Which channel for Pro-Logic on DVD?

I have a Dolby Pro-Logic II surround system, whose only inputs are RCA stereo jacks. I know that DPL II matrixes 5.1 channels onto 2, what I'm not sure is where this is done. Will the stereo channel generally be Pro-Logic encoded or is it done by the player when it downmixes the Dolby Digital 5.1 for stereo output, which I doubt becuase it's a brandless wonder and has no mention of DPL on it.
That said, it does have "Dolby Digital" and "DTS out" logos, and a coax digi out on th back.

Sorry if it's a daft question, but in short should I choose Stereo/2.0 surround or the player-downnmixed 5.1 surround from the disc's menu to send to my receiver/amp?

Also, which mark on a DVD case would indicate that its stereo track is Pro-Logic I/II encoded? Or is the stereo always DPL if there's a "proper" Dolby 5.1 track as well?

 

In general, DVD movies don't have a ProLogic soundtrack(I hear the new Final Fantasy movie will, though). If the DVD has a ProLoginc track, it will indicate it on the back of the DVD cover. Some have a Dolby Surround track which your system can decode for better Surround sound than just a basic stereo or 5.1 down mixed track. You usually just have to select the track in the audio options of the DVD's main menu.

Some receivers also have different sound modes(DSP) that can also give you extra Surround sound options.
If your receiver lacks a digital input, then you do want to set the DVD player to Dolby Surround and/or downmix the digital track.

If you want to achieve true 5.1 Surround sound, then you will need a receiver with a digital decoder(Dolby,DTS) or a DVD player with a digital decoder built in(made to play audio DVDs) and a receiver with 5.1 analog inputs. You might want to consider a new receiver(6.1 and 7.1 systems available, too). Very affordable these days.

 

Thanks for the info, I'd just assumed Pro-Logic was standard.

In my player's settings, there's an option for Lt/Rt downmix, I beleive that's the right one for DPL, yes? So now if I select the (generally default) Dolby 5.1 from the disc's audio options, I will receive 5.1 surround from my speakers?
Assuming of course that I consider DPL2 ~= 5.1 ;-)

 

The only way to get the true 5.1 output is to have the equipment I mentioned earlier. Even though your system will output sound out of every speaker, it is matrixed from the left and right signal as opposed to a discrete signal to every speaker. This is still your best option since you don't have digital sound capabilities.

 

Thanks, this system is in my ~10x10 bedroom, so my needs probably aren't as complex as your own. I get the feeling you have a 3DLP projector going to a 10' screen with George Lucas permanantly on-call to tweak your THX 21.1 speaker array.
I just wanted to know how to get the best out of my Panaphonics Pro-Logic setup, thanks for clarifying the situation for me, you've been very helpful.

 

i have 1000 watt onkyo reciever and a 7.1 onkyo speaker setup and i was wondering what would be the best way to enhance my setup with better speaker wire. cuz the wire i got with it is extremely too small and everyone at work swore up and down that monster cable would make my experience so much better. but the way i have my setup connected is i have all the video and audio rca wires going into my tv since it has four inputs and i just use the output to go to the reciever. my question i guess would be do i have to get monster connections going from my tv to my reciever and from all my componets to my tv? or could i get away with just doing monster from my tv to my reciever? and has anyone ever had the problem where it sounds like one side of the their surround sound goes out every once in a while and comes right back on in say a minute or less? cuz its been happening lately and i just spent an a$$ load of money on it and i got the extended warranty so i was thinking about sending it in but i don't wanna be without it. so if anyone can answer my question please help me out cuz monster cable isn't cheap, expecially since i don't get a discount anymore.

 

@ brandond.... speaker wire is speaker wire (providing its good wire, not the cheapy stuff you get in the box)
rule of thumb.... for less the 50 feet, get 16 awg wire, over, stup up to 14 awg.
you will not hear the difference, it just needs to be able to handle the load/signal..

@boffyb..... not disk/dvd says DPL I or II on them..
your receiver handles that aspect. it decodes the signal in and sends out the appropriate signal, unless you manually set it to DPL I or II.
matrixed sound form a speaker thats not there..

 

i wasn't talking about the speaker wire exactly, i know that wire is wire when it comes down to plan old wire, i was talking about the rca cables that send out the video and audio signals from all the componets to my tv and then to my reciever for surround sound. i know monster cables and other high performance cables are better in terms of creating better surround sound and giving a better picture. and that an optical connection is the only connection that will allow true 7.1 surround sound. but the thing i wonder is if i would have to use monster connections from all my componets to my tv and from my tv to my reciever. or if going from my tv to my reciever would be enough to upconvert the signal since all the componets go into the tv anyway. sorry if i wasn't clear before or am now for that matter haha

 

sure seemed to me like you were asking about speaker wire from [bold]YOUR[/bold] own words..


anyway, don't waste the money on monster, just get you some decent cables... unless you have thousands and thousands of dollars in audio/video equipment...... your really not going to notice a whole lot.

if your receiver has upconversion, you can take advantage of it, but i personally think its a waste of time and extra cables.
my dvd player has HiDef upconversion, so my signal from the dvd player goes straight to the source... no middle man.

and what you say about optical being the only true 7.1 surround.............. big fat false..

no dvd to date is encoded in 7.1 and only a few dozen are true 6.1....

other then that, you get MATRIXED signals.. 6.1 or 7.1

coaxial cable will also carry digital sound as well as optical. even HDMI supports a better signal, up to 5 gigs per second. (dvi will not and is no where near as fast, plus only carries a picture, no sound)

i'd suggest, use as few cables as possible, the less you have, the better off you will be. also seperate your power cables from speaker wires abd audio/video cables... giving you a less of a chance for interference..

 

I second gear79 s opinion. Don't waste your money on monster cable. But for a different reason. While they tend to be of a good quality, they are also overpriced. Good quality cables do make a difference, sometime a big one. Do some search for them on the right places and you will save yourself some serious bucks. My 2c.

 

i said sorry for being confusing theres no need to be like that. but my managers at circuit city told me that the optical connection was the only connection that can send 7.1, i'm not stupid, you aint gotta insult me by saying they don't make movies in 7.1 yet. its just rude. and they also said that the cables your gameing systems come with won't produce true surround sound, that they can only do the fake surround sound. and that is all i'm really worried about. and i won't be paying the full price for the cables or i would't even consider it.

 

brandonb, I reread your post and hope I can give you a good advice.
If you want to listen to 7.1 channels, I think there are some movies already on dvd encoded as such, you need your player connected straight to your receiver. Of course your gear, player and receiver, has to be able to process it also. I have both my Denon dvd player and receiver connected with coax, optical and regular rca cables. The switching is done pretty much auto mode unless I want the dvd player to do the decoding.

 

@ brandonb........

ok, first things first... i am not flaming at you.
secondly, your post really made no sense, you asked about a certain topic, i responded, then you told me thats not what you asked, so i quoted you reply.
thirdly... and i can tell you from FIRST hand expereince with employess at circuit city... the majority have no f@cken clue.

i have been doing this for years... home theater. and when i walk in to an electronics store, i act like a total rookie. ask questtions i know the answers to and the responses i get.... lets just say, i'd never buy from that salesman.

i can make this ugly, but i choose not to, due to the fact, i have the knowledge, experience, will, not to mention, i am always reading and learning. i subscribe to home theater magazines, am a member of several home theater forums, and i have done all my own installations, including custom.

to add to dr_no's comment... to date, there are no 7.1 dvd's available yet. HD DVD player is out now... 400 bucks for a cheapy one, but go up to 3000 bucks.
by the middle of this year, there will be about 600 HD dvd's available, but mostly remastered older movies. not worth it in my book.

if you ask a question, thats fine, if you dont know what you are talking about or asking, then dont imply that you KNOW!!

asking due to not knowing is fine, be making it seem like you know, well, when you come up to bat, you better be prepared.
i am not saying that i know all, i never will, and the day i say i know it all, thats the day i stop learning. if your receiver is of the higher end, then it should matrix your channels as needed.


and being that you say you work at circuit city... then you should get major discounts.. ask me how i know !!! JUST ASK ME !!

i have a cousin who works there... i am sure you know the mark up on electronics (with the exception of computers, hardware, software, etc.)

the discounts you can get there are unreal. i know the store cost of wire too and what the consumer pays.
example, the mosnter 400 hdmi cable can sell for over 100 bucks, store cost, 35 bucks. employee cost..45 bucks.

if you can get those discounts, i'd buy all the high end stuff and reap the rewards.

now the stores here may differ from yours, but you get the idea.

 

i agree your the shit man, all i every really wanted to know was if i needed to get high performance connections do i have to get them throughout or just from my tv to my reciever. what would you do almighty?

 

i don't like your attitude and i don't even know why i am still responding to you. my past post and previous gave you the answers. let me go back and re-post them so you can re-read..

and what dr_no said...

if you have $1,000's of dollars spent, then buy the best cables you can afford, otherwise, you're just spending extra $$$.

 

I must say I find this discussion very interesting since I am in a similar boat. I agree with gear79, and I sympathize with brandonb. If you buy top of the line equipment buy top of the line accessories. I mean would you buy a ferrari and but cheap tires on them? If you have average equipment how can you improve the quality by adding high-end cables. In all honesty I don't think most average people using average home theatre systems would ever notice a difference in sound quality if they put better cables. True refined home theatre requires a lot more then great accessories. The home theatre in a box system the average home user is buying are just to improve the qulity of the sound we have currently.

Firstly I think that you are hooking up all your stuff coming out of the TV is an inferior hookup, you have a receiver, which should be the heart of your setup NOT your TV.

Secondly use Optical & coaxial outputs to improve sound quality. You can find the OPT & COAX cables well priced in electronic stores (NOT best buy), I mean the stores that sell electronic components for students and hobbyists.

My question is for gear79, who I know can help me. I purchased a small Home theatre Sony system (6.1), which I am setting up currently (so any help would be appreciated). I have Coax cable out from my DVD to my receiver, and regular RCA jacks for my video, I also have normal RCA jacks for the audio going into the receiver. My questions is as follows,: I have edited some home made movies and saved them on DVD, which work fine on my DVD player, the only annoying thing is that when I play my home movies on the DVD I have to reset my audio input on the receiver to ANALOG, then when I watch an original Hollywood DVD movie, I have to reset the sound input on the receiver to COAX to get the better sound. In the COAX sound mode the home made movie has no sound. WHY? What have I done wrong during the conversion of the home made movis from my Dig8 taoe to the DVD creation for me not to get this sound. But in analog mode the dvd sounds fine.

Please help

 

@ rjessa.... hi, and welcome.. thanks for adding your 2 cents.

anyway, sounds to me like your in the world of burning too. if you are new, welcome to the world of AC-3 audio. the reason why your recorded movies are only in 2 channel is because the source is 2 channel. we need a dig a bit deeper though. what programs are you using to copy your home movies..

(you know this question is more suited for the dvd back-up section)..... but luckily... i frequent that forum and do all that too !! what a surprise.

anyway, lets start with a few basics... what equipment do you have exactly... model #s
what programs are you using to make your movies?
what media do you use?
and exactly how is your system wired? inputs to outputs... be specific

and what extra options dose your equipment have...ie; HDMI, DVI, component, optical, coax, HDCP, etc....

 

@rjessa: Let me join gear in welcoming you to the group! Great people here and you can learn a lot despite the nonsense that took place earlier in this thread. You asked gear some questions and while I would have responded with the same questions as gear, I'll not throw my two cents in on that subject...to namy hands spoil the soup and gear knows more than most of us on such subjects.

I wanted to make a comment about "monster" (and similar) cables. I won't get into specifics my but system is perhaps a bit more high end than most: 125wX8, top of the line Mirage all the way around with active fronts etc etc. I know from experience that gear is correct about "good" cables (not the crappy ones) but the overpriced monster and similar being unnecessary...I'm just really grateful that I didn't lose my shirt learning a lesson which so many have learned the hard way.

About six months ago, I had this massive project where I replaced EVERYTHING from cables to speaker wire. The old ones were "good"; speaker wire was 14g. I went to this flea market and found boxes labeled "assorted 'graphophone' wires", I got a chuckle out of it because I hadn't heard "graphophone" since I was a kid. Anyway, I thought I'd hit pay dirt because the boxes were filled with monster cables of every imaginable sort and length and probably a couple of hundred feet of this 10g monster speaker wire. All of it had to be top of the line Monster wire and cables too. The boxes were $10.00 each and I think I bought three of them. After testing, I set about this huge project of changing everything and it took me all damned day. You know what I noticed?...not a damned thing! I don't regret changing it; I'm sure monster is great stuff but had I spent $3000 instead of $30, I would have been fuming! What I bought wasn't fake, it was the genuine article...much of it, but not all, still boxed like brand new. Gear is absolutely right; having good cable is important but monster and the like is unnecessary unless you've got nothing better to do with your $$$.

(I'm getting tired of going beck and editing; I've GOT to learn how to type properly one of these days!)

 

i dont think brandonb is coming back !!

i'm so hurt !!

anyway... this section will continue, with ot without him !

btw gerry, it was brandonb who was asking that info, not rjessa.

 

OOOPS! Looks like I'd better learn to read as well as type!