My roommate just got a new receiver that has HDMI connectivity, 2 in and 1 out......

After reading the manual it seems the receiver won't decode audio from the HDMI inputs, so i have to instead run audio out cables from the tv.....

Why won't it decode audio from the HDMI inputs??? is this just common among cheaper receivers? (Yamaha HTR-6140BL)

1/6/2009 7:04:59 PM

There are some that do, mostly you run into them not allowing audio pass through for HDMI, why are you running out of the tv and not the source?

1/6/2009 7:09:40 PM

Send it back and buy http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR606-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0015S8PGW

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Where in the manual did you see this? On page 67 of the manual there's an option to select whether or not HDMI audio is decoded by the receiver.

[Edited on January 6, 2009 at 7:24 PM. Reason : ]

1/6/2009 7:14:32 PM

yeah, page 67 explains it. Need to check through the menu setup to get the settings set right. have d call me if there's problems.

seems like specs may have been misleading when we were looking. Have him call me. May be sending this one back depending on a few things.

[Edited on January 6, 2009 at 7:45 PM. Reason : ]

1/6/2009 7:40:51 PM

yea i'd return it. hdmi pass through is possibly the most useless feature ever.

1/6/2009 8:06:10 PM

Quote :

"why are you running out of the tv and not the source?"

i'm using the digital audio out on the back of the tv, is there a better way?

i have the TWC cable box and my PS3 going into the receiver through HDMI, then an HDMI from there to the tv, then an optical cable from the tv to the receiver

i thought the point of hdmi switching was so that all you have to do to change sources is to hit a button on the receiver and you're good to go, instead of having to change inputs on the tv as well???

1/7/2009 1:10:11 AM

if your receiver won't decode audio from the hdmi ports, then your next best option would be to hook up optical/coax cables from your devices to inputs on your receiver. most receivers have assignable digital ins... so you could assign a digital in to its appropriate video input.

don't pass it through the tv first

1/7/2009 1:18:14 AM

i guess that does make more sense

is there a catch-phrase or term i can look for on receiver specs to know if they decode audio from HDMI or not???

1/7/2009 1:45:04 AM

Quote :

"Where in the manual did you see this? On page 67 of the manual there's an option to select whether or not HDMI audio is decoded by the receiver."

Have you tried this setting from the manual? Is this affecting audio from both the PS3 and the TWC cable box?

[Edited on January 7, 2009 at 6:42 AM. Reason : ]

1/7/2009 6:37:30 AM

check out the avsforum.com receiver section. it has all the info you need in the stickies including popular full HDMI receivers at all price points.

1/7/2009 8:23:39 AM

^^sorry, the model is actually the 61[b]30[i]BL

there isn't even a page 67 in the manual

1/7/2009 12:25:34 PM

Not sure when the last time it was updated, but this a sticky from the avsforum that helped me out when I was going through the same process:

Quote :

"List of HTIB's and/or AVR's with HDMI audio processing (5.1/7.1 PCM) Denon -AVR-2308CI -AVR-788 -AVR-1908 Samsung -AS720 Sony -HT-7200DH (Available May) -HT-CT100 -HT-SS2300 (Coming this summer) -HT-SF2000 -HT-SS2000 -STR-DG720 -STR-DG820 -STR-DG910 -STR-DG920 Onkyo -HT-SP907 -HT-SP908 -TX-SR605 -TX-SR705 -TX-SR875 *All Onkyo receivers models SR6XX and above will be able (or already are able) to handle HDMI audio. Bose Harman Kardon -AVR-247 -AVR-347 -AVR-254/354/754 (coming spring/summer 2008) Yamaha -RX-V661 -RX-V663"

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1019554

[Edited on January 7, 2009 at 12:42 PM. Reason : ]

1/7/2009 12:41:39 PM

^AVSForum is the place to be. Anyone who knows anything about A/V is going to be there. Several industry insiders regularly post there.

Quote :

"yea i'd return it. hdmi pass through is possibly the most useless feature ever."

Well, it's next to useless... My last receiver didn't have HDMI, so i could either:

A. Switch input for video with the TV remote and audio with the receiver remote
B. Get 1080p but settle for DolbyDigital 5.1 (or 2-channel DTS) by switching inputs on the TV
C. Get DTS 5.1 but settle for 1080i by switching on the receiver

Had it just had HDMI Passthrough, I could've gotten 1080p and DTS 5.1. Now that I have a receiver that decodes audio from HDMI, I am able to get 1080p and Uncompressed 7-channel PCM, switch from only one remote, and also have just 3 cables (aside from speaker wire and power); PS3 to receiver over HDMI, cable box to receiver over HDMI, and receiver to TV over HDMI.

Of course the whole argument is moot, because more quality in sound is usually lost mastering it, than is lost compressing; so a good master over DolbyDigital will sound better than a bad master of uncompressed PCM.

1/7/2009 3:22:25 PM

i guess this begs my next question........

With a lower end HDMI receiver, should i even bother running the video source through the receiver and then to the TV??? Seems like another way to degrade the signal.....

1/8/2009 1:03:55 PM

^ It's digital. So long as the 1s and 0s are in the same places, there's nothing to degrade.

1/8/2009 1:05:17 PM

I wouldn't worry about it. Your roommate will probably send it all back and let you buy the sound system.

1/8/2009 4:32:28 PM

^^^yes, because you will only have to switch inputs on one device, rather than two. you will need an additional HDMI cable though, if you don't already have one.

1/8/2009 5:05:04 PM