Receiver question about analog video upscaling to HDMI

I am looking for an entry level receiver, preferable Harman Kardon, Denon, or Onkyo (not in any order) that would upscale analog video sources (still have the VHS, old Video8 camcorder, etc) through its HDMI monitor out. My other sources are PS3, Xbox 360, DVD player (chinese that plays every format that exists). And also will it still work even if the receiver is powered off? Sometimes at night time, TV volume is sufficient. Please advice and feel free to explain further how it works. I have an old HK from the early 2000 before HDMI came out, using the S-video as monitor out and when i switch to the old RCA input sources, nothing comes out on screen, I guess it doesnt have this upscaling feature. Thanks so much. 

(1) No, it won't work with the receiver powered off.  What's wrong with simply turning down the volume on your receiver's speakers at night?  To me that's easier than rigging things so that the TV speakers can play.

(2) Keep in mind upconversion/upscaling isn't really necessary, as long as you connect all the video types you are using from the receiver to the TV, the TV will handle it, and often a better job than an entry level receiver.  This feature is only really necessary if for some reason you *must* only have HDMI between the receiver & TV, don't want to run component/composite.  If you want the feature mainly to simplify switching, a Harmony remote does this just as well, plus eliminates the need for all your remotes, and is a better solution IMO.

(3) If you do want upscaling I guess I'd go for the Denon 790/1910.

 Funny you should post this....  I just bought the Harmon Kardon AVR-354 last night from Best Buy.  They have them on clearance, and I got lucky finding one ($479 in store instead of 599 online w/ a list price of $799).   It is comparable to the Onkyo TXSR706 ($799).  I haven't had a chance to check out all the features/upscaling quality etc.  But to just run one cable to the projector is a HUGE advantage for me.  

My cable management was a nightmare before.  If you don't get a receiver with upscaling you will have to run all the same output cables out, that you ran in.  I could care less about the 1080p upscaling, when my main reasoning was for the lowered amounts of cable.

this is exactly my problem, having way too many cables from the receiver to the TV. Especially, the other people in the house dont know to switch outputs on the TV. It really is a nightmare. IF i can only have one cable, HDMI connecting the receiver to the TV it would simplify things, more simpler than getting an expensive remote.So the Denon 790/1910 is the receiver to do this job? Thanks. 

Yes, it'll do the job if you want only one cable.  However it is not really simpler than getting a universal remote; it's one button push either way even if the remote sends out 2 commands in one case.  Remotes aren't that expensive; Harmony 670 refurb is only $67.  I'd still highly recommend getting one even if you do go for an upconverting receiver, it's a lot simpler to operate than any receiver remote.

 Thanks, Stephen. I'm going to start planning and saving for the Denon 790/1910. We have one of the Sony Universal Remote with the "macross" feature like you mentioned that will turn on several sources with 1 button. Otherwise, there will be like 10 remotes laying around. The "one cable from receiver to tv" will really eliminate a huge clutter behind the TV, accumulating dust, and would eliminate having to choose the video input button on the TV which my wife still doenst get. I guess i can get by with lowering the volume on the receiver at night instead of looking for a receiver that will do video upscaling with the power off (is this feature non-existent on any receivers?). What would be the 790's counterpart to Harman Kardon or Onkyo? Just for comparison purposes.

If you programmed your remote properly, the "macro" takes care of this, your wife would not have to choose the video input since the remote does it for her automatically.  One button should turn on all equipment used by an activity, switch both receiver & TV to the right input.  It's not necessary to buy a new receiver just for ease of use; might be worth it for other stuff.

The Onkyo 607 is roughly equivalent, but if you want upconversion I think the Anchor Bay processor in the Denon is considered currently better than the Faroudja solutions used by Onkyo/HK in their cheaper models.

Stephen, one clarification on my posts. I meant analog conversion and not necessarilly "upconversion" . As long as all signals from my video souces can use one cable (HDMI) from receiver to my SOny Bravia 32" LCD would be sufficient for me. I correct myself, sorry. Is the 790/1910 still be the lowest receiver that has this feature? I have to replace an old HK anyway since it doesnt have HDMI and i have the ps3 and xbox360, so the remote is something i have to patiently teach and convince my wife. One slight irritating thing about the macross is sometimes some of your sources wont pick up on the signal, like the tv, for some reason the remote has to be pointed straight to it, so that adds to wifey frustration when she push the macross button and the tv wont turn on, and so on.... whew. Thanks for the rapid reply as i am so busy and after tonight i may not have time to read the posts again until next week. Thank you Stephen.

Another quickie, whats the difference between 790 and 1910? there is like a $50 difference.

Oh.  If you don't care about deinterlacing/scaling performance, just composite->HDMI, then yes you can go cheaper.  Denon 590/1610 (if you only care about 5.1, don't need 7.1).  Onkyo 607 is in play again, also possible are Pioneer VSX-919, Yamaha 565.  I'm not really familiar with HK's line.

I guess one possible slight complication with this is aspect mode utilization on the TV, you might need to teach the wife to swap between 4:3 mode and 16:9 full mode.  With 1080p upconversion you can pillarbox the old 480i 4:3 stuff and just leave it on one aspect nearly all the time.


This is where a properly setup Harmony remote works a ton better, for any setup.  For one it has an extensive database, with *discrete codes* so that a component that's already on can get "power on" rather than "power toggle", so stuff that's supposed to remain on doesn't get turned off by mistake, and direct input commands so you jump directly to an input rather than cycling through them.  Also, it allows fine adjustment of delays between commands, so for example you can delay the input switch for some number of seconds after TV power on, since some TVs refuse to respond to input commands for a period of time after being turned on.  On top of that, they have this "help" button so if anything goes awry, the wife can just hit "help" and it will walk through with questions like "is the TV on?" "is the xbox on?" "is the TV on the xx input" etc.  I've programmed several of these for 60+ year old family members to operate complex systems with no problems.

BTW it's a "macro" button, plural "macros". "Macross" is a Japanese anime series that was imported as "Robotech" .

There's no significant difference (minor details like A/B speakers most wouldn't need), get whichever you can obtain cheaper.  They give different model numbers to certain types of high-end/custom dealers who don't want to price compete vs. big box/internet.  But anybody who can look up a web site can compare specs and see they are 99% identical.

The 790 is going for only $390 at amazon now, that's pretty good price IMO, and only $80 more than the 590.

Thanks so much Steph. Mystery solved. I can now plan to get the right receiver for my exact needs. Little overlooked details like conversion and upconversion would really make a huge difference. Not to mention the "macross" typo, hahaha. I really need to brush up on my AV lingo so I can get my point across and get a more accurate answer. Thanks. Your input is priceless.