Buy new AV receiver now or wait for HDMI1.4 ones?

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

fairly straightforward question. As the subject says: I've been looking at buying a Denon 1910 or 2310, and now that we've moved into our new house the moment has come. BUT: with all the recent reports of HDMI1.4 receivers coming out around summer, should I just hang on tight for a few months more and wait to buy a new receiver?

What's your £0.02?

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

I also would like to know......and

......when are the new ranges due from each manufacturer and any What Hi Fi reviews planned?

 

[Anonymous]

Isnt 1.4 just for 3d? I could be wrong.

I dont think 3D is going to take off like a rocket.

I think it will be 2-3 years before people get used to it.

Thats my 2 cents

 

[scene]

Unless you intend to get a 3D source (BluRay) that doesn't have dual HDMIs - one for video, t'other for audio - and you want to route the HDMI out via your amp to extract the sound and pass the video through to your display, you don't need an HDMI 1.4 compliant amp.

If any of the above is true, you could consider waiting...

 

[Andrew Everard]

Nick_Shepherd:I also would like to know......and

......when are the new ranges due from each manufacturer and any What Hi Fi reviews planned?

As yet we don't have any firm information on launch dates, though Onkyo announced it would be going 1.4 some time back, and Sony and Pioneer have shown 1.4-capable receivers in the States.

UK launches are yet to be announced, and we have no idea how these models will compare with current offerings in terms of performance.

 

[The_Lhc]

canada16:Isnt 1.4 just for 3d? I could be wrong.

And indeed you are. Amongst other thing there's the audio return channel and built-in ethernet.

Of course whether anyone implements either of these features is another matter (I'm trying to think if Pioneer mentioned the audio return channel in their new budget receiver).

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, Pioneer's new receivers launched so far in the States don't implement the ARC. Onkyo has however said that its new models will, IIRC.

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

So would a current amp, say Denon 1910, be ok if next year 3D TV / Bluray was purchased, or are you then needing a new amp?

 

[smuggs]

nick im guessing that all the new av amps will pass 3d through and maybe even have some internet in them. Im just praying that the hd audio will stay the same so i can just pass the audio through my amp and then upgrade the tv and just send the 3d picture to the tv from the source. I thinks it would be wise if anyone was buying now to sit tight for 6-12 months. unless there really need it now.

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

you may be right to suggest holding on....

 

[Andrew Everard]

Nick_Shepherd:So would a current amp, say Denon 1910, be ok if next year 3D TV / Bluray was purchased, or are you then needing a new amp?

3D TV is launching this year, and no, the current amps won't pass 3D.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your insight and opinions!

I don't think 3D will be all that important for me any time soon, and if it does become "vital" I'll probably get the new Sony 770 player so as someone stated I could always use one HDMI for the vidstream to the TV and another to the amp so my amp doesn't have to passthrough the video signal to my TV.

Looks like I will be upgrading sooner rather than later.

 

[scene]

I know I said you can use one HDMI for the video stream, one for the audio. To do this you need two HDMIs on the BDP. As far as I am aware the Sony BDP-S770 will only have one hdmi (someone correct me if this is incorrect).

I think, to date, only Panasonic have announced a 3D BDP with two HDMI outs

To confuse matters further, the BDP-S770 will not have an HDMI 1.4 out (as currently specced) as the it is not fully compliant with all of the requirements of 1.4 - I'm not exactly sure what this means vis a vis pass-through.

 

[Andrew Everard]

FWIW the HDMI 1.4 spec has just changed again...

 

[ear]

So todays HDMI cables are standard and high speed. much difference between them?

 

[Sliced Bread]

I'd wait, just to be on the safe side. It would be really annoying to have to replace the amp in a short while if you choose to go down the 3d route.

 

[scene]

Andrew Everard:FWIW the HDMI 1.4 spec has just changed again...

HDMI, the spec that never sleeps...

 

[Anonymous]

"3D TV is launching this year, and no, the current amps won't pass 3D"

Is this actually correct? I understood that 1.3 amps and cables will pass 3D just at 1080i rather than 1080p.

 

[bigboss]

My understanding is that the current AV receivers will pass Sky 3D. For 3D blu-ray players, you'll need a new 3D compatible receiver.

 

[CraigDS]

Does that mean the Cambridge Audio 650r be obsolete in 6-12 months time?

 

[Anonymous]

All this confusion seems worse than the HD format war to me. Even the Directors are arguing over how the films themselves should be made and the resulting quality of the 3D films.

I've got a feeling there'll be a lot of angry punters who buy equipment this year only to find that it doesn't work with their other equipmet in the way they expected it to.