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#1
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I currently have an XBOX 360, a Humax PVR9300T, and an upscaling DVD
player, all of which are connected to my TV by HDMI. I bought a TV with 3 HDMI inputs for this reason. However, I want to add surround sound to my set-up, and also hang my TV on the wall. So I was thinking of getting an AV Receiver that can take the HDMI inputs and route them to the TV. This would mean just the one HDMI cable to the TV, which would make burying the cables in the wall a bit easier. Whilst looking around for a suitable AV Receiver, I read in one of the manuals that not all equipment can handle being routed in this way - it can result in a blank screen. Does anyone know if the XBOX and Humax are OK with this? I don't want to spend extra to get an AV Receiver with all the HDMI inputs I need, only to find I can't use them anyway. There's no surround sound on Freeview, so for everyday TV viewing via the Humax it might be a bit OTT to use the AV Receiver. Are there any AV Receivers that would pass-through the HDMI signal whilst in stand-by, so I can still watch to the Humax (with sound out the TV speakers) without switching on the AV Receiver? This doesn't seem likely to me, but perhaps someone can confirm? Cheers |
#2
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On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:44:37 GMT, smb wrote:
Whilst looking around for a suitable AV Receiver, I read in one of the manuals that not all equipment can handle being routed in this way - it can result in a blank screen. Does anyone know if the XBOX and Humax are OK with this? I don't want to spend extra to get an AV Receiver with all the HDMI inputs I need, only to find I can't use them anyway. I can't speak to the Xbox (though the situation that you describe sounds very strange), but you shouldn't have any problem with the Humax. I have a Humax PVR-9300T routed through my (Marantz) AV receiver. It's HDMI all the way, and no trouble. There's no surround sound on Freeview, so for everyday TV viewing via the Humax it might be a bit OTT to use the AV Receiver. Why? You should still get superior sound quality. I admit that this does depend on the quality of the components. But, all else being equal, I'd generally expect an AV receiver and separate speakers to be better than the TV's built-in components. FWIW, I do exactly this. Are there any AV Receivers that would pass-through the HDMI signal whilst in stand-by, so I can still watch to the Humax (with sound out the TV speakers) without switching on the AV Receiver? This doesn't seem likely to me, but perhaps someone can confirm? I'm not aware of any. No AV receivers that I've owned (I'm on my fourth) have passed any video signals through whilst in standby. By the way, do let me know if you're interested in a secondhand Denon AVR-3808. (Details on Denon's web site at http://tinyurl.com/2tmn3a.) I have one in my loft. Peter. |
#3
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![]() "smb" wrote in message news ![]() There's no surround sound on Freeview, .... Interesting I get surround, center and left and right front out of my Freeview, just like I have done for years and years on TV. Happy New Years to all David |
#4
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On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:03:44 -0000, "David"
wrote: "smb" wrote in message news ![]() There's no surround sound on Freeview, .... Interesting I get surround, center and left and right front out of my Freeview, just like I have done for years and years on TV. Happy New Years to all I suspect that the OP meant "no digital surround". Perhaps he's forgotten the old matrixed systems? Either way, I agree that there is indeed surround information available on Freeview, and an AV receiver can extract it. Peter. |
#5
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On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:56:14 +0000, Peter wrote:
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:44:37 GMT, smb wrote: Whilst looking around for a suitable AV Receiver, I read in one of the manuals that not all equipment can handle being routed in this way - it can result in a blank screen. Does anyone know if the XBOX and Humax are OK with this? I don't want to spend extra to get an AV Receiver with all the HDMI inputs I need, only to find I can't use them anyway. I can't speak to the Xbox (though the situation that you describe sounds very strange), but you shouldn't have any problem with the Humax. I have a Humax PVR-9300T routed through my (Marantz) AV receiver. It's HDMI all the way, and no trouble. Thanks for the confirmation - that's just what I wanted to here. As it happens, I had read it in a Marantz manual! There's no surround sound on Freeview, so for everyday TV viewing via the Humax it might be a bit OTT to use the AV Receiver. Why? You should still get superior sound quality. I admit that this does depend on the quality of the components. But, all else being equal, I'd generally expect an AV receiver and separate speakers to be better than the TV's built-in components. FWIW, I do exactly this. I've no doubt that the sound quality via the AV receiver would be far better than via the TV, but somehow it seems like overkill for watching the news, etc. One of the AV receiver manuals I read gave the power consumption of something like 380 watts - seemed high to me. Just trying to save some money on my leccy bill. Are there any AV Receivers that would pass-through the HDMI signal whilst in stand-by, so I can still watch to the Humax (with sound out the TV speakers) without switching on the AV Receiver? This doesn't seem likely to me, but perhaps someone can confirm? I'm not aware of any. No AV receivers that I've owned (I'm on my fourth) have passed any video signals through whilst in standby. By the way, do let me know if you're interested in a secondhand Denon AVR-3808. (Details on Denon's web site at http://tinyurl.com/2tmn3a.) I have one in my loft. Wow, that's a seriously nice bit of kit. Hate to think what you upgraded to! Sadly, I think it's likely to be out of my price range. I was hoping to spend no more than £250, and had seen a Yamaha that would meet my needs. I also looked at a Marantz at around £400, which I like because of its small size. Cheers |
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On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:03:50 +0000, Peter wrote:
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:03:44 -0000, "David" wrote: "smb" wrote in message news ![]() There's no surround sound on Freeview, .... Interesting I get surround, center and left and right front out of my Freeview, just like I have done for years and years on TV. Happy New Years to all I suspect that the OP meant "no digital surround". Perhaps he's forgotten the old matrixed systems? Either way, I agree that there is indeed surround information available on Freeview, and an AV receiver can extract it. I had meant digital surround, and had also forgotten about the older systems. Sorry. But now that you mention it, I recall a discussion on another forum about how the reducing bit rates of digital TV transmittions are starting to cause problems for these older surround sound signals. Do you find that they still survive sufficiently intact to provide a good surround sound? Is it worth me ensuring that my AV receiver also does the older Dolby Surround? Cheers |
#7
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On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:57:14 GMT, smb wrote:
Wow, that's a seriously nice bit of kit. Hate to think what you upgraded to! Sadly, I think it's likely to be out of my price range. I was hoping to spend no more than £250, and had seen a Yamaha that would meet my needs. I also looked at a Marantz at around £400, which I like because of its small size. Well, I won't go down to £250, but it sounds as if you might still be able to afford it. Please contact me by e-mail if you'd like to discuss the possibility further. Peter. |
#8
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On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:03:00 GMT, smb wrote:
I had meant digital surround, and had also forgotten about the older systems. Sorry. But now that you mention it, I recall a discussion on another forum about how the reducing bit rates of digital TV transmittions are starting to cause problems for these older surround sound signals. Do you find that they still survive sufficiently intact to provide a good surround sound? I can't really comment on this point, because I use Freeview for little more than the BBC News. It's not really a relevant concern in that context. (I generally prefer Freesat for the little broadcast material that I watch. I find that the picture's better.) Is it worth me ensuring that my AV receiver also does the older Dolby Surround? Yes. Whether or not it's relevant for broadcast TV, it's likely to be useful for some DVDs. Not all of these have DD or DTS soundtracks. Some (especially boxed sets of TV series) have only stereo soundtracks with surround information matrixed in. Peter. |
#9
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On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:48:42 +0000, Peter wrote:
On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:57:14 GMT, smb wrote: Wow, that's a seriously nice bit of kit. Hate to think what you upgraded to! Sadly, I think it's likely to be out of my price range. I was hoping to spend no more than £250, and had seen a Yamaha that would meet my needs. I also looked at a Marantz at around £400, which I like because of its small size. Well, I won't go down to £250, but it sounds as if you might still be able to afford it. Please contact me by e-mail if you'd like to discuss the possibility further. Thanks, but I will have to pass. The only reason I'm half-tempted by the Marantz is because the small size means I don't have to buy a new cabinet to fit it in, so the extra cost is offset by a saving elsewhere. It's tough being on a budget! |
#10
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On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:19:43 +0000, Peter wrote:
On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:03:00 GMT, smb wrote: Is it worth me ensuring that my AV receiver also does the older Dolby Surround? Yes. Whether or not it's relevant for broadcast TV, it's likely to be useful for some DVDs. Not all of these have DD or DTS soundtracks. Some (especially boxed sets of TV series) have only stereo soundtracks with surround information matrixed in. I will check the models I'm looking at to see what they do. So far, I've only been making sure they do Dolby Digital and the HD stuff for Blu-ray discs. My plan is to upgrade my DVD player to Blu-ray at some point in the (hopefully near) future. Thanks for you help. |
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