Is HDMI Pass Through Capable On The Pioneer VSX-51?

[jberenyi]

Hello Everyone,

I'm hoping someone has this answer. I have tried everything in the manual to try and pass through HDMI video and audio from my Pioneer VSX-51 to my Pioneer Plasma 5020FD. Can someone please help me and tell me if its possible and if it is...HOW? All I want to do is put the receiver in standby and still have audio and video on the TV which has the Pioneer sound bar on it.

 

[fuzz092888]

I took a look through the manual and I couldn't find that your receiver does this. Did you verify that it could do this before you bought it?

 

[jberenyi]

I took a look through the manual and I couldn't find that your receiver does this. Did you verify that it could do this before you bought it?

Yes with input from an installer. If I can't do this I'm thinking of buying an HDMI splitter and picking another input on the TV when I shut down the receiver. I think this will work but it just bugs me that I spent endless hours trying to get a $500 receiver to do this function which you think all should do. Its a no-brainer to me. I'd rather spend another $25 for a splitter than buy another receiver.

 

[fuzz092888]

Yea, I took another look and I still can't seem to find HDMI pass through so I'm 90% sure it doesn't do it unless I'm seriously missing something. The splitter is a good idea. Just go to monoprice and get a splitter.

For only $22.84 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 1X2 Mini HDMI® Splitter w/ 3D support | HDMI Powered & Passive 1 X 2 Splitters

 

[jberenyi]

Well I got the official word from Pioneer themselves today. Yes the VSX-51 will perform pass through on HDMI for video and audio however....the Motorola DCT3400 cable box from Comcast will not allow that feature to work correctly because it is not compatible with the Pioneer because it does not have the proper HDMI control. The new (2013) Pioneer units take this issue into account and does not rely on any particular requirements from a source connection with HDMI. He did tell my a way to connect though to by-pass this issue and still get what I want. Very excited about this new way and can hardly wait to try it out.

 

[bobwwii]

Well I got the official word from Pioneer themselves today. Yes the VSX-51 will perform pass through on HDMI for video and audio however....the Motorola DCT3400 cable box from Comcast will not allow that feature to work correctly because it is not compatible with the Pioneer because it does not have the proper HDMI control. The new (2013) Pioneer units take this issue into account and does not rely on any particular requirements from a source connection with HDMI. He did tell my a way to connect though to by-pass this issue and still get what I want. Very excited about this new way and can hardly wait to try it out.

Please elaborate on what the Pioneer guy told you to get hdmi passthrough to work. You can't end a post like that man. Geez

 

[jberenyi]

Basically just connect the HDMI output from the cable box directly to the TV. Then purchase an audio link cable and go from the Pioneer plasma to the receiver. This way you can shut off the receiver and still have your TV video and sound. It's so simple I don't know why I didn't think of it. Just got my new audio link cable yesterday and ready to configure the system this other way.

 

[fuzz092888]

Basically just connect the HDMI output from the cable box directly to the TV. Then purchase an audio link cable and go from the Pioneer plasma to the receiver. This way you can shut off the receiver and still have your TV video and sound. It's so simple I don't know why I didn't think of it. Just got my new audio link cable yesterday and ready to configure the system this other way.

I knew it didn't have pass through. He just provided you with a workaround. Personally, if someone told me it was possible for a receiver to do something and then it was wasn't without buying additional equipment I'd be pretty pissed.

 

[fuzz092888]

Plus you're bypassing any video up converting your receiver may be able to do. Is it just a stereo cable going from the plasma to the receiver?

 

[jberenyi]

When I called Pioneer and spoke to a very knowledgable man, he specifically said that this receiver has HDMI pass through. The only reason it is not performing this function is due to the Comcast Motorola cable box which many have mentioned on the net as having the same problem. He claimed it did not have the proper HDCP keys. Video upconverting a crappy picture is still crappy...is it not. Kinda like an out of focus picture. No matter what you do its still out of focus. The audio link cable is some fancy cable to push the audio from the receiver to the TV. I did buy the Hi-speed HDMI cable from Mono too.

 

[fuzz092888]

When I called Pioneer and spoke to a very knowledgable man, he specifically said that this receiver has HDMI pass through. The only reason it is not performing this function is due to the Comcast Motorola cable box which many have mentioned on the net as having the same problem. He claimed it did not have the proper HDCP keys. Video upconverting a crappy picture is still crappy...is it not. Kinda like an out of focus picture. No matter what you do its still out of focus. The audio link cable is some fancy cable to push the audio from the receiver to the TV. I did buy the Hi-speed HDMI cable from Mono too.

Depends, personally I think there's a little bit of difference up converting 720P to 1080P, but I'm also using a different receiver. Upconverting 480 to 1080 or a larger difference like that can be hit or miss. I think my receiver does an adequate job of doing so and I think there is a difference when I play a regular DVD through the Oppo blu-ray player, since that up converts as well. Neither will look like an out of focus picture if your receiver is doing what it is supposed to and isn't terrible, at least in my experience. This receiver will pass both audio and video via HDMI through? I'm going to have to look at the manual again because I definitely didn't see that when I took a quick look through.

Can you post a link to this cable? So you're saying you're connecting the motorola box via HDMI directly to the TV. Then connecting an audio cable from the TV to the receiver so that you can choose to use the receiver for audio or the TV speakers, and also bypassing the receiver completely for video?

 

[jberenyi]

Well I connected the optical audio cable and set the input for TV/SAT to OPTICAL 1. Works great and I have all surround features as well. Be sure to get your input set correctly or it will not recognize the optical audio cable.

 

[fuzz092888]

Well I connected the optical audio cable and set the input for TV/SAT to OPTICAL 1. Works great and I have all surround features as well. Be sure to get your input set correctly or it will not recognize the optical audio cable.

Yea, I remember doing the old optical cable thing before I had a box. Did this representative explain how to activate the HDMI through on your receiver so you could try it? I finally found it in the manual. Didn't help that it wasn't called "pass through".

 

[Adam]

Didn't help that it wasn't called "pass through".

What was it called? I tried to find it when this thread started, and I remember that some manuals don't call it "pass through," but I can't remember the other term.

 

[fuzz092888]

What was it called? I tried to find it when this thread started, and I remember that some manuals don't call it "pass through," but I can't remember the other term.

It's called "standby through" but there's a catch. You also have to activate "control" in order to use it. Apparently if you don't read the manual carefully it's easy to miss both it and the catch. This is the fourth time I've "thumbed" through the manual and only just caught it. Stupid Pio, no offense Adam

 

[jberenyi]

The manual location is page 44 "HDMI Setup" Step 7. Pioneer was correct. It has HDMI pass through providing your equipment is compatible. Can't help it if Motorola is a piece of lame technology. Regarding this question above: "So you're saying you're connecting the motorola box via HDMI directly to the TV. Then connecting an audio cable from the TV to the receiver so that you can choose to use the receiver for audio or the TV speakers, and also bypassing the receiver completely for video?"...the answer is yes.

For only $4.03 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 6ft Premium Optical Toslink Cable w/ Metal Fancy Connector | Toslink to Toslink - 8.0mm OD

 

[jberenyi]

On page 44 Section 7 is the pass through info. Different description but its there like Pioneer said. Here is the audio cable I bought:

For only $4.03 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 6ft Premium Optical Toslink Cable w/ Metal Fancy Connector | Toslink to Toslink - 8.0mm OD

 

[Grador]

Video upconverting a crappy picture is still crappy...is it not. Kinda like an out of focus picture. No matter what you do its still out of focus.

I know this is kinda a side-point, but you know that SOMETHING has to upconvert the picture somewhere down the line if it's not the same resolution as your TV. If you're tv is 1080 it ALWAYS displays a 1080 picture, as that's the number of physical pixles it has. If you have a 720 source and don't let the cablebox/bluray or the receiver upconvert then the TV will be doing that job for you.

 

[jberenyi]

Info on pass through is page 44 "HDMI Setup" Section 7. Doesn't matter what they call it...its there for all to read. Those monoprice optical audio connectors are awesome. Does everything I wanted it to. One happy camper. Forgot to answer your question: "So you're saying you're connecting the motorola box via HDMI directly to the TV. Then connecting an audio cable from the TV to the receiver so that you can choose to use the receiver for audio or the TV speakers, and also bypassing the receiver completely for video?" Yes

 

[fuzz092888]

Info on pass through is page 44 "HDMI Setup" Section 7. Doesn't matter what they call it...its there for all to read. Those monoprice optical audio connectors are awesome. Does everything I wanted it to. One happy camper. Forgot to answer your question: "So you're saying you're connecting the motorola box via HDMI directly to the TV. Then connecting an audio cable from the TV to the receiver so that you can choose to use the receiver for audio or the TV speakers, and also bypassing the receiver completely for video?" Yes

You still haven't answered my other question, which was did you try it? Did you enable "control" and then switch "standby through" to yes? You had said before you couldn't find it and then you said they told you it wouldn't work, but no mention of whether or not you tried it. It's important that you switched both settings to yes before you tried it and not just the "standby through".