archaic0
Auditioning
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2009
- Messages
- 1
- Real Name
- Shawn Wilson
I've been searching both here and the internet in general and I'm having a hard time finding current information about receivers and their features. I was hoping some new suggestions could be found. Thank you in advance for any input!
What I'm looking to do is replace my receiver by the end of the year and I'm having a hard time with the retail sites/outlets because nobody seems to understand the one feature that I care most about. I want all video sources regardless of format or quality to come out of a single HDMI output. Is this standard now? Or is it special to have to look for? Do modern receivers still even have composite and s-vid inputs?
I'm not exactly looking for up-conversion from say an old DVD player at 480 to 1080, I just want to be able to plug in an s-vid source, or a composite source, or a component source, and have it come out an HDMI output when I chose that input on the receiver because I use it for my video switch as well as audio.
I should also say that I'm not a $2,000 receiver guy. I'm perfectly happy with a $300-$500 option. I think I found a good receiver that will do what I want for $600 and that's really more then I want to spend (Denon AVR-2807) plus I don't need 7.1 or satellite radio or ipod inputs. What I'm after is about 5 inputs (at least 2 optical audio inputs) 5.1 DTS and the Dolby family, about 100W per channel. Really the low end specs today, but I have a 20x20 living room and my current 100W 5.1 with my Polk speaker setup blows this room away at half volume so there's no need for anything more.
My setup is this: Currently I'm running a Sony STR-DE898 with 4 inputs (DirecTV HD DVR, DVD player, MediaCenter PC, and Laserdisc player). Right now, the DVR is running component, the DVD player is also component, the Laserdisc player is composite, and the PC only goes into the receiver for audio.
Right now I only have a projector as my daily TV and it's best input is component (and I've loved it for 4 years). That's what brought me to this setup. I run a single VGA cable to the projector that ends up at a VGA switch and then to a component breakout cable plugged into the receiver (the other side of the switch goes to the PC). For TV or DVD I simply choose a source on the receiver. For the PC however, I switch the VGA switch as well (remote controlled) and send raw VGA down the same cable to the projector.
What I will be doing soon is replacing the DVD player with a Blu-ray player so that will go HDMI, the DVR already has HDMI, the PC has HDMI, but the Laserdisc will still be composite (as well may be any random new source I might happen to bring in - old school SNES for fun?)
I will be upgrading the projector at that point to one with HDMI (I'm cutting off at 720 though because I'm perfectly happy with how 1080 looks downsampled to fit on my current 1024x768 DLP projector so I'm only upgrading that to get the HDMI input and full 720 res plus I'm ramping up to 3000 lumens for daytime/eco mode 2000 night time). At the same time I'll be adding a 1080 TV (probably 40-50" ) behind the projector screen for use in certain bright daylight situations when I have to have the curtains open. More than likely I'll still use the projector for daily TV 90% of the time. I just can't turn away from the 100" screen.
When I bought this current receiver, it was one of only a few that I found that would allow me to plug in a composite/s-vid source and send it out to the projector as component. Most of them at that time that I found would switch between the inputs, but they sent s-vid sources out the s-vid output. I'm needing to make sure a new HDMI receiver will act how I need it to.
So there you have a little input into where I stand. I wasn't going to do anything HD until I could do a full HD projector... until I tested it... and the step up to an HD source even without a 'full' HD projector still blew me away. Don't get me wrong, I'd get a 1080 projector if I had an extra 5 grand to blow, but to me, the 2 grand 720 is more than enough. Heck, I wouldn't upgrade the projector at all if it had HDMI or if Blu-ray players would send HD out with component (my bulbs are only $150 these days and last over a year, yay! ). I've been using my HD DVR to get HD movies for the time being and it's working quite well. Why do they have to be so picky with DRM tech to force HDMI only HD now? *sigh*
Anyway. What I will be spending on the projector is about 2 grand, the TV will be under a grand, the blu-ray player will be under $300. So... with all that in mind... is there a receiver that will do what I want out there for under a grand? Do they ALL do that these days? Will the cheapest $300 receiver take in an s-vid source and spit it out HDMI. Albeit probably without up-conversion, but that's not really a concern of mine. I just want to run a single cable out of the receiver is all. I'll only be left with the Laserdisc and possibly the old game consoles for kicks here and there that will be non HDMI inputs, but I want that option if at all possible.
Of course, once I add the TV to the mix, I'll have to switch the output between the projector and the TV, but I'm fine with an external HDMI switch if it'll cost me more than a grand to get a receiver with two outputs that can be switched between.
Thanks again!
What I'm looking to do is replace my receiver by the end of the year and I'm having a hard time with the retail sites/outlets because nobody seems to understand the one feature that I care most about. I want all video sources regardless of format or quality to come out of a single HDMI output. Is this standard now? Or is it special to have to look for? Do modern receivers still even have composite and s-vid inputs?
I'm not exactly looking for up-conversion from say an old DVD player at 480 to 1080, I just want to be able to plug in an s-vid source, or a composite source, or a component source, and have it come out an HDMI output when I chose that input on the receiver because I use it for my video switch as well as audio.
I should also say that I'm not a $2,000 receiver guy. I'm perfectly happy with a $300-$500 option. I think I found a good receiver that will do what I want for $600 and that's really more then I want to spend (Denon AVR-2807) plus I don't need 7.1 or satellite radio or ipod inputs. What I'm after is about 5 inputs (at least 2 optical audio inputs) 5.1 DTS and the Dolby family, about 100W per channel. Really the low end specs today, but I have a 20x20 living room and my current 100W 5.1 with my Polk speaker setup blows this room away at half volume so there's no need for anything more.
My setup is this: Currently I'm running a Sony STR-DE898 with 4 inputs (DirecTV HD DVR, DVD player, MediaCenter PC, and Laserdisc player). Right now, the DVR is running component, the DVD player is also component, the Laserdisc player is composite, and the PC only goes into the receiver for audio.
Right now I only have a projector as my daily TV and it's best input is component (and I've loved it for 4 years). That's what brought me to this setup. I run a single VGA cable to the projector that ends up at a VGA switch and then to a component breakout cable plugged into the receiver (the other side of the switch goes to the PC). For TV or DVD I simply choose a source on the receiver. For the PC however, I switch the VGA switch as well (remote controlled) and send raw VGA down the same cable to the projector.
What I will be doing soon is replacing the DVD player with a Blu-ray player so that will go HDMI, the DVR already has HDMI, the PC has HDMI, but the Laserdisc will still be composite (as well may be any random new source I might happen to bring in - old school SNES for fun?)
I will be upgrading the projector at that point to one with HDMI (I'm cutting off at 720 though because I'm perfectly happy with how 1080 looks downsampled to fit on my current 1024x768 DLP projector so I'm only upgrading that to get the HDMI input and full 720 res plus I'm ramping up to 3000 lumens for daytime/eco mode 2000 night time). At the same time I'll be adding a 1080 TV (probably 40-50" ) behind the projector screen for use in certain bright daylight situations when I have to have the curtains open. More than likely I'll still use the projector for daily TV 90% of the time. I just can't turn away from the 100" screen.
When I bought this current receiver, it was one of only a few that I found that would allow me to plug in a composite/s-vid source and send it out to the projector as component. Most of them at that time that I found would switch between the inputs, but they sent s-vid sources out the s-vid output. I'm needing to make sure a new HDMI receiver will act how I need it to.
So there you have a little input into where I stand. I wasn't going to do anything HD until I could do a full HD projector... until I tested it... and the step up to an HD source even without a 'full' HD projector still blew me away. Don't get me wrong, I'd get a 1080 projector if I had an extra 5 grand to blow, but to me, the 2 grand 720 is more than enough. Heck, I wouldn't upgrade the projector at all if it had HDMI or if Blu-ray players would send HD out with component (my bulbs are only $150 these days and last over a year, yay! ). I've been using my HD DVR to get HD movies for the time being and it's working quite well. Why do they have to be so picky with DRM tech to force HDMI only HD now? *sigh*
Anyway. What I will be spending on the projector is about 2 grand, the TV will be under a grand, the blu-ray player will be under $300. So... with all that in mind... is there a receiver that will do what I want out there for under a grand? Do they ALL do that these days? Will the cheapest $300 receiver take in an s-vid source and spit it out HDMI. Albeit probably without up-conversion, but that's not really a concern of mine. I just want to run a single cable out of the receiver is all. I'll only be left with the Laserdisc and possibly the old game consoles for kicks here and there that will be non HDMI inputs, but I want that option if at all possible.
Of course, once I add the TV to the mix, I'll have to switch the output between the projector and the TV, but I'm fine with an external HDMI switch if it'll cost me more than a grand to get a receiver with two outputs that can be switched between.
Thanks again!
