Can I get 24/192 out of Oppo 970?

[leadbelly]

I have an Oppo DV-970HD that I would like to get 24bit/192kHz out of if at all possible. Sorry if some of my questions are basic, I don't spend a lot of time on the digital side.

In the Stereophile test of this player, they confirmed that the digital output was being truncated to 16 bits (Oppo DV-970HD universal player Measurements | Stereophile.com). They don't go on to give details of their test setup used to determine this; frustrating!

Since the player has an internal CS4360 DAC which can do multichannel 24/192, perhaps the truncation is to allow multichannel 192kHz while still meeting the 3.1 Mbps limit of S/PDIF?

I'd like to know, even if only by educated guess, if there is a good chance the HDMI can output a full 24/192, at least for 2-channel?

Here are some pertinent quotes regarding player settings from the player manual (https://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/download/dv970hd-adv-setup-guide.pdf)

3. SPDIF Output: This set the bit stream type of the digital audio output for use with Dolby Digital
and DTS-compatible receivers. The options are:

• Raw – Passes the encoded multi-channel digital audio unaltered. Choose this setting if your
receiver/amplifier is capable of decoding Dolby Digital and/or DTS.
• PCM – Forces down-mixed 2-channel digital audio output. Choose this setting if your
receiver/amplifier only supports stereo digital (PCM) audio.​

4. LPCM Rate: To set the maximum Linear PCM output frequency. The options are:

• 48K – Supported by most equipment.
• 96K – Allows a higher sampling rate and frequency response. Ensure that the
receiver/amplifier can support it.
• 192K – Allows the highest sampling rate and frequency response. Ensure that the
receiver/amplifier can support it and that your dogs are safely away from the listening area.​

Note: The LPCM rate is selectable only when HDMI Audio is turned off.

8. HDMI Audio: Turns the audio output from the HDMI port on or off.

A. Multi-Channel – Digital audio output via HDMI will be multi-channel PCM format (HDMI 1.1
audio). The Down-mix setting in the “Speaker Setup Page” will affect whether and how multichannel
audio content will be down-mixed to stereo. When this option is selected,
compressed audio bit streams will decoded by the DVD player.
B. SPDIF – Digital audio output via HDMI will be the same as the SPDIF (digital coaxial/optical
audio) output. The SPDIF setting will affect whether 2-channel PCM or raw compressed bit
streams will be carried over via HDMI. When this option is selected and SPDIF is set to
“Raw”, the TV or HDMI A/V receiver must decode compressed audio formats. (Copyright
protection on some DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD discs may prevent audio output via
HDMI with this setting.)
C. Off – No digital audio output via HDMI.​

I find the parenthetical comment of the HDMI Audio - B. SPDIF setting quite confusing. In order to select that setting, the LPCM rate is forced to 48 kHz, but if rate is 48 kHz, why does the copy protect kick in?

 

[leadbelly]

OK, I've thought about it some more. Does the following interpretation of the abovementioned make sense?

1) The truncation to 16bits for S/PDIF is for HDCP compliance.

2) The statement

Digital audio output via HDMI will be the same as the SPDIF (digital coaxial/optical audio) output.

only refers to "Raw" vs "PCM" and not resolution or frequency.

3) The statement

Copyright protection on some DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD discs may prevent audio output via HDMI with this setting.

indicates better than the HDCP compliant S/PDIF resolution and/or frequency is available by HDMI.

Seem a plausible interpretation?

A follow up question would be if those cheap ebay HDMI to S/PDIF converters are HDCP compliant or if they can output 24/192?