Where is Dolby, etc... decoded?

[papaschtroumpf]

My current setup is old and I'm switching to HD...

I don;t understand the role of a receiver in the new HD setups, is it "just an amp" to be paired with good speakers, or is some of the sound processing, like Dolby decoding and the like still done in the receiver rather than the HDTV?

not even sure I'm asking the question right

 

[blackangst1]

Are you talking about Dolby Digital? If so, it (and other encoding schemes i.e. DTS, PCM, etc) are decoded in the AV receiver in most situations.

 

[thelastjuju]

Depends on your setup.

Whenever you are outputting DIGITAL, you are passing along the signal to be processed to the next piece of equipment in line.

So lets say from a sound card or blu-ray player.. by outputting digital, you are basically bypassing the device from processing the sound and handing everything over to your receiver.

If you are outputting ANALOG from the source, then that device would be doing the decoding and your receiver would only be handling the amplification.

Basically, you want to experiment with both ways.. and go with whichever sounds best, which will ultimately be whichever one (sound card or receiver) has the superior DAC (digital to analog converter), and far less (if anything) to do with the decoding..

 

[papaschtroumpf]

I just bought a Vizio e3d420VX 3D TV (http://www.vizio.com/lcd-hdtvs/e3d420vx.html)
it has "SRS TruSurround HD™ and SRS", whatever that is, but no Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1, etc...

My existing but outdated system has those with 5.1 speakers

Will I be satisfied if I only pair the TVit with a soundbar+subwoofer or should I invest in a receiver?
This is my main TV, connected to a DLNA player, DVD (soon to be BluRay), gaming console... and also the main sound system in the house, and while we're not true audiophiles, I'd like it to sound decent but don't really want to spend more than another $500

 

[thelastjuju]

I just bought a Vizio e3d420VX 3D TV (http://www.vizio.com/lcd-hdtvs/e3d420vx.html)
it has "SRS TruSurround HD™ and SRS", whatever that is, but no Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1, etc...

My existing but outdated system has those with 5.1 speakers

Will I be satisfied if I only pair the TVit with a soundbar+subwoofer or should I invest in a receiver?
This is my main TV, connected to a DLNA player, DVD (soon to be BluRay), gaming console... and also the main sound system in the house, and while we're not true audiophiles, I'd like it to sound decent but don't really want to spend more than another $500

Its simulated surround.. artificial basically.. and will sound very average.

So you already have 5.1 speakers you can use? I'm confused..

You are going to have to get a receiver in order to hook any speakers up in the first place. It goes from the source, to the receiver, and then to your speakers.

I think soundbars are crap, but then again I am an audiophile. I advise most people against 5.1 setups too, because they are nothing but a great way for them to sell you four entirely unnecessary speakers.

I always say that for $1,000 you can either get two phenomenal floorstanding speakers (so each speaker is worth $500 each) and create a much better soundstage than 5 very average sounding speakers will be able to with that same budget (which would come out to about $175 each once you factor in the sub) .. Two $500 speakers > Five $175 speakers.. add a sub if you like, but many floorstanding speakers already provide more than adequate amounts of bass if you'd be interested in that route.