Educate me on multi zone video receivers

[Stuckjb]

For a few years now I've been running a Sony 1070 receiver with 5.1 surround in our living room and a second audio zone outside. We are doing some renovations and will be adding a tv to our outdoor living space so I have been looking to update my receiver.

I have been looking at the Onkyo TX-RZ830 and Dennon (3500 or 4500) receivers that offer multi-zone video but I can't find much information online of people experience using this. They have good reviews but I don't see anything specifically talking about that. We'll mostly use the outside to watch sports and maybe some streaming and we listen to quite a bit of music in both areas (often inside and outside simultaneously).

A local pro was pretty steadfast that it doesn't work very well and I am better off with a Sonos system.

Can anyone give any feedback with personal experience?

 

[lovinthehd]

How would Sonos do video? Or am I not up to date on Sonos gear?

 

[Stuckjb]

I am having to read up on it myself and finding their website isn't very helpful.

 

[lovinthehd]

While I've got one avr with two hdmi outs I've never tried another zone for video with it (it says its for zone 4 specifically), and would have to check the manual for limitations/restrictions before I did. I just have other avrs for use with each tv, no desire to watch tv in the zone 2 I do use for audio outside. If Sonos does video its a new feature set since I last checked them out (don't want a Sonos system, rather have full range/capabilities gear).

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe @highfigh or @BMXTRIX can help out...

 

[highfigh]

For a few years now I've been running a Sony 1070 receiver with 5.1 surround in our living room and a second audio zone outside. We are doing some renovations and will be adding a tv to our outdoor living space so I have been looking to update my receiver.

I have been looking at the Onkyo TX-RZ830 and Dennon (3500 or 4500) receivers that offer multi-zone video but I can't find much information online of people experience using this. They have good reviews but I don't see anything specifically talking about that. We'll mostly use the outside to watch sports and maybe some streaming and we listen to quite a bit of music in both areas (often inside and outside simultaneously).

A local pro was pretty steadfast that it doesn't work very well and I am better off with a Sonos system.

Can anyone give any feedback with personal experience?

Personally, I would keep the outdoor system separate from the rest, other than an audio feed or, if you're using a streaming device like Sonos (personally, I like MusicCast and HEOS because they have features that make them more integrator-friendly), a separate player for the outdoors that can be paired to the other(s), so the same source can play everywhere, but if you want it to be different, go ahead.

Multi-zone receivers can work well, if you remember to keep it simple. When you try to be tricky, the wheels come off and it becomes more difficult for the whole family to use.

 

[highfigh]

How would Sonos do video? Or am I not up to date on Sonos gear?

It doesn't, but their players (Sonos Connect and Sonos Amp) have an Aux in for the audio. While the audio is in synch between zones, it may not be in synch with the display.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Dual zone A/V receivers work VERY well in my experience. While it is limited, I have set this up in one (and only one) location, but it works really well.

The A/V receiver passes video + audio to the second zone TV, this means that it tells the source to switch to 'stereo' instead of surround sound. I think you will still have to make analog audio connections from the source equipment to the receiver, and I'm not sure how it handles the actual audio output if you only have a digital device, like a Roku or Chromecast product. But, if it is a cable box with analog audio, you won't have any issues at all.

Stereo audio will be fed to the speakers, as you have already been doing, in zone 2, and video will be sent to zone 2 TV over HDMI. Zone 1 TV can watch something completely different. If both zone 1 and zone 2 are watching the same thing, there will be a LOT of flickering for about 10 seconds as copyright protection is authenticated, but then both displays will show the same thing.

The hard part is usually getting the HDMI cable outside to zone 2. You can typically use HDMI extenders.

This is all predicated on a 1080p system, not a 4K system. 4K looks like it will work as well, but you will need the proper cables.