Surround sound from a PS2 optical output?

[Jondot]

Hey, i just bought this rather nice JVC home cinema system:

and i was hoping to be able to plug my freeview and PS2 into it. I got it home, and there were no inputs whatsoever, which is a shame because it means i have to take the system back to currys. That'll teach me not to buy things in a rush ...

Anywho, i now need a new system that will allow me to plug my PS2 into it, and allow me full 5.1 dolby digital surround sound. I have a fairly small budget, so rather than settle on a low quality system with lots of inputs, i've decided to go for this:

I've read great reviews about it, and i've been looking at the manual and specs over and over again to see if it will work with my set up.

What i basically wanted to ask was, can the PS2 use it's optical output as a full blown 5.1 output? The plan is to plug it into the optical input of this system, and get 5.1 dolby digital out of it. Can anyone tell me if this will work? Here's the specs of the speakers. Oh and i want to use it for GT4, incase you were wondering

Home cinema system with built-in Dolby Digital 5.1 decoder.

Converts any existing DVD player to Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.

Decoder built into a subwoofer speaker.

Subwoofer 35W RMS.

Surround speakers 5 x 7 watts RMS.

6 sound effect modes.

Stereo, optical and co axial inputs.


Thanks

Jon.

Oh and feel free to suggest other speaker systems for around £100.

 

[Pako]

Yes, you need a receiver that has Toslink optical inputs, which it sounds like it does. The optical cable will carry your 6 channels of discrete audio from the PS2 to the receiver.

 

[Jondot]

Oh awesome! Thanks Pako

*Orders speaker system and optical cable immediately*

 

[Solid Lifters]

But, no games on the PS2 have DD5.1 surround sound, as far as I know. MGS2 had it for the intro FMV scenes, and a couple of other scenes, but not during game play.

In GT4, it's only Dolby Pro Logic II, which is NOT digital surround sound. But, movies (DVDs) will sound better, and will have DD5.1, most likely. Oh, games will sound better too, but not as good as your movies will.

 

[Jondot]

As long as it sounds better than what i have currently - the same sound blasting out of every speaker.

 

[Solid Lifters]

As long as it sounds better than what i have currently - the same sound blasting out of every speaker.

For sure. I just wanted to make sure you know that there are really no games with DD5.1. So, yes, if all you have now are your TV speakers, this system will sound a lot better. But make sure it has Dolby Pro Logic II as well as DD5.1 and DTS surround sound.

 

[Jondot]

Ah. So, this won't actually give me surround sound? Say, things behind me being heard from the rear speakers? Because if it just acts as a normal speaker system, it's no big improvement on what i have.

EDIT

I'm reading the manual online, and it says that it has 3 modes: Dolby Digital, Pro Logic, and Stereo.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Ah. So, this won't actually give me surround sound? Say, things behind me being heard from the rear speakers? Because if it just acts as a normal speaker system, it's no big improvement on what i have.

EDIT

I'm reading the manual online, and it says that it has 3 modes: Dolby Digital, Pro Logic, and Stereo.

If it has Pro Logic, you're in luck for GT4, although that game uses Pro Logic II. That has full range rear speaker sounds, compared to limited-band sounds with Pro Logic. Plus, the center channel is discrete, unlike the center channel with Pro Logic.

You will have video game surround sounds similar to what you have now, if your current system is rated for Pro Logic. But movies with Dolby Digital will kick ass, at least.

 

[Jondot]

That sounds great

Like i said, all i currently have is 5 speakers blasting out the same sound in all directions. That's what i wanted - proper surround sound

Thanks for the help

 

[Jordan]

True DD PLII via optical sound adds an entirely new dimension to the game. I was most impressed with the engine noise of your own car: FR, engine's in the center channel, MR, engine's everywhere, and rear engined cars are all in the back channels. It's really a great touch!

 

[MagpieRacer]

True DD PLII via optical sound adds an entirely new dimension to the game. I was most impressed with the engine noise of your own car: FR, engine's in the center channel, MR, engine's everywhere, and rear engined cars are all in the back channels. It's really a great touch!

Yeah, i got my 5.1 set up at the weekend and the sound on GT4 is mind blowing. I was actually stunned when i went into and MR and it sounded like it did it was amazing!

 

[the Interceptor]

Just some info you might be interested in:

Dolby Pro Logic (II) is an analogue format, where the center and surround channels are hidden in a stereo signal. Therefor, these channels need to be extracted by a compatible decoder. This sound can be passed on from the source to the decoder in a digital way, such as an optical cable. Pro Logic II is an improved version of the much older Pro Logic. However, this still isn't Dolby Digital. You can read about the difference in the next paragraph.

Dolby Digital is a truly digital format, where a number of channels exist in a digital form. These channels already are seperate and don't need to be extracted from some master signal. But you will still need a Dolby Digital capable decoder to convert the bitstream into the seperate channels. The standart Dolby Digital format can hold anything from one (DD mono) to six (DD 5.1) channels.There are some DD formats that can hold more channels, but that's not of importance right now.

The Playstation does have an optical digital output, and it is capable of putting out Dolby Digital sound, like when you're watching a DVD. GT4 does not offer Dolby Digital when playing though, it only offers Dolby Pro Logic II. That means there's no difference between using the analogue chinch output (red and white plug) and the optical digital out. The PS2 puts out a stereo signal which contains surround information that needs to be extracted from it by a decoder. If this decoder is capable of Pro Logic II, you will get the best possible sound Polyphony was able to put in the game. Still, this won't be as good as real Dolby Digital surround sound.

If you have any more questions about this, just ask away or pm me. 👍

Regards
the Interceptor