Page 1 of Built in DTS decoder

Could someone please clarify this. Do players with built in "5.1 Channel decoders" normaly have DD and DTS or just DD like the LG 3550. As I understand it, only the more expensive players and the new M5 have their own DTS decoders. Are there any budget players (excluding the M5) such as the encore, xwave, mico which decode DTS?

Could I just ask why ?

The only thing an on-board DD/DTS decoder is any good for is for those very very few people who have old skool ProLogic amplifiers capable of taking six inputs from a DVD fitted with decoders.

Generally, if you have a DD/DTS capable amp, then you are 100% of the way there - all you need to do is connect the player to the amp with a digital lead and your amp will convert all the 0s and 1s into 5.1 DD or DTS for you.

The downside of using the DVD on-board decoder is that an analogue signal is sent down six wires to the amp as opposed to a digital signal down one wire.

To answer your question, however, yes the M5 has a DTS decoder, no the Encore doesn`t, but will output the signal for your amp to do the biz. Unsure about the other two, tho`.

not according to it`s website - no DTS decoder on the M5, or so it read the other day

Errr, sorry Iain, according to Wharfedales website:

http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/m5.htm

The M5 has:

"On board Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, gold-plated connectors, plus MP3 compatibility"

To answer Gavin`s question, I think onboard DTS decoders are quite rare and unusual - the M5 is the first I have noticed. If you have a six-channel input on your amp, this would be the ideal way to go. (Obviously if you have a DD/DTS amp/decoder already then buy whichever DVD player you like, because it will sit unused forever !)

DanB
DVD Reviewer

This item was edited on Tuesday, 8th May 2001, 12:33

But the M5 is a rebadged SAMPO-DVE-360...

http://www.sampo.com.tw/english/show/dvdplay/dvd360.htm

which lists it as having:

- Built-in Dolby Digital Decoder (AC-3) for 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Audio
- DTS Digital Out & Dolby Digital Out

Impressed if they have done that, was just reporting what i heard. soz!

Don`t worry. If Wharfedale are misreprenting their player then I`m sure it`ll come back to them in spades ;-)

DanB

Having onboard DTS decoding would be useful if you only had a DD5.1 capable amp. It could be useful for me as I could use it with my non-DTS Digitheatre to obtain DTS sound without getting a new amp, even if it meant I would have to use 6 phono cables as opposed to 1 digital.

Nifty.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 8th May 2001, 20:55

That is why I am looking at buying the M5 - saves upgrading to digitheatre DTS. It doesn`t matter that you don`t have a digital connection, it would not make any difference to digitheatre as the connection to the amp is analogue anyway - you know it comes out of that crappy wire with a computer plug on one end. Another bonus of having a built in decoder in your player is that you can sell the digitheatre decoder - the most expensive component of the whole setup!!

I have a yamaha dsp A-592. This is a pro-logic amp with a 6 channel input. I was hoping to get DTS without buying a new amp. The alternative is a budget dts amp such as the sherwood 6016 however these tend to have very poor Dolby Prologic reproduction.