Old Receiver New Everything Else

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Are the AV connections I am about to attempt reasonable? Stupid? Will work but quality will be comprimised? Etc...I would appreciate some opinions and anticipate any problems please.

Ok. Just bought the works 3D Plasma, Bluray etc...all the latest within my budget.
I have an old receiver I bought about 5 or 6 years ago (Yamaha Rx V559).
I have been pretty happy with it so far however it has no HDMI inputs or outputs.

It does have 1 digital optical output and 3 digital optical inputs. (plus a whole lotta other ins and outs)

The bluray and Plasma both have 1 digital optical output as does my TBox. I will plug these into my receiver.

I will use HDMI directly from my bluray and TBox into my plasma. Eventually I will be adding a WiiU to the whole system when it comes out later in the year.

Above all else I wish to utilise the full HD capacity my plasma now offers me and wish to listen to it with 5.1 stereo surround sound.

Also, can I just run HDMI from everything into my plasma and then run just the 1 digital optical output from the plasma to my receiver. Will that work?

Or should I just drop a $1,000 on a new receiver?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

Your plan of connecting HDMI outputs from your sources to your TV, and connecting optical outputs from all sources (including the TV) to your receiver will work just fine. The video quality won't be compromised one bit from doing that. The audio quality will be compromised slightly on some material, but probably not noticeably.

I say that about the audio quality because optical audio connections won't transfer the newer audio codecs (such as DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD), as you'll need an HDMI connection to a receiver to get those. However, I'm not sure that I can tell a difference between those audio codecs and the ones that do go over optical (e.g. DTS, Dolby Digital), so IMO it's not worth buying a new receiver just for that.

You probably won't want to run all HDMI to the TV and then only one optical audio connection from the TV to the receiver, but it depends on the TV. Most TVs will downconvert the audio from any HDMI input into two-channel stereo for output through the optical audio output. Some TVs, but the number is small, will allow 5.1 sound from an HDMI source to be output. I'd say check into your TV, but be prepared to make the connections from all sources. The switching between sources will take another click of a remote (unless your remote can do macros), but I think the surround sound is worth it.

Does that answer your questions?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Adam besides being [strike]a local joker[/strike] one of local jokers is also 100% right, I'd like to expand if you interested ever getting that 3D to work - HDMI 1.4 all around is required - IE TV, BluRay Player (which probably already are at 1.4) and a receiver

You don't have to spend a grand thou... there are cheaper options... I got my TX-SR805 4 years ago under $700 and still it holds ground with most things

 

[markw]

I have an old receiver I bought about 5 or 6 years ago (Yamaha Rx V559). I have been pretty happy with it so far however it has no HDMI inputs or outputs.

Got it.

It does have 1 digital optical output and 3 digital optical inputs. (plus a whole lotta other ins and outs)

Good. You're gonna need those inputs. The output, not so much.

IThe bluray and Plasma both have 1 digital optical output as does my TBox. I will plug these into my receiver.

Good move. I'm not too sure what good the Plasma will do. Generally, they only pass what is generated by the TV's internal tuner, not other sources.

II will use HDMI directly from my bluray and TBox into my plasma.

Good. That will assure the best quality picture. BTW, I have no idea what a "Tbox" is.

IEventually I will be adding a WiiU to the whole system when it comes out later in the year.

OK

IAbove all else I wish to utilise the full HD capacity my plasma now offers me and wish to listen to it with 5.1 stereo surround sound.

To do this, run HDMI from all your sources to the Plasma and a digital audio feed directly to the receiver.

Select what you watch via the TV. Select what you listen to via the receiver. This also affords the advantage of being able to use the TV and source without needing the receiver for sound. It'll come through the TV speakers. Just remember to turn the TV speakers down when using the AVR.

IAlso, can I just run HDMI from everything into my plasma and then run just the 1 digital optical output from the plasma to my receiver. Will that work?

I don't think that will work. As I said earlier, generally these only pass what is generated by the TV's internal tuner, not other sources. Of course, things could have changed.

IOr should I just drop a $1,000 on a new receiver?

Thanks in advance.

If you don't mine using the TV for video selection and the receiver for audio selection, there's no need. That's what I do and my receiver is 9 years old and I have no thoughts of replacing it. Sound wise, it's just fine.

Of course, if you're simply itching to replace it, this is a great excuse. There are other advantages and all switching can be done via the receiver.

 

[sideshift]

Thanks

Thanks. Those answers are great and give me a little confidence too. (I might actually know what I am doing.)

BTW a "TBox" is the Australian equivalent of a digital set top box that provides entertainment, internet, various internet based channels, movies on demand, and acts as a digital recorder and media centre too. It's 'ok'. In hindsight, I would have gone with a different product but I am stuck with it for a bit because I am locked into a contract for a year. I wouldn't recommend it. The only thing I use it for is to play movies and photos, that are saved on my home network, direct to my TV.

Thanks again. Everyone's answers are awesome.

 

[sideshift]

follow-up

Adam and MarkW

My Plasma TV (Panasonic TH-P60ST50A) was delivered today and I read the manual and you are both correct.

The manual explicitly states that if i want 5.1 surround sound I should run the audio from all my components directly into my receiver.

Thanks again.

Side

 

[LB06]

Only get a new receiver if you think you're going to be able to hear the difference between HD audio and normal audio on your speakers setup. Or if you have non-DD/DTS surround material, such as you get with PC gaming or some 5.1 albums. Or if you run into sync issues because of a lag on your new TV (Pana Plasma tends to be excellent though). Or if you you want to get rid of all those optical cables. With HDMI you could connect all your devices to the receiver alone and have one hdmi cable running from the receiver to the TV to pass on the video part. Much less cables.