cjcdaman Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I have a question that I'm sure you guys can help me with. Let me see if I can say this without confusing you. I have my HDTV, HD DirecTV receiver, XBox 360, and my DVD player/Sound System. I currently have my HDMI going from my DirecTV receiver to my TV. When I want to play XBox 360, I disconnect the HDMI from my DirecTV receiver and plug it into my XBox 360. Obviously, I am going to get a HDMI switcher. So here is my question . . . If I have a 3-way HDMI switcher and connect the DirecTV receiver, DVD/SoundSystem, and XBox 360, will I not be able to get digital sound to my DVD/Sound System in my games? Will I have to use an optical cable to connect from the XBox 360 to my sound system? Hope that isn't very confusing. Any help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergasun Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 What are you using for sound on that setup currently? I'm guessing you have one of those combination DVD/sound systems. Do you have any audio cables running into your dvd/sound system? Does your HDTV have more than 1 HDMI input? Do you also have to do a similar switch when you want to watch DVDs? How is your audio wired up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 What are you using for sound on that setup currently? I'm guessing you have one of those combination DVD/sound systems. Do you have any audio cables running into your dvd/sound system? Does your HDTV have more than 1 HDMI input? Do you also have to do a similar switch when you want to watch DVDs? How is your audio wired up? I have an optical cable running from my DirecTV receiver to my DVD/sound system. My HDTV only has one HDMI input. Yes I do have to a similar switch, I disconnect the HDMI from my DirecTV receiver and plug it into my DVD/sound system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Does your reciever have a HDMI input? Does it have optical or coaxial audio inputs? I have a PS3, HDTV DVR and Wii. My TV only has 1 HDMI, 2 components... My reciever (is albeit old) has 1 optical and 1 coaxial. My setup goest like this. HDTV DVR: HDMI to TV and coaxial to reciever for Dolby Digital PS3: Component to TV (can still view in HD with component) and optical to reciever for Dolby Digital Wii: Component to TV and stereo to reciever (Wii can't handle DD anyhow) Hope that helps. If I wanted to, I could get a HDMI switch and still have the audio run to the reciever. Your HDTV should have component inputs as well that can still output an HDTV picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81artmonk Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I have a question that I'm sure you guys can help me with. Let me see if I can say this without confusing you. I have my HDTV, HD DirecTV receiver, XBox 360, and my DVD player/Sound System. I currently have my HDMI going from my DirecTV receiver to my TV. When I want to play XBox 360, I disconnect the HDMI from my DirecTV receiver and plug it into my XBox 360. Obviously, I am going to get a HDMI switcher. So here is my question . . . If I have a 3-way HDMI switcher and connect the DirecTV receiver, DVD/SoundSystem, and XBox 360, will I not be able to get digital sound to my DVD/Sound System in my games? Will I have to use an optical cable to connect from the XBox 360 to my sound system? Hope that isn't very confusing. Any help is appreciated. I am running my video from my 360 to the TV and my Optical from my 360 to my surround system for audio. Works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorresA Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 what kind of reciever you have? My TV onlu has 1 HDMI, and I plan on running buying a new reciever and having everything run though the reciever and up conver to HDMI, This way I have only 1 HDMI cable running to my TV. This is probably one of the most costly solutions for you best one of the best IMO. This also solves the issue cus your HDMI will be carrying bnout audio and video, no need for opticals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 what kind of reciever you have?My TV onlu has 1 HDMI, and I plan on running buying a new reciever and having everything run though the reciever and up conver to HDMI, This way I have only 1 HDMI cable running to my TV. This is probably one of the most costly solutions for you best one of the best IMO. This also solves the issue cus your HDMI will be carrying bnout audio and video, no need for opticals Unfortunately, I have a Sony HTIB. It only has an HDMI output and I think I've solved my problem. I have to get an 3-way HDMI switcher, plug my DirecTV receiver, sound system, and XBox 360 into it and then plug that into my HDTV. For sound(because my sound system only outputs HDMI to the TV) I will get an optical switcher and connect my DirecTV receiver and XBox 360 to it and then plug it into my sound system. Anyone have any better ideas? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemsSC7Skinfan Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Onkyo TX-SR705, 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, this solves your problems, the HDMI cable carries the HD video back to the TV while the Audio input has already been feed from your DVD,X-Box 360, & DirectTV to the Receiver for your Digital sound output. Course if you cannot buy a new receiver then I'd say save your money because it will be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergasun Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I agree that it's a new receiver you need. I don't know how much you're thinking of paying for two switches, but you could probably do well to upgrade the receiver. I don't know how much money you have to spend or not... just saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Onkyo TX-SR705, 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, this solves your problems, the HDMI cable carries the HD video back to the TV while the Audio input has already been feed from your DVD,X-Box 360, & DirectTV to the Receiver for your Digital sound output.Course if you cannot buy a new receiver then I'd say save your money because it will be worth it. I only need 5.1, but cannot find a receiver with 3 HDMI inputs. So, with the receiver you specified . . . I would not need optical? In other words, I hook up DVD, XBox 360, and DirecTV receiver to the 3 HDMI inputs and the HDMI output goes to my HDTV? Will that take care of my sound or would I still need to use optical? For example, say I am playing XBow360. I know the HDMI cord input will give me my HD video, but will it also output digital sound without an optical cable? Does the Onkyo take care of all of that? EDIT: I'm looking at this one. http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR506-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR506/sem/rpsm/oid/207879/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do It has 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, and I think 2 optical inputs. Also, I'm think about upgrading my speaker wires. My Sony system has these connectors and I'm not sure what I will have to do with them in order to connect them to the Onkyo receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemsSC7Skinfan Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Yeah the HDMI cables transfer digital picture and digital sound so the optical cables you were asking about are unuseful unless you have an older receiver, I'm in the same boat with my PS3 but I've just decided to not hook it up with good sound right now until I can get me a new receiver the exact one I told you or perhaps even the 905 but I don't think you can beat the 705 for the price that I've seen it listd at. So you for any receiver you are looking at I'd say be sure it has the 3 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output to you're HD TV. The rest will hook-up exactly how you have it now as far as your speaker set up, if your DVD player does not have HDMI output capabilities then you'll still need to have 1 optical sound-input for your receiver and you'll probably have to use whichever is best (s-video, etc.) for the actual video transfer from the receiver to your TV. I don't know for sure about the video you'll just have to play and see if it converts it to the HDMI cable to input the signal from the receiver to the TV, if that is the case then there will be no need for the video side from the receiver to the TV specifically for the DVD player. But either way with a newer receiver you'll have all of the capabilities needed to achieve your goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemsSC7Skinfan Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 For example, say I am playing XBow360. I know the HDMI cord input will give me my HD video, but will it also output digital sound without an optical cable? Does the Onkyo take care of all of that?EDIT: I'm looking at this one. http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR506-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR506/sem/rpsm/oid/207879/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do It has 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, and I think 2 optical inputs. Also, I'm think about upgrading my speaker wires. My Sony system has these connectors and I'm not sure what I will have to do with them in order to connect them to the Onkyo receiver. As for your question, yes that is correct. The only thing I don't know for sure about is the video conversion from an old DVD player. All of the audio things you are asking about will be taken care of via the HDMI cables input into the receiver. The SR506 will do what you need also, that will work. See the next poster, I didn't read anything in the article so he is correct if it doesn't handle the HDMI audio with the receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsMaster88 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I only need 5.1, but cannot find a receiver with 3 HDMI inputs. So, with the receiver you specified . . . I would not need optical? In other words, I hook up DVD, XBox 360, and DirecTV receiver to the 3 HDMI inputs and the HDMI output goes to my HDTV? Will that take care of my sound or would I still need to use optical?For example, say I am playing XBow360. I know the HDMI cord input will give me my HD video, but will it also output digital sound without an optical cable? Does the Onkyo take care of all of that? EDIT: I'm looking at this one. http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR506-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR506/sem/rpsm/oid/207879/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do It has 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, and I think 2 optical inputs. Also, I'm think about upgrading my speaker wires. My Sony system has these connectors and I'm not sure what I will have to do with them in order to connect them to the Onkyo receiver. The Onkyo SR506 will only handle the HDMI video, the audio would have to be routed with optical cables. The step-up model, SR576, will have HDMI audio capabilities as well so you can just have one HDMI cable to carry your video and audio between each source component (DVD, Xbox 360, DirecTV) to the Onkyo receiver. Also, with the Xbox 360, if you don't have Microsoft's custom HDMI cable (incl. only with Xbox 360 Elite, otherwise separate purchase), you probably won't have optical audio out, because the connectors don't fit properly next to one another to use the standard A/V connection unless you take apart some of the plastic (google for more info). If you have a receiver with HDMI audio inputs however, you can just use the same HDMI cable (any brand purchased anywhere) for video and audio. The new Onkyo receiver models are supposed to come out in April, but if you want something now, which might also be a better deal, look at the Onkyo SR605. The Silver model is there at Amazon for $350 + free shipping: (http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR605S-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B000OBLARM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206901510&sr=8-2) If you want to buy local, Circuit City has them on sale as well: Black ($387), Silver ($342). Link: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Search.do?c=1&searchType=user&keyword=sr605&searchSection=All&go.x=0&go.y=0 The SR6xx models have HDMI v1.3 as well, so they'll be able to handle the decoding of the latest audio formats for Blu-ray, so it's more future-proof. I second the recommendations for buying Onkyo receivers, as I'm about to buy the SR705 model to upgrade from 2 previous Onkyo HTIB systems that have been excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsMaster88 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 As for your question, yes that is correct. The only thing I don't know for sure about is the video conversion from an old DVD player. All of the audio things you are asking about will be taken care of via the HDMI cables input into the receiver. The SR506 will do what you need also, that will work. Actually, the SR506 only uses the HDMI for video only. You have to be careful on some of the receiver models, because many of the cheaper ones only do video with HDMI, but require optical/coax for audio. Check out the Onkyo official press release: http://www.onkyousa.com/press_releases.cfm?id=139 "The TX-SR576 features HDMI 1.2a with single-cable connectivity for audio and video functions, and additional decoding for Dolby Digital Plus high-resolution audio. The TX-SR506 includes HDMI pass-through, which has the ability to transmit 1080p video and Deep-Color™ data, but requires a separate connection for audio signals." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemsSC7Skinfan Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Yeah sorry about that I didn't bother to read anything in the article, that is my fault there. I just looked at the HDMI input & outputs on the back of the model. That is why I originally suggested the SR705 anyhow since it has everything he is looking for and is priced very well for the quality of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Is the HDMI 1.3 worth $300 more? The one I am looking at . . . http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR506-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR506/sem/rpsm/oid/207879/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do . . . I have to use a seperate optical cable for audio, but am I wrong by not seeing that as much of a big deal? By the way, here is my current DVD/sound system . . . http://reviews.cnet.com/home-theater-systems/sony-dvd-dream-system/4507-6740_7-31427844.html?tag=sub Yes I would love to buy something newer, but at this point it is out of the question. So a receiver is my only option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Do not skimp on the receiver, cjc. If you can get HDMI 1.3 and audio/video pass through (not just video) for a reasonable price you should go for it. The receiver is the core of any home theater system, so you'll definitely want to make a slightly bigger investment in it. You'll have more options down the line if you want to replace other components of your system if you do. I actually own a TX-SR705, it is well worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsMaster88 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Is the HDMI 1.3 worth $300 more? The one I am looking at . . .http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR506-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR506/sem/rpsm/oid/207879/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do . . . I have to use a seperate optical cable for audio, but am I wrong by not seeing that as much of a big deal? By the way, here is my current DVD/sound system . . . http://reviews.cnet.com/home-theater-systems/sony-dvd-dream-system/4507-6740_7-31427844.html?tag=sub Yes I would love to buy something newer, but at this point it is out of the question. So a receiver is my only option. If you don't have a Blu-ray player yet or care that much about the uncompressed lossless audio formats, then it won't matter. The regular Dolby Digital and DTS shouldn't sound any different between an optical cable and using HDMI. Also, you can still use optical with Blu-ray players, it just downconverts it (still better audio than regular DVDs though). I've been using just optical cables and it still sounds great. I just want to upgrade to that HDMI quality for audio and video, since my current receiver only has component video max. However, it shouldn't be $300 more, more like $70 more for silver SR605 or $120 more for black SR605 at Circuit City. Check out my post earlier. EDIT: I just realized that you wanted 3 HDMI inputs. The Onkyo SR605 has only 2. However, the SR576 when released should have 3 HDMI inputs for about $100 more than the SR506. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 Bump. I am undecided between the Onkyo 705 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR705S-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-Silver-TX-SR705S/sem/rpsm/oid/186667/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do and the new arrival 606 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR606-7-1-Home-Theater-Receiver-Black-TXSR606/sem/rpsm/oid/208513/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do Anyone have advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 BUMP. Does anyone own the 705 that can attest to how good I think it's going to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalSkins Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I would not buy an Onkyo at that price level. Yamaha and Denon make much better products in that range. You can get the Yamaha RX-V863 for around $600 new on Ebay. http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=567570&CTID=5000300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grinder Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Bump.I am undecided between the Onkyo 705 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR705S-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-Silver-TX-SR705S/sem/rpsm/oid/186667/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do and the new arrival 606 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-SR606-7-1-Home-Theater-Receiver-Black-TXSR606/sem/rpsm/oid/208513/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do Anyone have advice? This is the magic link for you my friend: http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=47742 (Consensus is to go with the 705) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 This is the magic link for you my friend:http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=47742 (Consensus is to go with the 705) :notworthy Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorresA Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I would not buy an Onkyo at that price level. Yamaha and Denon make much better products in that range. You can get the Yamaha RX-V863 for around $600 new on Ebay. http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=567570&CTID=5000300 As SoCal said I would perfer Yahmaha or Denon. You may want to check out http://www.6ave.com . Reading on some audio forums they mentioned they havegood deals there,but you have to call in and talk to a rep in person and ask what kind of deals they have. I tested it out and called and asked about a higher end Denon and he knocked a few hundred off what you see on the website. A friend of mine bought a Denon 2808 I believe for $700 and change i belive, listed $1000 on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 I went with the Onkyo TX-SR705. Now, I need to decide whether or not to upgrade my speakers(subwoofer, center-channel and floorstanding). Does anyone have any ideas for great speakers? I'm looking at JBL's. Are they good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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