Yamaha RX-A8A No 8k

[qwaven]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help? I recently got an Rx a8a and I'm having some trouble getting it operational. Tried reaching out to Yamaha support but so far they seem unwilling to respond to me.

I know there have been/will be some firmware updates. I can't seem to find any clear answer to what should be working today and what is still pending an update. I'm on firmware 1.22 which I gather is the latest.

My issue is that I cannot seem to get any sort of 8k output/upscale. In my menu it says I'm capped at 4k. Is basic 8k a firmware update to come??

If not, any ideas?

I'm plugged in to an 8k rated tv; Samsung Q900. The HDMI cable says it's rated for 8k on it. Not really sure what else to check.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Cheers!

 

[ryanosaur]

This line is borked.
There is a very long thread about the Yamaha A6a, but encompasses all of the units. Gene just published his measurements af the A6A, too.

Basically, the HDMI 2.1 is not operational pending a firmware update currently slated for Feb 2022.

I don't know why people are surprised considering the state of affairs with all AVRs since 2.1 was released.

Sorry, but this is all well documented and has been discussed to death.

 

[ryanosaur]

Yamaha AVENTAGE 2021 AV Receivers Bulk Up on Power and 8K Features

The new Yamaha AVENTAGE AV receivers for 2021 come armed to the teeth in new features and performance to put its competition on notice. 2021 lineup of Yamaha AV AVENTAGE receivers including the RX-A8A, RX-A6A and RX-A4A. The new lineup offers 11-, 9- and 7-channels, respectively. Yamaha says...

forums.audioholics.com

Yamaha RX-A6A 9.2CH 8K AV Receiver Bench Test Results!

We bench tested the Yamaha RX-A6A 9.2CH 8K 150watt/ch Atmos/DTS:X Receiver to gauge power output and uncover performance issues we discovered. We discuss the proper settings for best power delivery.

www.audioholics.com

There has been more discussion in other threads too.

 

[lovinthehd]

Curious, what gear/setup you have where this feature makes a difference?

 

[qwaven]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. I've read through the "preview to the review" and some of the other pages (still checking) but would like to still post a reply.

I am fine waiting until Feb 2022. Not to far off now.

However my concern is not with HDMI 2.1. My concern is that I do not see any 8k abilities what so ever. Since 8k is supported with hdmi 2.0 @ 30fps I am trying to understand why I am unable to.

I've been running a pretty out dated Yamaha and held off because I wanted to ensure I could at least pass through 8k video. So with this unit offering 8k upscale and in the future HDR10+ seems like its got what I would like. I am also now able to play around with atmos and the likes where previously I could barley do 5.1/7.1.

To be clear, 8k video is not really useful and as far as I am concerned is more a gimmick, however my TV supports 8k and I paid for 8k with my AVR, so I am wanting to use 8k. Having 8k on the AVR would at least offload the need for my TV to process (4K?) and upscale which could introduce audio-mismatch-delays etc.

So if Yamaha has simply disabled anything to do with 8k regardless until the Feb firmware so be it, I just was hoping to clarify this or try and resolve any issues or contact Samsung if it seems like my TV is the issue.

Otherwise I have found the a8 to be working quite well, and a vast improvement over what I had.

Cheers!

 

[ryanosaur]

So if Yamaha has simply disabled anything to do with 8k regardless until the Feb firmware so be it, I just was hoping to clarify this or try and resolve any issues or contact Samsung if it seems like my TV is the issue.

Short answer is that there is a lot of functionality seemingly locked up pending their release. I don't have time to google other threads right now, but if you search on the HDMI 2.1 issues, you will find stuff here, at ASR and AVS.
There is product out there with working 2nd gen HDMI 2.1 ChipSets (Onkyo and Denon). As for why Yamaha locked up their functionality I cannot answer. So anyone hoping for this to work must wait patiently... and hope.

I am dumbfounded by Yamaha's choices. I do hope they haven't screwed up their implementation beyond having it deactivated pending their update, which is in turn waiting on the HDMI organization to update or release some testing protocol... *shrugs.

 

[Trebdp83]

The TV will upscale everything you throw at it so it matters not if the AVR does any upscaling beforehand and the TV will do it better any way. There is no 8K content. Every TV/AVR combo will have limitations regarding 4K/8K playback.

The TV in use here supports ARC, but not eARC so lossless audio and 4K @120 video for any kind of gaming will only be possible after the Yamaha update with devices connected directly to it. This is the only real reason to update the Yamaha.

For HDR, HDR10+ is supported by Amazon Prime and HULU as well as some UHD discs. But, that doesn’t mean those apps support it on this TV and most UHD discs players do not support HDR10+. Because it doesn’t support Dolby Vision, the TV will make use of HDR10 when playing Dolby Vision material from most streaming services.

For movie and TV watching, the current audio/video capabilities of the Yamaha are enough and the update won’t improve those features and will benefit gaming above everything else.

 

[snakeeyes]

Right, the TV being 8K but no 8K content boils down to the TV just upscaling video.

The Yamaha update is to support 4K/120 gaming from PS5 or Xbox or latest PC gaming cards. That 120fps is what gamers are after.

 

[qwaven]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

So yes I am not particularly concerned with the update in itself if it is 4k/120 or 8k/60 other than I would like HDR10+. What my concern is, is that I have no 8k at all. Which leads back to my original question of should 8k/30 work out of the box or do I need to wait for the update?

All of my devices (except the yamaha at this time) plays HDR10+ fine, at least it would if I by-pass the AVR.

My understanding is if the TV were to upscale the video it will potentially incur processing delays which can offset the incoming audio from the video. I've experienced slight issues with my playback device plugged directly into the TV and dedicated hdmi-audio out to my older AVR. Running all through the new AVR I am understanding should help to keep the audio and video in sync.

Curious, what is the reason to suggest the TV will offer better upscaling over the Yamaha?

Cheers!

 

[snakeeyes]

I’m not sure if the same update also brings HDR10+, but yes that is an important update.

The update in Feb is to support 40Gbps HDMI2.1 at 4K/120fps and 8K/60fps content. Both PS5 and Xbox support some games in 4K/120fps. Only Xbox is also capable to support 8K/60fps on games that will possibly be developed for that. (Although 4K/120fps likely will be more important as faster frame rate means less lag in gameplay). *Running the hdmi directly from the game console to the TV then sending sound via eARC hdmi to the AVR also means less lag in gameplay.

In general TVs surpassed AVRs in upscaling capabilities many years ago.

 

[Trebdp83]

The TV is already upscaling everything. The image is being displayed in 8K resolution but there is no actual 8K content except for some Youtube videos that the Q900 cannot play in 8K. I don’t believe it supports AV1.

What are these devices of which you speak? Most will be HDR10 or Dolby Vision capable. Most streaming services use Dolby Vision. HDR10, NOT HDR10+, is standard in HDR content and displayed when any device in the chain does not support Dolby Vision. Most of what you view in HDR on that TV will be in 4K HDR10 @24fps.

Updates to the Yamaha will not improve the image sent to the TV. You will simply be upscaling a 4K or less image that the TV is already upscaling now. When devices are connected directly to the TV, you can go into the TV’s Sound settings and adjust audio output delay. But, it may not fix any issues.

The best reason for connection of devices into the Yamaha is that the TV does not support eARC and lossless audio cannot be sent over ARC. So, lossless multichannel tracks from a disc player would only be available with the player connected to the Yamaha and not directly to the TV. Streaming services use lossy Dolby Digital Plus based Atmos that can be sent to the Yamaha over ARC.

If you are only using streaming devices, the Yamaha update will improve nothing. If you game, the update will allow for console connection to the Yamaha with no loss of console capabilities. If you have a disc player with two HDMI outputs, you can connect number one to the TV and number two to the Yamaha for the best audio and video experience. All HDR from the player will be sent in HDR10 unless the player and disc content support HDR10+.

 

[qwaven]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies and thoughts.

I guess the whole point here is that 8k is an advertised feature and something I would like to try from the receiver as overall I believe it still simplifies my setup. I'm not sure what the point would be to offer video anything in a receiver if the anticipation is that people won't use it as all modern TV's will upscale to their native resolution.

The idea of having to constantly adjust the audio delay on my TV is exactly what I am trying to avoid. It seems like something that will depend greatly on the source and content type and I've never seen it be perfect. My previous setup I did have to split the hdmi video and audio.

For reference the YouTube app on the TV is a joke. Last I read both Samsung and Youtube are arguing with each other on who's responsibility it is to update it to support 8k and thus its been stuck with 4k only capabilities.

Lossless audio is a must. I've been trying to leave my devices out of this as troubleshooting them was not really the point of this post. However for reference I have a Panasonic 4k player, it does offer HDR10+ and it does have 2 HDMI ports. I also have a fire tv 4k which previously required splitting the hdmi but is now plugged directly into the avr. It also supports HDR10+.

Currently I do not have any audio delays and everything seems to be working well. I was just trying to find out why at least basic 8k is not an option for me.

Cheers!

 

[Oski1997]

I agree. It is worrisome that Yamaha would lock up HDMI 2.1 8K features while Marantz/Denon has had it working since the May 2021 hardware update to their HDMI 2.1 ports. Let's hope for the best.

 

[qwaven]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm more concerned with the lack of 8k and not so much the 2.1 specifics. I was expecting the basic 8k to have been working. I'm not sure if it's confirmed yet if it actually should be or not.

Still no response from my Yamaha support ticket which is actually more concerning to me. I had always understood Yamaha offered good customer service. The lack of it might end up being the reason if I end up returning it.

Cheers!

 

[Replicant 7]

The TV is already upscaling everything. The image is being displayed in 8K resolution but there is no actual 8K content except for some Youtube videos that the Q900 cannot play in 8K. I don’t believe it supports AV1.

What are these devices of which you speak? Most will be HDR10 or Dolby Vision capable. Most streaming services use Dolby Vision. HDR10, NOT HDR10+, is standard in HDR content and displayed when any device in the chain does not support Dolby Vision. Most of what you view in HDR on that TV will be in 4K HDR10 @24fps.

Updates to the Yamaha will not improve the image sent to the TV. You will simply be upscaling a 4K or less image that the TV is already upscaling now. When devices are connected directly to the TV, you can go into the TV’s Sound settings and adjust audio output delay. But, it may not fix any issues.

The best reason for connection of devices into the Yamaha is that the TV does not support eARC and lossless audio cannot be sent over ARC. So, lossless multichannel tracks from a disc player would only be available with the player connected to the Yamaha and not directly to the TV. Streaming services use lossy Dolby Digital Plus based Atmos that can be sent to the Yamaha over ARC.

If you are only using streaming devices, the Yamaha update will improve nothing. If you game, the update will allow for console connection to the Yamaha with no loss of console capabilities. If you have a disc player with two HDMI outputs, you can connect number one to the TV and number two to the Yamaha for the best audio and video experience. All HDR from the player will be sent in HDR10 unless the player and disc content support HDR10+.

@qwaven, what @Trebdp83 post is probably the best explanation you're going to get. Like he stated, your Yamaha or any AVR isn't going to do anything but pass the video source to your TV. As for using a AVR to processes a video source, I'd leave it set to direct.

 

[qwaven]

Thanks for the reply.

I guess my point isnt getting across as to what I am asking here. I am not asking about what is the recommended way to setup things. I am also not asking about HDMI 2.1. I am asking if my AVR will allow 8k video. Right now, today, it says I have a maximum resolution of 4k.

An analogy might be. I live in a hot climate. I buy a car with heated seats. I try to use the heated seats but they do not turn on. I am told I don't need heated seats because it's hot outside so I should not worry about it. I paid for heated seats and I would like to try them. My reason for doing so is irrelevant.

Yamaha advertises full 8k upscaling from any source or resolution...

 

[Trebdp83]

Sorry to sound as though I don't think you have a legitimate concern. You want something to do what they say it should do. Can't argue with that one. The Aventage models should have had it out of the box but it is what it is. Once enabled, one can turn on upscaling for your connected devices. It may or may not make any visual difference, but you want to at least be able to use a feature for which you have already been charged. Hell, I like the seat heaters on even in the hot days. My lower back is a mess.

 

[ryanosaur]

I guess my point isnt getting across as to what I am asking here. I am not asking about what is the recommended way to setup things. I am also not asking about HDMI 2.1. I am asking if my AVR will allow 8k video. Right now, today, it says I have a maximum resolution of 4k.

An analogy might be. I live in a hot climate. I buy a car with heated seats. I try to use the heated seats but they do not turn on. I am told I don't need heated seats because it's hot outside so I should not worry about it. I paid for heated seats and I would like to try them. My reason for doing so is irrelevant.

I don't know if anybody but Yamaha can answer you.
Considering that all available news about Yamaha is tied up in the mess that is their HDMI 2.1 implementation, how they locked up and will eventually activate the advanced features is not something I've seen discussed.
I expect, quite frankly, that ANY of the more advanced features are locked up pending this firmware update, with only the more basic HDMI 2.0 functionality being active.

You may well pay for heated seats, and all of the circuitry is in place, but until the car's computer is told it can send a signal from the button on your console to the switch inside your car, no electricity will flow to the heating elements in you car seat.

Yamaha advertises full 8k upscaling from any source or resolution...

Huh. A company advertising something that isn't delivered. If this makes you unhappy, return it now and wait for them to get their house in order before spending your money with them, or buy a different product.

 

[Trebdp83]

Well, it is advertised as "available via future firmware update." There are asterisks all over the place in their material. People need to understand that while HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 make available certain features, manufacturers are under no obligation to implement any of them and can just add them later. You simply must make sure the features you want are available out of the box to spare yourself some frustration. It is silly that one can get a Denon or Onkyo at Costco for under $500 with HDMI 2.1 video features out of the box while Yamaha owners who shelled out five and six times more money wait for an update. That's f#%ked up, but they did advertise as much.

RX-A8A AV Receiver, 11.2 Channel & 8K HDMI - Yamaha USA

Discover the Yamaha RX-A8A AV Receiver – a reference standard in home theater with 11.2 channels and 8K HDMI, Dolby Atmos and Vision, DTS:X, and more.

usa.yamaha.com

 

[Trell]

Well, it is advertised as "available via future firmware update."

I’m skeptical when I see such promises for often they are just empty promises. It’s better to buy something else that has that functionality of you want it.