[Emil]

Where did this come from?
Been awhile since a went down into the mancave to see a flick on the big screen. Since then most of the viewing was on my plasma
Ok, my Harmon Kardon receiver is ancient but it worked just fine until recently. The problem I'm having is not with DVDs but with Netflix. I was scratching my head on why I was not getting 5.1 surround which my HK was fully capable of decoding.
I picked a random moving and clicked the audio selection button. There was "stereo" and dolby digital plus". Stereo worked just fine but not the DD Plus. Just silence.
Went on the Best Buy website and looked at the new receivers and there is was, this machine decodes DD Plus. So now I need to upgrade.

When did this happen and why was I was not informed.

[mcgsxr]

Well, it is sometimes nice to have a reason to upgrade, but it would be nice to be made aware!

Is there a setting in Netflix that you could use, to force it into 2 channel, and then let your AVR make the best of it?

[Emil]

Only joking by having to be informed

Sure I can keep in two channel but surround is preferable.

So, why the switch to Plus? Anyone know?

[JohnR]

No idea. Surprisingly it's not backwards compatible - "Dolby Digital Plus bitstreams are not directly backward compatible with legacy Dolby Digital decoders." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Digital_Plus

[jarcher]

DD+ does seem the way things are going for all but blu rays. It supposedly more efficient and offers many more discrete tracks than former DD (for secondary audio or other uses). I don't see DTS master audio or DD TruHD being streamed anytime soon because it's like 5 times more bandwidth intensive.

So I guess the short answer is it may very well be worth the upgrade if you want multichannel for many except blu ray. Receivers both new and used are fortunately quite cheap.

[Emil]

So I guess the short answer is it may very well be worth the upgrade if you want multichannel for many except blu ray. Receivers both new and used are fortunately quite cheap.

True. Picked up a Yamaha receiver yesterday for $229. Everything works fine now. Would much rather have spent that money on new music

[Emil]

Followup:

Everything is not well.

Now that I have replaced my old receiver with a new DD plus decoding machine, I've been experiencing audio dropouts that last for no more than a second when streaming Netflix. It happens only in 5.1. No dropouts in stereo mode or watching DVDs.
 

I called netflix and they are pointing to my Sony Bluray with built in Netflix app as the culprit.
Could it be the software in the the Sony that's unable to handle the DD plus? The machine is about two years old.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Is it possible to update the firmware in the Sony?
I say that, because firmware always fixes things. 

[Doublej]

To Bob's point upgrade the firmware on everything in your system that touches the signal including the Yamaha and see if the problem goes away. If not, post the issue to the correct forum over at AVS and hope for the right answer.

You also might consider replacing the HDMI cable(s). I have read about a number of people with problems that disappeared after changing cables. Not upgrading them for mega buck ones, mind you, just switching from one decent brand to another.

[jarcher]

I'd also start w/ firmware upgrade, and if not, perhaps an internet speed / bandwidth / wifi router issue.  5.1 sound requires a good bit more than 2 channel.  Try a direct ethernet connection if possible.

You'd think a modern blu ray player would have a sufficient buffer, but you never know.  They practically give em out free with happy meals these days.

[Emil]

Gonna give a try. Thanks

I've been using optical cable for audio. Maybe I'll give HDMI a try. If no success, I'll just pick up a Roku 3.

[Emil]

Problem solved.

Using HDMI cable throughout and no dropouts.

I'll continue to use optical for DVDs