Possibly stupid question, Someone PLEASE explain just how HDMI and a receiver works?

[davidxiphoid]

So to make it quick and to the point, Im looking to get a new receiver but don't understand exactly what I need to look for, Right now I have my 2 PS3's , hooked directly to my TV VIA HDMI, and my Satellite is hooked up to the tv with component cables.

To get surround sound I have my PS3 hooked up to my Receiver with digital audio cable. My other Blu and my Satellite box is hooked up to the receiver with plaiin RCA cables for 2 channel sound.

So my question is this, If I get a new receiver, they HDMI connect directly into the recever? how does that work with getting a picture to the tv?! totally confused.

Loooking to spend no more than $400 for a decent receiver that can get 5.1 currebtly and possibly expand to 7.1.

[acritzer]

Super basic explanation here but you plug all your stuff into the receiver with HDMI. Then you have an HDMI "out" that goes from the receiver to the TV. Switching the input settings will change which device gives the picture.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by acritzer

Super basic explanation here but you plug all your stuff into the receiver with HDMI. Then you have an HDMI "out" that goes from the receiver to the TV. Switching the input settings will change which device gives the picture.

Excellent explanation.

OP also keep in mind that HDMI can carry both auido and video in a single cable. There are two kinds of receivers where HDMI is concerned: ones that can process audio over HDMI and ones that cant. The latter will be referred to as passthrough only, and are less expensive. If you get one that can process audio then you can eliminate cables by using a single HDMI cable from your various components to the receiver. This is also the easiest way to get lossless audio from your blu-rays. In the case of the PS3 HDMI is the ONLY way to get lossless audio because the PS3 doesn't have analog outputs.

Also remember not to buy any HDMI cables from places like BB or Wal-mart. The salesmen there will tell you all this crap about why you have to have their super expensive cables to get the best sound or a good picture, blah, blah, blah. Pretty much everything they'll tell you will be incorrect. All you need are the $5 cables from monoprice.com.

[davidxiphoid]

Sweet! thanks for the input guys, now one last question, do ALL receivers with HDMI capability output to 1080p?

And any suggestions on a decent receiver under $400 would also be greatly apreciated. I currently own a Pioneer receiver, and while it's a bit outdated it has been good to me, so I like that brand but would be open to any suggestions.

[Steve]

That's not a simple yes/no question. I think pretty much any current receiver will pass through a 1080p signal from your blu-ray player with little or no video processing. As far as upscaling goes that's a little bit stickier issue. Some will upconvert anything from 480i all the way up to 1080p. Others may only upconvert to 1080i or 720p. It just depends on the video processing features of your particular model. Even still it's not a huge issue though if you have a good HDTV because the TV will upscale anything the receiver won't.

My biggest recommendation in your price range is to shop for a model with pre-outs on it. If you get a model with pre-outs as well as the essential audio/video features you need, then you can always add an amp later if you decide you need more power. If you get a model without pre-outs adding an amp is impossible, and you'll need to start all over with a new receiver if you ever decide to upgrade. You may not think you need them now, but this is a lesson I learned the hard way. I recently upgraded my receiver, but if my first receiver had pre-outs then I might have saved some money and bought an amp instead.

This Marantz SR5003 is $50 over your budget, but it ships for free and you probably won't find a better deal on a comparable receiver. And it has pre-outs.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by fireman325

That's not a simple yes/no question. I think pretty much any current receiver will pass through a 1080p signal from your blu-ray player with little or no video processing. As far as upscaling goes that's a little bit stickier issue. Some will upconvert anything from 480i all the way up to 1080p. Others may only upconvert to 1080i or 720p. It just depends on the video processing features of your particular model. Even still it's not a huge issue though if you have a good HDTV because the TV will upscale anything the receiver won't.

My biggest recommendation in your price range is to shop for a model with pre-outs on it. If you get a model with pre-outs as well as the essential audio/video features you need, then you can always add an amp later if you decide you need more power. If you get a model without pre-outs adding an amp is impossible, and you'll need to start all over with a new receiver if you ever decide to upgrade. You may not think you need them now, but this is a lesson I learned the hard way. I recently upgraded my receiver, but if my first receiver had pre-outs then I might have saved some money and bought an amp instead.

This Marantz SR5003 is $50 over your budget, but it ships for free and you probably won't find a better deal on a comparable receiver. And it has pre-outs.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

+1 on the pre-out recommendation, as I had to buy a new receiver with pre-outs as well since my initial receiver didn't have them, and I wanted the ability to add more power.

+2 on the Marantz SR5003....for that price, it is one of the best receivers out there that has pre-outs. Nice find fireman.

These are good suggestions!!

[progers13]

Originally Posted by acritzer

Super basic explanation here but you plug all your stuff into the receiver with HDMI. Then you have an HDMI "out" that goes from the receiver to the TV. Switching the input settings will change which device gives the picture.

Originally Posted by fireman325

Excellent explanation.

OP also keep in mind that HDMI can carry both auido and video in a single cable. There are two kinds of receivers where HDMI is concerned: ones that can process audio over HDMI and ones that cant. The latter will be referred to as passthrough only, and are less expensive. If you get one that can process audio then you can eliminate cables by using a single HDMI cable from your various components to the receiver. This is also the easiest way to get lossless audio from your blu-rays. In the case of the PS3 HDMI is the ONLY way to get lossless audio because the PS3 doesn't have analog outputs.

Also remember not to buy any HDMI cables from places like BB or Wal-mart. The salesmen there will tell you all this crap about why you have to have their super expensive cables to get the best sound or a good picture, blah, blah, blah. Pretty much everything they'll tell you will be incorrect. All you need are the $5 cables from monoprice.com.

Originally Posted by fireman325

That's not a simple yes/no question. I think pretty much any current receiver will pass through a 1080p signal from your blu-ray player with little or no video processing. As far as upscaling goes that's a little bit stickier issue. Some will upconvert anything from 480i all the way up to 1080p. Others may only upconvert to 1080i or 720p. It just depends on the video processing features of your particular model. Even still it's not a huge issue though if you have a good HDTV because the TV will upscale anything the receiver won't.

My biggest recommendation in your price range is to shop for a model with pre-outs on it. If you get a model with pre-outs as well as the essential audio/video features you need, then you can always add an amp later if you decide you need more power. If you get a model without pre-outs adding an amp is impossible, and you'll need to start all over with a new receiver if you ever decide to upgrade. You may not think you need them now, but this is a lesson I learned the hard way. I recently upgraded my receiver, but if my first receiver had pre-outs then I might have saved some money and bought an amp instead.

This Marantz SR5003 is $50 over your budget, but it ships for free and you probably won't find a better deal on a comparable receiver. And it has pre-outs.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

Excellent explanations! Having everything run through the receiver is a very efficient way to connect all your components. The only thing to be mindful of is by having everything connect to the same input on the TV, you might need to adjust your display settings from time to time. For instance, my cable box, PS3, and Xbox360 all calibrate differently (no wide discrepencies mind you, but a few notches here and there). Otherwise, it's very convenient to have them all run through the receiver.

[HiDefRev]

Also check out the Onkyo TX-SR606 and TX-SR607, which are also available at http://www.accessories4less.com . You can also find good deals by going to http://www.amazon.com .

[callas01]

I would also say that the marantz is a top notch reciever and probably the best around your price that could be recommended.

You could look into these also if you wanted too... But I would put the marantz above any of them

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...04&postcount=6

[davidxiphoid]

Well once again I must thank the blu-Ray.com members for steering me in the right direction. I just purchased a refurbished Marantz Sr5003 from Accesories4less.com for a VERY good price

A scheduled delivery date of next Tuesday is projected according to the site, but with the holidays it will more than likely be Thursday or Friday. Doubt it will actually ship today.

Really excited to hook it up and let the sound engulf me now if i can only find two more speakers.... I'll be ok with just 5 in the meantime though yes?

[Steve]

Congrats on the new Marantz! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. And yes you'll be fine with just 5 speakers. Just because a receiver has 7.1 capability doesn't mean you have to have a 7.1 setup. You'll be fine with 5.1 or even 6.1.

Just curious, what speakers and sub do you have?

[davidxiphoid]

Originally Posted by fireman325

Congrats on the new Marantz! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. And yes you'll be fine with just 5 speakers. Just because a receiver has 7.1 capability doesn't mean you have to have a 7.1 setup. You'll be fine with 5.1 or even 6.1.

Just curious, what speakers and sub do you have?

Thanks Fireman for the heads up on the marantz and accesories4less! Well right now I'm using a TEAC lsr-200 5.1 surround sound speaker package I bought about 5-6 years ago. They actually sound pretty great especially for what I paid for them at the time and still work just fine. the specs can be found here:

http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Teac-LSR-200

I do want to upgrade the speakers sooner than later, but may have to wait until next Christmas to keep my wife from smothering me in my sleep do you think the current speakera can handle the new Marantz? Never even thought about that...I live in a townhouse so I can't, and don't need the speakers to be crazy loud as of yet.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Thanks Fireman for the heads up on the marantz and accesories4less! Well right now I'm using a TEAC lsr-200 5.1 surround sound speaker package I bought about 5-6 years ago. They actually sound pretty great especially for what I paid for them at the time and still work just fine. the specs can be found here:

http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Teac-LSR-200

I do want to upgrade the speakers sooner than later, but may have to wait until next Christmas to keep my wife from smothering me in my sleep do you think the current speakera can handle the new Marantz? Never even thought about that...I live in a townhouse so I can't, and don't need the speakers to be crazy loud as of yet.

I don't foresee a problem. They're rated for 8 Ohm impedance, which is good. It says they're peak power handling capability is 100 watts so apparently you can't blast away with them. With the frequency response of the speakers being 95 Hz at the low end you'll probably want to cross everything over at at least 100 Hz. The problem is your sub may start to become localizable being set that high and if it does it might work best in the front of the room. They're apparently not the greatest speakers out there, but having speakers is better than not having speakers. This allows you to upgrade piece by piece rather than all at once. I would start by shopping for new mains. Go out and audition and see what you like. Once you find your mains your next step should be a matching center. It's best if you can get all three together, but money doesn't grow on trees. Next I would go with a new subwoofer and lastly new surrounds. It's much easier on the bank account to buy one piece at a time rather than having to buy everything at once, and you'll end up with a much nicer setup this way than trying to buy a whole setup all at once that you can afford right now.

[davidxiphoid]

Thanks again Fireman. I'll start looking at front pieces and go from there.