Confused again

[ParadigmDawg]

Now I am a little confused. If I buy the Yammy RX659 am I going to be screwed when I get a HD DVD player because the lack of HDMI? I thought I had all this figured out but now I have read enough to be confused again. My goal is to have just one video cable running to my LCD and right now that one cable is RGB.

 

[markw]

Are you screwed? Maybe, if you are inflexible on your goal.

But, most of us wound just concede to the reality that HDMI is the wave of the future and simply run it to the monitor.

And, why would you want to downgrade the digital HDMI signal to analog RGB? Why even bother with hi-rez HD-DVD in the first place?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have a 75ft run from my LCD to my AV. I thought that was too much for HDMI.?????

 

[markw]

It is

I have a 75ft run from my LCD to my AV. I thought that was too much for HDMI.?????

You're right. That is too long.

You're boned. Read the second paragraph in my earlier response. That's like drinking fine wine out of a cardboard cup.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Thanks....you have been of very little help!

 

[Bigfishe]

You can still go HDMI, you will just need an HDMI repeater
Which will add some cost to your system, but still give you the results you are looking for.

GOOGLE HDMI repeater

 

[agarwalro]

I have a 75ft run from my LCD to my AV.

Is there any way to reduce this distance? If not,

you will just need an HDMI repeater

This is definitely the way to go.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have to go up a 14 ft ceiling and then across a 30ft room and then half-way back down the wall so I cant go much shorter at all. I will have to research what the HDMI repeater is but in the mean time, do you think I am safe with the Yamaha rx 659 w/o hdmi? Later I can just run the HD DVD directly to the LCD with the repeater?

Thanks for the real help vs. just comments.

 

[markw]

Well, you're probably right.

Thanks....you have been of very little help!

But, it's not for lack of trying.

Personally, I didn't know these repeaters existed but I see you are still worried about your receiver. Are you still thinking of sending HDMI through it and downconverting it to component?

Hint, repeated... if you run the HDMI directly from the source, you ain't running HDMI through the receiver, and it's lack of HDMI is not an issue.

And, until you get that HDMI run to your monitor (with the needed cables and repeaters) you might just as well run component from the source to the receiver, and from there to the monitor.

Nuttin' lile fine wine in a cardboard cup...

 

[BMXTRIX]

You never want to tether yourself to a single cable option to any display. While it sounds like such a good idea, when you have long runs such as your setup involves you want to run EVERY cable you might need the first time, then not bother with cabling ever again.

So, HDMI, composite, HDMI, and VGA are the very least that I would run. I would add cat-5 for potential networking as well (at some point).

There are numerous ways to send HDMI 75 feet, including cables that have actually been certified up to that distance (I believe). But, repeaters can help, and there are HDMI to optical coverters as well.

Technically HDMI carries the same HD signal over the cable that component video does, so it should also be considered whether or not HDMI is actually going to give you any image quality boost. Over a good component run vs. a HDMI run, in about half the cases the video quality remains the same, or very close to the same. The other half of the time, (mostly) HDMI will look noticably better. But, not a 'ton' better - just a bit better typically.

This is something you can test by putting your HD disc player close to your display and testing with shorter cables before running the long cables. In my similar setup (long runs) I simply haven't run HDMI to this point. I know I will at some point, but right now I not only get full HD via component, but I have a component video matrix switch so my HD DVRs, DVD collection, and PS3 (Blu-ray) can be sent to any room of my home. My wife can watch something on the DVR in the bedroom, while my son watches Toy Story in his playroom and I work Resistance: Fall Of Man on the projector in the family room.

I'm not sure that HDMI makes as much sense for everyone as some would lead people to believe. It sure as heck isn't a 'standard' part of sub $1K receivers at this point! Plus, no matrixing and limitied/iffy distance issues.

 

[jcPanny]

Software limitations of component video

I have heard that HD-DVD and BluRay discs can software limit the component output to 480p, effectively negating the benifit of the new high resolution formats. Just another consideration for your wiring.

Also keep in mind, you don't need an HDMI receiver to take advantage of HDMI video. You can always directly connect a single source to your display and use component video and receiver switching for the other sources. Add an HDMI switch box for multiple HDMI sources.