CONFUSED....So...Who just upgraded???

[bklyn1028]

Sony KDS-R70XBR2, STB Scientific Atlanta 8300, Oppo DVd, PS3
Yamaha HTR-5150
OK,
Yamaha (7 or 8 years old) sounds terrific.
I have read that the tv has it's own video processor, but not the best.
Would like to get a HDMI av receiver, but, I have some thoughts.
1. Would the upscaling (upconverting) do anything for my current set-up, or is the tv I have giving all I'm gonna get. Which is excellent by the way. Nims Island on Blu-ray was absolutely unbelievable. Even impressed the wife.
2. I just watched Forbidden Kingdom, and noticed it had DTS HD MA...but I can't get that because of the optical connection, now...if I had a new receiver would getting that audio (via HDMI) be THAT much more noticeable.
I have yamaha speakers for surround and center , and Mission speakers for the front, so good speakers.
I could live with what I have (again the yammy sounds terrific) but am I missing out with the new audio tracks on blu ray.
Looking at Pioneer, Sony possibly Onkyo, Denon I have read gets hot.
Ok I guess what I'm getting at is remember when we first saw HD we all said....WOW!!....with DTS HD MA..will my ears have the same reaction....

[cravnsn]

If you have what you consider to be a good picture, you’re only getting half of what BD has to offer. Yes, you will like the sound quality better than what you have experienced. Personally, I’m more a fan of Onkyo than Pioneer (except their Elite line) or Sony. Yamaha is also good. You will get a lot of differing opinions on brand names, but most here will agree that an upgrade to your existing system will yield benefits.

[Driver_King]

I'm sure you could tell the difference between HD codecs vs. lossy codecs. If not, worst case scenerio is you return the receiver. I doubt that would happen though. By the way, is your TV properly calibrated?

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

I'm sure you could tell the difference between HD codecs vs. lossy codecs. If not, worst case scenerio is you return the receiver. I doubt that would happen though. By the way, is your TV properly calibrated?

If I have to ask "properly calibrated"?...then it's not. It's out of the box (Dec. '06). You're right...take it home, and test it...Now, it's just...which one....soooooooo..friggin many out there.
I didn't think calibration was needed with the way the pic looks.

[Driver_King]

Oh no, calibration is always necessary.

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Oh no, calibration is always necessary.

Ok, give me a screwdriver, pair of pliers, and i'll take the back off..then what....lol
hey, i'm a finance director, what the heck do I know about calibrating
altho i'm pretty handy

[Driver_King]

Here's a link to get started.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by bklyn1028

Ok, give me a screwdriver, pair of pliers, and i'll take the back off..then what....lol
hey, i'm a finance director, what the heck do I know about calibrating
altho i'm pretty handy

I think you don't understand what I mean about calibrating your TV. It's simply changing the settings in the TV menu.

[Driver_King]

Here's another link to check out. They're ISF (professional) calibration settings.

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Here's another link to check out. They're ISF (professional) calibration settings.

Found this neat link where this tester, tweaked the settings for best performance, I copied and pasted it to notepad, and will print, take home, and play around
i'll let you know if there is a diff...Altho I must say, right out the box almost 2 years ago, the picture is outstanding, and I don't see how it could get better.
I can always change back tho.

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by bklyn1028

Sony KDS-R70XBR2, STB Scientific Atlanta 8300, Oppo DVd, PS3
Yamaha HTR-5150
OK,
Yamaha (7 or 8 years old) sounds terrific.
I have read that the tv has it's own video processor, but not the best.
Would like to get a HDMI av receiver, but, I have some thoughts.
1. Would the upscaling (upconverting) do anything for my current set-up, or is the tv I have giving all I'm gonna get. Which is excellent by the way. Nims Island on Blu-ray was absolutely unbelievable. Even impressed the wife.
2. I just watched Forbidden Kingdom, and noticed it had DTS HD MA...but I can't get that because of the optical connection, now...if I had a new receiver would getting that audio (via HDMI) be THAT much more noticeable.
I have yamaha speakers for surround and center , and Mission speakers for the front, so good speakers.
I could live with what I have (again the yammy sounds terrific) but am I missing out with the new audio tracks on blu ray.
Looking at Pioneer, Sony possibly Onkyo, Denon I have read gets hot.
Ok I guess what I'm getting at is remember when we first saw HD we all said....WOW!!....with DTS HD MA..will my ears have the same reaction....

If you like your Yamaha, and you're happy with your Blu-ray picture (you should be with that TV), then I would suggest picking up the Yamaha RX-V663 receiver. It is a great bang-for-the-buck 7.2 channel receiver, has HDMI 1.3a connections, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD MA lossless audio decoding, and great sound quality. Plus, you can pick it up for around $350 online.

[callas01]

bklyn1028........ do you have a budget?

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by callas01

bklyn1028........ do you have a budget?

that depends if you ask my wife....LOL....I do, probably under $1k.
I can't see spending over that for a receiver. Here's what i researched today. HK354 has a lot of issues with ps3, from what i read @ AV or AVS forum(owners thread) the Pio 1018 is nice (usb port) but can't use it for iphone, ipod only. I LOVE my yammy, but the v663 is only 2 hdmi inputs. I need 3. Altho I could use component for my cable box...hmmmmm

[Driver_King]

You could save some money by getting the 805 in my sig ($477) and then have more money for speaker upgrades.

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

You could save some money by getting the 805 in my sig ($477) and then have more money for speaker upgrades.

Funny, everyone keeps tellin me to get speaker upgrades. My mission speakers are phenomenal, have yammy for surround, and center channel. Sub woofer is wonderful, I am hard pressed to see how it could get better. Your input is most welcome. I just got an email from Harman Kardon web spec., and he says they are aware of the prob with the hk's and ps3s. A fix is in the works, but he explained it to be nothing more than a 1/2 second delay at the beginning of the menu on the ps3. Then the pioneer has a usb port that a flash drive or ipod can be attached to. Even an external magnetic hard drive, now that could be interesting!

[Driver_King]

What do you have for a subwoofer? By the way, I forgot you had those speakers.

[bklyn1028]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

What do you have for a subwoofer? By the way, I forgot you had those speakers.

Bought it @ BB for $150, don't know the name, MKS, or something like that, however, good low level rumbling, floor shakes.....it's fine....for a sub woofer.

[Driver_King]

You could still upgrade big time if you get the 805 and spend the rest on other stuff...

[bklyn1028]

Ok, what about this route:
My yam 5150 has multi-channel inputs.....what about getting a blu-ray player that decodes onboard, with multi channel outputs....would that work without getting a new receiver...since this one is perfect?

[prerich]

Originally Posted by bklyn1028

Ok, what about this route:
My yam 5150 has multi-channel inputs.....what about getting a blu-ray player that decodes onboard, with multi channel outputs....would that work without getting a new receiver...since this one is perfect?

Yes, you just lose some bass management but some come with bass managment, so go for it.