 HDMI Pass through works, some tech support headaches |
| Review Date: May 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: mcingram, Winston-Salem, NC USA |
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! |
very good receiver
|
| Review Date: May 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: metafarmer, Cincinati, OH |
Purchased this receiver recently. It has a lot of features that can be confusing at first, but if you spend a little time with the manual you should be able to figure it out.
The receiver has very nice sound, plenty of inputs and different sound configurations.
I bought it on sale for about $200 and for the price it's a great deal.
Negative reviews I've read don't seem to be giving this receiver a fair shot.
|
Just what I needed--no more and no less!
|
| Review Date: May 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ziggy, Indiana |
| I did not purchase this A/V receiver from Amazon.com as I saved $13 online at Wally World, even with paying sales tax and getting upgraded delivery to my home. Sorry, Amazon.com. All that aside, this is a great receiver for the price. I wanted an HDMI receiver to go along with the Samsung BD-C6500 Blu-ray player I just bought here so I could decode the HD audio tracks on Avatar and other Blu-ray discs I have. There is no Sirius XM, the display is fluorescent, the speaker connections are mostly the spring type, and there is only 1 RCA digital and 2 optical inputs (TV and other), but why pay $100+ or more for those features? The setup was very easy as I have two other Sony A/V receivers. However, I can see why some buyers will be frustrated with the setup. What took me about 20 minutes will take about an hour or so for the neophyte to Sony A/V receivers. There is one tip I would like to pass along: To be able to decode the HD audio formats from your Blu-ray discs be sure to set the output in the HDMI section of the amp menu to "Amp" and not to "Amp + TV" which is the default. Unless you have a TV that has a surround system built in, this is the only way you can get the HD audio formats. Otherwise, you will only get LPCM decoding. |
Very Pleased
|
| Review Date: August 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Colt, |
| Works great with my PS3 and TV. I have heard mixed reviews about this reciever. I realize that this is an entry-level receiver, but it does everything that I need it to. I am a college student and couldn't really afford a 5 or 600 dollar receiver. I got this receiver for 210 bucks and love it! I know there are better ones out there, but this one is great. I've got a polk audio setup with this receiver and the sound is great. I really don't have any complaints about this receiver. |
Assigning HDMI inputs
|
| Review Date: May 27, 2010 |
| Reviewer: M. A. Malenfant, |
I haven't seen this in the comments, so I thought I'd pass this on. I was looking forward to eliminating all the component, coax, and fiber cables and going with HDMI from my Tivo HD and a Sony Blu-Ray player. I can do this as long as I select HDMI 1 -3.
However if I want to use the Assign feature to assign HDMI1 to the BD input or HDMI3 to the SAT input, only the video will be switched not the audio. In order to get the audio, you have to run a coax cable from the Blu-ray player and a fiber cable from Tivo to the BD and Sat inputs. A note on Sony's website confirms this.
The manual is confusing because on page 25 it states: "Be sure to change the initial setting of the HDMI 1-3 input button on the remote so that you can use the button to control your components." Later it says that the HDMI buttons cannot be changed.
Other than not being able to pass HDMI audio through the BD and SAT assignments, the amp works fine.
Note: If you use a Tivo HD with this amp, the code for on/off, mute, and volume is 1176 which is not listed as part of the Sony remote codes on Tivo. |
Best buy for " Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel Blu-ray Disc A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs (3 HDMI, 3 Component) (Black) ", Lowest Price Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel Blu-ray Disc A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs (3 HDMI, 3 Component) (Black) + Free shipping. Get Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel Blu-ray Disc A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs (3 HDMI, 3 Component) (Black) Now! |
No video reviews found for this product.