Panasonic DMP-BDT300 Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc™ Player Review

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(More customer reviews)If anyone has a legacy Samsung like me (I have the HL61A750) or other, I highly recommend this player for 3D viewing. I bought it new from an Amazon user for $280 and could not be more satisfied with my purchase. This is one of the few blu-ray players that will play 3D in checkerboard format (required for legacy 3D-ready HD TVs) and it does so with breathtaking quality. It is highly recommended by me for that use. Now, as far as just a blu-ray player in general, there are many others you can get at much better price points.
For anyone with a TV that supports the newer 3D technology I cannot offer a comparison since I have not viewed a TV that uses the new technology.

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Panasonic DMP-BDT350 - 3D Blu-ray disc player - upscaling - VIERA Cast - Wi-Fi Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this player so I could play the 3D "checkerboard" format on my older (2008) Mitsubishi model WD-60735 TV. It worked beautifully with my TV in the 3D mode using the newest technology 3D blu-ray discs (Monsters vs Aliens). The player also came with a demo 3D blu-ray disc that really displayed the 3D capabilities of this player with my TV set. I felt like I was swimming with the fish in the coral formations in the ocean. You have to select "checkerboard" mode in one of the menus to use it with the older Mitsubishi/Samsung DLP sets. The rest of my setup was a pair of XPAND X102 DLP link glasses that require no emitter for use (only works on DLP TV's and projectors utilizing the light bursts from the screen/display to sync with the 3D effect for your eyes). The 3D experience easily exceeded my expectations and was definitely impressive, as good as being at the theater in my opinion. I had to select the reverse option after I turned on the 3D mode on my TV's menu as the 3D effect looked inverted in the normal option. You don't need the Mitsubishi adapter (3dc-1000 starter kit with 2 sets of emitter type glasses-$399.00 or the 3-DA1 without glasses $99.00) with this player. The adapter will be needed to watch 3D on Directv or cable or the updated PS3 as all of these methods don't provide the checkerboard format output (the adapter changes the new format to checkerboard format for these older DLP TV sets note: adapter may not work with older Samsungs-we will find that out when someone hooks one of the adapters to their older Samsung DLP set when it becomes available). So if all you're going to do is watch the new format 3D blu-rays, this player will accomplish that without the adapter for both Mitsubishi and Samsung older DLP TV sets. I really enjoyed watching the 3D movie and demo disc much more than I thought I would and feel it's worth the expense and additional equipment. I'm very glad I made this purchase.

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LG AN-WL100W Wireless Media Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the LG 60pk750 a few weeks ago and love it. I have it wall mounted in a location which is VERY difficult to run wires to. Until now, I have had it temporarily hardwired to my DVR with exposed cable until I found a better way. Enter the "LG AN-WL100W Wireless Media Kit". I was skeptical about wireless HD, but decided to give it a try after reading the small amount of online reviews. Really not much info available about this product, but did find useful info at Crutchfield and home theater magazine. I hope that this review informs people about this product better.
Functionality:
Before I mounted my TV back on the wall, I decided to test the results through the AN-WL100W (smart, huh). I was actually very surprised... the picture was really good. I watched Discovery HD for a while, flipping between hardwired and wireless and saw NO difference. At times I thought I saw picture degradation, but I would flip back to the hardwired and realized that the source was the problem (broadcast HD is hit or miss). Don't have my Bluray yet, so this is the best reference I had. Sound was never a problem, though I was just using the TVs tiny speakers- I can say that it sounded just like the hardwired. For this test, the head unit was about 4 feet away, directly behind the TV, behind a wall in my garage(drywall-studs-plywood-drywall).
Later, I mounted my TV with the wireless dongle connected and in place, and put the headunit where I planned to keep it, in a AV closet approximately 10 feet from the center of the TV, to the right front of the TV. This time I could not get sufficient signal strength to get picture. I could not believe it! The total distance from the headunit to the dongle was about 12 feet- line-of-sight obstacles were a regular interior wall (drywall,studs,drywall), and the TV itself (since the dongle is mounted on the back). The screen would show that it saw the headunit and was tryng to establish picture, but signal strength was too low.
Form:
The product itself is really nice looking- no question. However, I have a huge issue with the dongle size and installation. The dongle is TOO BIG. The AN-WL100W was custom designed for these LG TVs, yet they still managed to allow the dongle to be the tallest protrusion on the back of the set! WTH?!? This is a problem if you are wall-mounting (why else would you buy this product if you were using a stand on a cabinet?). Similarly, the HDMI and control cables which plug into the back of the TV are not designed with 90 angles, so they get all bent and crimped up against the wall too. With so much design going into the electronics of the AN-WL100W, it simply blows my mind that they didn't make wall-mounting a slam-dunk by making the dongle just a bit thinner and supplying cables with 90 bends!
Summary:
I was hoping that going wireless (and paying $300) would simplify my location situation. I also liked the fact that it had nice IR repeaters and integrated switching controlled by the TV. The signal quality was good at very short ranges, but was useless at about 12 feet with a reasonable obstruction. I don't know how practical this is, because I think most people shelling out $300 for this are buying it because they might have an obstruction or distance situation. I would have kept fiddling with it if it hadn't been for the wall-mounting issues mentioned earlier. This sealed the deal for me to return it.


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Let LG's Wireless Media Kit set your TV free from connection clutter! The kit sends a full HD 1080p signal to a compatible LG TV from across the room.

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Elite VSX-33 A/V Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an experience AV and tech person. I had Sunfire, Sony, NAD, even Macintosh. But as I got older I notice that technology has change and sound hasn't. Speakers sound the same and I am sticking with my Paradigms. My last receiver was an Onkyo great price for what it offered. I like new technology and I am early adopter. It's an expensive taste and now that i am older i will slow down on the latest and greatest. I have friends that spent over $5000 for their receiver and i cant tell the difference. The internet market has changed the way people buy and now i am here writing my first review. I explain a little bit about myself so you can understand where the review and point of view is coming from. I am also a CFO so i understand value.
There is nothing negative about this receiver, I highly recommend getting it. If you are smart you can get this $1000 receiver for $680 on the internet. I have the iPad and downloaded the iphone app from Pioneer and works great. The reason I picked this unit is that I do own a 3D TV - Samsung PN58C7000 and BDP6900 3D Blueray player. So I wanted to run all my cables through a 1.4A HDMI receiver. This receiver is feature rich. Now there are several units out there by Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, and Pioneer. I picked Pioneer unit because they didn't charge another $100 for a docking station for an iPod and you can do so much with this unit.
I live in an apt and therefore the power is adequate at 120Watts per channel. I feel it should be a little heavier but if I wanted that i would have gotten the next model up the SC model with the "D" rated amplifier. But i didn't need that. This unit sounds very clean no hissing noise. Switching between HDMI input is a little slow. I turned off the automated pass through feature that can cause some issues with Samsung Product. I always turn on my Receiver because the sound from the TV is terrible.
My setup is still 5.1 but then again i live in apt in nyc so i don't need 7.1. onkyo offer 9.2 again overkill. The unit has Ethernet connection and i can stream music but the internet radio choices are terrible, i will just use Pandora on my Blueray player instead. Ethernet connection will be good if Pioneer does an software upgrade on the receiver. I haven't tested the DLNA capabilities but i do have DLNA storage unit one by netgear called Stora.
I wish this unit has a PC input like the onkyo but it does not and i do not like the way HDMI from my mac looks on the Samsung Screen either so it doesn't matter. VGA from MAC to TV is just fine with me 720p.
What i like most about this receiver is the surround settings this is a THX receiver and it has many surround sound options more than onkyo or sunfire or any receiver I have played with. Options are great, remote control is easy to use. I have TIVO thru RCN so it can do 1080p. I programmed the Logitech Harmony remote to follow Pioneer VSX-1120 the non-elite version which works great. The VSX-1120 is not much less in price so why pick the VSX-33 Elite version. Build quality is better especially on the front face of the receiver, i believe it is made of aluminum. It's heavier that means the heat sink for the amp is better for cooling and power control, Amber glow, more power, better remote, more inputs, THX, etc. There are a lot of little details i notice that warrant the extra price, but more importantly the ability to expand. You can assign the This receiver is future proof, it has an additional HDMI out in case i want to add a projector. I figure best street price for the VSX-1020 which is below the VSX-1120 is around $449-$499 so the best difference is $180?? to me that is a amazing deal.
The GUI interface on setting up the system is cleaner and better than most receiver. Another big advantage is the Video upconversion which is better than the VSX-32, VSX-31, VSX-1020, VSX-1120, Onkyo SR608 to 808, Denon new models etc. I checked them all out. But i don't care about this feature because everything is passthrough at 1080p for my system.
I hope this info helps, shop around carefully someone is selling this unit for under $700 including tax and shipping. I am highly impressed with this and recommend it for it's features. It can do bi-amping and other things which i was not able to test. I am probably missing alot here on what else the unit can do but to me this is alot of stuff already plus it is 3-zone capable.


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Pioneer VSX-1020-K 7.1 Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I tend to do a lot of research before making large purchasing decisions and so far this receiver is receiving a pretty rosy reception! Its predecessor, the 1019, was CNET's and Gizmodo's top mid-range receiver. Both reviewers had just as high hopes for the 1020, and Gizmodo already called it the best receiver $550 can buy, saying the 1020 "hit the sweet spot" that gave the most bang for buyer's buck.
The critics I read all raved about the excellent sound quality, but the 1020 brings some new offerings to the table for a mid-range receiver.
In short, the most valuable features you get with this model that you don't get with the next step down are:
1. A fifth HDMI port in back, an extra sixth in front (for digital cameras, computers, etc.).
2. Analog video upscaling (which I don't care too much about since most of my content is HD already or played through an upscaling player).
3. The iContolAV iPhone app. Very cool for controlling volume and switching inputs. Works simply by having your receiver connected to ethernet and your iPhone connected to the network via WiFi. A few times the app has had trouble properly connecting, but it usually works well.
4. Internet radio with programmable stations, which is cool, though you can't currently control the station selections from the iPhone App, unfortunately.
5. A color configuration interface output to your TV via the HDMI output. I can't imagine trying to configure all my speakers without seeing a graphical representation of their location on screen.
That last feature feature, the HDMI 1.4 ports that support 3D, the 7.1 surround capabilities, excellent sound quality and the iPhone App are what made the VSX-1020 the clear choice for me. I also appreciated the automatic calibration with the included microphone and the included iPod cable/compatibility, but those weren't as strong of selling points.
The only negatives of note for me is that the little front port cover is a little cheap. It's not even a door, simply a little plastic piece that pops out if you push one side. I, like others, have also experienced the issue where the receiver switches to TV/Sat when first turned on, but I've yet to determine whether that's a problem with the receiver itself or my Harmony universal remote (I'll update the review as I get more information).
One last tip to buyers, however. If you're considering listening to your phone's music over Bluetooth by buying the $99 AS-BT100 adapter, I'd consider buying a $99 Apple Airport Express instead (assuming your music is managed through iTunes). It lets you stream music from your computer to the receiver over WiFi and control what's playing via iTunes or Apple's robust "Remote" iPhone app, but more importantly the Airport Express acts as a USB print server and a one port wireless bridge (something that lets you connect wired devices to a wireless network).
That wireless bridge capability is especially valuable, since you'll need it or something similar for internet radio and iControlAV iPhone app support if your VSX-1020 receiver isn't close to your wireless router (mine isn't). Buying the Airport Express kills two birds with one stone.
UPDATE:
A few ideas have been thrown out by other Amazon posters to help alleviate the issue with the receiver switching to TV/Sat when it first turns on. The first idea is to change the receiver's settings thusly:
"1 Press Receiver , then press Home Menu.
2 Select `System Setup', then press ENTER.
3 Select `Other Setup', then press ENTER.
4 Select `HDMI Setup', then press ENTER.
5. Set Control to 'Off'."
The second idea is to adjust your TV settings like so.
"Go into Menu under HDMI-CEC and turn it Off. If the set is a Samsung look for AnyNet+ (default is normally On) and turn it Off."
I'm still having issues going directly to a given HDMI input when the unit first power on (going to "HDMI Input 1" simply toggles the current HDMI input instead of going directly to the one you want), but I've made the quirk tolerable by programming one of the buttons on my universal remote to toggle inputs, so it's easy to fix.

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Key Features are110 Watts X 7, 7 Channel Configurable Amplifier, Surround Back. Dolby Pro-logic IIz or B Speaker, Dolby True-HD / DTS-HD Master Audio and Advanced MCACC. It has a 9 Band EQ.Auto Crossover Setting, USB to PC Graphs, PQLS – 2 Channel, Auto Level Control – Multi-Channel, Sound Retriever AIR – Multi- channel. It has a Internet radio. iPod Digital USB / USB Memory Audio. Its iPhone Certified, Sirius Satellite Radio, HDMI Repeater (6 In / 1 out), Analog to HDMI Video Conversion, HDMI to HDMI 1080p Scaler, Component Video (2 in / 1 out), Full Color GUI, iControl pioneer AVR iPhone / iTouch "APP" Multi-Zone A/V Pre-out, Preset Remote Control

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Sony STR-DH810 7.1-channel A/V Receiver with 7 HD Inputs Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received my new Sony STR-DH810 7.1 on Friday afternoon. I already had the previous version, the STR-DH800 set up in the living room. The DH810 I got for the den. It took less than an hour to pull the plugs out of my old Sony (non-HDMI) receiver and set-up the DH810. I would recommend that anyone getting this get a set of banana plugs for the speaker inputs. You "can" get the wires in the "screw-in" connectors, but banana plugs are just so much easier to deal with. I am using all 3 component inputs, 3 of 4 HDMI, Composite and CD, including DVD Coax, and all Optical audio inputs. Everything is very accessible and clearly labeled.
Once I had everything set up, I ran through the Audio/Video set-up manually. The DH810 comes with a mic that allows you to automatically configure your sound system (the receiver does all the work, but I prefer to do the "tweaking" manually. But that's just me. However, that said, after manually setting up my system, I reset the receiver and allowed the included mic to automatically detect and set up my sound system (just to see how it handled the task) and it did a bangin' job! Very easy automated and intuitive set-up.
The initial set-up is a breeze. Hold down the On/Off button on the receiver for 5 seconds until the receiver says CLEAR (which you can do anytime you want to undo any major blunders or just start fresh). Press the speaker button on the receiver until your speaker set-up appears, select your desired input button on the remote, crank up the volume and you have sound! From there, the remote's menu allows you to configure all the tweaks like EQ, Speaker distance, balance, bass, treble, you TVs resolution, etc. I would prefer some kind of TV-On-Screen Menu, but that is not really a big deal to me.
The sound is phenomenal and the DVD upscaling is very cool. I have Avatar on DVD (not blu ray) and the picture upscaled crisp and clear. The sound coming out of the speakers is clean and crisp. My audio CD's, movies, Cable TV, all sound great with the DH810.
I had been putting off buying this until someone gave it a rating, and I finally found a couple on the web that convinced me to give it an "early-adopter" try. Suffice to say, I am NOT DISAPPOINTED! The Price of $285 with no shipping was just a BIG plus too.
I will probably add to my rating later on, but for now, I HEARTILY recommend the STR-DH810 to anyone that has been hankering to upgrade their sound system with an upscaling 1080p A/V Receiver.

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Take your HD surround sound experience to new heights with the STR-DH810 A/V receiver. Offering an abundance of connectivity options (4 HDMI, 3 component), you will have room for all your components including a Blu-ray player, PS3 system, DVD player and more. And with DVD upscaling via HDMI you can watch DVDs in near HD quality. This 7.1-channel receiver has LPCM, Dolby trueHD and dts-HD decoding technologies for audio that is true to the original master recording. The STR-DH810 features wireless 2nd zone audio capabilities, which allows you transmit wireless audio in up to 10 additional rooms via optional S-AIR accessories. Additional features include Audio Return Channel which eliminates the need for extra cables connected to your TV, and standby pass-through that lets you access all of your HDMI connected devices without having to power on the receiver.

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Samsung HW-C700 AV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)The HW-C700 sounds nice, however it has faults. My setup is all new 2010 Samsung 3D components (TV = UN55C7000, Blue-ray = BD-C6900). The setup has all new HDMI 1.4 cable connections as recommended (and new optical cable from TV to AVR as recommended for Anynet in the receiver manual).
- Sometimes, there are repeated drop outs when streaming audio/music using Allshare and the proper Samsung server software on the PC (PC is fine). Sometimes, the audio streams fine. Netflix does stream well, even in HD so that rules out the network.
- Had to disable Anynet+, even though configured precisely as stated in the manuals/enabled on all devices. The receiver would keep forcing me to use the Audio Assign button on the remote to set the TV to HDMI vs. Optical (every time I powered on devices using BD-C6900 remote). I did make sure TV and BR Player had latest firmware updates.
- There were no firmware updates available on the Samsung website for the HW-C700.
- My inquiry email via the Samsung support web page from 5 days ago was never responded to where I reported these problems and asked if there was a firmware update/fix. They did respond to my second inquiry (sent them this review), but they only suggested I reset the receiver. That was not acceptable as I don't want a receiver I need to "reset" when it flakes out.
- In the middle of viewing a show/movie, you get a black screen with a message "Disconnecting Anynet Device". The new Logitech Harmony One remote I purchased would not work properly/consistently unless you train the remote (yuck)! Not sure who has the weakness here (Logitech or Samsung). That was my backup plan as Anynet+ is pretty bad.
- I hate to return it, but I thimk it's better to wait until the other companies release their 3D receivers later this month and over the next two months. I think this type of product is new for Samsung. The HW-C700 going back.
I don't see the point in having all Samsung components to use Anynet if casues more problems than is solves. Anynet aside, dropouts are not acceptable, nor is unresponsive support from Samsung, hence only a two star rating.

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7.1 Channel,(120Watt x 7),3D Surround,True HD Decoder,Active Subwoofer

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Marantz AV7005 Audio Video Pre-Processor (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Update May 6, 2011
I lost the two front speakers again and restored them using the technique on page 115 of the User Guide. The speakers are now working but I'm curious why that is happening; I'm going to contact Marantz technical support and see if they can shed any light on it. If anything interesting emerges I'll post another update. I suppose the most important information I can share at this time is to please use the memory saving instructions on page 115; they're simple and can save a lot of re-setup in the future if you experience a problem.
Update March 14, 2011
A few days ago I experienced a complete loss of my two front main speakers, both left and right. That was a first so I started checking wiring etc. to try and isolate the problem but everything looked good. I then checked the settings on the Marantz and could find nothing suspicious there either. I tried using the tone generation feature but it too skipped over the front left and front right speakers.
In researching the mystery I got to page 115 of the User Guide and read the section on "Resetting the microprocessor." I decided to try that procedure and it worked and restored all of the speakers to normal operation. I had spent several hours on the initial setup and found that work could be saved to memory by following the "Memory Saving" procedure on that page.
I would recommend that you save your settings to memory by following the instructions on page 115 when you have completed setting up your AV7005. If you should experience a similar loss of speakers the resetting procedure described on that page worked well for me and may work for you as well.
I continue to be very pleased with the musicality of the Marantz; I have discovered the "Neural" setting amoung the surround options and have started playing back my two-channel CD's using that setting and am getting fabulous results. It's almost like hearing my older CD collection for the first time.Original review
I have owned a Krell Home Theater Standard preamp processor for many years now; the experience has been both rewarding and disappointing. Rewarding in the sense that the Krell has very good audio qualities, but disappointing in the sense that it was not future proof as represented. This Marantz AV7005 is replacing a Krell HTS 7.1 which has absolutely no HDMI capability and cannot be updated to offer it. This happens to be my second Krell, neither of which could be updated to utilize later developments although both were initially represented as being future proof.
It has been a delight to set up a piece of equipment which has all of the latest bells and whistles and can accommodate the latest cables. Of all of the things important to me, the only things lacking is the ability to decode SACD and DVD-Audio; this, however, is being supplied by the OPPO BD-83SE player which I've attached to the system. With those two correctable exceptions, the Marantz has done everything asked of it and done it very well.
The set up on the Marantz took some time but was not too complicated. If one uses only new equipment with HDMI capability the set up with the Marantz is virtually automatic. If you're trying to integrate some older equipment it takes a little longer but the flexibility is there to integrate most legacy equipment successfully.
I tried using the Audyssey auto setup but found the results were not really to my liking; I wound up using my trusty Radio Shack sound pressure level meter and adjusted the speaker balance and crossover frequency between the subwoofer and the other speakers to the THX recommended standards.
As one of the other reviewers mentioned, the primary use for my system is the reproduction of music; I happen to be a serious pipe organ fan and had the pipe organ in mind when I originally set up my system. As I've mentioned elsewhere, a system designed to reproduce pipe organ has an easy time with the crashes and explosions found in most action films.
With regard to musicality, the Marantz has provided very satisfactory results to date; I cannot clearly detect any major differences between the Marantz and the Krell which cost many thousands of dollars more. A direct A/B comparison might reveal differences but that sort of comparison is not possible.
As of this point I am very pleased with the Marantz which accommodates 3D as well as a first rate 1080P video image and reproduces first rate audio. For the price I have found it to be an outstanding piece of equipment.


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Denon AVR-391 5.1 Channel AV Home Theater Receiver with HDMI 1.4a (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Denon AVR 391 does not have a lot of bells and whistles, but if you are looking for a high quality receiver at a reasonable price, you could do a lot worse. This unit has four HDMI ports on the back...and that's about it. It doesn't have any component hookups. It has a few composite connections for audio and video. It also has a few digital audio connections (coaxial and optical). It does not upconvert analog video to 1080p. If you can live without a few of these features you will likely be impressed with what you do get. It decodes pretty much all of the current HD audio codecs. Blu-ray movies look and sound phenomenal through this receiver. I have my PS3 and Xbox360 hooked up to it and my games sound incredible. I even have my Wii's audio passing through this receiver and it sounds good too. I'm not really in to 3D, but this receiver supports HDMI 1.4a, so if you've got a 3D compatible player and TV you're good to go. Generally speaking, it's very simple to hook up and operate. It does not have on screen menus, but configuring the speakers is pretty easy using the units display (it all has to be done manually). The remote isn't great, but it's not bad either. It's fairly intuitive and easy to read. It's not backlit or anything like that. It'll control your iPod via a Denon dock though (which actually does have an on screen menu, but it's not much to look at). If you're just interested in getting the basics (audio and video), then this receiver is a good way to go, especially if all of your components are HDMI.

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Packed with great features that assures a superb 5.1-channel surround sound experience, the Denon AVR-391 supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and it includes the latest HDMI 1.4a technology, which provides for 3D pass-through capabilities to your HDTV (broadcast and Blu-ray). It also features Dolby Pro Logic IIz, a technology that adds a vertical dimension at the front for a more exciting surround sound experience.

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Yamaha RX-V471BL AV Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I found the owner manual very hard to understand maybe it was just me, a nice touch that it is on cd-rom. The manual was figured out after a while of rereading. Surround sound listening to a movie was pleasing as was playing a cd. The set up of this receiver was not hard. I was not disappointed at all. Love the receivers pass through for the TV. Also like 5.1 sounds you can get out of this receiver.. I am a fan of Yamaha equipment as I always have had Yamaha receivers. For me this does what I want in a receiver. I am very happy with this purchase.

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5.1 channel Receiver

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Yamaha RX-V667 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I own a rx-v663 and upgraded this past weekend to the RX-V667.
Skipping the 665 model was a good thing.
This one has a great on screen GUI for changing the settings.
It's an overlay, so you don't lose the video in the background when changing settings.
It pops out from the left side and then you scroll up and down to pick the setting
to change. Then those options are popped up from the bottom of the screen and you scroll
right and left.
6 HDMI is more than enough for me, in fact I have 3 left over after changing out things.
Biggest advantage is I am now able to plug in everything in to the receiver and able to change
the label that shows up on the receiver and the tv screen when changing sources.
My components running into the receiver are as follows
Oppo BDP-83
PS3
Computer with HDMI interface
(radeon 5770 so I get sound and audio)
These next two are connected via Component video (R,G,B)
Xbox 360 (optical out for audio)
Wii
To run all these the Remote has 5 HDMI buttons and 6 AV buttons.
I can actually choose each source independently with one button, kind of nice.
I also have the YDS11 Ipod dock, it works great with the new receiver. Interface is greatly improved
with album art being shown to the left of the song title on the screen and browsing capabilty. This really looks a lot better than it did on the RX-V663 and is another overlay screen. Now they just need a good screen saver to go with it.
This would all be worthless if the sound quality did not match up with the 663.
Big one for me was continued support of DSD across HDMI. The Oppo BDP-83 plays SACD disks and so does
my PS3. The 667 has a signal information selection and from the PS3 it reports PCM as it should since
the PS3 converts it to PCM before sending the signal to the receiver. The Oppo using the same disk reports
DSD back on the receiver.
and yes the sound quality equals the 663.
Sidenote: There is an audible difference in the sound when switching to Pure Direct Mode.
I played John Hiatt's "Master of Disaster" which is a Hybrid SACD and switched between
straight and Pure Direct. Pure direct seemed to have less bass, the straight mode was obviously
making adjustments to the bass in the background. Honestly though this could be due to my
speaker setup as I do not have a sub-woofer. IT's a 5.0 setup on mine. Try Pure Direct Mode and see if
it makes a difference with your DSD/SACD disks. I thought the clarity was better.
Setup was easy, hardest part was undoing everything I had done to get everything to work on the 663.
YPAO mic setup for sound, seemed to have not changed from the last time I did it, so don't expect anything
new here.
I have not tried setting up the remote to control any other components. This did help in the end
as it cut out 2 remotes and I am down to 3 now due to eliminating a switch box I no longer needed
and the HDMI switch I bought that also acts as a fan for my PS3.


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Enjoy a revolutionary home theater experience with the Yamaha RX-V667 Audio Video Receiver. With 90 watts per 7 channels, 6 HDMI inputs (including a front input), multizone support, and the latest hi-def audio and HDMI specs for upscaling to 1080p, this receiver plays well with all your home theater equipment. Enjoy more than just your movies with SIRIUS-ready and yAired compatibility, as well as iPod support for album art (when connected via supported dock, sold separately). There's also a full-color GUI for controlling all the action when connected via HDMI.

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Yamaha HTR-5063BL 7.1 Channel 630 Watt AV Receiver (Each, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned multiple Yamaha AVR's in the past and this one replaces one of them. This is the first time I've actually used an AVR for switching video. I previously ran all video inputs directly to the TV until now. Since most of my gear is HDMI capable I figured it was time to simplify things and run a single output to the TV and I'm glad I did.
SYSTEM
I wouldn't say I have a complex system but it's probably more complex than most. My system includes a PS3, Wii, XBox 360, Yamaha AVR, HD DVR from direcTV, Mitusbishi 73" DLP, and a Mitsubishi 3D converter. One reason I chose this AVR is it's 3D capable.
SETUP
Setup took awhile (several hours) since I had to configure not only the AVR but re-configure the other gear and the Harmony remote as well. I did find one bad input on component 1 but chose to move to a different input instead of returning it. I don't plan on using component if possible and have eliminated component so far. Well, at least until I get a component cable for the Wii. I had to configure and test 3D as well which added to the time.
The AVR comes with a mic for auto-calibrating the speaker levels which I used successfully. I also renamed all the inputs so the AVR reflects my component names when in use. There's a nice feature that allows me to set a specific volume level whenever I activate the AVR. I set the composite input (Wii) to upconvert to 720p to HDMI output but honestly I'm not happy with the results hence the need to change the Wii to component. Although I'm not using it, the AVR has the capability of selecting any audio input for matching with a component input so you aren't stuck using optical when you need or want RCA or something other.
Setting up the Harmony One remote was a bit of a challenge, although not due to the AVR. In fact the AVR was the easiest part to program on the thing. The receiver model was already part of the Harmony choices and works perfectly. Getting 3D configured was a bit more challenging but I got it going. I verified on the Yamaha web site that the AVR serial number was already HDMI 1.4 compliant and needed no firmware upgrade and indeed I was able to switch 3D from direcTV through the AVR to my Mitsu TV just fine.
PERFORMANCE
I am very happy with the choice, the performance and the setup options of this AVR. I'm not using all surround options (only 5.1) though. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 stars because of the bad component jack, and the inability of switching component input to the single HDMI output. Otherwise, it's a solid AVR that has drastically simplified my HDMI switching and given me 3D in the process. Good job Yamaha.
Big Red12/1/10 UPDATE!
After using this AVR for awhile I thought I needed to come back and update this review. I still like it and would still recommend it but there is one little pain I should relay.
During Directv program changes (stop watching DVR program, start watching another) I get a blue screen quite often. A blue screen from the TV's pov means no signal. However, to be fair I don't know if this is the fault of the receiver or the TV since both are new. The pain, the program will be playing while I can't see it, it takes a few seconds to sync up. The way I deal with it is to simply pause the program until the picture is onscreen.
The firmware is upgradeable on the AVR so hopefully they will fix this issue if indeed it is the AVR causing it.
Big Red
1/18/11 UPDATE!
This is a critical update since it affects the functionality of the AVR. When I turn the volume up in the area of 10-13 and the source (usually DVD) gets to a particularly LOUD part, mostly action scenes...the receiver will sometimes simply shut off. To be honest it hasn't happened alot so I'm a little forgiving but I was watching Inception and I needed the volume loud because the center channel is a bit quiet. When the scene with the bunker explosions in the 3rd level dream hit, the receiver shut off. So, I have to pause the movie an turn the receiver back on which means the volume is reset to the default level. I haven't researched this issue yet and can only assume some sort of power overload protection is kicking in. I don't know why it would kick in at this level since it's not extremely loud. I will post more after I research it.
Big Red
3/5/11 UPDATE!
Ok, I opened a trouble ticket with Yamaha explaining the shutdown problem during high volumes. The response was that I likely had some strands of speaker wire crossing over and touching between positive and negative polarity. He said this would not show up during the speaker test and I need to check all speaker connections. However, when investigating, no speaker wires were touching but the problem was still happening around -12.0 during a loud action scene in "Unstoppable" when the train hits the horse trailer. One by one I disconnected the speakers and the problem only cleared with the front speakers disconnected. I verified the impedance was set correctly as well. Only after I lowered the levels of the front speakers below mid-point in the AVR setup menu was I able to stop the problem from occurring. The front's are plenty loud at -12.0 in comparison to the other speakers and the AVR is no longer shutting itself down during the loud spots. So, I'm happy.
Big Red
3/8/11 UPDATE!
Ok, I think my conclusions from 3/5/11 were a bit premature. A few days later I popped in "Predators" and the AVR turned itself off again in the opening scene when Adrian Brody was falling through the jungle canopy. Back to troubleshooting. This time it seemed to be the center speaker causing the problem, again no speaker wire touching. In the setup I adjusted the center speaker down and got it to stop. I THINK I've established a pattern. If the setup levels are above mid-point it seems to cause the auto shut down with high volume sections. I will go back to Yamaha on this to see if this is design intent or a bug.
Big Red

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Yamaha HTR-5063BL 7.1 Channel 630 Watt AV Receiver is a great value-priced receiver to help take your home theater experience further. It features the latest HDMI specifications (4 inputs/1 output) with Audio Return Channel and 3D-readiness (with firmware upgrade), 1080p HDMI compatiblity, and renowned Yamaha technologies like SCENE, CINEMA DSP, an onscreen display, and YPAO Sound Optimization. Expand your options even further with optional docks (sold separately) to add your iPod, iPhone, or Bluetooth sources.

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Yamaha RX-V671BL AV Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this receiver recently after trying Yamaha v667 and Denon 2311CI. This one simply blew the other two away... particularly Denon, which to my ears didn't sound impressive.
Pros:
* stunning sound - crisp, clear. currently hooked up with Harman Kardon HTKS 30BQ
* quality onscreen menu, very easy to use
* network player, plays music from ipod, iphone and mp3 from usb flash drive
* 1080p upscale output, support for 3D and ARC
Yet to come across any con so far... I love this receiver a lot.

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Network AV Receiver with 6 in / 1 out HDMI ( 3D and ARC compatibility), iPhone app compatibility, front panel HDMI and USB connections, HD Audio decoding with CINEMA DSP 3D, and 1080p upscaling.

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