hdmi switching

[pauldownton1979]

hi all

im looking for a 7.1 hd capable multichannel amp. when i see video or hdmi switching in the spec what does this mean ?

is it that i can plug all my hd capable gear into my amp rather than my tv thus giving me more hdmi inputs and also allowing me to control what signal signal ie dvd/freesat/xbox etc is displayed on my screen through switching the input mode on the amp rather than flicking through all the options on my tv ?

also i presume each item i plugged into the amp still require a separate audio lead such as coaxial/optical.

i only have a basic system samsung 32" lcd yamaha rxv-350 samsung dvd1080p9 tannoy sfx 5.1

im looking at replacing the yamaha with a sony strgd820 and getting a pair of wharfedale diamond 9.0 as front speakers as i want a musical setup which im also led to believe the sony excells at the price im looking at.

also my tv is only hd ready so no 1080p

which is better 1080i or 720p or is it too minimal to notice ?

can anyone suggest simarly low buget alternatives to what im looking at

thanks

 

[professorhat]

pauldownton1979:is it that i can plug all my hd capable gear into my amp rather than my tv thus giving me more hdmi inputs and also allowing me to control what signal signal ie dvd/freesat/xbox etc is displayed on my screen through switching the input mode on the amp rather than flicking through all the options on my tv ?

Yup, that's exactly what it is. Watch out for a receiver that can upconvert sources to HDMI as well - this means the receiver can accept analogue video sources (such as component, s-video and composite) and upconvert and output them to the TV via a single HDMI cable. The Sony STR-DG820 can't do this - what this means is, if you want to plug any analogue sources into it, you also need to run a similar connection to the TV e.g. if you plug in a component source and an HDMI source into the amp, you'd need to run both a component lead and HDMI lead from the amp to the TV.

pauldownton1979:also i presume each item i plugged into the amp still require a separate audio lead such as coaxial/optical.

Depends on the source. For some which can output the audio via the HDMI (like Blu-Ray players, PS3, Xbox Elite), you only need the HDMI connection. On others, you may also need to run a cable for sound e.g. Sky HD requires an optical cable as well for 5.1 sound since it can only output stereo over its HDMI output.

pauldownton1979:im looking at replacing the yamaha with a sony strgd820 and getting a pair of wharfedale diamond 9.0 as front speakers as i want a musical setup which im also led to believe the sony excells at the price im looking at.

I would make sure you test this first - if you're keeping your Tannoy centre and rears, you'll probably find the tonal balance will be affected and surround sound will not sound "right" any more. You should probably look to at least replacing the Tannoy centre with the Wharfedale centre which goes with the Diamond 9.0 speakers, and possibly the rears as well.

pauldownton1979:which is better 1080i or 720p or is it too minimal to notice ?

Purely down to you. 720p will provide better motion due to the progressive signal, but try both and stick with the one you prefer.

 

[pauldownton1979]

thank you for your input