Receiver as switcher? (1 Viewer)

[hargrave]

What are the advantages of using a receiver as a switcher ? Disadvantages

 

[Ernest Yee]

Advantages: very convenient to have HT audio sync'd up with the video when switching sources.

Diadavantages: slight loss in video quality.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

And a VERY concrete advantage is if you have more sources than TV inputs.

but ernest summed it up pretty well.

 

[Tim K]

another disadvantage is you cannot calibrate video inputs separately for each source. On my TV, I have different picture settings for TV, HDTV and DVD inputs. If you use your receiver as a switcher, all of your sources come in on the same input and use the same picture settings.

 

[hargrave]

I have a Sony STR SE 501 receiver, a sony VHS, a sony 5.1 DVD and sony trinitron. I bought 1 brand to hopefully simplify the control, but it is still too many buttons to push for my wife to watch a movie. Would using the receiver as a switcher simplify the operation?

 

[Ernest Yee]

Getting the same brand usually doesn't make too much of a difference in terms of remote control integration - although Sony and a few others would like you to believe otherwise.

If you setup everything to that receiver, she would save the step of having to get the right tv input with the right audio output.

I would say it would definitely be worthwhile in your situation. She would just need to turn on the tv, receiver, and either the vhs or dvd and just turn the receiver to the appropriate source and it would be done.

 

[Doug_H]

There are some excellent switchers on the market that will pass the video signal cleanly. I tried several solutions and found this one to be the one that worked http://www.inday.com/rgb4x/rgb4x.htm

It passes greater than 230 Mhz which is a huge difference from the 30 or 50 mhz most common on receivers. I have a front PJ so it is easy to see how much the switch can botch up video.

If you have a 40" or smaller TV you may be happy with the JVC switch. I moved mine into the bedroom and it works well on my 36" direct view but it is a manual switch. For $50 more you can have a remote controlled unit and include it in your macros so you wife doesn't have to mess with switching anything.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

This is also discussed in the FAQ AND PRIMER for this forum.

-vince

 

[Ted Lee]

as written by yours truly....

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...595#post560595

 

[Chris Cash]

There is also one other thing to consider. The more you use your receiver the more you shorten the life of it. Everything I have except for satellite is all running through my receiver. But I don't use these as much as satellite. But even then I have the optical plugged in for Hi Def in the receiver and standard component cables directly to the T.V.. My receiver was originally a $2300 unit. I want it to last as long as possible.

~C.C.~

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Check out the big brain on SuperTed

And if ole' Ted doesn't do it for you, this might help too:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...305#post564305

-Vince

 

[Bob McElfresh]

My advice: dont worry about this.

Video through the reciever causes no damage/reduced life span. (it consumes no power, generates no heat.)

Heat and heat-cycling are actually the cause of problems/reduced life span. In fact, leaving the reciever on 24 hours a day is less-damaging than cycling on/off several times per week. (This assumes you have fairly clean power without lots of power-outages/lightning strikes).

As long as we are bragging about long-winded posts, here is mine on Inexpensive HD Video Switching

 

[Ernest Yee]

Yeah - that's just another headache to worry about. Personally, I turn on my processor probably 2-3 separate times each day - which also necessitates turning on my television that many times and I've yet to have them die on me from just that. If you start worrying about that - just figure how many times an average computer gets power cycled?

 

[Ernest Yee]

Actually - while we're at that subject, my Rotel processor and my amp are always on standby. Would it actually count as a power cycle when I wake them out of it? The amp gets started up w/ the 12v trigger cable.

 

[Ted Lee]