4 HDMI Inputs - Thoughts and Questions

[JoeMoyle]

I don't know what I'm doing so I thought I would share what I'm thinking and hopefully some of you can either confirm my thoughts as valid or set me straight. I think I need a receiver with 4 HDMI inputs and 1 output. 1 input each for Satelite, DVD, Game Console, and my HD video camera. 1 out to my TV.

My thinking is that if I set it up this way every one of my inputs can use the speakers hooked up to the receiver to the best of the sources ability. Is this correct?

Also, the Onkyo recievers are the only ones I see with 4 HDMI inputs. Do you know of other models with 4 inputs? I'd really like one with an HDMI input in the front for my camera instead of all the useless (for me anyway) ones on the receiver I currently have. Do you know of any with an HDMI input on the front of the reciever.

 

[MDS]

You're thinking straight, but if you got a receiver with only 3 HDMI inputs it wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker, depending on your TV.

Many newer TVs have a convenience HDMI input on the front or side and you could just hook up the video camera to the TV. If the sound is Dolby Digital and you want it to go to the receiver and your TV will pass DD audio from its HDMI inputs to its digital output then you could still use the receiver and speakers for the audio from the video camera. If the TV doesn't pass digital audio to its optical out (some will only do it if the TV tuner is the source of the audio) you can still use the analog outs.

Any receiver that has 4 HDMI inputs is likely to be a high end model that costs a lot because that is how the AV world has always worked. The higher end of the model line gives you more inputs and extraneous features you may never use.

 

[JoeMoyle]

Thanks for the fast reply. My TV has 2 HDMI inputs but both are on back. I currently have a cable hooked into one and snaked around where I can reach it for the camera. The problem I encountered and failed to figure out is as follows. First, my current receiver has no HDMI in or out. I have the speakers on the TV turned off and all the sound from my satelite, DVD, and XBox routed through the receiver. When I connect my camera directly to the HDMI cable on the TV the pictures of the movies I take look great (1080i) but the sound is coming from the tiny speaker on the camera. The camera is pretty nice and can record some pretty good sound but in my current configuration I'm having a hard time accessing it.

The receiver I'm looking at is very expensive by my standards. An Onkyo TX-SR875 which can be bought for about $1000. I will probably have to save until Christmas to buy it for myself. By then I'm hoping for more options regarding receivers that have good HDMI support and hopefully lower cost.

 

[MDS]

Well, I like Onkyo receivers. They're what I've always bought. IMO the 7xx series is and always has been the sweet spot of the lineup. The main virtue of the 875 is the video processing chip and while it may very well do a bettter job with scaling than your cable box, I personally don't consider that too big of a deal.

If the video camera is playing the audio, there may be a setting to change to have it pass the audio to the TV. There is a lot of handshaking, exchanging of keys, and feature negotiation going on with HDMI so it's also possible that with the TV speakers off, the TV is responding 'not supported' for audio and the camera defaults to taking care of the audio. In your case, a receiver with 4 HDMI inputs (a true 'repeater' receiver like the higher numbered Onkyos and many others) would make it simpler but if the video camera isn't used all that much, another alternative would be an external HDMI switch.

 

[allargon]

The receiver I'm looking at is very expensive by my standards. An Onkyo TX-SR875 which can be bought for about $1000. I will probably have to save until Christmas to buy it for myself. By then I'm hoping for more options regarding receivers that have good HDMI support and hopefully lower cost.

I'll save you $500-600 and tell you to wait a month or so for the Onkyo TX-SR606. (It should be $399-499 depending on where you shop.) It doesn't have the power, Reon video processing, DSD support, THX certification or 5.1 to 7.1 matrixing of the 875, but it will do fine for most applications. You just want four HDMI inputs, right?

The Sony STR-DG820 also has four HDMI inputs in. It is $399 MSRP. Therefore, you might be able to get it for $300 or so depending on where you look. (It's definitely available for $299+tax with a new Sony Style card discount.) Personally, I would get an Onkyo over a Sony due to clearly better features on paper and arguably higher quality processing and DAC's, etc. I have yet to be impressed by a Sony receiver. (I own one.) I just like their pricing.

If you're on a budget, you can get a Monoprice HDMI switcher for less than $50 and keep your current receiver and set up. It will be more cumbersome, of course, as you will need to switch the monoprice HDMI (IR remote) then switch the input on your receiver vs. the simplicity of hitting one button on your receiver.

 

[JoeMoyle]

I'll save you $500-600 and tell you to wait a month or so for the Onkyo TX-SR606. (It should be $399-499 depending on where you shop.) It doesn't have the power, Reon video processing, DSD support, THX certification or 5.1 to 7.1 matrixing of the 875, but it will do fine for most applications. You just want four HDMI inputs, right?

I have checked eBay and they are selling them for around $450 but saying, "Out of stock," since they aren't even available yet. Thank you again for your very helpful reply.

 

[Adam]

I have checked eBay and they are selling them for around $450 but saying, "Out of stock," since they aren't even available yet. Thank you again for your very helpful reply.

If you're talking about the Onkyo 606, you can get it in black or silver at Amazon.com for about $450 shipped. Both are in stock.

Adam

EDIT: Oops, not sure if that includes shipping. I'm a Prime member, and I didn't check if shipping is free for everyone.