What sound field do I use?

[pete.wootton]

I have an HT-AS5 and BDP-S370 connected via HDMI.

Unfortunately I am having a problem getting my head around the Sound Fields and knowing which one to select to ensure I get the full 5.1 effect when watching something encoded in Dolby Digital.

Do I use A.F.D. Standard, Movie - D.C.S. or something entirely different?!  As a second question, what does A.F.D. stand for!

Any suggestions gratefully received!

[jtonline.info]

My suggestion would be to set 'AFD Standard'.  That sound field simply reproduces the 5.1 surround sound signals as they were recorded.

I believe the AFD acronym stands for 'Auto Format Direct'.

[nicholas.murphy.ie]

Many of my Bly-Ray discs show as beig Dolby Digital sound when played through my PS3, but there's only a setting on the Sony HT-SS100 for Dolby ProLogic II.  Any advise?

I'd like to learn more about this, so could anyone recommend a good beginner's guide?

[jtonline.info · Accepted solution]

With a stereo soundrack the sound comprises of only two channels - one for the right speaker and one for the left.  What Dolby ProLogic does is take hidden audio cues that exist in the stereo content and manufactures a realistic surround sound by splitting up the sound around the other speakers in your system.  You could use this sound field to improve the sound from a stereo broadcast TV programme for instance.

Dolby Digital is an encoding/decoding technology that faithfully reproduces sound as it was originally recorded, first developed for multichannel cinema sound.

Unlike stereo, in a Dolby Digital 5.1-channel environment, there are five full-range and discrete channels plus a sixth channel for deep bass sound.  The Left and Right channels primarily reproduce musical swells and accurately communicate movement across the screen in front of you. The Centre channel mainly reproduces dialogue, focusing it on the screen. The two surround channels (Left Surround and Right Surround) envelop you in background sound, and the Low-Frequency Effects (LFE) channel delivers the deep, powerful bass effects from your subwoofer.

If you set your sound field to Sony A.F.D STD when watching Blu-ray discs, you should get the sound as it was intended to be heard.

[JBRobinson]

Hi.  I recently bought one of these sound systems and just joined this forum, so please bear with me!

I, too, am still a little confused by the plethora of 'sound fields' available.  I have tried A.F.D. STD, as suggested above but, using a 5.1 encoded DVD, nothing comes from the rear speakers.  I then tried the same DVD on the MOVIE-D.C.S. setting and found that the rear speakers sounded as they should.  (The DVD is of the organ of St Paul's Cathedral and features sounds from specific parts of the building.)  Of course, I could just leave the setting as it now is, as I like the sound, but I'd really like to be sure of what the other options really mean.

May I, therefore, suggest what I think they mean(!) and ask you kindly if you would confirm or put me right?

2CH STEREO     = stereo - two speakers only?

A.F.D. STD         = no idea - on mine there is no rear sound (see above)

A.F.D. MULTI      = no idea

PRO LOGIC        = converts stereo into surround sound?

PLII MOVIE         = surround sound, but can reproduce surround sound on 'overdubbed'(?) movies?

MOVIE-D.C.S.     = 'standard for any movie' - surround or stereo automatically?

SPORTS, etc      = I think these are self-explanatory

In short, I'd simply like to know which would be best for 5.1 encoded DVDs, and whether there is one in particular that I could leave on and which would be good for all sources.

Many thanks.

[JBRobinson]

Hi again.

I don't know whether anyone has read my question yet, but I have had some thoughts since.

I wonder whether the fact that the Sound Field A.F.D. STD produces no surround sound may be due to the connections I have made, as I have read that SCART cables cannot carry 5.1 sound.

My current connections are:

Co-ax from aerial to PVR

SCART and co-ax from PVR to DVD recorder

SCART and co-ax from DVD recorder to TV

HDMI from TV to sound system

I need to keep a suitable connection from the PVR to the DVD recorder in order to record programmes recorded on the PVR to DVD.

Should I, therefore, add an HDMI cable from the DVD recorder to the sound system, and would this allow 5.1 encoded DVDs to be heard in 5.1 sound?

Would I need to keep the SCART leads as they are, or should I replace them with HDMI cables?

Final question(!): which Sound Field setting would be best for all sound sources - that is, 5.1 encoded DVDs and creating a pseudo-5.1 effect from stereo sources?

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

[jtonline.info]

You don't say what outputs are on the back of your DVD or TV.

If possible, I would connect the output of the DVD to the input on the surround sound with an HDMI lead (and not by SCART to the TV), then take another HDMI lead from the output of the surround sound to an input on the TV.

Assuming your TV has an optical audio out socket, take an optical cable from the TV to the optical input on the surround sound.

When listening to a TV programme, the suround sound screen will show 'TV' and I would use a Dolby ProLogic II sound field.  For DVD playback I would use AFD STD sound field.

I think that should work OK.

[JBRobinson]

Many thanks, jtonline.

I confess that, whilst awaiting a response on this forum, I sought help on another and have now got my system working correctly.

Nevertheless, to answer your very helpful post, I have now connected the DVD player/recorder to the surround sound system via an HDMI cable, and the surround sound system to the TV via another HDMI cable, as you suggest.  There remains, however, a SCART connection from the DVD player to the TV.  Is it the case that this connection is no longer necessary?  The DVD player also acts as a pass-through from a PVR (also connected via SCART) to the TV.

Currently, the PVR, DVD player and TV are also daisy-chained together with ordinary co-ax cables.  I assume this is necessary in order that all three have access to terrestrial transmissions.

I do have an optical cable, but haven't connected it yet.  Would connecting the TV and surround sound system with the optical cable in addition to the HDMI cable make any improvement?  As far as I am aware, the TV would ask me which connection to choose and, presumably, I should select the optical rather than the HDMI.

You are quite correct that when listening to a TV programme, the surround sound system screen shows 'TV', although it seems to default to the 'Movie DCS' settting.  When I remember, I re-set it to Dolby ProLogic II.  As you advise, when listening to DVDs I select AFD STD.

May I thank you for your very welcome help and advice.

Message was edited by: JBRobinson

Edit: I understand that the Freeview HD channels sometimes broadcast in 5.1 sound.  Is this the case and, if so, should I select AFD STD when listening to these as well?

[JBRobinson]

Sorry, I just thought of something else.

I understand that the Freeview HD channels sometimes broadcast in 5.1 sound.  Is this the case and, if so, should I select AFD STD when listening to these as well?

[jtonline.info]

As you now have a digital HDMI cable from DVD to surround sound you can remove the analogue Scart cable from DVD to TV.

Leave the cable from PVR to DVD in case you want to record something off the PVR onto a DVD.

Yes, leave the coax aerial leads as they are.

I was suggesting an optical (S/PDIF) cable so that sound from TV programmes will output through the surround sound speakers.  No settings needed as the TV will output sound through the S/PDIF port automatically.  If, however, you have a modern TV with ARC (Audio Return Channel) on its HDMI output, then the optical cable won't be needed.  See if this helps - http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_1_4/arc.aspx

On my system I have chosen the ProLogic II Movie sound field for watching TV programmes or my Scart connected PVR.  I have chosen AFD STD for watching Blu-ray DVD's.  The surround sound system automatically switches between the two chosen sound fields depending on the input being fed to it.

I should have thought the ProLogic II Movie sound field would be fine for your Freeview HD programmes.

Regards,

Jules.