hmmm.. thanks PDVD'ers for this very healthy discussions of the U1.. seems this is the cheapest unit for what I need:
- 100% movies or TV
- lossless audio pass thru
- same (if not better) PQ with the SMART TV's built-in media player
-- i have HDTV 1080p only and might not upgrade to UHD in the next 2-3years
with my movie watching, I'm satisfied PQ-wise with the TV's built-in media player streaming over Plex from my laptop or external HDD via TV's USB (tested upto 2TB, both powered 3.5" and 2.5"). It can pass thru AAC 2-ch and AC3 & DTS in 6-ch -- including the 0.1.
and since ATMOS came up (and soon DTS:X), I've invested in it lately -- with new sets of speakers too. I've sold my HT 5.1 almost 18months ago & recently have put aside my Logitech Z5500 since the ATMOS HT got set-up.
now I have several ATMOS + DTS-HD MA materials and is ready to take the next step.
for the U1, is SPMC the only one that can pass-thru HD or lossless audio, so far? does the U1 have a native or built-in media player? If yes, I wonder why it can't successfully get lossless audio to pass-thru despite the latest firmware applied?
thanks for your advise and hope the U1 is really what I'd need =))