Kal is correct - theoretically the decoding should be identical wherever it takes place.
BUT - and this was huge for me - by decoding at the pre/pro you only need one (1) HDMI cable from the BD to the pre. And that cable carries both 7.1 audio and 1080p video
If you decode 7.1 at the BD you then need 10 cables, three component video and 7 audio. Now you are stuck with all the traditional painful choices about how good those cables have to be to preserve that pristine sound you just decoded...
A lot of people could easily spend more on the ten cables then the pre/pro. To say nothing of the mess if you have more then one multichannel source.
To me the elegance of HDMI cabling is a big part of the equation...
BUT - and this was huge for me - by decoding at the pre/pro you only need one (1) HDMI cable from the BD to the pre. And that cable carries both 7.1 audio and 1080p video
If you decode 7.1 at the BD you then need 10 cables, three component video and 7 audio. Now you are stuck with all the traditional painful choices about how good those cables have to be to preserve that pristine sound you just decoded...
A lot of people could easily spend more on the ten cables then the pre/pro. To say nothing of the mess if you have more then one multichannel source.
To me the elegance of HDMI cabling is a big part of the equation...