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Originally Posted by helsenvan  Hello, I can't say that I'm new to hi-def since I own LCD TV for quite a while and have been watching hidef broadcasts since. I just bought a new blu-ray player (PS3) and I'm in the market for a new receiver. My old one doesn't have HDMI inputs. I will probably need 3 HDMI inputs (not sure) since I also have hd box from my cable company so it would be nice if there is a spare hdmi input for future needs.
I read in this forum that the receiver need to have high def audio processor, which my old one doesn't have, only DTS max.
My old denon was above 1K but since I'm planning on getting some more hidef gears, I'm looking for a good receiver under $1K, any advice? |
There's a lot of choices under $1k. The best route will be to first decide what features you NEED and when features you WANT. How many HDMI inputs, etc.
You don't need HD audio processing, because the disc players can decode HD audio and send it as multichannel PCM, which is lossless. Only a few disc players can send HD audio as bitstream, which is what you want if you want your receiver to decode. You also need HDMI 1.3/1.3a for that. The disc players all decode HD audio very well, and you won't hear any difference in either method.
However, in the $1k price range, most AVRs will have HDMI 1.3a and at least 3 HDMI inputs. Many will offer video upscaling, or at least conversion of analog inputs to HDMI, but usually it's better to let your monitor or player handle upscaling and conversions. One other consideration is 7:1 audio processing. You want the capability of decoding 5:1 audio into 7:1, which any of these will do, except the Onkyo 605.
There's at least 3 Onkyo 7:1 and 3-4 Yamaha 7:1 models that fall into your price range, and both these brands are highly respected. Note that Yamaha is in the process of rolling out new models, so you may see old and new models for sale. My personal preference would be the Yamaha RX-V663, V863 or V1800 models. The 1800 will blow your hair back without breaking a sweat, but they are all very fine hardware. You may find a good deal on any of the Yamaha discontinued models, the V661, V861 or V1700.