Reciever talk: what plugs into what?
 

the last time I researched a receiver was when widescreen dvd's were in and using the digital out from the dvd player into the receiver which powered the speakers.

FF 8 years, i'm picking up a lcd tv by sony. what is this HDMI stuff? Is it true about everything goes into the receiver then to tv and speaker? eg- dvd, satellite and cable box plugs into the receiver into the TV?

We currently have direct tv, charter cable, and dvd player. Does such receiver exist where you plug those items into the unit then feeds to the tv?

TIA

There's some new connection types such as HDMI, but the function of the receiver is still pretty much the same. The optimal setup is your receiver is your central hub. It handles all the switching for audio and video for you.

So your DirecTV, cable (you have both satellite and cable?), and DVD player all feed into the receiver. Your speakers are connected to your receiver. The video output of the receiver goes into your Sony LCD TV (HDMI connection preferably).

Satellite and cable? Just out of curiosity, why? :) Exclusive programming on each?

With HDMI, you connect a single cable from the player/box to the receiver, and another single cable from the receiver to the TV. The receiver decodes the audio and sends it to the speakers, and it passes just the video to the TV for display. Be sure you understand that last point; it won't (at least the ones I know of won't) send the audio to the TV also. You can set up the receiver to pass the audio to the TV along with the video, but then it won't decode and send the audio to the speakers. So you have to choose either your good speakers or the TV for sound. If you want to sometimes use the TV for sound, you'll have to also connect an optical or analog L/R cable to the TV.

yeah... direct tv for asian channels and charter cable for american shows. do any of the receivers have a coax input? no HD cable box yet.

I don't know of any with coax cable inputs. You'll just have to connect that straight to the TV if you don't have a box.

Even if you don't have an HD box, your SD box should at least have composite or s-video.

i just checked. it does have component.

Is it a night and day difference b/w HDMI and component quality for cable tv?

Eh, nah. You get great picture either way. Usually cable companies choke their high def feeds so you're not getting THE best picture quality from them anyways. HDMI is great for sources with fixed outputs, such as an upscaling DVD player, HD or Blu-Ray, that kind of thing.

what receivers do you guys have ? pictures of setup ?

I just picked up a Sony STR-DA5300ES receiver after 9 years with my Yamaha RX-V2095. It has six HDMI ports (using three for my PS3, DVD 400 disc changer, and DirecTV HD DVR), and a load of other ones (using component and optical out for my DVD recorder, and analog for my tape deck, turntable, laserdisc player and VCR). Using the HDMI is so clean as it's only one connector/cable. I'm feeding my TV the HDMI out so I switch between everything via the receiver and keep the TV on one channel.

geeze. that thing is massive.

Another Q...

With all this relatively new receiver stuff. I heard about HDMI pass through.. Is there a non-pass through? does it Upconvert or something?

Anyone have Denon A/V Rec?

oh yeah...

is there such thing as a hub or spliter for multiple HDMI stuff?

Has anyone done a setup where they have cable box that goes to a/v rec, then to tv AND coax from wall straight to tv for the times you don't want to turn on the receiver? (coax splitted into 2 lines; 1 to rec, 1 to tv?)