Denon AVR-1912: A Newbie's Dilemma

[spillenger]

I just bought a Denon AVR-1912. Here are the other components I'm running through and from it:

Oppo BDP-93 blu-ray; Samsung HP-T5054 720p Plasma Display; Motorola QIP-7216 PVR (cable box). Everything is connected via HDMI. I have some questions:

1. Should I be able to route both audio and video from from the cable box and the blu-ray player through HDMI through the AVR to the monitor? Are there handshake issues anywhere in this configuration?

2. With my cable TV, but not with my blu-ray player, I am getting a 16x9 aspect ratio but the frame is smaller than the monitor -- by about 15-20%. It's like a rectangle within a rectangle. I've tried to figure out if there is any adjustment I can make to the video processing part of the Denon's setup (I've already done the initial easy setup), but I can't figure out from the manual how to even access the video setup. I press MENU on the remote, and nothing happens! I press SETUP -- same thing. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I should be able to find out whether the AVR is sending through all the video resolution the Samsung is capable of displaying, no? How do you access the MENU or SETUP on the Denon after you've done the initial setup?

3. Sometimes when I try to use the Oppo or watch cable TV, I get a "Mode Not Supported" error message on the display. Usually it goes away quickly; sometimes it doesn't. What's up with that?

4. It's been suggested that I can't in fact route both cable and the Oppo through the Denon, though being able to do that seemed to be the whole point of having an AVR. I'm told I need to run the cable box straight into the display, and run an optical cable to the receiver. Why is this, and doesn't it defeat the purpose of an AVR?

5. Since the Denon and the Oppo are new purchases, does that make it likely that either the Samsung display or the cable box is behind the curve somehow in its technology and is unable to handle the full potential of HDMI?

6. Should I be setting my cable box for 720 or 1080? How about the Oppo? And the Denon (assuming I can access settings)?

7. Finally, is there some site like Denon AVR-1912 for dummies? I've been to the batpigworld site, and it's a noble effort but doesn't begin to answer my questions.

Many thanks.

 

[AVRat]

1. Yes, see pg. 86. Maybe
2. Not sure what’s going on. So you can’t call up the Menu using the remote? I’d try doing a microprocessor reset, pg. 126. If you still can’t call up the menu, I’d return it since there’s a problem with that unit.
3. Sounds like a handshake issue.
4. Hogwash!
5. Possible and maybe
6. Both to 720. Can’t find a way to set output resolution on the Denon. It may automatically adjust.

 

[spillenger]

Thanks a lot!

 

[MDS]

I just bought a Denon AVR-1912. Here are the other components I'm running through and from it:

Oppo BDP-93 blu-ray; Samsung HP-T5054 720p Plasma Display; Motorola QIP-7216 PVR (cable box). Everything is connected via HDMI. I have some questions:

1. Should I be able to route both audio and video from from the cable box and the blu-ray player through HDMI through the AVR to the monitor? Are there handshake issues anywhere in this configuration?

Yes, you should be able to route everything through the AVR. Cable boxes sometimes cause handshake issues but that is mostly a thing of the past so it should work. If it does not work then you'd have to connect it to the TV and use optical out from the TV to the AVR (or better yet request a new box that does work from the cable company).

2. With my cable TV, but not with my blu-ray player, I am getting a 16x9 aspect ratio but the frame is smaller than the monitor -- by about 15-20%. It's like a rectangle within a rectangle. I've tried to figure out if there is any adjustment I can make to the video processing part of the Denon's setup (I've already done the initial easy setup), but I can't figure out from the manual how to even access the video setup. I press MENU on the remote, and nothing happens! I press SETUP -- same thing. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I should be able to find out whether the AVR is sending through all the video resolution the Samsung is capable of displaying, no? How do you access the MENU or SETUP on the Denon after you've done the initial setup?

The cable box has to be setup to use 16x9 aspect ratio too and it may also have various 'stretch' modes. If the AVR also does video processing and its settings are different, you may have the issue you are talking about. I'd set the AVR to do no video processing ('passthrough' mode) and work with the cable box settings initially. It sounds like either the cable box or AVR is using a setting sometimes called '4:3 HD' where it is taking a 16:9 HD signal and displaying it in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

If the remote isn't working, make sure it is set to 'receiver/amp'. Many pre-programmed remotes have little buttons to choose between amp/tv/vcr/etc. Also of course make sure it has fresh batteries.

3. Sometimes when I try to use the Oppo or watch cable TV, I get a "Mode Not Supported" error message on the display. Usually it goes away quickly; sometimes it doesn't. What's up with that?

It likely means the Oppo or cable box are set to output a resolution or frequency the TV does not support, such as 24 frames per second where the TV can only work with 30 fps. It could be caused by video processing in the AVR, so initially turn all video processing off on the AVR until you get it right and then mess with the AVR settings, although I'd leave them off forever.

4. It's been suggested that I can't in fact route both cable and the Oppo through the Denon, though being able to do that seemed to be the whole point of having an AVR. I'm told I need to run the cable box straight into the display, and run an optical cable to the receiver. Why is this, and doesn't it defeat the purpose of an AVR?

Only if the cable box has handshake issues or you want to watch TV without the AVR and speakers.

5. Since the Denon and the Oppo are new purchases, does that make it likely that either the Samsung display or the cable box is behind the curve somehow in its technology and is unable to handle the full potential of HDMI?

Cable box maybe, but not likely the Denon/Oppo/Samsung. It's most likely the combination of video settings on the AVR and cable box that is the issue.

6. Should I be setting my cable box for 720 or 1080? How about the Oppo? And the Denon (assuming I can access settings)?

Ideally you should set them to 'pass through'; ie 'don't do anything to the incoming resolution'. The TV is going to take whatever signal it gets and scale it to the TV's native resolution so it's best to not have anything else in the path that changes the resolution. The TV generally will do a much better job of scaling.

If the cable box does not have a pass through option, then set it to 1080i if the TV has a resolution of 1080p.

 

[spillenger]

This is incredibly helpful. Than you so much for taking the time. Here's what I've learned and figured out:

1. Routing everything through the AVR now works perfectly.
2. Here is a testament to my ignorance (and I work in the TV industry!): I was trying to see full HD resolution on non-HD cable channels! As soon as I switched to an HD channel, the whole display filled up with the proper resolution. Interestingly, when the show went to commercial, the picture went small again for the first commercial, and back to large for the second and third, which suggests to me that even on HD channels some commercials are not HD and so they take up a rectangle in the middle of the display. Slowly but surely I'm getting it ...
3. The Mode Not Supported message is gone. I think the components of the system just needed to get to know each other.
4. All now works great routed through the Denon. I finally figured out how to access Setup and Menu from the remote. It could have been explained a tad more clearly, but I got it in the end.
5. No longer an issue.
6. I experimented setting the set-top box to 720 and 1080, and I saw no difference in picture at all. So I left it at 1080 even though the display can only show 720p. I haven't tried playing a Blu Ray disc yet (I don't own one!), but at that point I'll see if I have to make an adjustment to the Oppo for resolution purposes.

Thanks again. Mostly posting on the Internet gets me useless responses that waste my time. This one was the exception, and I appreciate it.

 

[MDS]

2. Here is a testament to my ignorance (and I work in the TV industry!): I was trying to see full HD resolution on non-HD cable channels! As soon as I switched to an HD channel, the whole display filled up with the proper resolution. Interestingly, when the show went to commercial, the picture went small again for the first commercial, and back to large for the second and third, which suggests to me that even on HD channels some commercials are not HD and so they take up a rectangle in the middle of the display. Slowly but surely I'm getting it

That is exactly right and if you are the type that would prefer that the picture always fill the entire screen (as I do) then you need to investigate your TV's stretch modes. If your TV has a setting that is something like 'auto aspect ratio' (like mine does) you want to turn that off and then set your preferred zoom or stretch setting.

 

[AVRat]

Glad all is well and we could help.

 

[ASlobin]

Trouble with my BD Player

Hi Folks,

Need some help here....hoping you can assist.

Have an AVR-1912 that I just bought. My BD player is connected (correctly) and for some reason, when I select my BD player (with the remote or directly on the receive), I only get the sound, and the image doesn't come through to my Television.

I have all of my components going into the receiver via HDMI, and a single HDMI cable going out from my AVR to the TV.

My cable box and Google TV module (Logitech Revue) work just fine. Not so much with the BD player. Sound. No picture.

If anyone can give me some advice here, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.