Help ! HDMI/Video switching thru my AV Receever - I just dont get it...

[admin_exported]

Hey all,

Can anyone help me out here ? I'm sure I'm being dim, but I'm totally confused about how to connect/set up my DVD recorder and LCD TV to my new AV receiver in order to use the HD capabilities of my TV.

My equipment is :

Sont STRDA1200ES receiver with 2 HDMI inputs/1 output.

Sony RDR HXD860 HS DVD Recorder with HDMI output

Toshiba 37WL57 LCD TV with HDMI input (up to1080i)

OK, so I've tried to get the HDMI connection set up and I'm just not getting it. I can get a picture but no sound, or I can get sound but no picture. And the picture I was able to get certainly was not Hi Def.

I've read the manuals for all 3 devices cover to cover, and made the changes recommended to the set up of each (well the ones I could find anyways) but I cant figure out where I'm going wrong. One manual suggests the HDMI cable will only carry sound or video, but not both at once, and that I should use a separate digital connection for the sound. I thought the thing with HDMI, aside from the Hi Def ability, is that, like a scart lead, it can carry both signals at once ?

I've never understood how video switching works thru an AV amp/receiver so probably my approach is totally wrong, but I'm tearing my hair out about this, so can anyone save me from self inflicted baldness ??

The other thing is until I get this sorted, I can't alter any of the receiver's settings/use the auto calibration facility as the set up menu is screen based, and as far as I know can't be viewed on the units front panel display.

Thanks y'all...

 

[Andy Clough]

OK Brett, don't panic, we're here to help! It can be confusing, so don't worry.

First up, the Sony '1200ES only allows 'pass-through' of video from the HDMI connections, not sound, so you'll need a separate digital cable (coaxial or optical) to feed the sound from your DVD recorder to the Sony receiver. The manual is right on that score.

To make use of the Sony's video switching, connect the HDMI output of the DVD recorder to one of the HDMI inputs on the Sony receiver, then run another HDMI cable from the HDMI output on the Sony receiver to the HDMI input on the TV.

To access the screen menus on the receiver, you'll need to connect it to the TV using a standard composite or S-Video cable. I know, because I just had the same issue on a new Arcam AVR280 receiver I've just installed at home. On the Arcam, as I suspect on the Sony, you can't access the on-screen menus via HDMI. Sounds daft, but true. I hooked up an S-Video cable, selected the S-Video input on the TV, et voila, the on-screen menus appeared.

Now, you do seem to be confused about hi-def. Although you've bought an HD-ready TV, you don't have an HD source, so you won't be viewing HD pictures, just regular TV or standard-definition DVDs. To view high-definition TV, you need Sky HD or Virgin V+, or a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player for HD video.

Now hopefully you can stop tearing your hair out!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andy, thats very helpful - and at least now I know I wasnt being a complete dummy ! A quick run to my local digital cable shop seems to be in my very near future.

Obviously I did have it a bit wrong about being able to view HD pictures with my current kit. However, it did remind me I'd read about DVD players which use upscaling to produce a quasi-HD picture.

So, if I want to go HD without paying out for Sky HD (on principle I wont pay the extra £10 a month for HD versions of channels I already pay for) or a HD/BluRay DVD player right now, what I need is a DVD player with an HDMI output and upscaling - is that right ?

If so, which player/s can you suggest ? I dont want to spend a lot on what is a temporary fix; is there a player out there for me ?

My current DVD player is the Pioneer DV575A - I assume this isnt going to be of any use in terms of getting an HD picture ?

Thanks again.

 

[Andrew Everard]

The best short-term fix is the Toshiba SD370E. Yours for £50 or so, squire.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I expected the latest Tosh spinners to be likely candidates.

Thanks Andrew.

One more question; I noticed another post titled "is it worth selling my pioneer vsx d2011 for the sony strda1200 please... in which it is mentioned that a new generation of AV receivers is due very soon, including the Sony STR-DG910. By the way, I bought my STRDA1200 this week at Richer Sounds for £300 as mentioned in that post.

Would I be better off returning the STRDA1200 and waiting for one of the new gen receivers ? The spec of the STR-DG910 listed on Sony's site is quite impressive; is it likely to be a similar price to the STRDA1200 ? If so I might wait to get my hands on one. I know new kit is coming out all the time, but I'd hate to find I'd bought a receiver and that it's been superceded within a few weeks or months.

Thanks again.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="BrettJ"]

Would I be better off returning the STRDA1200 and waiting for one of the new gen receivers ? The spec of the STR-DG910 listed on Sony's site is quite impressive; is it likely to be a similar price to the STRDA1200 ? If so I might wait to get my hands on one. I know new kit is coming out all the time, but I'd hate to find I'd bought a receiver and that it's been superceded within a few weeks or months.

[/quote]

I think the WHFSV test team have an STR-DG910, but I don't think it's been tested yet

It's a slightly different beast to the STR-DA1200ES, being part of the company's mainstream range rather than the more upmarket ES line-up, and using digital amplification instead of the all-analogue amps in the 1200ES.

AFAIK the 910 isn't planned as a replacement for the 1200ES.

More on the specification and pricing of the STR-DG910, and the rest of the STR-DG range, here.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again Andrew.

The DG910 looks to have a slightly better spec on paper - the extra HDMI input could be useful - and I'm not bothered whether the unit I have is the high end product or not, so the DG910 is definitely interesting.

The main difference seems to be the type of amplification as you mentioned. What if any difference is there likely to be between digital and analogue amplification in terms of sound quality and functionlity ? Am I likely to notice any discernible difference in the sound ?

Thanks.

 

[Andrew Everard]

No specific difference in sound between digital and analogue amplification, but until we've heard the STR-DG910 in action can't really comment further. However, I do recall Sony making a bit of a fuss at the time they were launched about the fact the ES models had analogue amplification for reasons of performance.

I get the impression the DG receivers are designed to be more mass-market, budget-conscious and features-led, whereas price for price the DA models are a bit lighter on facilities and more about performance. But that might be a sweeping generalisation, disproved when we get to compare them. Watch this space - or at least the space between the covers of the magazine.

 

[Anonymous]

A rather late additional question.

Does the STRDA1200ES do video upscaling ?

Specifically I'm wondering if it's worth connecting my Sony RDR-HXD860 HS DVD Recorder to the receiver using HDMI to give a quasi-HD pic as per the Toshiba SD370E ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

In a word, no it doesn't. Oh, that's three words.

 

[Anonymous]

Didn't think so.

Thanks Andrew.