DD 5.1, 480p and 1080i in GT 4?

DD 5.1 is okay. But as being lossy, no use of using it in multichannel recordings that have high dynamic range in all channels. the bitrates aren't enough. (72 men symphony orchestra recording from the middle of the instruments, for example.)


and what comes to Dolby Pro Logic 2, it is doward compliant with DPL 1 and the oldest Dolby's surround systems: Dolby Surround. Last one is already more than 20 years old and with Pro Logic, it was pretty much standard even in theathers, before discrete digital channels replaced the old "optical sound" used all way near to begining of movies with audio track.

Surround / Pro Logic / Pr Logic 2 ain't bad, as long as you have correctly set up speakers. (In Surround: 3 speakers (Left, Right, Effect/Rear). In Pro Logic: 4 speakers (Left, Right, Effect and Center). In Pro Logic 2: 5 Speakers (Left, Right, Effect Left, Effect Right and Center). LFE (Low Frequency Effect) is done in all with Low pass filter from combination of two input channels.

Latest add-on to this series is DPL 2 EX, which adds both side speakers, which basically should expand the sound even more. I haven't yet tested this though.

In any case, Dolby Surround was originally planned to be a way to encode 3 channels to 2 analog channels. of course because this is done with Signal Processing (directing certain kind of parts of signal on different speakers) it can't be as exact as using discrete channels. Nowadays, when using discrete channels is become possible (thanks highre compression algorithms and more powerful and cheaper processing units) Pro Logic has been a become way to expand audio fields from sources that were originally just planned to be 2 channels or even mono. (anyone remembers Dolby Stereo?) And that why Dolby has continued developing also this older standard.

 

With a proper setup and good equipment there is a very large disparity between PLII and DD5.1/DTS. IMO PLII really isn't that great at all, and I've had extensive listening time with my setup. PLII doesn't do it for me and I'm definately not impressed no matter how good some people swear it sounds.

 

The Sauber in the green hell: http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S8T2IYIU5OHN3POGU3XCD6SZW



5:34!

Fredi

 

maskrider:

thanks for the impressions and media you've supplied! I do have one question though - how is the image quality on 480p (or 1080i) compared to GT4Prologue? Is the flickering still as bad or is it less noticable?

thanks in advance!

 

The bulk of stuffs that I've done are indeed at GTPlanet.net
(e.g. translation of the screens, available cars, etc)

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52733

There is flickering in any mode, looks to me the CRT controller messed up the field orders occassionally, don't know why.

The look of the game has improved over prologue IMHO, I think the release version is a nice cleanup of all the previous released ones.

 

Mirror.. has to be seen:
http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3QO39247P2VTH1BP997YPOTP8B

Fastest time on the real circiut: 6:11 in a Porsche 956 in 1983.

One thing that is clear from the video, no life was at risk

 

I would expect there to be a larger difference on poor equipment, honestly. DD5.1/DTS has 5 (+1) discrete channels encoded, and I don't see why even the cheapest decoder chip would do anything but decode all this information. PLII, however, has some sophisticated algorithms for determining where the sound is coming from, and how to separate it. Poor equipment/setup really shouldn't affect DD5.1 any more than PLII.

As for you not being impressed by PLII, you must be listening to some complicated surround sources (e.g. multiple spatially directed sounds). I was testing my surround setup a few days ago (just got a new reciever), and was scanning DVD's for good examples of directionally localized sound. The PLII decoder was quite close to the DD5.1, much to my surprise.

All things considered, I'm quite impressed with the technology, especially considering how much it enhances our two channel broadcasting infrastructure while still being backwards compatible.

 

Very fast... with the driving aids on. And wasn't that 6:11 done on the track with the extra miles of track?



The GT4 track goes right (corner above the start + finish) where as the lap record was set on the full track as the Nurburgring 1000km uses the Formula One pit garages. I could be wrong but it would explain the huge gap in time.

 

Nope:

Stefan Bellof (D) Porsche 956 1983-05-28, 1000km Rennen 20.832 km, 202.073 km/h,6:11:130

http://nurburgring.de/?rubrik=rekorde&lang=eng

 

PLII 5.1 is discreet like DD5.1

Don't confuse Encoded PLII with Non Encoded PLII

Encoded PLII 5.1 takes a true discreete 5.1 sound source and uses some neato matrix/phase/etc processing trickery to make it fit in a high quality 2 channel carrier.

Then, the PLII Decoder reverses the process giving you true 5.1 sound.

It doesn't sound as good as DD5.1 for a few reasons.

1. The matrix/phase/etc processing stuff causes some anomolies even though PLII does a good job at clearing them up.

2. It is more lossy than DD5.1 or DTS.

3. It isn't DD5.1 or DTS

4. Encoded PLII only sounds as good as the encoding process lets it sound.

However, I assume PD and Sony are using the best equipment, processing, engineers, in the world for GT4.

I would expect Encoded PLIIx to sound even better, possibly on par with DD5.1 (MGS3 and a few GameCube games have PLIIx material)
However, a PLIIx reciever can turn DD5.1 into 7.1 so DD is probably still a little better. Except maybe for the stereo rears.


*Edit*
Atleast that is what I understand Encoded PLII, PLI, PLIIx, to be. If this is not the case please clarify! I mean, why else would encoded PL material exists?

 

Nevermind.