cabinet cooling

[bryan_gus]

Here is my problem, I have a wood tv stand with a nice space for my future avr and i had for about 2 weeks a Marantz 1603 sitting in there, got it because of good reviews and because the slot i have is just a little over 8 inches tall and the 1603 is only 4 inches so cooling should not have been an issue. Unfortunately the 1603 would not pass video to my Toshiba LCD, HDMI handshake issue of some sort. So i am back to looking at more standard sized avr's and was thinking of installing a cabinet fan at the back. There will be only at max 1 inch above a standard avr for ventilation the back and sides are also enclosed but have more space 2-3 inches. Will a fan pull enough air through to cool say a Yamaha RX-V673BL or Denon AVR1913. I have a set of the Klipsch HD 600 5.1 speakers. I don't see myself taxing these units much but they will be on for long periods of time, 6-8 hours at a time.

 

[jostenmeat]

Are you SURE it's the Marantz? Just checking here. You know, sometimes TVs have FWs available to fix any handshake issue with any other mftr, and if you're talking about HDTV, that is always my immediate suspicion. What I'm trying to say is it's pretty darn rare that it's the receiver at fault, though I'm not saying it can't be.

That said, with "consumer AVRs" it's all about the top, not so much the back or sides. Never having added aftermarket fans for AV use, I can't give you the specific models, but the first types of fans I'd research are the ones that go directly on top. Maybe not terribly pretty, but maybe not visible either. The thing I'd look for is low noise, and then of course you'll want to figure a way to trigger it.

 

[bryan_gus]

it could be the tv, but if i hook HDMI from cable box to tv no issues, if i go into the avr no picture. at first i got really weird errors from the cable box too, but switched to component video and optical for the sound to the marantz and then the cable box behaved, but no picture. The only way i can get picture is to unplug the avr disconnect the hdmi to the tv, and then plug the hdmi back in plug power back in turn on tv then avr and i get picture, but a soon as i turn things off its all over next time i turn things back on, no picture. tried making sure i powered thing on in specified order and shut them down that way too no joy. For the few times i had it all up i really liked the Marantz, course i am stepping up from an old aiwa htib. anyway that why i was thinking about the fan route, not sure if i got a top style fan there would be enough room left for it to blow anywhere hence the back panel option. i am open to any thoughts short of buying a new tv, its only 2 yrs old

 

[bryan_gus]

the tv is and HDTV Toshiba 47ZV650U REGZA LCD you said it might have a FW available, i'm new to all this so what is a FW? I looked for weeks all over the web and the manual for any kind of reset or something for the TV but never found anything helpfull.

 

[jostenmeat]

If you could possibly break your thoughts into paragraphs it would be easier for me to help you. I am going to try to read your post one more time. In fact, I think a third time. Not as necessary, but I wouldn't mind if you capitalized beginnings of your sentences either.

 

[bryan_gus]

Sorry, I'll work on that. Typing was never my best subject. I do appreciate your trying to help out.

 

[jostenmeat]

it could be the tv, but if i hook HDMI from cable box to tv no issues, if i go into the avr no picture.

Like I said, I suspect "HDTV"; cable box.

at first i got really weird errors from the cable box too, but switched to component video and optical for the sound to the marantz and then the cable box behaved, but no picture.

How does a cable box behave by not having a picture? If the weird errors were displayed on TV, then how would you know it still wasn't if there wasn't a pic? You're not being specific.

The only way i can get picture is to unplug the avr disconnect the hdmi to the tv, and then plug the hdmi back in plug power back in turn on tv then avr and i get picture, but a soon as i turn things off its all over next time i turn things back on, no picture.

Unplugging is likely* overkill. You never mentioned cable box in this scenario. Should I assume it's ALWAYS on?

tried making sure i powered thing on in specified order and shut them down that way too no joy

Smart move here, I would definitely have tried the whole specific order thing. I would do TV last, just as my instinct; I think it might* only look for a handshake for a short time, so be sure that it's coming through during that short time. Just a guess though.

For the few times i had it all up i really liked the Marantz, course i am stepping up from an old aiwa htib. anyway that why i was thinking about the fan route, not sure if i got a top style fan there would be enough room left for it to blow anywhere hence the back panel option. i am open to any thoughts short of buying a new tv, its only 2 yrs old

Understood.

 

[jostenmeat]

the tv is and HDTV Toshiba 47ZV650U REGZA LCD you said it might have a FW available, i'm new to all this so what is a FW? I looked for weeks all over the web and the manual for any kind of reset or something for the TV but never found anything helpfull.

Sorry I missed this, FW is shorthand for firmware. It is very, very rare to see it being offered right on the mftr's website, but I've seen it before, even with Pana plasmas. The odds are very high that there isn't one for you, I was just saying it to cover as many bases as I could.

Whenever there is a cable box involved, it is very typically the culprit. I think quite a few years ago, there was a very specific mftr of receivers that had some serious issues, and otherwise, it's just about always the cable box from what I've seen.

It never hurts to ask them if there is a better version of a box available to you. If your provider is TWC/Comcast or whatever the heck they might be called now, I'm even more sure it's the box.

 

[bryan_gus]

The cable box behaved because it stopped giving off error codes on its display and I had sound, but still no picture. I suppose it might still have been an issue but because I went analog and it stopped giving error codes i moved on to the avr to tv HDMI connection as my no picture problem.

The unplugging was me basically following the Marantz set up instructions wich start with everything unplugged.

 

[jostenmeat]

The cable box behaved because it stopped giving off error codes on its display and I had sound, but still no picture. I suppose it might still have been an issue but because I went analog and it stopped giving error codes i moved on to the avr to tv HDMI connection as my no picture problem.

??

The unplugging was me basically following the Marantz set up instructions wich start with everything unplugged.

Ah, good on your for reading the manual and following the troubleshooting guide. I think the order of "powering up" the devices is more important than the plugging/unplugging of any given item, but that's my educated guess*.

I tell you what- try this- run HDMI directly from cable box to TV. Run optical directly from cable box to receiver. You don't lose a single tiny bit of quality at all. Zero loss. You might* have to hit another button on your remote, possibly even two, but it's a negligible compromise considering the circumstances. Have you tried this? If not, try, and report back?

And FWIW, also try cable box on, then receiver on, then TV on, with several seconds between each. If that DOES work, you can experiment with lesser times, and whatever order you want after that.

EDIT: ordering that I listed *could* be irrelevant since we are bypassing the whole HDCP handshake thingy with receiver (but maybe it still matters, only if dependent on TV in this case). If HDMI direct doesn't work to TV, try component DIRECTLY from box to TV as well then.

EDIT 2: Ok I'm out for now, I'll be back soon again.

 

[bryan_gus]

Was attempting to reply last night to your comment about Time Warner box being the issue when the cable went out, taking my telephone and internet with it!

Everything you are saying is pretty much what i had discovered and tried already from various other sources. I have tried the connecting directly to tv and optical to the receiver setup, and it does work, however it makes doing any setup of sources programming radio stations and such in the avr much more difficult as you do not have the onscreen interface to work with. Plus not routing things through the avr kind of defeats the purpose of the avr makes it just an ar. If I am spending this kind of money things should work correctly.

I get the feeling though that i am going to have the same problems with any other avr from another manufacturer? Which means the whole cooling of the cabinet might be a non issue anyway.

Still going to look for a firmware update for the TV. Also i noticed that the tv does not support ARC any chance that is part of my problem?

 

[jostenmeat]

I had to search my own posts to find this thread again, lol.

1. Yes. Bingo. The correct deduction.

2. No.

I have a possibly expensive solution for you, though probably not much more than what a new receiver would have cost, but before I get to that: The only way to enjoy your programming, unless TW actually can provide you with a box with the proper HDCP Repeaters (and I'm not hopeful, I think TW is the pits) is to bypass the AVR, with the great inconvenience regarding your setup of radio stations (isn't that just a one-time thing anyway?).

Now to the possible solution. An aftermarket set top box. My guess is that TW will charge you $2 a month for the necessary cable card, possibly more if you're unlucky. It is possible* that in the long run doing this actually saves, provided that the box lives long enough, as you no longer pay the monthly fee to TW for the rental of the DVR/STB. On the expensive side is TiVo, I'm going to guess outta my butt that a lifetime subscription on one box is like $500ish. It's possible that could pay itself off after several years.

But even if it didn't, it's not so much more than a new receiver, your issues should* be resolved, the UI is quite nice and you get all that YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, etc, you can remote program your DVR when outta town, stuff like that. Check it out. And good luck.

http://www.tivo.com/products/home/index.html

 

[Nestor]

I had troubles recently after upgrading my tv and avr. Screen would blank out occasionally while watching cable. Blu-ray player never skipped a beat.

After swapping inputs and cables between the cable box and player, I finally called my cable co. and asked for a new dvr.

No more blanking.

As for cooling, a bigger fan running slower will run quieter.

 

[bryan_gus]

I am going to try getting a new DVR and am going to swap out the AVR as soon as the store gets another one to trade me. I found that even before the DVR was connected i still had issues getting picture from the avr.

Back to the original post though, are there any opinions on packing an avr into the cabinet with only 1-1.5 inches of space above and only 2-3 inches max on the sides and back. If I have a fan on the back of the cabinet directly behind the avr. Will a fan properly sized pull enough air to keep a tightly pack unit from overheating.

Thanks all to the helpful tips so far.