# New system questions



## paulf (May 23, 2006)

After building a home theater system a few years ago without a HD TV I am ready to upgrade .
I currently have a Hitachi 61 inch rear projection TV that is about 10 years old still works fine but not HD
My sound system is built around a Yamaha HTR 5790 receiver ( 7 channel 110 watts per chan) Klipsch KG 5.5 towers and a KV3 center and solid rear speakers. The sub is an SVS PB12.
Not sure if I will go with a projector or an 82 in Mitsubishi ( the room is 24 x 24 so I need a big screen)
My first question is use of a HDMI cable, my reciever has no provision for this . I now use component for video and optical for sound.
Can I use some type of switch for the HDMI and how do I get the sound signal to the rec.
Will use dvd and cable for source.
I am happy with the Yamaha and don't want to change it unless neccessary its only about 4-5 years old.
I have just seen an Epson 8700 on display and it was the first projector that looked pretty good . Most I have looked at seemed washed out . Sales people always talked me out of a projector and I am not sure why. I like a big screen but this is our main TV and will be used for tv and movies as well as occasional games.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Paul


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Obviously the first consideration in front projection is light control, are you prepared to make the room dark, is it feasible? Second, there is a reliability limit on hdmi cable runs. I have a 25' cable run that I couldnt get reliable with hdmi cables, however using a dvi cable and simple dvi to hdmi adapters did solve the problem.

Front projection is more complicated to set up and requires viewing in a darkened room, but then with your room dimensions you would benefit from a 100"+ display. Youll probably want to upgrade to blu ray, the larger the screen the less forgiving dvd resolutions will be...

Welcome to the shack sir.


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## paulf (May 23, 2006)

Thanks for the reply.
What do you think about my receiver not having HDMI inputs?
If I go front projection or HD TV the same problem of switching the inputs to the display device if I use HDMI exists.

Will the sound quality suffer if I use coax from the Blueray or cable box?

Thanks
Paul


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## koyaan (Mar 2, 2010)

I'm in a similar situation, but with a smaller room(20X16).I don't have a lot of experience, but have done a bit of research. 
Light is going to be a consideration. Front projectors won't tolerate much light. If you find them "washed out, the place where you viewed them might be the problem. By the same token, the big Mitsubishi will perform beter if ambient light is at low levels. The Mitsubishi will be easier to work with, if your happy with what you get.Try viewing the Mitsubishi from about 10' off center, ( A likely scenerio in a room of your size)if your happy with this than it's a consideration. If not, projection is the way to go, with a bigger screen.
As far as the Yammy, I can't offer much guidence. I'm into music and want better audio. If you just watch movies, I guess your okay. You can run HDMI directly to the TV and do your switching there. If budget isn't a problem though, you might want to consider something with more grit.


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## koyaan (Mar 2, 2010)

If your happy with your sound now, it won't change . There's better stuff out there, but will it add to your enjoyment? Is the diffrence worth the investment?
I feel that movies a a dramatic presentation and don't have to be "realistic" to be enjoyable. It's theater afterall and we tend to suspend our disbelief.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Yes audio will suffer using coax or optical, they pass only a fraction of the audio info a hdmi will. Dolby truehd and DTS master is a serious upgrade but it will be down converted if your receiver doesnt support hdmi. Im assuming your receiver doesnt have 5.1 analog direct inputs...


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

If you want the standard old lossy DD5.1, then coax or optical will fully support that.

If you want the latest and greatest lossless 5.1, you will have to let the Blu ray player docode it and send it to your AVR through the 5.1 analog connections. (I think your AVR does not decode lossless but does have 6.1 analog inputs)


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

gdstupak said:


> I think your AVR does not decode lossless but does have 6.1 analog inputs


Thats excellent news. I didnt take the time to research his receiver, I assumed it didnt have direct channel inputs. Having a blu ray with the analog outputs, not just the decoder, is the final question. Lossless is well worth the effort, imo. 

Otherwise video to the display is just a matter of a basic hdmi switcher, audio from the cable box will be either coax or optical and audio from the blu ray would be six channel analog, thats how Id roll...


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Paul,

In your opening post you mention "dvd."
Have you upgraded to a Blu-ray player yet?
If not, that needs to be your next quest. With an AVR that doesn't decode the Dolby True HD and DTS HD audio, you would need to get a Blu-ray player that decodes internally and has the 5.1 or 7.1 analog output jacks.


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## paulf (May 23, 2006)

Thanks all for the help sure glad I checked here before buying.

I don't have a Blueray yet but will when I buy the HD TV

I checked and my AVR has analog inputs 6ch or 8ch .
Do all BR players have analog outputs?

Thanks again
Paul


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