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Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?

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Posted on July 23, 2009 at 18:26:03

ctbarker32
Audiophile

Posts: 85
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Joined: September 11, 2003

Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits? is the title of a new whitepaper published by the folks at Benchmark.

This article should provide plenty of fodder for discussion. For instance:

"Surprisingly, many DVD transports currently on the market fail to transmit the exact digital audio data bit-for-bit as it appears on the DVD. Of the DVD transports Benchmark has tested (8 as of this writing), all of them modified high-resolution audio data before sending it to the digital output (although they did pass 'Redbook', CD-quality 44-kHz, 16-bit data without modification). Let's examine what all of this means to your playback system."

and

"Most DVD transports reduce 24-bit digital recordings to 16 bits by truncating the 8 'least-significant-bits' (LSB's). In other words, these 8-bits are simply removed without dithering. This type of truncation adds quantization errors that result in significant levels of distortion."

Assuming for a moment that Benchmark is correct in their assessments, it seems to put the lie to ability of some DVD players to output digital data better than CD quality. In fact they seem to suffer from the issue of bit truncation similar to how the Squeezebox players did prior to the implementation of Sox in Squeezecenter (version 7.3.2). If this is true, it reinforces that the playback chain of Squeezecenter/Sox/Squeezebox has the potential to be superior since it can natively play 48k/24b data and correctly re-dither/re-sample higher bit rates to the native 48k/24b.

I have experimented with downloading some 96k/24b music from sources such as Linn and burning to DVD using a program that burns such data as audio only DVD video type disc that can play in any DVD player. While I thought the sound was quite good, it may be that I was only listening to truncated CD 44k/16b level quality if this information by Benchmark is correct. I do happen to have a Benchmark DAC-1 which I use in conjunction with my Squeezebox Duet.

Maddeningly, while they mention they tested 8 players, but they do not identify them. Maybe they don't want to get sued?

-CB

Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?

catsimone

19:14:41 09/03/09

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?

midimaniac

08:01:39 09/25/09

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?

jimby

08:16:44 08/01/09

My DVD/SACD player does'nt work as a transport.

06:38:48 07/27/09

RE: My DVD/SACD player does'nt work as a transport.

audioAl

04:01:00 09/27/09

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?, posted on September 3, 2009 at 19:14:41

catsimone
Audiophile

Posts: 17
Location: New York City
Joined: November 26, 2004

I use an oppo dvd player (which supports DVD-A) into the digital input of a Resolution Audio Opus 21 cd player to play DVD-A discs ( the Opus 21 will decode a 24/96 signal). When I play a 24/96 DVD-A disc, the Opus 21 indicates that the 24/96 is "locked" (it does not indicate a locked 24/96 signal when I play a non DVD-A disc). Does this suggest that the full, non truncated signal is being passed to the DAC in the Opus 21, or is it possible, as this white paper suggests, that it could still be in some way altered??

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?, posted on September 25, 2009 at 08:01:39
midimaniac Audiophile Posts: 39 Location: Eastern Oregon Joined: September 20, 2009	To me this says nothing about the output. It only says the player is locked onto 24/96 data. Very disturbing, is it not? I've read before about DVD players outputting 16-bit sound.

RE: Is Your Transport Giving You All The Bits?, posted on August 1, 2009 at 08:16:44
jimby Industry Professional Posts: 109 Joined: June 6, 2002	Dumbass article. Doesn't specify which players were tested, or whether the players tested claimed to support hi-res audio or not. Not all DVD players support hi-res audio Then, at the end of the article, sneakily conflates DVD players with DVD-A players. sheesh!

My DVD/SACD player does'nt work as a transport., posted on July 27, 2009 at 06:38:48
magicsamblues	Any idea why my Sony NS900V DVD/SACD player does not send a Coaxial or an Optical signal my VALB DAC can read when playing RBCD's? The DAC works fine with my other CD Player. Does this have to do with the fact that it's a DVD player? I have had this happen to this DAC with another DVD player.

RE: My DVD/SACD player does'nt work as a transport., posted on September 27, 2009 at 04:01:00
audioAl Audiophile Posts: 915 Location: So. Texas Joined: December 16, 2007	I have a Sony NS90V, SACD player. Never saw a 900, or is that a typo? Curious. Alan Vista Ultimate 32bit/Diamond XS Dac/ Sterovox coaxial line in to Insignia Amp/Cambridge SoundWorks& Infinity RS 1001 Speakers

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