AV reciever with pass through A/V sound for all my components

[Think]

:beer:I have a very small den with a Panasonic Plasma 46" TV. What I am looking for is a reciever that will take the following items in toe:

Wii - Audio/Video RCA jacks
PS3 - HDMI
Satellite Reciever - HDMI
VCR - Audio/Video RCA jacks

and pass through the audio/video to the TV via the HDMI connectivity.

5.1 channel is more then enough

AB switcher for a pair of outdoor speakers would be an added bonus for me.


The sound quality is not really important and I was actually thinking of picking up the Polk Audio sound bar to do the trick.

Any thoughts?

What I've encountered:

Onkyo's in the higher price points will do this but the lower end will not pass through the audio..only the video

Sony STRDH500 hit's the right price point but will switch off the audio to the reciever when the audio is being sent throught the HDMI

If this is a pain, I'll just run a the cables through.

 

[PurdueRy]

Wait so you just want the A/V to be passed through to the TV? Any cheap AVR with HDMI should do this.

 

[Modelworks]

That first one Wii and last one VCR is not going to be easy. The format is all wrong for HDMI, will require an encoder.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
That first one Wii and last one VCR is not going to be easy. The format is all wrong for HDMI, will require an encoder.

Nah, most midrange receivers can convert analog input to HDMI output these days.

Denon AVR-1610 for example.

"With three HDMI inputs and two HD-compatible component inputs, the AVR-1610 features analog-to-digital HDMI video conversion, allowing a single HDMI cable run to your HDTV, simplifying connections and minimizing cable costs at the same time."

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Modelworks
That first one Wii and last one VCR is not going to be easy. The format is all wrong for HDMI, will require an encoder.

Nah, most midrange receivers can convert analog input to HDMI output these days.

Denon AVR-1610 for example.

"With three HDMI inputs and two HD-compatible component inputs, the AVR-1610 features analog-to-digital HDMI video conversion, allowing a single HDMI cable run to your HDTV, simplifying connections and minimizing cable costs at the same time."

And it uses an encoder to do that.

 

[kalrith]

I'm just popping in here to mention that you really need to get component cables for your Wii: http://www.monoprice.com/produ...id=3566&seq=1&format=2.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Modelworks
That first one Wii and last one VCR is not going to be easy. The format is all wrong for HDMI, will require an encoder.

Nah, most midrange receivers can convert analog input to HDMI output these days.

Denon AVR-1610 for example.

"With three HDMI inputs and two HD-compatible component inputs, the AVR-1610 features analog-to-digital HDMI video conversion, allowing a single HDMI cable run to your HDTV, simplifying connections and minimizing cable costs at the same time."

And it uses an encoder to do that.

I didn't suggest it didn't. I was refuting the point that it "wasn't going to be easy" to find a receiver that could do the analog->digital conversion.

 

[Think]

Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

He's wrong. That's all you need to know.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

As Purdue said, he doesn't know what he's talking about (which is rather odd for a company like Denon that focuses strictly on home theater stuff). I have a Denon receiver with 3 devices hooked up via HDMI and a Wii via component and everything is sent to the TV over 1 HDMI cable.

Maybe that rep couldn't figure out Denon's ridiculously poor on-screen setup GUI? (seriously, their stuff is great but the receiver setup menu looks like an Atari 2600)

 

[Think]

I thought so and thanks

I suppose the only question remains is the reciever of choice. The Denon AVR 1610 seems to fit but noticed on the specifications that it will only convert Analog video to HDMI to 480i so no video conversion scaling to 1080i ( which is not really important anyway ) and has no AB switch ( I can always buy an external AB switch ).

What about the audio though? Looking at the online manual, there seems to be no indication that the audio will travel through the HDMI as well from each source...only the video.

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4865.asp

Thanks again for the imput folks!

 

[erwos]

To be fair, converting SPDIF to HDMI and then outputting it on the HDMI cable to your TV is actually a somewhat uncommon feature on receivers that do upscaling on analog video inputs. I would consult your owners manual to be sure the feature is really present.

I wouldn't rush to call this guy an idiot until you've actually confirmed your receiver does what you think it does. I have a fairly high end receiver that will not do that conversion, and I don't think I've seen many (or any?) that do.

 

[Think]

Originally posted by: erwos
To be fair, converting SPDIF to HDMI and then outputting it on the HDMI cable to your TV is actually a somewhat uncommon feature on receivers that do upscaling on analog video inputs. I would consult your owners manual to be sure the feature is really present.

I wouldn't rush to call this guy an idiot until you've actually confirmed your receiver does what you think it does. I have a fairly high end receiver that will not do that conversion, and I don't think I've seen many (or any?) that do.

I'm going to call again but SPDIF is not important for me, just the audio RCA inputs of each source being sent through the HDMI cable.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

As Purdue said, he doesn't know what he's talking about (which is rather odd for a company like Denon that focuses strictly on home theater stuff). I have a Denon receiver with 3 devices hooked up via HDMI and a Wii via component and everything is sent to the TV over 1 HDMI cable.

Maybe that rep couldn't figure out Denon's ridiculously poor on-screen setup GUI? (seriously, their stuff is great but the receiver setup menu looks like an Atari 2600)

Doesn't your sound go to your speakers though? If that's the case, then that wouldn't refute what the Denon rep said, because no sound is traveling across the HDMI cable that's connected to your TV.

 

[Think]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

As Purdue said, he doesn't know what he's talking about (which is rather odd for a company like Denon that focuses strictly on home theater stuff). I have a Denon receiver with 3 devices hooked up via HDMI and a Wii via component and everything is sent to the TV over 1 HDMI cable.

Maybe that rep couldn't figure out Denon's ridiculously poor on-screen setup GUI? (seriously, their stuff is great but the receiver setup menu looks like an Atari 2600)

Doesn't your sound go to your speakers though? If that's the case, then that wouldn't refute what the Denon rep said, because no sound is traveling across the HDMI cable that's connected to your TV.

I always hookup my Family Room system with choice. There are alot of occassions where inquiring little hands can hurtle some sincere audio damage when using my audio components, so I would like the TV to be functional on it's own - without the aid of the reciever for audio.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Think

I always hookup my Family Room system with choice. There are alot of occassions where inquiring little hands can hurtle some sincere audio damage when using my audio components, so I would like the TV to be functional on it's own - without the aid of the reciever for audio.

If it were me I would get this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ICPEC4

That allows you to input the PS3, Satellite, Wii into one box that outputs HDMI for the tv and optical for the receiver.

You can then pick any receiver you want to use and it can be off or on without effecting the tv.

The only problem with that box is the VCR , that box does not convert svideo or composite to HDMI , only component.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Think

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

As Purdue said, he doesn't know what he's talking about (which is rather odd for a company like Denon that focuses strictly on home theater stuff). I have a Denon receiver with 3 devices hooked up via HDMI and a Wii via component and everything is sent to the TV over 1 HDMI cable.

Maybe that rep couldn't figure out Denon's ridiculously poor on-screen setup GUI? (seriously, their stuff is great but the receiver setup menu looks like an Atari 2600)

Doesn't your sound go to your speakers though? If that's the case, then that wouldn't refute what the Denon rep said, because no sound is traveling across the HDMI cable that's connected to your TV.

I always hookup my Family Room system with choice. There are alot of occassions where inquiring little hands can hurtle some sincere audio damage when using my audio components, so I would like the TV to be functional on it's own - without the aid of the reciever for audio.

Do you have speakers that could be wall-mounted or placed on a shelf out of the reach of "inquiring little hands" (I'll choose not to be sick-minded with that quote )? Also, I was actually asking Slick5150 if his sound goes to his speakers. If that's the case, then his situation doesn't prove that you'll be able to pass the audio to the TV from the Denon receiver.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Originally posted by: Think

I always hookup my Family Room system with choice. There are alot of occassions where inquiring little hands can hurtle some sincere audio damage when using my audio components, so I would like the TV to be functional on it's own - without the aid of the reciever for audio.

If it were me I would get this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ICPEC4

That allows you to input the PS3, Satellite, Wii into one box that outputs HDMI for the tv and optical for the receiver.

You can then pick any receiver you want to use and it can be off or on without effecting the tv.

The only problem with that box is the VCR , that box does not convert svideo or composite to HDMI , only component.

That sounds like it would do what he wants, but it would be at the expense of HD sound from the PS3.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Think

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: Think
Well I'm back from my day and thank you for the replies.

A few hours after posting this, I called customer service for Denon products and he was completely amidst on this concept!

Direct quote : "There is no such animal on the planet that will be able to convert your audio from either fiber optic, component or audio/video to HDMI do to compliancy issues with HDMI"

What's this guy talking about? This is the Denon sales rep...a ripe one in that...representing Denon, Onkyo and Marantz products in this territory?:Q

Am I missing something?

As Purdue said, he doesn't know what he's talking about (which is rather odd for a company like Denon that focuses strictly on home theater stuff). I have a Denon receiver with 3 devices hooked up via HDMI and a Wii via component and everything is sent to the TV over 1 HDMI cable.

Maybe that rep couldn't figure out Denon's ridiculously poor on-screen setup GUI? (seriously, their stuff is great but the receiver setup menu looks like an Atari 2600)

Doesn't your sound go to your speakers though? If that's the case, then that wouldn't refute what the Denon rep said, because no sound is traveling across the HDMI cable that's connected to your TV.

I always hookup my Family Room system with choice. There are alot of occassions where inquiring little hands can hurtle some sincere audio damage when using my audio components, so I would like the TV to be functional on it's own - without the aid of the reciever for audio.

Do you have speakers that could be wall-mounted or placed on a shelf out of the reach of "inquiring little hands" (I'll choose not to be sick-minded with that quote )? Also, I was actually asking Slick5150 if his sound goes to his speakers. If that's the case, then his situation doesn't prove that you'll be able to pass the audio to the TV from the Denon receiver.

Yeah, that's correct, I actually have no idea if it passes the sound to the TV as I've never tested it. I'd have to look it up to see if it does that or not, but I suppose if you're buying a $900 receiver they're figuring you're probably not going to rely on your TV speakers for much of anything so who knows.