Sony STR-DN1000 Receiver - HDMI Inputs - Needing a separate digital audio connection ??? WHAT? Plea (1 Viewer)

Ok, so I recently bought a Sony STR-DN1000 receiver, it has 4 HDMI Inputs on the rear, and one output, which goes to my projector.

Here are my electronics :

Magnavox Blu-Ray Player - HDMI

Motorola HD Cable Box - HDMI

Nintendo Wii - Component Video

Xbox 360 - HDMI

So, Initially, I plugged my Blu-Ray, and the Cable Box in to their own respective HDMI Inputs #1 and #2 on the back of the receiver.


As I understand it, the HDMI cable delivers both the sound, and the image, through that one cable. Under this assumption, when I press the HDMI #1 or HDMI #2 button on my receiver remote, it would "Switch" over to that input, thus delivering the sound and video from that source.

So, for the first week or so, this process seemed to work ok, but I did notice that the Sony seemed to have issues clicking/switching over to find the new source .....

Then, the other day, it actually stopped working completely, to where it wouldn't recognize the video or the sound from the Blu-ray or the cable box.

I called Sony tech support .... they told me the following :

Sir, you have to assign your blu-ray player, to one of the "Assignable" inputs on the receiver, in this case "BD". So, on the receiver, I had to go into settings, and tell it that the BD video source, was coming from HDMI #2. But, for the sound, I would have to run a separate Optical cable, or digital coax from the blu-ray, to the receiver, then assign it to that same "BD" .

I kicked and screamed all the way through this process, confused with the fact that Sony was now telling me in order to have the "Switching" work properly, I actually had to run a separate "Sound" cable ..... What? Are you kidding? What the heck is the point of HDMI, I may as well have normal Component connnections .... ????

I then did the same process for my cable box, I assigned it's HDMI input to the SAT button, then assigned the Sound, to a separate optical connection ....

Guess What? Now, when I hit "BD" or "SAT" to get either my blu-ray or Motorola HD Cable box, the receiver recognizes the inputs without issue, and switches right away .....

Why?

Is my Sony receiver a piece of junk then? Do all receivers act this way?

I have a friend who owns a Pioneer $450 receiver or so, and he says his receiver always has clicking/switching issues when he does the same process ... sometimes he cycles the power on his toys to finally get the receiver to recognize the inputs ......

I told him my story ... and he said ... HMMMMMMMMMM ..... I wonder ....

Anybody have any input on this?

I really thought I could just plug four HDMI capable items into the 4 hdmi inputs on the back of my receiver, then hit the respective HDMI #"s on teh remote, and have everything work properly ....

What gives?

Thanks in advance .....

Sorry for the long post ...

As they said, you need to assign the inputs of the receiver, to whatever you plug into them. Since you now know how to do this, here's what I'd do:
I'd assign "HDMI 1" input to the HD cable box (I think you want to use SAT button, instead of tv, since it's digital cable, and no DBS button -----check manual).
Then I'd assign "HDMI 2" input to the BD (blu ray)
I've never connected game consoles, so I'm not sure of what to assign them to be.
If you run HDMI cables from the cable box to receiver's HDMI 1, and from BD to HDMI 2, then run an HDMI from the receiver, out to the tv's HDMI 1 input (or whatever).
Your manual says that you can change the names of the assignable inputs, and that may be what you need to do for the game consoles. Check your manual for those.

Once that is done, if you want to watch a tv program, you should just be able to push the "SAT" button on the A/V remote, make sure the tv is on the HDMI 1 (or whatever) input, and use your cable remote to change channels. May be able to program A/V remote, so you don't have to use cable remote. Then, when you want to watch a blu ray movie, turn on BD player, on the A/V remote, push the BD button, and you should be good to go.

It can get very confusing trying to use several remotes. This is why most of us suggest that you get a Harmony remote. It will do everything for you, so you only need one remote. Again, not sure about game consoles with Harmony though. Maybe someone else knows about that, and will chime in.

All this probably sounds harder than it is. Just go step by step. Read the manual carefully. Believe it or not, it will get you setup, if you follow the directions carefully. It can be a little intimidating, I guess.

I saw in your manual, that your receiver upconverts. So, even though the Wii uses component for video, it will use the same HDMI output from the receiver to the tv. Of course, since the Wii doesn't have HDMI, you'll need to use optical or digital coax for audio from it, to the receiver. You may need to assign the input for that too. You'll need to read the manual too, to get the settings for the audio over HDMI. For Dolby TrueHD and dtsHD from blu ray movies, you might have to set the player's audio output to Bitstream, since your receiver seems to decode the HD audio formats.

I hope you can decode what I've said here?
Like I said............sit down and read the manual, from front to back. Then you'll be able to find answers quicker. Manuals are usually pretty good about walking you through stuff, but they tend to jump around some, and they seem to take it for granted that you always understand exactly what they're saying, which isn't always the case. Others may chime in too to help.
Good luck!

Thanks for the reply ....

but, my main issue, is that on top of running my HDMI cable for my Blu-ray and my Cable Box, Sony is also telling me to run a separate Sound Cable, like Optical, or Digi Coax for each... (blu-ray and Cable box)

When I assign the HDMI to the BD (Blu-ray), it only allows me to assign audio from a Digital coax or an Optical sound source ... not the same HDMI input that the Blu-ray player is coming in on ....

Same with the cable box .... so, in essence, for everything to work properly ... I really have to run two cables for the blu-ray and two cables for the cable box ..... that is what I don't understand ....

Why should I need to buy, install and run a separate sound cable, when I already have my very expensive HDMI cable that is supposed to be delivering both signals on its own?

Thanks,

The person on the phone at Sony doesn't know what they are talking about. They are not engineers. They are given a list of possible answers to possible questions. If it gets a little complicated, they are as lost as the person calling for help.
According to their website, and the PDF of the manual, that Sony receiver is supposed to decode the HD audio formats. If it does, it has to do the audio over HDMI, and should work the way I explained. Plain and simple. Or something is wrong with it.
I was trying to explain how it should work over HDMI, in the above post. If you have tried what I said, and it still doesn't work, take the receiver back and get a refund, and buy an Onkyo, Denon, or Yamaha. Sony makes a good tv, but they're not one of the prefered receivers.
Here's an interesting tidbit from your manual (page 26):
• HDMI 3 input has a better sound quality.
When you need a higher sound quality,
connect your component to the HDMI IN 3
(for AUDIO) jack and select HDMI 3 as input.
So, according to that, I'd plug the BD player into HDMI 3 input.
Other tidbits:
• The audio and video signals of HDMI input
are not output from the HDMI OUT jack
while the receiver menu is displayed.
• Audio signals (sampling frequency, bit
length, etc.) transmitted from an HDMI jack
may be suppressed by the connected
component. Check the setup of the
connected component if the image is poor or
the sound does not come out of a component
connected via the HDMI cable.
• You can enjoy High Bitrate Audio (DTS-HD
Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD), multi
channel Linear PCM only with an HDMI
connection.
Earlier I said to set player's output to Bitstream. Looks like you may need to set it to output LPCM instead.
• Set the image resolution of the playback
component to more than 720p to enjoy High
Bitrate Audio (DTS-HD Master Audio,
Dolby TrueHD).
• The image resolution of playback
component may need certain settings be
made before you can enjoy multi channel
Linear PCM. Refer to the operating
instructions of the playback component.
Make sure you have the front speakers and surround speakers selected (SP A + B) see pg. 38.
Like I said, if after all this, it still doesn't work, get a refund!

Your receiver works fine. I also have the DN1000 and what you need to do is just press HDMI1 or HDMI2 etc, instead of BD or SAT on your Remote. that will get you both the picture and the sound. Just press the HDMI button that your component is connected to. I to was confused, but i figured out that you need to press the hdmi button on the remote.This is a great receiver and i've had it for just a week now. Don't give up on it

Originally Posted by oskarbk /forum/thread/293404/sony-str-dn1000-receiver-hdmi-inputs-needing-a-separate-digital-audio-connection-what-please-help#post_3613484
Your receiver works fine. I also have the DN1000 and what you need to do is just press HDMI1 or HDMI2 etc, instead of BD or SAT on your Remote. that will get you both the picture and the sound. Just press the HDMI button that your component is connected to. I to was confused, but i figured out that you need to press the hdmi button on the remote.This is a great receiver and i've had it for just a week now. Don't give up on it

Click to expand...

Glad someone with the same receiver chimed in.
Out of curiosity though, wonder why they have BD and SAT buttons on the remote, if you're not supposed to use them?

I really dont know why Sony designed the remote that way. This receiver doesnt allow reassigning of the inputs like other brands like onkyo. They expect you to use a Bluray player with optical or coaxial cables for sound? Doesn't make any sense!

So, are you happy with this receiver? I used to own an Onkyo 607. Hated the muffled sound and lack of power.

Originally Posted by oskarbk /forum/thread/293404/sony-str-dn1000-receiver-hdmi-inputs-needing-a-separate-digital-audio-connection-what-please-help#post_3614375
So, are you happy with this receiver? I used to own an Onkyo 607. Hated the muffled sound and lack of power.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a setup and/or speaker problem.

I have a Asus eee B206. I have it connected via HDMI, and the HDMI1 my DN1000, and get great picture, but no 5.1 sound. I've tried everything but I can only get 5.1 sound via optical from my Asus.

So, therefor I've connected an optical from the Asus to the BD optical in on my DN1000. How (exactly) do I get my rec. to, when I press HDMI1, show the picture (as it does) and also take the 5.1 sound from the BD optical in? Can the receiver do this?

Need4speed wrote "So, on the receiver, I had to go into settings, and tell it that the BD video source, was coming from HDMI #2."

How do I do this? I can't seem to find it in settings.

//Marc

You don't need extra connections for your audio. I have the sony str-dh700 and I struggled with this too. You need to set your Audio out setting to "Amp" instead of "Amp+TV"

There is a little note on page 28 of your manual that says:
• When you want to listen to the sound from the TV speaker, set "Audio Out" to "TV+AMP" in the HDMI Settings menu (page 81). If you cannot play back multi channel audio source, set to "AMP". However, the sound will not output from the TV speaker.

Audio Out (Setting HDMI audio input) Lets you set the audio output for HDMI from the playback component connected to the receiver via an HDMI connection. • AMP The HDMI audio signals from the playback component is only output to the speakers connected to the receiver. Multi channel sound can be played back as it is. Note Audio signals are not output from the TV speakers when "Audio Out" is set to "AMP". • TV+AMP The sound is output from TV’s speaker and the speakers connected to the receiver. Notes • The sound quality of the playback component depends on the TV’s sound quality, such as the number of channels, and the sampling frequency, etc. When the TV has stereo speakers, the sound output from the receiver is also stereo as that of the TV, even if you play back multi channel source. • When you connect the receiver to an image display component (projector, etc.), sound may not be output from the receiver. In this case, select "AMP". • When you select the input that you have assigned the HDMI input, sound does not output from the TV.

Will this receiver display the volume setting on the tv or projector screen (OSD) as you change it or will it only show the change on the receiver itself?

I need to see the volume level as I change it as my stereo will be in another room from my projector. I will be using a remote extender for this. I am considering the Sony STR-DN1000, the Pioneer VSX-919AH-K and the Harmon Kardon AVR 254. My first choice is the HK because of its sweet GUI and sound but it seems so suffer from many bugs. I'm not sure if the Pioneer or Sony units with show the volume changes on screen through the HDMI connection to my projector. Any help is appreciated.

-Marv

I just got this reciever today, I am having an issue with the HDMI connections. I have my PS3 and my XBOX 360 hooked up to HDMI 2 and HDMI 1 respectively. For some reason my PS3 works beautifully (being hooked up with just HDMI, I get full multi channel decoding (the blue light) and everything sounds great. Now for some reason I can NOT get my xbox to do this same thing without using optical. I would very much like to be able to use just HDMI for both systems. My xbox did it for a few minutes then I messed with some settings and now I can't for the life of me get it back. Can anyone help?

I have the STRDG820 which is a lower model than yours and the whole process is simple and works SUPERLATIVELY with my Sony bravia TV! You should NOT need to run and assign separate cables for Audio. As far as I know, the only way you can get 7.1 audio (over 1 cable) is with the HDMI.

Before returning it, I'd suggest Clearing the device (in the manual under setup process). Bring the receiver back to it's simplest factory default settings. Connect it using HDMI's only. I have my BD, DVD, PS3 each running to one of the three HDMI's; and I have the HDMI out going to the TV. If I press play on a sync'd BD device, the TV and receiver turn on and select the appropriate inputs (on receiver and TV) for viewing. And when I turn off the TV, the receiver and DVD player (or BD player) will shut down as well. If I turn off a sync'd device, the input defaults to TV.

My cable box is NOT sync'd so I have it running to the TV with HDMI and a Optical cable running to the receiver's TV input. Also works perfectly. If the receiver is off, you still get sound from the TV. And when you power on the receiver, guess what . . . sound automatically switches to the receiver. Best of all, my sync'd devices are buried in a wooden cabinet, so all remote controls only need to reach the TV's IR.

IMO, this set up delivers far better than any universal remote. Sony may not make a quality sound receiver. But they created a value add for 'brand-loyal' consumers.

My only concern is that the device doesn't seem to output via HDMI unless it receives an HDMI signal. I need to run Component and Composite outputs to the TV, if i choose to use any of the component or composite inputs on the receiver. Oh, well.

Dear Need4speed step 3 is how I got my Sony STR-DN1000 Receiver to work in the way most people above have described.
I have posted simply to let you know I am also a owner who was slightly disappointed, but found a fix to my problems.

I recently bought the Sony STR-DN1000 Receiver about a month ago. (upgrade from the Sony STR-DE 945 Receiver)
With this purchase I also bought Sony BDP-S360 Blue-ray Disc Player & Sony KDL-52S5100 Bravia 52in TV.

1) I was upset with the remote & no remote manual. Remember, I'm upgrading from the Sony STR-DE 945 Receiver,
so I really felt Sony dropped the ball on this. I bought the Sony RM-VL600 Learning Remote to eliminate some frustration.
(25.00 dollars at Sears) I am 90% happy with the new remote. I was only 60% happy with original remote.

2) I learned the hard way that I do not like "HDMI Control" on. (I didn't break anything, just confusion galore)
I shut "HDMI Control" off on each component. (This is personal preference but added to my frustration)

3) I have my Dish SAT Box connected to HDMI 1 & My Sony BD Player to HDMI 2. No sound cables connected.
(I agree with Need4speed with only using one cable not two!)
As for having the receiver automatically switch to whatever input is playing = I have never got that to work well.
(This could be a problem with meuser because this is my first time using HDMI)
(Now that I have "HDMI Control" turned off I'm sure it won't auto switch, I will have to select my desired component)
NOTE: I would also like to mention that before I had "HDMI Control" turned off, I randomly had the receiver get stuck constantly
switching between inputs. The front panel and TV GUI did not change descriptions, although the receiver makes a distinct sound
when switching and would continue to do so until I shut it off and gave it a 2 min break (approx). To repeat: I have not run into this
since I shut "HDMI Control" off. (shipping damage possible?)

I now turn on all desired components, select desired component with remote (HDMI 1 or HDMI 2). The receiver makes a click sound
and then that switches to the desired input. Creating me to be a happy user, finally.

Over all I am happy with the purchase of all three Sony products, but that happiness in the form of 90%. I feel this is some room for improvement. I may be old and crotchety but I feel when you spend this kind of money, at most your items should not get stuck in a switching mode, and at least come with a manual.

I just finished the initial setup of my STR-DN1000. I too had the problem with the Multi Channel Decoding (blue light does not come on). It all starting working when I re-read the manual (as suggested previously in this thread) and saw the paragraph:

Performing inital setup operations
Before using the receiver for the first time, initialize the receive by performing the following procedure...
1. Press I/O to turn off the receiver.
2. Hold down I/O for for seconds. After "CLEARING" appears on the display for a while, "CLEARED!" appears.

My entire setup only has four cables (all HDMI). How neat.566666666652224 Three inputs to the STR-DN1000 and one output to the TV. HDMI control is off. I just push the appropriate button on the receiver remote to select the desired HDMI input. I may try turning HDMI control on for one touch play later. For now it was important to get the DVD player working to decrease the distortion from crying children (certainly greater than 1% rating on the receiver).

HMDI1 Motorola QIP 6416-2 FIOS cable box
HDMI2 Sony DVP-CX995V DVD/CD carousel for the kids
HDMI3 LG BD390 Blu-ray

None of the three inputs would have the blue light go on the receiver before the reset and then all three started working. This was a new unit in an unopened box. I suspect some of the receivers are shipped without being completely reset to initial settings. There may be some hidden settings that cannot be changed from the GUI menus. Sometimes these hidden settings are used for testing the device. If these hiden settting are not reset properly after testing, the device may not work as desired during routine use. Performing the initial reset should get you to a known state before starting to customize your setup.

The DVP-CX99V audio output setup is Dolby Digital, DTS, HDMI auto, 96KHz. The LG BD390 audio output setup is PCM Multi Channel (distinguish from standard PCM Stereo), 192KHz. The QIP 6416-2 setup information was not easily obtainable.

The next project is to setup the network functions of the LG BD390.

Ok, so I am also a frustrated Sony DN 1000 owner. I'm on the verge of boxing it up and returning it if I can't get it to work as expected.

Here's my setup & problem(s):

Sony PS3 Slim running HDMI into the receiver HDMI input 1. Then, HDMI out of the receiver into my Sony Bravia 46" W5100. Simple, right?

I've read and re-read the manual a dozen times and have tried every setting in the GUI and cannot get it to decode audio as advertised. For example, I play a Blu-ray which says "Dolby True HD" on the back of the case. So, I'd expect the receiver display the "TrueHD" icon as described in the manual, but of course it doesn't. I tried this with several other Blu-rays and DVD in various audio formats and cannot get it to display the the icon indicating it's properly decoding the audio (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.).

Any suggestions?

Mr Pants,

The problem is not with your receiver, it's with the PS3. You have to set the PS3 to bitstream the audio. Right now it seems the PS3 is decoding the HD audio and sending it as LPCM (sometimes called Multichannel PCM). Change the digital audio output on the PS3 and you should see the correct codec being sent to the receiver.

I have an issue too w/ this receiver . maybe i'll start my own thread.
I just watched a recorded tv program on my hdmi hooked up cable box and the video flashes on and off as the cable box sound field setting resets throughout the program. even if i turn the AUTO off
I'm going to try and reset the receiver and redo all the connections. I can't get sound out of the wii either, my nes won't display properly and i can't figure out where to plug my vcr in...maybe i can't run EVERYTHING through the receiver.
With the component plugs..where do you put the audio for the wii on the back of the receiver? the 5 cables are together


---
my new system trying to get working
Sony Bravia KDL-46V5100 tv
Sony BD-S560 blu ray
Sony 7.1 STR DN1000 receiver (with old 5.1 Yamaha speakers)
DVR HDMI Cable Box
Wii
NES
Atari 2600
Go Video VCR
Technics optical out 5 disc cd player
Toshiba DVD Recorder DR410
and alot of remote controls!

First post so please be kind:

I am expecting my STR DN1000 next week and need some points of clarification.

My current system is:
RECEIVER- Sony 5.1 STR-DE635 Receiver (to be replaced with the STR DN1000)
TV- Panasonic TH-46PZ80U Plasma
BLU-RAY - Sony BDP-BX2
CABLE BOX - Motorola DCT6416 III Comcast HD/DVR Cable Box
CD PLAYER - Sony 5-disk CDP-CE245

Currently, my set up is connected as follows:
CABLE BOX connected to TV via HDMI with optical audio out to RECEIVER.
BLU-RAY connected to TV via HDMI with optical audio out to RECEIVER.
CD-PLAYER - connected to RECEIVER via standard RCA jacks (plan to connect via optical audio on new receiver)

What I enjoy about this set up is that I can enjoy audio and video through the TV only or turn on receiver and utilize audio through the receiver enjoying 5.1 Dolby Digital from either my BLU-RAY or my CABLE BOX.

One reason to upgrading to the new receiver is to be able to take advantage to DTS True HD and DTS HD Master Audio with BLU-RAY titles. BUT, upon reading the manual (thanks to Ed Moxley's post) I read that to use DTS True HD or DTS HD MA, I need to have the corresponding components (BLU-RAY) connected via HDMI. Does this mean that if I connect via digital optical audio the DTS functions will not be available?

My issue is that I want to have the option to watch BLU-RAY or CABLE BOX audio/video through my TV only but also have the option of utilizing the DTS True HD or DTS HD MA by listening to the audio through my RECEIVER.

Hope someone can follow this and give me some insight. It would be ideal to get an plan of attack prior to my receiver's arrival.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Mike

First a couple of clarifications:

I am 99% certain that you HAVEN'T been hearing dolby digital for Cable and Blu-Ray with the setup you describe. The digital optical output from the TV will only pass 5.1 audio for material picked up by its internal tuner. All other external sources are downmixed to 2.0 stereo before output. The resulting stereo signal is processed as Dolby ProLogic or ProLogic II by your receiver - which is a simulated surround sound mode.

It's possible that your set is one of the VERY FEW that actually pass digital 5.1, but that is very unlikely.

Regardless, Ed's post is correct - the lossless audio formats of Blu-Ray are ONLY output via HDMI. Digital optical and digital coaxial cables will only carry the lossy DD and DTS streams (they are occassionally encoded at a higher bitrate than their DVD counterparts, so there is still SOME improvement over DVD, but it's marginal at best).

Setting up a system so that you can listen to TV speakers OR through the receiver can get tricky, and often requires the use of splitters and such, since few receivers pass through signals when they're powered down. Most of us prefer the simplicity offered by routing everything through the receiver: no need to change inputs on the TV, and a vastly simplified nest of cables connecting our gear. It's also very universal-remote friendly to help keep the coffee table clutter to a minimum.

Basically, in addition to an HDMI run from each source to the receiver (plus a single HDMI from receiver to TV) you'll need to find a way to get a second audio and video connection from each source directly to the TV. Since you're dealing with HDMI you may need to utilize a splitter for each source, since many devices disable other A/V outputs when HDMI is in use. For the cable box, you may be able to run component video and analog stereo to the TV.