How important are component video switching and DPL II? (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Muldoon]

I'm looking into purchasing my first home theater/stereo system, and I am getting a little stuck on which receiver I should think about purchasing. The speakers I am planning on getting are Axiom M22Ti's for mains, Axiom M3Ti's for rears, and an Axiom VP100 for the center. Sub is still up in the air (see my other post in the speakers/subs forum), but is pretty much down to the upcoming SVS, a VTF-2, or a Rava, unless I have a major revelation of some kind. For now, my only input is a progressive-scan Panasonic RP-56 DVD player.
For receivers, I have been looking at the Outlaw 1050, H/K AVR 320 (or 520 if I can find it really cheap), The upcoming Onkyo 600, and The Denon 1802 (or 2802 if I can find it cheap).
The Outlaw originally seemed like it was exactly what I want, especially considering I can get B-Stock for only $450. But it lacks Pro Logic II, and Component video. Right now, I don't have an HDTV, so I can't use component video anyway, but I want to be somewhat "future-proof." I don't want to spend ~$500 and find in a year or two that I have severely outdated equipment. Dolby Pro Logic II sounds like it might be pretty cool, and make general TV watching and CD listening nicer...actually take advantage of having that many speakers.
The Outlaw 1050 (and I think the Denons and H/K) also has the nice feature of having pre-outs, in case I want to upgrade to an amplifier at some point. This seems like a nice way to get a good upgrade path. I have also heard that Outlaw and H/K have really excellent sound. This is appealing. But if the 1050 is already a 2 year old design, it doesn't seem very forward-compatible. Right now I am leaning towards the Onkyo 600, because it meets my "checklist" requirements (other than pre-outs). But would it be much worse-sounding? It seems like a lot of people opt to not even use their receiver for video switching. I'd like to use video switching, just for the convenience, but I'd probably be willing to lose convenience for much improved sound. Any thoughts would be extremely appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Michael Reuben]

Dolby Pro Logic II sounds like it might be pretty cool, and make general TV watching and CD listening nicer...

You'll also want DPL2 for any film on DVD that has a 2-channel surround track. There are a lot of them (unless you plan to limit yourself to films released within the last 8-9 years).

Personally, if I were in the market for a receiver for HT today, I wouldn't even consider a model that lacked DPL2.

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I just upgraded to a new receiver with DPLII and component video switching. I am not using the video switching, since both my progressive DVD player and HD tuner were already directly connected to the HD-ready TV. However, DPLII is a noticable improvement over standard Dolby Pro Logic decoding for Dolby Surround sources. It sounds much closer to a DD5.1 soundtrack, and works well for both television and Dolby Surround encoded DVD tracks.

If you watch a lot of television through your home theater, or own a substantial number of DVD's with Dolby Surround encoded tracks, then I would definitely look for a receiver with DPLII support. As for component video switching, that will depend on how many components you think you will eventually own. Most HD-ready TV's today have two HD-compatible component inputs. If you think you may need more, then this feature is useful.

FYI, I have not listened to any stereo CD's in DPLII. I prefer my stereo signals to come out of two speakers, and never cared for the DSP modes for two-channel music on my previous receivers.

 

[Paul Clarke]

The advantage with either H/K is both DPL2 and Logic 7, which many prefer over DPL2. However, I went with the 510 because the 520 was over budget and I was not that impressed with DPL2. Also I needed the main inputs so the 320 was out as well.

Proper component video switching requires adequate bandwidth which is something many receiver manufacturers were slow to realize. You have to check the specs.

 

[John Garcia]

Honestly, I'm not impressed with DPL2. It's great for movies, but for music, it sounds like any other DSP to me. I prefer not to listen to my music in any kind of DSP. I'm with Scott Merryfield, I like stereo music in stereo (and 5.1 in 5.1) While DPL2 is better than DPL, I don't think it is really ground breaking.

I also do not use my receiver to do any kind of video switching.

It is of note that some receivers have different "versions" of DPL2, some are basic and cannot be adjusted, while others give some configurability.

I have a Marantz SR6200 which has 6.1 ES/Matrix capability, 105x6wpc, a set of both pre ins and outs, PL2 and Circle Surround 5.1 which does a better job than PL2. I am very pleased with it.