Sony STR-DH800 7.1-Channel Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.
Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound...the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn't sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said "oh its set to TV + Amp". So we changed that setting to just "Amp" and bingo...DTS surround sound!! I said "but that's the factory default setting". He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to "Amp" only and not the default setting of "TV + Amp". What the...??
So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my "Watchmen" Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to "Amp" instead of the default "TV + Amp" unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them.

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The STR-DH800 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver delivers the Full HD 1080 experience to a home theater system. This newly designed 1080p A/V Receiver features 7 HD inputs including 4 HDMI inputs with "Active Intelligence" that allow the desire for more HD content to grow. In addition, the STR-DH800 is compatible with 24p True Cinema technology video signals and decodes uncompressed audio formats (Dolby TrueHD/dts Master Audio/LPCM via HDMI) making it compatible with Blu-ray DiscPlayers , the PlayStation 3 Technology and other HD sources. Simply plug in the optional S-Air transmitter and turn on the AirStation client (sold separately) and listen to your favorite music in another room or in multiple rooms.

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Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs Review

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(More customer reviews)I read the two negative reviews with apprehension when I bought this product. However, I took the advice of an amazon supervisor and gave it a shot. HDMI pass through works great on audio and video, even though the instructions in the manual are confusing by showing other configurations. I recommend hooking up all hdmi cables from the quick set-up sheet and ignore other configurations in the manual. Also, I did not perform the speaker callibration.
Set up was more difficult because I use an A/B configuration. My indoor speakers run on A, then I switch off the front indoor and switch on my outdoor speakers using front B. Support from Sony was not the best and I had to call back several times. Tech support associates assumed everything was ready, repeating the company line about automatic detection but that's not entirely accurate. Here's the scoop, Sony sets these receivers up for basic home theater use and specialized options, like A/B, will likely require amp menu changes. Also, older equipment like tv's etc may require changes and/or loss of function like the theater button (which is not a big deal for me because I like to manually choose my sound using sound field on the remote). I just don't understand why A/B isn't turned on automatically at the factory, or why they didn't make A/B turn on automatically if speakers were attached to the B channel, now that would be auto detection!
Here's the deal if you are running A/B configuration you need to use the amp menu button on your remote, select speaker pattern, using up and down in the center controls of remote and choose 3/2.1 plus the middle bullseye for enter. Now SB assign is no longer grayed out and you can turn on B, also under the amp menu speaker option. I read a review on a different Sony receiver that said basically Sony turns off a lot of options, so the user has to manually turn these on and I completely agree with that assessment, plus I would add that Sony does not do a good job of outlining this in the instructions. That's why you shouldn't get frustrated, just call support early and multiple times if you don't feel like you are getting the right answer. Sometimes I had to reference the page of the directions, state clearly the function I wanted to perform and not accept their pat answer which is use the sound field button, or automatic detection. Neither of those things work if you have to turn on/adjust speaker options and/or adjust other devices like tv and dvd player.
Overall, the instructions were very confusing and tech support associates were at times impatient and/or condescending. It has great sound, although sound effects sometimes drown out the center channel speaker. You must use at least the front and center speakers to hear words in movies, plus it automatically turns off your tv volume. It sort of takes control over your tv which is convenient but doesn't allow for any manual overrides. So if you want to use your tv for the center channel, or to boost the sound of the spoken words in a movie, no dice. Before I was using a yamaha and it was manual enough to use the tv for the center channel speaker. Also, the yamaha has just a little better sound quality but I am splitting hairs.
What makes this a better product is that it works/plays better with other devices, no quirks or freezing up, plus remote codes are a snap. There are a lot more bells and whistles but you will probably need to ask support for help with any configuration beyond home theater. Overall, a pretty good product for the price. The positives more than outweigh the negatives.
Hint1: MULTI ST works great for music (basically plays left & right stereo out of all speakers.)
Hint2: Purchase a special cord with a left and right rca output on one end and an mp3 jack on the other, usually sells for $5-10. Hook up the rca cord ends to the front of the receiver and the other goes into where the headphones plug into the mp3 player. Choose video2 on your receiver remote and turn up your mp3 player to full volume, just change the volume from your receiver, not mp3. Now enjoy all your mp3 player's music throughout the house!

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Ignite your home entertainment experience with the STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V receiver. With six HD inputs (3 HDMI and 3 component), you can take full advantage of all your high-definition components including a Blu-ray Disc player or PS3 system. Everything you hear will sound as close to the master recording as possible with Dolby TrueHD and dts HD decoding technologies. This receiver also features wireless 2nd zone audio capabilities, which allows you transmit wireless audio in up to 10 additional rooms via optional S-AIR accessories. Plus, access all of your HDMI connected devices without having to power on the receiver thanks to standby pass-through.

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Panasonic DMP-BD50K 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)OK so I am one of the many who were waiting for this player for one big reason. I have expensive audio components and didn't want to replace them just to get HDMI input for True HD and DTS Master Audio. Now that I own it I can positively confirm that this player decodes both of the Hi-Def audio formats internally and sends them to the analog outputs... and OH MY what a huge difference over AC-3 or DTS!! The most noticeable thing is the ambient sound that is lost in compression. Watched 5th Element last night and the beginning of the movie starts with this echoing reverberation during the credits. In AC3 it sounds like an echo, but in TrueHD it's all filled in with a very deep sound field and detailed ambient sound. The overall impression is sound that is much fuller and balanced. It also has a nice feature called Dialog Enhancer which bumps the volume of dialog in soundtracks so you can hear the dialog when listning at low volume levels (so your spouse can sleep...feelin' me?). In 2 words - Worth it!
Next the features and a bonus for older Mitsu owners. I have a Mitsubishi WD-62628 1080P DLP TV. This unit was one of the first 1080P TV's made. They did not have the video processing capability at the time to take a 1080P input. So it's max input on the main HDMI connector or component video is 1080i and the TV upconverts to 1080P. This has left owners of this family of TV's with a quandary in that they want to see movies from their Blu-Ray player in 1080P not 1080i. There have been rumors that you can use the HDMI-2 input for native 1080P input if you tell the TV that a computer is connected. Well I can confirm that this actually works just fine !! You set the Net Command to enable HDMI-2 and that a PC is what is on that input. Disable the audio part (if you are going to use the analog outputs from the Panny like me) and then tell the blu-ray player to output at 1080P (rather than auto-detect). The TV will momentarily display a message that the video signal is non-standard, but will then display it anyway. So I get HD audio and 1080P video with my older TV and non-HDMI audio processor!! Bonus #2 is that this Panny player also has picture controls for brightness, contrast, gamma, color, and black level so you can tweak the picture if necessary. It also has canned settings (normal, cinema and 2 others). I find that movies look best in Cinema. It deepens the color and seems to provide better color spectrum.
I hope this answers the questions for a bunch of you that are still sitting on the wall. This one finally does it all, A/V wise. I have not hooked it up to the LAN yet for BD-Live functions. That was not a big part of my plan for this but will happen shortly.
Happy viewing!
Post Review Note: One thing I have discovered is that the picture controls on the BD50 don't offer as much adjustment as the controls on a TV. The straight 1080P input is a little on the bright side. I found that the BD50 will not enable 1080i component video and HDMI at the same time, it's one or the other. Once you turn on HDMI, it drops the component video to standard def no matter what you set it on. This means I can't look at upconverted 1080i (via component video) with full picture controls vs 1080p on HDMI-2 with the minimal controls offered by the BD50 without stopping the movie and re-starting it... Jury is still out on this one.

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PANASONIC DMP-BD50K BLU-RAY DISC(TM) PLAYER1080P OUTPUT: 24P(FOR BD-ROM ONLY)/60P ;3:2/2:2 PULL-DOWN PROGRESSIVE PROCESSING ;UP-CONVERSION TO 1080P; 148.5MHZ/12BIT VIDEO CONVERSION; PROGRESSIVE SCAN ; DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION ; DOLBY(R) DIGITAL PLUS, DOLBY(R) TRUEHD ; DTS(R)-HD ; DIALOGUE ENHANCER; DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSION ;HDMI(TM) V1.3 WITH DEEP COLOR(TM); COMPONENT & S-VIDEO OUTPUTS; DIGITAL AUDIO OUT ; SECURE DIGITAL CARD(R) SLOT; ETHERNET PORT; INCLUDES REMOTE

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Sony STR-DN1010 7.1-Channel A/V Blu-Ray Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)It has only been a few days since I received and setup my STR-DN1010. I purchased it along with the BDP-S570 Blu-ray player. Its interesting that Sony calls the receiver a Blu-ray receiver, they really go together. After three years I replaced my Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray and five year old Sony DE898 receiver where both devices preformed well, they did not offer the sound and features that I now have. The DN1010 is a good receiver, but with the addition of the S570, you have a wonderful sounding system with all the features that one would want in a new system.
Upgrading from your old devices is not that simple. If you have a lot of devices like I do, you need to create a diagram to lay it all out where each device will be plugged in. To start I would not begin without using banana plugs, as I do not like the plastic connectors on this receiver. Connecting the HDMI devices is easy. For me it was the Blu-ray player, a HD-DVD player, and an AT&T U-Verse receiver. I also have a Sony Turntable that was pluged into a phono jack on my old receiver. I changed the EQ switch to on and plugged it into the only analog audio port that being the SA-CD/CD Audio In and it works just fine. Now I also have an old CD Recorder. I used an Optical cable and plugged it into the optical port 1. My next device I needed to port was a Laser Disc player. I used its S-video output and went directly to my Samsung TV as Video 1 and ported the sound using its digital optical port to the receiver's optical port 2. Now all I had left was my Roku Soundbridge (great for internet radio). It has a coaxial port that I plugged into the receiver's coaxial port. Before I got my new receiver, I never had enough digital ports. You can not change the keys on the remote, but the name of all my devices show up just fine on the receivers display and when using the GUI display on my TV. Renaming is very easy using the GUI mode and the tools/options key on the remote. It all works and after setting up the speakers using the Auto Cal and a little fine tuning, I was ready to try it out. I put in my David Foster and Friends Hit Man Blu-ray disc and Wow, the sound is so much better then the setup of my old receiver. It is that good and every device works so well together. The receiver does not have DNLA streaming, but using that feature on the BDP-S570, I have online my whole music collection and using the Blu-ray's HDMI connection to the receiver, the sound is much better then what I am getting from my Roku Soundbridge. You can view on your TV what playlist you want to listen to, select it and then turn off the TV if you like. After a few days I desided to switch back the U-verse HDMI cable directly to the TV and use its speakers without turning on the receiver. I can also use the optical out from the TV and connect it to the receivers TV optical in and can enjoy surround sound from the receiver by selecting the TV key on the remote.
I hope I helped anyone interested in this receiver in getting the most out of a great system. And know that you are ready when the day comes when you purchase that 3D HD TV we may all want someday.
Update December 19th.. Just purchased a Sony 55HX800 3D TV and works great. When TV sees the receiver is on, sound switches to the receiver. All my Sony devices talk to each other. Only thing I do not like is when you turn the TV off, everything else turns off. Using Uverse or any other source I still recommand running a HDMI cable from the box directly to the TV. Most new TV's have an optical out from the TV and the receiver has optical TV in. With this TV which does not have the best speakers, when the receiver is on the TV will automatically switch to the receiver. With receiver off, sound will switch back to the TV. One last comment, because you have the same network features on the Blu-ray and the TV, I would use them from the Blu-ray because you have a HDMI connection to the receiver and then to the TV, where as you would need an optical cable from your TV to the receiver. Still both work great with great sound and picture.

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Take your high-definition surround sound experience to the next level with the STR-DN1010 7.1-channel Blu-ray Disc A/V receiver. Enjoy 3D images while hearing sound closer to the way it was captured, plus improve image quality of non-HD video sources to HD using one convenient cable. Offering plenty of connectivity options for your expanding lifestyle, this A/V receiver features 4 HDMI inputs, 3 component inputs and is SIRIUS Satellite Radio-ready. You can also share your music in multiple rooms with wireless 2nd zone technology.

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