PS3 Linear PCM/Bitstream Question

[ManBearPig]

Since I have a fat PS3, I run linear PCM so that I can get DTS HD and TrueHD decoded properly.

However, what happens if the title itself is PCM? For example, i just bought Troy and its in PCM 5.1. Would it be better if i set it to bitstream or PCM in that instance?

Sorry if this is confusing--its confusing to me.

thanks for any help.

 

[newnameman]

Set it to PCM.

 

[ManBearPig]

Set it to PCM.

Alright, thanks man.

Only reason i asked is because i noticed that while it usually says TrueHD or DTS HD, it said dolby digital this time. When i changed it to bitstream, it said Multi Channel.

Weirdly enough, bitstream sounded...im not sure if better is the word, but maybe louder?

 

[thomsbrain]

Dolby Digital is artificially set 4db quieter than DTS or uncompressed PCM. I have no idea why, but there it is. You may have also noticed that any Dolby-encoded title takes an extra 4db of volume on your receiver to achieve your regular listening volume.

Anyway, if you just leave it on PCM it should generally auto-select the best quality audio option on the disc, be that lossless compression or raw PCM streams. That said, it pays to check the stream when the movie starts using the "Display" button, because once in a while it doesn't get the best one by default.