Outdoor speaker connected to home theater system?

[lovinthehd]

As has been mentioned, zones can be limited in terms of digital content due to DRM, some avrs need an external amplifier for zones....off the top of my head. Would 2 zones be sufficient? No other rooms in the house you might want to use a zone for later on?

Do you want permanent speakers outside? A portable bluetooth speaker may work well enough for you. Managing batteries may be easier...I think @Pogre recently got a JBL Flip (don't know which model) and liked it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

As has been mentioned, zones can be limited in terms of digital content due to DRM

DRM rarely limits audio zones in any way. HDMI does have flags limiting the number of connection points, but the better HDMI matrix switchers make this a non-issue. For audio though, it's irrelevant.

 

[lovinthehd]

DRM rarely limits audio zones in any way. HDMI does have flags limiting the number of connection points, but the better HDMI matrix switchers make this a non-issue. For audio though, it's irrelevant.

I've read its DRM related several times, so it's simply built into the actual connector/software to limit number of connections....interesting. Thanks.

ps Of course the connector/software limitations are a sort of DRM on second thought. It is relevant for audio, tho as I need to supplement hdmi connection with analog....

 

[BMXTRIX]

I've read its DRM related several times, so it's simply built into the actual connector/software to limit number of connections....interesting. Thanks.

ps Of course the connector/software limitations are a sort of DRM on second thought. It is relevant for audio, tho as I need to supplement hdmi connection with analog....

I'm kind of explaining things wrong.

HDMI is all digital, and to carry audio, it must also carry video. So, in receivers, that often only have one video output, to get audio from HDMI to a secondary zone, there must be two video decoders. Plus, since that second zone is also stereo, they must have a full suite of surround sound processors for both the main zone and the secondary zone.

This is why analog audio connections really must be used for the secondary zone. It is also why most receivers downgrade audio to stereo when the secondary zone is playing audio to it from the main zone at the same time.

HDCP (DRM) can play a part in distribution, but it is not DRM which is impacting this scenario. It's actually the audio encoding itself and the lack of functionality of most A/V receivers. A three zone A/V receiver, with multi-zone DSP capabilities, could actually take all the sources in over HDMI, then process the surround sound mix down to stereo for zones 2 and 3 independently of the main zone. They also could pay licensing rights to HDMI.org for the use of zone 2 and 3 as authorized receiving points for audio/video regardless of the keys authenticated from the original source. So, it would not bypass HDCP, but authorize HDCP for as many destinations as are available.

To my knowledge, not a single A/V receiver on the face of the earth does this.

So, you have to hook up analog audio, if it is available.

In my case, I use a 16x16 HDMI switcher with integrated DSP. So, every HDMI input I have has an available analog audio output to it which I can feed to my distributed audio system separately and without the need for an additional product. It retains HD audio codecs while giving me usable stereo audio at the same time. It also authenticates HDCP across all 16 outputs so I can simultaneously watch the same Blu-ray Disc or cable TV show on up to 16 displays at once.

 

[Audio Newb]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I'm confident this will be my only other zone to my home audio system. I am thinking after reading this, that my best option will be to just get some Bluetooth speakers to mount outside. I originally thought since I have the capability to run wires to my patio that may be easier and more reliable, but there seems to be a lot of factors I did not consider. Sonos connect also sounds intriguing but I don't think I want to spend that much money on it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I would strongly suggest running some speaker wires now if you can anyway. This is nearly impossible to do later on as it is today, so just running them is great. If you change your mind, you can add speakers easily. If you don't have wire in place, you can't do anything easily.

 

[Audio Newb]

I definitely will do that, and I think I will also run some speaker wire to the inside so I could add a center channel speaker inside if I want to. Not to hijack my own thread, but would it matter if I got a different type of center speaker? The speakers that were in the house are a Bose wall mount but I don't see any model or number on them. I'm guessing they may be 10-12 years old

 

[BMXTRIX]

Most people will recommend away from Bose products, and I agree with them. Typically, when you buy a mismatched speaker, you just will want to buy from a place that allows returns. So, you can listen to it in your home, and ensure it is a proper fit for the rest of your A/V system.

 

[lewb]

I will just add my experience on outside speakers; I built a house and ran wires to both deck and patio (below deck). If you have a soffit to place the wires would be the easiest. What I did was run the wires to the soffit with enough wire to place 2 speakers, I removed a vent and placed the speakers at the optimum location. If you just have a high wall or gable end then this obviously will not work. In this case of too high of a wall I would look at using a junction box to run the wires to so you can easily access when you want add outdoor speakers. How I run my system is with a denon x2000 with zone 2, run zone 2 through a second reliever amp to a 8 zone speaker switch with 2 out door zones. With a phone connected to a router (dlna) I can play music (Pandora with denon) or network (hard drive and air play). My denon does not have blue tooth, I have a external blue tooth which only will work with line of sight, does not work very well from the deck.