything needed a substantial chip upgrade was out of the question. The update port is nice for improvements to existing modes (Ala Dolby EX from Dolby Digital) and bug fixes, but isn't designed to carry a product through 2-3 life cycles..

Kevin D.

[Andrew Pratt]

and the other thing to consider from their standpoint is why bother? Really there's no software out in this format to warrent the expense of upgrading hardware and doing the R&D etc esp when there's more pressing matters to attend to with the firmware updates etc.

[Amras]

Thanks for the info.

I will say though that many of us that purchase a/v equipment do so with the intent or neccessity to hold onto it for at least 5 to 10 years if not more. Considering that a majority of Rotel's competitors offer this format in their current product lines, it would have been nice to have that format available considering the price-point. We all know that technology changes quickly and if this format came out 2 years from now it would be stupid to complain about it. However this format has been available since 2001.

Andrew- your right there isn't much available right now- but remember, there wasn't much out there in SACD or DVD audio 2 or 3 years ago either. And let's not forget that the backward-compatability of dts 96/24 makes it an appealing technology in a very undecided market.

I'm not trying to kill Rotel here-- I haven't been happier with a company or it's products in many a moon. I will also say that their commitment to the updates they have done to the 1055/1065/1066 line makes other companies who offer upgradable software look like shysters.

Unfortunately this oversight will be disappointing if DTS 24/96 ever turns out to be the real deal.

Thanks again-

Russ




Amras
Take it easy... If it comes easy, Take it twice!

[Scarp]

I would like to point out that DTS 96/24 is downwards compatible and perfectly fine decoded as normal DTS by the RSP1066 (and also RSX1055). Offcourse you won't "enjoy" the improvement that the DTS 96/24 should give. However I don't hear much improvement anyway.

The 1098 has DTS 96/24 and never used it.

I think someone ever mentioned that the cirrus decoding chip would be able to handle DTS 96/24 but most likely the hardware surround that chip cannot handle it.

Anyway, its no big loss, since nobody uses it anyway and I doubt it will be used a lot in the future.

[Andrew Pratt]

Andrew- your right there isn't much available right now- but remember, there wasn't much out there in SACD or DVD audio 2 or 3 years ago either. And let's not forget that the backward-compatability of dts 96/24 makes it an appealing technology in a very undecided market.

Its hardly fair to compare DTS 24/96 to DVD-A or SACD as in many ways DTS isn't a player anymore. Sure they're encoding is still being used one some discs but gone are the days when we got full bit DTS and for the most part outside of the hard core HT users DTS isn't a factor. I agree it would be nice to have support for all the formats available but IMO we'll never see DTS 24/96 DVD's outside of the odd title here and there.