New HT Setup Help (1 Viewer)

[Chris O]

I just bought the Onkyo TX-SR605 and the ONKYO SKS-HT240 Home Theater Speaker set for 6.1. I have an older rear projection Panasonic 1080i with no HDMI capabilities. I am planning on buying either an HD DVD player or Blu Ray player and I have several questions that I can't find answers to.

1. Can I hookup the Bluray player to the AVR so that it can decode True HD and the other new audio formats and hook up the video with componet cables to the TV at the same time?

2. For a DVD player or the AVR to upconvert does the signal have to go through HDMI as well or will it upconvert froma regular DVD player via compnet?

3. Is there that big of a difference from 1080i to using 1080p and HDMI that I should go buy a new TV?
Thanks for any insight you may have and Merry Christmas.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Chris. Merry Christmas.

I will try to answer these...

1 - I dont think you can do this. Hooking both connections up (HDMI & Component) seems to reduce the component output to 480. (At least it does on my HD Cable box. I have not tried both on my BluRay player yet).

You will have to use component to the TV and optical for DD 5.1 to the receiver.

2 - Yes - the up-converted output is only available from the HDMI connection. You only get 480p from the component.

3 - Not very noticeable difference between p and i so I dont think it is worth upgrading the TV. Just use component cables and enjoy.

 

[Ed Moxley]

Can't he run everything with HDMI to the receiver, for the HD audio processing, and from receiver to tv with component, for video? (I don't have HD yet, and am just going over it in my head)

You can make sure the player you get also has the 5.1/7.1 analog outputs. Then you can listen to the HD audio, through the multi-channel inputs.

 

[Bluzman]

Don't think the copyright police allow downconverting HDMI to component video. I'm not aware of an AVR that can do this.

 

[Chris O]

Thanks everyone for the info. I will hold out to buy a new HDTV with HDMI before I buy a Blu Ray / HD DVD Player.