Q I have a Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blu-ray player that I purchased because it decodes the advanced surround-sound formats and passes them to my older receiver through multichannel analog connections. This enables me to enjoy high-def Blu-ray sound without replacing my receiver. I think a regular DVD playing on the Blu-ray player sounds better than it does when playing through my old DVD player's digital connection. Is this possible, and if so, why? Also, I would like the rear surround speakers to sound louder but have not figured out how to do that. Can you help?
DICK DVORAK, MENDOTA HEIGHTS
A When your Blu-ray player plays a DVD or Blu-ray disc, it does all of the decoding and sound balancing and sends a high-resolution analog signal from the RCA outputs. The receiver is simply a volume control and amplifier that powers the speakers.
If the BD55 sounds better than your receiver, it either has a better decoding section or simply plays louder at a given volume setting on your receiver. If the sound is a mere 1 decibel louder it will be perceived as sounding better simply because you can hear more of the recording.
The "slightly louder" trick has been used to fool many people into thinking some products sound better than others, especially with expensive audio cables and speaker wire. That's why you should always conduct comparisons with volume levels exactly matched.
To change the surround balance with the Blu-ray player, you must enter its setup menus and find the section for speaker configuration. You will be able to play test tones and change the balance from speaker to speaker so the surrounds are louder. To change the balance with the other components, go into your receiver's setup menus and do the same thing.
Questions such as yours are common and I have found that many systems I encounter in homes are not even close to being set up properly, even when set up by hired installers.
In the interest of better sound and picture quality (and less confusion) for everyone, I recently added a setup guide to the Learning Center section of my website. It goes through home-theater setup step by step, from boxed equipment to playing your first movie. Everything is explained, such as cutting and stripping the speaker wires, connecting the speakers and components, and entering the receiver and Blu-ray player setup menus to configure and balance everything perfectly.
