DVD player to receiver or direct to TV ?

[JackStraw]

I connected my DVD player to the Yammie 1400, after a week the picture quality went downhill

I connected the DVD player back direclty to the plamsa, and the DVD playback is now crystal clear

anyone else experience this ? I would like to take advantage of component switching with the receiver, but not if I have to suffer poor DVD playback

the difference is really noticeable

thanks for any feedback

 

[ruadmaa]

Direct Connections to TV

I run all my components (Hughes E86 sat box, DVD players (2)) directly to the TV with audio cables going to both my receiver and to the TV. Not only does this give the best picture but enables you to watch a DVD or Satellite TV without having to turn on your receiver. When I am watching the late show and the rest of the family is sleeping I don't want to use a high power audio system so no, it is not stupid for me to be able to run the system both ways. (with or without receiver on)

I have also heard from several sources that running cables through the receiver can degrade the signal.

 

[FallenAngel]

Exactly...

Receivers are not made for handling video, they're about audio. There are typically some basic video connections, like S-Video, sometimes but not always allowing for switching. But if you really want to benefit from MPEG-2 sources like DVD, it is much better to configure RGB or Component transfer directly to TV. Utterly few receivers have plugs for this.

Signal degradation is unfortunately to be expected for switches, internal or external. Cables are made according to industry standards, matching electrical conditions in equipments. Just compare a 2 meter/75 Ohm RCA cable with 2 enlaced 1 meter cables . Resistance, capacitance etc. change, and it's like putting a filter in the middle. To avoid this, switch has to be active and of good quality, as good as your equipment.

 

[Unregistered]

Nowadays even entry level receivers in the $200 range have connections for composite and s-video. Step up to $300 and they have component video connections, so I disagree with your assertion that utterly few receivers have plugs for video connections.

Whether or not video switching in the receiver degrades signal quality has been debated to death on many forums with the consensus being that there is no discernable picture loss. Naturally, some people do see some pq loss, but is it the fault of the receiver - maybe, lots of other variables.

The convenience of switching via the receiver outweighs the slight, if any, picture quality loss for many. The only way to settle the debate is to try it for yourself and make your own judgement.