Questions, Questions, Questions

[kdcarroll]

I think I have a handle on audio; but I need help with video options. This month, I'm going to "finally" upgrade to a flat panel. I am relatively certain I am going to purchase the Sony 32" xbr4 for a smaller living room. I THINK I want to "feed" the Sony through HDMI. My present receiver, which I am using as a pre, is a big Yamaha, but without HDMI. I can purchase a HK avr with HDMI for not a great deal, and the output power doesn't matter a great deal as I am using it as a pre anyway.

My questions are: Do I need HDMI? If so, which Receiver to utilize as a pre? (5.1 speakers, all KLIPSCH 7's). Which DVD player? Is upconverting in the DVD player necessary? Would upconverting in the receiver be useful?

Please excuse all my naive questions; but, this is the greatest place on earth for this information in a "safe" environment so I thought I would start here.

Thanks!

K

[WMcD]

Well, I was waiting to see what brain-trust guys said. In the mean time I'll throw in my thoughts.

I don't quite get the need for a DVD player which upverts. It seems to me the monitor is going to do that anyway. I have a modest 720 HP LCD display. It is fed with interlaced DVDs and whatever is coming into the QAM converter from the cable. I'd think that the little LCDs are being updated in a progressive method. Maybe not. (For that matter, I'd think the same happens when you play a DVD on a laptop. Does anyone think laptop displays are interlaced?)

On the receiver end. I believe the HDMI inputs and outputs on a receiver are just replacing what is already done in another way by a monitor which has multiple HDMI inputs. That is to say, pick one input. Of course maybe the home theater receiver is doing some of its own processing. However, I can't see why it would be necessarily better. Maybe more convenient.

What do other people say?

Gil

[dougdrake]

Alot of your answer depends on what you are planning to use as signal sources, and how many of them there are. I don't know how many HDMI inputs are on your planned TeeVee, but you will at least need some type of input for every source, or a separate switching unit, or a receiver to do the switching. However, not all the connections need to be the same.

If you don't plan to buy a high definition DVD player, then you can likely feed the Sony with component video - it will easily pass a DVD signal (480p) to your set. You can pass up to 1080i over component cables. And without a HD DVD player, you won't be passing any audio via the HDMI so there's really no point in going through the receiver.

Bottom line - if your only source for now will be a standard definition DVD player, just connect it directly to the Sony with a component cable. And you can buy them cheap from places like www.monoprice.com if you don't already have one. For heaven's sake, don't buy a Monster cable or some other exotic brand - save your money.

If you want to connect via HDMI from your DVD player (assuming it has the outputs), you can just connect directly to the Sony and not go through the receiver.

Upconverting in a DVD player would only benefit you if the scaling chips in it were better than what's in the Sony - I have no idea how good they are. But, you hear good things about the Oppo players, and the Toshiba HD DVD players are said to do a great job upconverting standard DVDs also.