Recievers w/ HDMI

[wayner86]

I've been reading old threads about HDMI and i have a couple questions regarding HDMI compatible recievers. By what i read on this forum, HDMI isn't being used to it's full potential; but it would be nice to have on a unit when its full capabilities can be utilized. My questions are geared toward switching/upscaling of HDMI. Some AVR's are capable of switching HDMI and some are capable of upscaling it, and im having a hard time understanding this. Is there a better/worse between recievers which switch/upscale this signal? does it matter? what does it mean?

Thanks for the help

Wayne

p.s. how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

[Woochifer]

The value of video upscaling is that it can smooth out the image when viewing on a fixed pixel display. It doesn't add resolution, but potentially makes the image look less jagged with LCD and Plasma displays. A lot of DVD players and other devices had started upscaling the image using the component video outputs. HDMI upscaling just does this using a digital video output.

Even though HDMI is still in its infancy, it's already a universally available connection with HDTVs, and rapidly becoming standard issue with DVD players and set-top devices.

The other major advantage of HDMI is that it can carry video and audio signals through a single connection. HDMI 1.1 compliant receivers and DVD players can not only carry/process the normal DD, DTS, and PCM audio signals, but they can also carry copy protected DVD-Audio bitstreams (previously, DVD-A required a multichannal analog input). And newer versions of HDMI are already in the works -- HDMI 1.2 will allow for one-bit audio (i.e. SACD) and HDMI 1.3 will carry the new lossless DD+ and DTS-HD audio formats when they roll out with HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

In general, if you're starting up your home theater system now, the HDMI connections will be important to have since copy protection paranoia from the studios might force all HD devices in the future to use some kind of copy protected connection such as HDMI. At the very least, HDMI will be required with the HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats.

[wayner86]

Reason i ask is, the Pio Elite im looking at switches HDMI, it doesn't upscale. So this means the Pio would change 480i - 480p, and the tv would have to upscale the signal to 720/1080? and a unit with upscaling would upscale 480i into 720/1080 and bypass the tv's upscaling?


Also, will the HDMI 1.1 on avr's now be upgradable via software (to .2 & .3)...or will it be the card itself which needs to be replaced? ie. buy newer avr?

[Woochifer]

Reason i ask is, the Pio Elite im looking at switches HDMI, it doesn't upscale. So this means the Pio would change 480i - 480p, and the tv would have to upscale the signal to 720/1080? and a unit with upscaling would upscale 480i into 720/1080 and bypass the tv's upscaling?

Actually, the upscaling can occur at any stage in the process. The receiver is not the only component that can upscale a video signal.

Also, will the HDMI 1.1 on avr's now be upgradable via software (to .2 & .3)...or will it be the card itself which needs to be replaced? ie. buy newer avr?

Highly doubtful that you will see any kind of software upgrades available for this.

[wayner86]

thanks for the prompt replys, much appreciated.

[AVMASTER]

[QUOTE=wayner86]I've been reading old threads about HDMI and i have a couple questions regarding HDMI compatible recievers. By what i read on this forum, HDMI isn't being used to it's full potential; but it would be nice to have on a unit when its full capabilities can be utilized. My questions are geared toward switching/upscaling of HDMI. Some AVR's are capable of switching HDMI and some are capable of upscaling it, and im having a hard time understanding this. Is there a better/worse between recievers which switch/upscale this signal? does it matter? what does it mean?
QUICK ANSWER
a AVR that switches HDMI requires all source components to be connected with HDMI, a AVR that UP-CONVERTS will accept best connection from source component and output it with HDMI. Which is better depends on what gear you have ( maybe how deep your pockets are too)