DTS/DTS-HD PCM. Using bitstream for your audio is better if: If you’re planning to use bitstream for programs that rely on secondary audio, then the output that you’ll get from it will be limited. The quality of the audio file that your player or receiver converts is the most significant difference between the two—don’t get confused with output quality with file quality. The disadvantage of this is that your receiver must also support this decoding procedure. This method remains true whether you’re using a regular PCM where the quantization levels are a result of amplitude or an LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) where the quantization levels are linear. So if the PCM signal is stereo, the only stereo will be output. PCM gets the sound directly from your console without having to go through a home theater to get it right. What that actually is and which setting delivers the better sound is revealed here. I have reviewed many posts in the A/V forums and other areas that don't seem to give a definitive answer. It's under TV Menu > Sound > Additional Settings. In these two examples, the encoding is done with a loss of quality. Skip to Contents. I am Bob. Because the pure PCM signal can be recovered from the DTS-HD Master Audio track. In this case, your home theater receiver will recognize the signal as Dolby Digital standard and decode it properly.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'planethifi_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_10',114,'0','0'])); Therefore, using this setting the user combines the primary high-resolution audio signal (Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio) with the secondary audio signal – however, if you use this setting, the Blu-ray player will lower the resolution from Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD to Dolby Digital standard or DTS in order to be able to input both types of audio signals in the same bitstream. PCM and bitstream may seem very different in terms of the formats that they can produce, but both of these two configurations are capable of delivering high-quality audio. The CX asks you to make a determination about bitstream or PCM in for each HDMI port manually. Both transmission methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but they don’t make one better than the other. Hi, i have a samsung ks9000 and i have 2 options on the hdmi audi format which is pcm and bitsream and they both play in 5.1. I have an AppleTV4K I use for everything (do not use anything native to lg). Which is best, sending PCM or bitstream from the player to the A/V receiver? When access to these audio programs is important to you, set the Blu-ray player to PCM to provide the best quality result. There is currently no Blu-ray player that can decode these formats internally for PCM and pass them on to the Home Theater receiver, which in part finishes this PCM vs Bitstream confrontation. This also means that your receiver does not necessarily have to support the new HD formats to play you back in full quality. In the Digital Output Audio Format, I can choose PCM or DTS Neo 2:5. For a 2 channel soundbar doesn't really matter, whatever causes the least issues. If you utilize Bitstream, then the AV receiver is performing the decode. If you use either the coaxial or optical digital connection option of your Blu-ray player to your home theater receiver (very useful if your AV receiver does not have HDMI connections), you can also select the PCM vs Bitstream output options for those connections. With this setting, the AV receiver will do all the audio decoding of the incoming signal. This means that an additional setting option that may be available on your Blu-ray player is “BD-Secondary Audio”. Bitstream is the technology that PCM used for its framework, but it doesn’t make it that much better or worse. Since PCM has been around since the beginning of the 1900s, it has become the industry standard for audio streams. As a result of this setup, the player does all the work, providing you with untethered access to secondary audio, which is responsible for descriptive audio, audio commentaries, and supplementary audio tracks. You always need to consider the compatibility with the device you’re using to take advantage of this transmission. When you play any of these formats, they all are converted to PCM data for the DAC to use. PCM refers to an algorithm that devices use to represent analog waves. So if you’re going to use bitstream for programs that use hi-res secondary audio, the output will be limited to standard definition.