Not sure if I have an issue or not but my receiver audio playback is Stereo when I think it should be Surround.

For purposes of this conversation I will just talk audio cable hookups.

1) Pioneer DVL-909 Digital Coax Out / AC-3 RF Out into the --> Lexicon LDD-1 Demodulator AC-3 RF IN / Digital Coax IN than Digital Coax Out to the --> Denon AVR-X6500H Digital Coax 1 IN.
2) Pioneer DVL-909 Analog RCA L&R Out to the --> Denon AVR-X6500H Analog RCA L&R IN.

I tested three movies today;

The Right Stuff / Analog Audio Track only
The Long Kiss Good Night / AC-3 Dolby Digital
Rocket Man / Dolby Surround, Digital Sound, Stereo

The Right Stuff plays through the LF and RF speakers when Analog is selected as the source and AVR display shows Stereo.

The Long Kiss Good Night plays through the LF, RF, C, SL, SR & SW (5.1) speakers when Digital is selected as the source and AVR display shows DD + DD Surround.

The Rocketeer plays through the LF and RF speakers when Digital is selected as the source and AVR display shows Stereo.

Now I would have thought that my AVR display would have said Surround given that The Rocketeer LD back jacket says Dolby Surround.

When I pull up the AVR Info page during The Rocketeer playback it says;
Source - Laserdisc
Sound - Stereo
Signal - PCM
Input Signal - LF & RF Speaker
Active Speakers - LF & RF

Is this normal? Should I be getting Surround from a LD that says Dolby Surround on the jacket cover?

Thanks
Dennis

Tested another LD;

The Abyss Special Edition, 1993 / THX Laserdisc, Digital Sound, Stereo

The Abyss Special Edition plays through the LF and RF speakers when Digital is selected as the source and AVR display shows Stereo.

When I pull up the AVR Info page during The Abyss playback it says;
Source - Laserdisc
Sound - Stereo
Signal - PCM
Input Signal - LF & RF Speaker
Active Speakers - LF & RF

Now I know I have watch this LD before and had more than LF & RF Speakers. The THX intro alone should light up all the 5.1 speakers?????????????????????

More Testing;

This time I played DVDs through the Pioneer DVL-909

War of the Roses / THX Mastered, Dolby Digital

War of the Roses plays through the LF and RF speakers when Digital is selected as the source and AVR display shows Stereo.

When I pull up the AVR Info page during War of the Roses playback it says;
Source - Laserdisc
Sound - Stereo
Signal - PCM
Input Signal - LF & RF Speaker
Active Speakers - LF & RF

X-Men / THX Mastered, 5.1 Dolby Surround

X-Men plays through the LF and RF speakers when Digital is selected as the source and AVR display shows Stereo.

When I pull up the AVR Info page during X-Men playback it says;
Source - Laserdisc
Sound - Stereo
Signal - PCM
Input Signal - LF & RF Speaker
Active Speakers - LF & RF


I than put the X-Men DVD into my Sony Blue-Ray 4K player and the AVR display says DD + DD Surround and I have true 5.1 surround.

As if my 909 will only output surround with an AC3 LD and Demodulator, I know this can't be right??????????????????????????

At a last shot in the dark I went Digital Coax Out from the 909 directly into the AVR Digital Coax IN and replayed The Abyss but have the same results.

Source - Laserdisc
Sound - Stereo
Signal - PCM
Input Signal - LF & RF Speaker
Active Speakers - LF & RF

Probably a conflict on your AVR due to automation. Try disabling auto source detection, auto switching to highest quality input detection, etc. Give your LD its own input, ie make it the only thing connected to 'DVR', and hook up your BD, DVD, PC, game console etc to other inputs.

There is to my knowledge no AVR that can automatically ID the difference between two track stereo and four track sound matrixed down to stereo. Nothing I’ve ever used can but I don’t have super modern stuff.

Figure out how to switch it on in the manual. You should be able to manually cycle through Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II, and probably a headphone mode, then extra trick modes of doing the same thing from Sony/Dolby.

This would apply to both line level and digital outputs if the signal is stereo. It’s a manual process AFAIK.

EDIT: check page 148 in the manual for your AVR for using Dolby Surround.

I’m glad I don’t have your AVR. It’s crazy complex.

Yep operator error on setting up the Denon AVR, all is good.

The older Denon's were a tad simpler as they had a button for most basic functions (especially the models w/ buttons behind the door). Lately, they have really pushed the menu concept to the extreme and removed all the buttons. I guess that is progress to help save a few bucks.

Hello!

Digital Audio on Laserdisc is pure PCM Stereo with no specific flag for surround encoding.

If the disc says "Dolby Surround" (or CHACE Stereo, or DTS Stereo, etc.) just manually switch your AVR to Pro-logic mode.

Check the "Surround" section of HELP > SOUNDTRACKS

Julien

Julien

You are 100% correct about the PCM statement, my issue all along was my AVR being set to "Music" vice "Movie" so it was only out putting 2CH sound from the PCM 2CH track. Once I selected "Movie" on the AVR the magic kicked in and the AVR produced 5.1 channel surround sound.

I’m glad you posted about this as it’s educational about modern AVRs. Your receiver seems to lack a true Pro Logic mode and also most of the derivatives of it in favor of digitally transcribing them into the 5.1/7.1 world much like how all new CD players (and even some turntables) really only exist in a Super Audio CD soundspace and upconvert everything to that.