Looking for Feedback on Possible Home Theater Setup

[layer3switchguy]

Folks,

I'm just starting to piece my future home theatre system together and would appreciate some feedback on the following setup:

HDTV

Sony KDSR50XBR1 or the same TV in 60 inch. Still on the fence regarding size given the room I have

Home Theater Receiver

Onkyo TX-SR803 - At around $799 it seems to be the least expensive HDMI switching receiver I can find.

DVD Player

Toshiba HDXA1 HD DVD Player Single Disc High Definition DVD Player

As for speakers, I'm leaning toward Axiom Epic 60 or 80 if the budget allows.

I plan to use Comcast Digital Cable along with their HD package. I am told they have an HDMI cable box, so plan was to run an HDMI cable from the cable box to receiver; and then into TV again via HDMI. DVD player would be setup the same.

Thanks in advance for any advice/feedback!

L3

[Woochifer]

The main thing I would question is the HD-DVD player. Those first gen Toshibas are loaded with bugs, and only did a half-baked job with the new high res audio formats. With the first Blu-ray players coming out next month, a shortage of titles, and many things that need fixing with the first gen HD-DVD players, I think it's way too early to buy into either format right now. At the very least, you should wait for a player that properly plays the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD formats in 5.1, doesn't take nearly a minute to boot up, and won't frequently lockup or lose audio sync.

In the meantime, you could go with one of the HDMI-enabled upsampling DVD players, and wait for the HD-DVD and Blu-ray landscape to sift out a bit more.

Another consideration to weigh is HDMI 1.3. By this time next year, all of the HD-DVD and Blu-ray players will use that connection standard, and in order to output the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD soundtracks digitally, you will need to use a HDMI 1.3-enabled receiver. And the first HDMI 1.3 receivers have not come out yet, with the spec due to be finalized sometime in June.

[bfalls]

If you still plan to go ahead with this system, you may want to consider a different configuration. If you run the HDMI from the cable box to the receiver then to the TV, you'll always need to have the receiver on to watch TV. Since HDMI carries both audio and video, a direct connection to the TV via HDMI and an additional connection via digital (coax or optical) to the receiver would be better. This way you can use the TV standalone or with the receiver. You may encounter a problem if you have only one HDMI connection on the TV. If so, you can purchase an HDMI switcher. I've decided to wait until HDMI 1.3 is out before purchasing a new receiver. I've waited this long without 6.1 and 7.1 formats, so another year to get the new formats is worth it.

[edtyct]

One more reason to consider direct connection between STB and TV at this stage of the game is that many STBs do not have the updated firmware to allow an HDMI feed to be mediated and repeated by a receiver before reaching a TV. A DVD player would be more apt to repeat the feed, though you could always use component connection for DVD directly into the TV (preferable) or via the receiver. However, if you follow through on your intention to buy the excellent Sony SXRD display, you might want to consider one of Gefen's HDMI switchers, since the Sony might benefit from a digital, upsampling DVD feed, which would only be available from HDMI or DVI.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I would have to agree with my brudda Wooch. I wouldn't touch HD-DVD in its present implementation, just too many bugs and a terrible implementation of the audio portion of the player.

[robert393]

in order to output the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD soundtracks digitally, you will need to use a HDMI 1.3-enabled receiver.

Just to clarify this point, Woochifer is talking about output DIGITALLY. Keep in mind, the the current generation Toshiba HD-DVDp has internal processing and can output the new HD audio formats ANALOG now.

Robert