HDMI via AV Receiver

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

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.

"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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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.