HDMI 1.3 pre/pro

[nightflier]

I'm seriously considering upgrading my Outlaw pre/pro for one that supports HDMI 1.3. If I already have an amp that I'm happy with, are there any pre/pros out there that support the new 1.3 standard and upconversion to HDMI from component and s-video sources?

I'm not adverse to buying a receiver that can do this and then using the pre outs to my amp, as long as this is still reasonably priced - my budget is $2K max. My goal is to simplify things and run just HDMI cables to get rid of some of the clutter behind the rack.

[edtyct]

Hi night. Wooch generally knows these things. If I recall, a thread somewhere down this page deals with 1.3's ETA. I don't think anything's out yet.

[elapsed]

You may want to read the "Why you don't need HDMI 1.3" thread over at AVS:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994

In any case, I'm not aware of any pre-pro's that support HDMI 1.3. There were no HDMI 1.3 receivers announced at CES even. The general consensus across the home theater forums is that (for the vast majority of us) an HDMI 1.1 pre-pro will meet all of your needs.

[nightflier]

Hmmm... Do any of the manufacturers promise a simpler software/firmware upgrade if I buy now?

[elapsed]

I don't believe a software/firmware upgrade will be possible from HDMI 1.1 to HDMI 1.3. This will require all new hardware. What new HDMI features are guiding your decision?

[nightflier]

I would like to eliminate as many audio cables as possible. Am I the only one who is concerned about this?

[elapsed]

See this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=738511

I'm certain you can find a pre-pro that is capable of 5.1 or 7.1 channels of uncompressed lossless HDMI PCM formats. Your only difficulty may be in finding a pre-pro that is HDMI 1.2 compliant (i.e. the ability to stream SACD over HDMI). Though on a $2K budget you may have to consider purchasing a receiver for use as a pre-pro.

[musicman1999]

I would like to eliminate as many audio cables as possible. Am I the only one who is concerned about this?

Quality of sound is most important,if it takes a few more cables then so be it.

bill

[nightflier]

Quality of sound is most important,if it takes a few more cables then so be it.

I hear you, but last week my son crawled behind the rack and started pulling cables out. Nothing was damaged, but it took some time to get everything hooked up again. It made me realize how many cables I have going all over the place - sort of reminds me of that Apple commercial where they say that to PC stands for Profusely Corded.

All is not lost, though, I still intend to keep my SACD analog. But for all the everyday components (DVD, Cable Boxes, PVR, TV, etc.) it would be a whole lot easier to use one cable for both audio & video. Anyhow, I was under the impression that HDMI 1.3 had pretty decent sound quality too...

[Woochifer]

Nothing out yet, but some components were announced at CES with HDMI 1.3. Denon announced that their first HDMI 1.3 receivers would come out this summer, and they introduced a set of pre/pro separates that will be their new flagship components. I anticipate that many others will follow from other manufacturers.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_1/images-ces/CES_2007_Denon_Separates_1.jpg

This is why I've been recommending that anyone who already owns a multichannel HT system wait until the HDMI 1.3 components come out. If it turns out that HDMI 1.3 does not offer up anything that anyone needs or anticipate needing, they can then buy any previous models at closeout prices.

I doubt that HDMI 1.3 will be a simple firmware upgrade, since the chipset needs native support for the new audio formats and increased video bandwidth. And these chipsets are already in production, so it probably won't be long before the components start standardizing their feature sets around them.

As I've been preaching all along, this time it might be worth waiting things out because the 1.3 spec promises to take care of a lot of the connectivity and interoperability woes that we've had in the multichannel rhelm for the last few years.

Eliminating as many cables as possible is a great side benefit to going HDMI. The back of my receiver is a nightmare to work with anytime I plug a new component in or switch anything out because of how many cables I need to connect and have already connected.

[Woochifer]

You may want to read the "Why you don't need HDMI 1.3" thread over at AVS:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994

Interesting thread with a lot of good information in it. I was not aware of the issue with "advanced authoring" HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs necessitating that the audio decoding take place within the player and transcode the digital output into PCM before sending it to the receiver. What an absolute mess if that's the case, because the first gen HD-DVD players had major limitations with the digital audio output.

Something that I have not seen discussed is the interoperable remote control function that's part of HDMI 1.3 where interconnected components can "talk" to one another. This would potentially eliminate the need for universal remotes, since the HDMI components would share a basic command set and no longer need a myriad of different signals that don't conflict like they do with IR or RF remotes.


In any case, I'm not aware of any pre-pro's that support HDMI 1.3. There were no HDMI 1.3 receivers announced at CES even. The general consensus across the home theater forums is that (for the vast majority of us) an HDMI 1.1 pre-pro will meet all of your needs.

Actually, Sherwood introduced a $1,500 HDMI 1.3 receiver at CES that really strikes the sweet spot as far as features go. And as mentioned earlier, Denon has already announced that their HDMI 1.3 receivers will start appearing this summer.

http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESprocessors/SherwoodR972.php

As far as need goes, a lot of the earlier HDMI receivers had inconsistencies with their video pass-through. HDMI 1.3 won't make things fool proof, but I don't think they'll have as many glitches or incompatibilities as previous models. By this time next year, the question will probably be moot as much of the market will have gone to HDMI 1.3.

[nightflier]

Wooch,

I had completely forgotten about Sherwood. It's not one of those names that stands at the top of the list when one thinks of HT gear. Anything not to like about Sherwood?

Also that Denon Pre/Pro looks interesting. Since it will be their top of the line, what are we looking at as far as cost?

[elapsed]

The new Denon AVP Processor sports virtually all of the features currently found on the AVR-5805CI, with some added bonuses such as HDMI 1.3, Realta HQV, Dolby TruHD and DTS HD decoding, wireless audio streaming, balanced outputs, etc. To put that into perspective, the current AVR-5805CI retails for $7,200. I would expect the new AVP to be in the same price range.