Mastering HD PC Audio, Part 2 : Following the PC Audio Chain for Blu-Ray Playback
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: HD, PC, Audio | Themes: Digital Entertainment
- 1. Following the PC Audio Chain for Blu-Ray Playback
- 2. PC Blu-ray Drives and Decoders
- 3. Commercial Blu-Ray Disk Decoders and HDMI Versions
- 4. High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection (HDCP)
- 5. Onward Through the Audio Chain!
1. Following the PC Audio Chain for Blu-Ray Playback
Several ingredients are required to play back a Blu-ray disc on a PC. Furthermore, when it comes to transporting audio from your PC to another device—such as a high-end receiver or pre-amp/preprocessor for playback — interesting issues can present themselves. Let’s review the pieces and parts involved in playing back a Blu-ray disc on a PC, then turn our attention to how audio can exit the PC, and where potential problems may manifest themselves in that process.
Blu-ray Disc Playback
First and foremost, the PC must be equipped with an internal Blu-ray drive. We ignore the various methods for attaching a Sony PlayStation 3 with Blu-ray player, primarily because it can deliver high-definition audio more reliably and directly to a receiver or pre-amp/preprocessor without requiring a PC link-up. Please note also that USB 2.0 attached Blu-ray players are workable, because the 480 Mbps bandwidth they deliver can handle typical Blu-ray disc bandwidths available today (these top out at around 45 MBps, or 360 Mbps, while the Blu-ray.com FAQ, Item 1.7, indicates that maximum bitrates of 400 Mbps represent the upper end of what this technology can deliver).
Products are now available from an increasing number of vendors, including multiple models from Asus, LITE-ON, LG, NEC, Sony, and others, in a price range from $130 to $350. See Table 1 for some representative examples of these types of devices. This represents a major improvement since the last time we surveyed this field, when we had trouble finding any Blu-ray players that weren’t available primarily or only for OEM buyers, and where support for CD-ROM was mostly absent.
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Oddly enough it turns out that mis-spelling is taken directly from the ASUSTek site and it explicitly states that the DAC is replaceable. While rather odd seeming, and clearly incorrect insofar as the spelling of Burr-Brown goes, it is consistent with the press release...
All this to protect from ripping the raw audio/video streams. HDCP is the creator of all the trouble, and still quite easily circumvented by the end user, or the hardcore pirate. HDCP is going to stop NOONE from pirating the works that are being placed on Blu-Ray, and is only serving to frustrate not only customers but the manufacturers of both hardware and software.
The only benefactors of HDCP are those who are making it, IE Digital Content Protection LLC. and their ilk. Too bad the executives at the MPAA are too focused on screwing their customers to actually work at MAKING money rather than "protecting" a possible future of milking money from old works.
Thanks for part 2. I've been waiting on this for a while.
"Likewise, the Radeon 4x000 graphics cards appear to promise a fuller melding of 7.1 LPCM and high-definition video in their circuitry through a single HDMI output, but they aren’t due to hit the market until around the same time, perhaps as early as late summer."
Do you mean Radeon 4x00 / 4000 series? And they're out now.
Thanks for part 2. I've been waiting on this for a while.
"Likewise, the Radeon 4x000 graphics cards appear to promise a fuller melding of 7.1 LPCM and high-definition video in their circuitry through a single HDMI output, but they aren’t due to hit the market until around the same time, perhaps as early as late summer."
Do you mean Radeon 4x00 / 4000 series? And they're out now.
AMD/ATI products from the 2000 series on (excepting the 2900) have all had connectorless input for HDMI sound. No SPDIF cable is required, as is the case for nVidia products. Plug in your 2000, HD 3000, or HD 4000 product, install the drivers, and voila sound at the HDMi interface. SPDIF cable bandwidth is not an issue. Other issues however do exist (as the article points out).
What exactly is wrong with using the analog-outs on your sound card??
This is a great article. I was considering the purchase of an HP s3500t to use as a compact HTPC. The current model allows for a Q9300 CPU, Blu-ray drive, 512MB 9500GS with HDMI out and an ATSC tuner with remote. It's a good-looking, compact, feature-packed box. I'm not too concerned with obtaining digital audio because the analog from the onboard 5.1 is fine and I'm only connecting the built-in speakers on the display. I'm assuming the only thing I need to get BD movies playing with this PC is the right playback software.
Perhaps THG should investigate the quality of the Motherboard amplifiers.
If the preamp in the PC was as good as the first stage of my Reciever/Amp, then the only downside of using the MB analog outputs would be the number of wires which to me is not a big deal.
When I asked ASUS Support what the SNR for the P5K MB outputs are, they said they didn't know.
I like many am buying new hardware now that is supposed to be HDCP compliant. However, if the Bluray disks don't currently have HDCP enabled, then we all may have a rude awakening some day when we find the HW that was supposed to work doesn't.
Does anyone know of a Bluray disk that is using HDCP now so I can verify HW works before the return policy expires!!!
I said it already but, can't find it in previous article. There's no real 7.1 thru analog connetion from PC, (PDVD/TMT) player software is a problem, try to play some HD DVD /Blu-ray 7.1 sound test with right sounds separation then you will know it by yourself, if it would be not enough all analog/SPDIF sounds are downsampled in player to 48khz/16bit because of lack of PAP implementation. And more : GFX cards like AMD/ATI HD2xxx/3xxx and all Geforce even 260/280 supports only LPCM 2.0 & DTS/DD 5.1 mode , so right now only AMD4xxx has LPCM 7.1 support. Go to avsforum to find more ...
I said it already but, can't find it in previous article. There's no real 7.1 thru analog connetion from PC, (PDVD/TMT) player software is a problem, try to play some HD DVD /Blu-ray 7.1 sound test with right sounds separation then you will know it by yourself, if it would be not enough all analog/SPDIF sounds are downsampled in player to 48khz/16bit because of lack of PAP implementation. And more : GFX cards like AMD/ATI HD2xxx/3xxx and all Geforce even 260/280 supports only LPCM 2.0 & DTS/DD 5.1 mode , so right now only AMD4xxx has LPCM 7.1 support. Go to avsforum to find more ...
Thanks to one and all for the feedback. I'll get the Burr-Brown/Frown typo and the incorrect DAC mention fixed ASAP (and yes, it did come straight from the Asus press release, so far my only completely reliable source of information on the Xonar HDAV--that said, I'm supposed to review this as soon as Asus can furnish me with one, so look to these page for a *LOT* more information as soon as I can lay hands on one).
As for player software, I continue to enjoy great results in my testing with the ArcSoft Total Media Theatre product (which has now risen in my estimation as the best of the software codecs for PC, and which offers the best Media Center integratino around, IMO).
The citation of AVSforum is right on the money: it remains one of the best and most reliable sources of information on handling high-def audio around, both from the PC and the consumer/prosumer player perspectives.
If anybody else has questions, or suggestions for additional coverage in this area, I'm interested in shedding as much bright light into this space as possible. Thanks again to all for your feedback so far.
--Ed--
Ed,
On page 7, when you talk about the Asus HDAV1.3, you say the output opamps can be swapped and then refer to the Burr-Frown (should be Burr-Brown) PCM1796. The BB PCM1796 is a stereo DAC not an opamp. Someone might get confused and think they can swap the DACs. You should fix this.
So why doesn't some company bite the bullet and design a solution that has a protected audio path that can work outside of MS PAP, instead of waiting for MS to get their act together on their PAP drivers? This would probably help those of us with XP as well, since PAP appears to be Vista only.