dd 5.1 on ESPN HD????? Help.

[BrownHound]

I see on the EspnHd website, they talk about DD5.1 audio...but I dont think I have ever had my receiver pick up a 5.1 signal...always get the DD 2.0. I am curious about whether I should be getting 5.1 on the NBA playoff games on ESPN HD...

Also, anyone heard about the TNTHD for the playoffs???

Thanks in advance.........Hound

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

ESPN is not broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 instead they broadcast using Circle Surround. (Never heard of it? Me eaither)

 

[BrownHound]

gotcha....thanks...really strange then that they have a link about DD 5.1 on their website....

thanks again!!

 

[GaryPen]

Ooooooooooooh. Circle Surround. I'm impressed. What do they call that bogus HD they broadcast..."Rectangle-vision"?

 

[fslove]

ESPN is not broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 instead they broadcast using Circle Surround. (Never heard of it? Me eaither)

Circle Surround is a proprietary audio surround codec that EPSN decided to go with instead of DD. God knows why the goofs at ESPN decided to use a non-standard surround format but you can bet the decision was made by the know-nothing suits who made a financial and not quality decision. I'll bet the company who developed CS gave them free equipment to try and get a bunch of advertising for their surround codec. So if your surround receiver does not decode CS it is pretty much useless. And considering the scarcity of surround receivers with the CS decoder there will be very few hearing the games in surround!

And as for audio quality it is not anywhere newar the quality of DD or DTS surround so don't expect to much!

 

[hancox]

Circle Surround is a proprietary audio surround codec that EPSN decided to go with instead of DD. God knows why the goofs at ESPN decided to use a non-standard surround format but you can bet the decision was made by the know-nothing suits who made a financial and not quality decision. I'll bet the company who developed CS gave them free equipment to try and get a bunch of advertising for their surround codec. So if your surround receiver does not decode CS it is pretty much useless. And considering the scarcity of surround receivers with the CS decoder there will be very few hearing the games in surround!

And as for audio quality it is not anywhere newar the quality of DD or DTS surround so don't expect to much!

Ugh - there is the thread from hell on AVSForum about this. What it all boils down to is:

- CS can mimick "surround sound" in a 2 channel stream
- ESPN didn't have the equipment ready to do DD5.1 when they went live with ESPN-HD
- This *probably will* change when ESPN goes live with their HD studio (currently slated for June)