Hello all,
I am looking for an HTIB for around USD 400. I am just looking for a good system to connect to a HDTV ( which I am planning to buy) and watch movies with DVD player. As I am new to all this I am not sure which one should I buy. I have come up with the following HT systems. Please let me know which one is better and also whether any other better HTIB comes around for the same price.
Onkyo HT-S760
(No HDMI)
Onkyo HT-SR800
Onkyo HT-S3100
Also does the receiver need HDMI inputs/HDTV switching to get HD video on TV from DVD player?
And Will I get surround sound from HDTV without HDMI inputs in receiver?
Thanks
Without looking at the description/specs for each of the packages I couldn't say which version is the best bang for the buck but I would suggest Onkyo HTIB systems. They use the same receiver (re-branded with a different model number) as the 5xx series. The speakers are the weak link in an all-in-one system but will work fine until you feel the need to upgrade and when you do the receiver will still work fine with any new speakers.
HDMI 'switching' is what all receivers do, meaning you can have multiple HDMI inputs and only one HDMI output and switch between them but some manufacturers have confused the issue (IMO) by using the term 'switching' to mean 'repeating' which is better than 'pass-thru'. You don't
need HDMI unless you have source components that have HDMI outputs.
You can get surround sound in a number of ways. If the source has optical or coax digital outputs, you will get DD/DTS and the receiver will decode it. If the source does not, you can still get simulated surround using analog connections by using a matrix decoder like PLII on the receiver. [Note that it is 'simulated' in the sense that it takes cues from 2 channel audio to extrapolate the extra channels. It is very convincing - PLII works extremely well.]
