On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 20:26:15 GMT, "Dave"
wrote:

I would put MP3 in the same category with DT and DTS, they all require
additional decoding prior to d/a conversion.

And they are all lossy. Otherwise, they have different uses.

Does a DD decoder output a 5.1 signal, i.e. do you then need 6 DACs downstream to process?

Generally, no, the output is 6 channels of analog signals. However,
there are exceptions. Some Meridian processors will output 3xS/PDIF
outputs from DD/DTS and a Swiss company will modify some players to do
similar.

I know zero about home theatre and will probably never have more than two channels.

If you live long enough, you might. ;-)

Kal