# Do we really need 4K ready AVRs for our 4K sets?



## Rich

I just checked the price of the Sony STR-DN1060 and it's up to $599 at both Crutchfield and Amazon. I've been waiting for the prices on these to drop and they've gone up instead. At the moment, I don't need a new AVR to play what little 4K content there is available, I can use my old AVRs. I use optical wires for audio and that works fine. Yeah, using the AVR would make things a bit easier when switching inputs, but I think I can live with my Sony STR-DN1010 until the prices are more reasonable. I don't think $600 is worth spending when there's nothing wrong with my 1010. I'm gonna stick with the Sony AVR because I know how they work and I've had no problems with them over the years, but $600? That's a bit too much for a Sony AVR, I think.

Rich


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## Christopher Gould

I have been surviving for a year with my non 4k or 3d avr. A 4k avr would be nice like you for switching and a few less cables behind the entertainment center but until the $$$ is available I'll still be using a non 4k avr


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> I have been surviving for a year with my non 4k or 3d avr. A 4k avr would be nice like you for switching and a few less cables behind the entertainment center but until the $$$ is available I'll still be using a non 4k avr


Yup, turns out you really don't need a 4K ready AVR, thought I'd just pass that along to folks that might not be aware. I'm using a Samsung home entertainment system, came with speakers and has a BD player built in. Cheap unit, but really good sound. Surprised me. My wife was adamant about not putting another "home shaking" sound system in the MB. I don't even have the subwoofer hooked up and it still shakes the house if I turn the sound up. Good quality audio when the volume is low. Really good front speaker, too. Never expected such quality from it.

Rich.


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## WestDC

I use one of these (note) I don't have a 4k Tv but its spec for 4K

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DN1050-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B00JC31SEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452176703&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+1050+watt+7.2+receiver

You might compare both models on the crutchfield Site for spec's


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## Rich

WestDC said:


> I use one of these (note) I don't have a 4k Tv but its spec for 4K
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DN1050-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B00JC31SEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452176703&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+1050+watt+7.2+receiver
> 
> You might compare both models on the crutchfield Site for spec's


That receiver is not HDCP compliant. But you can get it for $319 at Crutchfield.

Rich


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## WestDC

Rich said:


> That receiver is not HDCP compliant. But you can get it for $319 at Crutchfield.
> 
> Rich


I know that but (they) Crutchfield list's it as a 4k receiver and I bought it early 2015 for $450 new from them 

Upcoming in july 2016 the new sony's avr's will be out and the 1060 will be last years junk  Maybe a 1070 if keeping with the last offerings I use a 1040 (bought in 2013) in another room (it's not 4k either) but works as designed for me now.


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## Rich

WestDC said:


> I know that but (they) Crutchfield list's it as a 4k receiver and I bought it early 2015 for $450 new from them
> 
> Upcoming in july 2016 the new sony's avr's will be out and the _*1060 will be last years junk*_  Maybe a 1070 if keeping with the last offerings I use a 1040 (bought in 2013) in another room (it's not 4k either) but works as designed for me now.


That's just what I'm waiting for.

Rich


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## machavez00

My Yamaha does 4K pass through. It's a HTIB.


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## machavez00

My Yamaha does 4K pass through. It's a HTIB.


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## Beerstalker

If you want the newer audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HDMA etc then you have to use HDMI for audio. If your devices that output 4K only have one HDMI output, then yes you will have to upgrade to a newer AVR that has HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 compatible inputs/outputs. Or you can get source devices with multiple HDMI outputs (these can be found on some blu-ray players, but for DirecTV etc you are out of luck). I did this for a while when I bought my Panasonic 65VT60. I didn't want to upgrade my AVR at that time (Denon 3808) so I bought a newer Panasonic 3D blu-ray player that had 2 HDMI ouptuts. I ran one output to the AVR for sound, and one straight to the TV for picture so I could watch 3D blu-rays.

If you don't care about the newer audio codecs then you can just go HDMI straight to the TV and optical/digital coaxial to the AVR and just use old school Dolby Digital/DTS. So you have to switch inputs on the TV and the AVR. With a programmable remote like a Logitech Harmony it isn't that big of a deal.


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## Cholly

Rich - I'm a Yamaha bigot, and suggest you look at the Yamaha RX-V 579 ($499) and RX-V679 ($599) AVR's. at Amazon or Crutchfield. Both are 4K and HDCP compliant, with the RX-V679 having HDCP 3 in/1 out. For full information, check the Yamaha site at http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/?mode=series


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## Gloria_Chavez

nytimes on 4k...

point? If you buy a 4k set, make sure it has high dynamic range.

**********************
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/technology/personaltech/ces-4k-television.html?_r=0

Still, even with more 4K content coming, the higher resolution may not be worth it. In my tests, I compared Samsung's flagship 4K television, the JS9500, which costs $4,500, side by side with my three-year-old Panasonic 1080p plasma TV. On the 4K version of "Jerry Maguire," I could see some details that were lost in the 1080p version, such as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s pores, along with some details in the shadows of his face and horizontal lines on a television screen showing a football game. In other words, not breathtaking.

More profound differences could be seen in newer content that was produced with 4K in mind, like Amazon's TV series "Mozart in the Jungle." The colors in that show looked especially vibrant and vivid, and the picture was noticeably clearer in 4K than in 1080p. Amazon declined to make an executive available for comment on its 4K offerings.

What makes "Mozart in the Jungle" look exceptional is a new color technology called H.D.R., or high dynamic range. This software feature enhances the contrast and color profile of a picture. In bright colors, you will see brighter highlights; in dark colors, you will see more details. In my side-by-side comparisons, 4K content with high dynamic range was noticeably superior to 1080p content, whereas 4K content without high dynamic range had a negligible difference in picture quality compared with 1080p.
**********************


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## Beerstalker

What you really want is an Ultra HD Premium certified device, now that they finally decided to establish an actual standard. Although I'm sure there is nothing stopping them from coming out with Ultra HD Premium 2.0 or Ultra HD Platinum in a couple months (assuming they don't just jump up to 8K Hyper HD or whatever they end up calling it).

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/games/uhda/twentieth-century-fox/Warner_Bros./Samsung/launch-date/hdr/LG/Dolby_Atmos/dtsx/4K/Ultra_HD/ultra-hd-premium-is-revealed-as-the-fullfeatured-uhd-standard-which-includes-the-uhd-blurays-that-will-launch-this-spring/28690


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## Rich

Beerstalker said:


> If you want the newer audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HDMA etc then you have to use HDMI for audio. If your devices that output 4K only have one HDMI output, then yes you will have to upgrade to a newer AVR that has HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 compatible inputs/outputs. Or you can get source devices with multiple HDMI outputs (these can be found on some blu-ray players, but for DirecTV etc you are out of luck). I did this for a while when I bought my Panasonic 65VT60. I didn't want to upgrade my AVR at that time (Denon 3808) so I bought a newer_* Panasonic 3D blu-ray player that had 2 HDMI ouptuts. I ran one output to the AVR for sound, and one straight to the TV for picture so I could watch 3D blu-rays.*_
> 
> If you don't care about the newer audio codecs then you can just go HDMI straight to the TV and optical/digital coaxial to the AVR and just use old school Dolby Digital/DTS. So you have to switch inputs on the TV and the AVR. With a programmable remote like a Logitech Harmony it isn't that big of a deal.


That's interesting. I have two Samsung BD player/upscalers and both have dual HDMI out ports. When I move the new 4K set to our prime viewing room I think I'll give that a try and see how it works with my Sony AVR. The upscaling BD players are the only source of 2160p I have at the moment. Lot of discussion going on about the audio problems that the Sammy 4Ks have with streaming boxes. I don't see those problems with my upscalers. So far, I've had two Roku 4s that would only put out stereo when hooked up to the 4K set and others have tried the newer Fire TVs and they have the same audio problems.

Rich


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## Rich

Cholly said:


> Rich - I'm a Yamaha bigot, and suggest you look at the Yamaha RX-V 579 ($499) and RX-V679 ($599) AVR's. at Amazon or Crutchfield. Both are 4K and HDCP compliant, with the RX-V679 having HDCP 3 in/1 out. For full information, check the Yamaha site at http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/?mode=series


Ohh, Charlie...I had one Yamaha sound system and it really was bad. Kinda soured me on Yamahas.

Rich


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## Beerstalker

Rich said:


> That's interesting. I have two Samsung BD player/upscalers and both have dual HDMI out ports. When I move the new 4K set to our prime viewing room I think I'll give that a try and see how it works with my Sony AVR. The upscaling BD players are the only source of 2160p I have at the moment. Lot of discussion going on about the audio problems that the Sammy 4Ks have with streaming boxes. I don't see those problems with my upscalers. So far, I've had two Roku 4s that would only put out stereo when hooked up to the 4K set and others have tried the newer Fire TVs and they have the same audio problems.
> 
> Rich


Yep, that's the whole reason for dual HDMI outputs. They usually even have writing near them saying which one is for video/sound and which one is sound only.

As far as the Roku/FireTV audio issues, I'm betting that's the same problem that has been around for quite a while. People are trying to put HDMI from those boxes to the TV and then have optical out (or HDMI ARC) from the TV to their AVR/sound bar. Doing that is only going to get your stereo sound for the vast majority of TVs because they can't take the advanced audio formats from HDMI and send them back out from the TV to the AVR/soundbar.


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## scooper

Cholly said:


> Rich - I'm a Yamaha bigot, and suggest you look at the Yamaha RX-V 579 ($499) and RX-V679 ($599) AVR's. at Amazon or Crutchfield. Both are 4K and HDCP compliant, with the RX-V679 having HDCP 3 in/1 out. For full information, check the Yamaha site at http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/?mode=series


I looked at that - I LIKE ! - I've have also been a Yamaha Bigot , unfortuantely - can't do anything about it right now.


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## adamson

The Denon AVR S710W or AVR S910W deserve a good look from anyone! DTS:X will be coming to them also before summer. Internal receiver "dead" display issue from previous model AVR S700W has been fixed. Be sure to buy from an authorized dealer for warranty reasons. ABT is a good start and factory fresh.


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## mutelight

People don't necessarily need them of course but they are ni



Beerstalker said:


> If you want the newer audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HDMA etc then you have to use HDMI for audio. If your devices that output 4K only have one HDMI output, then yes you will have to upgrade to a newer AVR that has HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 compatible inputs/outputs. Or you can get source devices with multiple HDMI outputs (these can be found on some blu-ray players, but for DirecTV etc you are out of luck). I did this for a while when I bought my Panasonic 65VT60. I didn't want to upgrade my AVR at that time (Denon 3808) so I bought a newer Panasonic 3D blu-ray player that had 2 HDMI ouptuts. I ran one output to the AVR for sound, and one straight to the TV for picture so I could watch 3D blu-rays.
> 
> If you don't care about the newer audio codecs then you can just go HDMI straight to the TV and optical/digital coaxial to the AVR and just use old school Dolby Digital/DTS. So you have to switch inputs on the TV and the AVR. With a programmable remote like a Logitech Harmony it isn't that big of a deal.


This is what I did for some time.

You don't need a 4K AVR in most cases but it does help simplify the system and as you mention, allow you to take advantage of lossless audio codecs. (Which isn't applicable to DTV at the moment.)

In one of my rooms I upgraded my AVR for 4K because I have a Sony 4K player, Nvidia Shield, and C61K so being able to take advantage of the HDCP 2.2 ports is nice.

In the main room I have another Shield which I run through my Emotiva preamp which supports 4K but not HDCP 2.2 but still passes 4K YouTube. Then I have my 4K Blu-ray player and DirecTV wired directly to the TV via two 15ft HDMI runs since they require HDCP 2.2. Emotiva is going to offer an upgrade HDMI board for HDCP 2.2 but it is only going to add one port, which is a bummer because I have at least two sources I would like to run.

This weekend I may spend a little more time tuning my Harmony Elite because when switching inputs on my TV, it can be a little wonky with the macros which I would like all the source changes to be in the preamp


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## Rich

mutelight said:


> People don't necessarily need them of course but they are ni
> 
> This is what I did for some time.
> 
> You don't need a 4K AVR in most cases but it does help simplify the system and as you mention, allow you to take advantage of lossless audio codecs. (Which isn't applicable to DTV at the moment.)
> 
> In one of my rooms I upgraded my AVR for 4K because I have a Sony 4K player,_* Nvidia Shield*_, and C61K so being able to take advantage of the HDCP 2.2 ports is nice.
> 
> In the main room I have another Shield which I run through my Emotiva preamp which supports 4K but not HDCP 2.2 but still passes 4K YouTube. Then I have my 4K Blu-ray player and DirecTV wired directly to the TV via two 15ft HDMI runs since they require HDCP 2.2. Emotiva is going to offer an upgrade HDMI board for HDCP 2.2 but it is only going to add one port, which is a bummer because I have at least two sources I would like to run.
> 
> This weekend I may spend a little more time tuning my Harmony Elite because when switching inputs on my TV, it can be a little wonky with the macros which I would like all the source changes to be in the preamp


Does the Nvidia Shield upscale all content to 2160p? I haven't been able to find this out and I've been trying for months. Does it do the same things the Roku 4 does as far as upscaling goes?

Rich


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## mutelight

Rich said:


> Does the Nvidia Shield upscale all content to 2160p? I haven't been able to find this out and I've been trying for months. Does it do the same things the Roku 4 does as far as upscaling goes?
> 
> Rich


I don't have a Roku 4 so I am unsure what it does as far as upscaling but depending on the output resolution you set on the Shield, it would output that video resolution at all times.


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## Rich

mutelight said:


> I don't have a Roku 4 so I am unsure what it does as far as upscaling but depending on the output resolution you set on the Shield, it would output that video resolution at all times.


The Roku 4 upscales all content to 2160p. So, I can buy a Shield and get 2160p on all content just by a setting? I wonder why they don't say that on their website? You do get both NF and Amazon, right?

Rich


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## mutelight

Rich said:


> The Roku 4 upscales all content to 2160p. So, I can buy a Shield and get 2160p on all content just by a setting? I wonder why they don't say that on their website? You do get both NF and Amazon, right?
> 
> Rich


Just make sure the output setting is 2160p60 and everything will be upscaled.

They likely don't say that because virtually any device where you can set an output resolution, it will scale non-native content to that resolution. I haven't done any testing to see if my TV or Shield has a stronger scaler so it may be the case that having my TV upscale any 1080p content will show better results. That said, I haven't found the need to since non-4K content looks great on the Shield.

Shield has Netflix, Ultraflix, and YouTube for 4K but it does not have Amazon currently. It is a total bummer that they do not have Amazon but I end up watching any UHD content in the other room and I like being able to stream my PC games.


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## Rich

mutelight said:


> Just make sure the output setting is 2160p60 and everything will be upscaled.
> 
> They likely don't say that because virtually any device where you can set an output resolution, it will scale non-native content to that resolution. I haven't done any testing to see if my TV or Shield has a stronger scaler so it may be the case that having my TV upscale any 1080p content will show better results. That said, I haven't found the need to since non-4K content looks great on the Shield.
> 
> Shield has Netflix, Ultraflix, and YouTube for 4K _*but it does not have Amazon currently. It is a total bummer that they do not have Amazon*_ but I end up watching any UHD content in the other room and I like being able to stream my PC games.


Not only is it a bummer, it's a deal killer for me. Nuts. I've tried two Roku 4s with no luck on my JS8500. They just don't seem to want to work with the 4K Sammys. And they have several other problems. There's a really long, depressing thread on AVS about the Roku 4s. Thanx for the info.

Rich


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## mutelight

Rich said:


> Not only is it a bummer, it's a deal killer for me. Nuts. I've tried two Roku 4s with no luck on my JS8500. They just don't seem to want to work with the 4K Sammys. And they have several other problems. There's a really long, depressing thread on AVS about the Roku 4s. Thanx for the info.
> 
> Rich


Hmm that is bizarre that it doesn't want to work, glad I didn't go that path since I am running two!

What is the issue specifically? Does it just not display 4K content?

Another option for you is the Amazon Fire TV 4K which has all the services. (Granted I haven't read up much on it but it may do what you are looking for.)


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## lparsons21

The FireTV box (not the stick), has 4K Netflix and Amazon. No 4K YouTube.


Lloyd


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## Rich

mutelight said:


> Hmm that is bizarre that it doesn't want to work, glad I didn't go that path since I am _*running two*_!
> 
> What is the issue specifically? Does it just not display 4K content?
> 
> Another option for you is the Amazon Fire TV 4K which has all the services. (Granted I haven't read up much on it but it may do what you are looking for.)


I gather that means you have two 4K Sammy sets?

The issue with the R4s is they don't show any 4K content on NF in the Info window of the NF app. When you go to a NF show or movie there is a page that has, for 4K content, "UHD" and "5.1" in the upper right hand corner of the page. That shows up on my TV's apps and I know it shows up on the 4K FTV's app. The R4 also doesn't show any 4K content on Amazon. They might have fixed this by now but there are so many issues with the R4s that I simply lost interest in them.

_*One more time: For the love of God, do not buy a Roku from the Roku website! If you have to return it, it takes way too long to get your money back and it takes far too long to just get the RMA info to return it. You'll be constantly besieged by Roku CSRs wanting to "fix" your problem that, obviously, can't be fixed. *_

I'm patiently waiting for the newest iteration of the FTV box in the hope that it upscales all content to 2160p. Right now, I can deal with the TV's apps altho I find the UI to be a lot more difficult to use than either my FTV boxes or my ATV4 (which is a superb streamer, but is hindered by the lack of an Amazon app and no 4K support).

Rich


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## mutelight

Rich said:


> I gather that means you have two 4K Sammy sets?
> 
> The issue with the R4s is they don't show any 4K content on NF in the Info window of the NF app. When you go to a NF show or movie there is a page that has, for 4K content, "UHD" and "5.1" in the upper right hand corner of the page. That shows up on my TV's apps and I know it shows up on the 4K FTV's app. The R4 also doesn't show any 4K content on Amazon. They might have fixed this by now but there are so many issues with the R4s that I simply lost interest in them.
> 
> _*One more time: For the love of God, do not buy a Roku from the Roku website! If you have to return it, it takes way too long to get your money back and it takes far too long to just get the RMA info to return it. You'll be constantly besieged by Roku CSRs wanting to "fix" your problem that, obviously, can't be fixed. *_
> 
> I'm patiently waiting for the newest iteration of the FTV box in the hope that it upscales all content to 2160p. Right now, I can deal with the TV's apps altho I find the UI to be a lot more difficult to use than either my FTV boxes or my ATV4 (which is a superb streamer, but is hindered by the lack of an Amazon app and no 4K support).
> 
> Rich


Yeah, two of my TVs are Samsung.

I have seen a similar issue to you where I was seeing no 4K content in Netflix on my Shield but that is because it is running through my pre-pro which doesn't support HDCP 2.2. If I connect it directly to the TV, I can then view 4K content.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> The FireTV box (not the stick), has 4K Netflix and Amazon. No 4K YouTube.
> 
> Lloyd


I know, I had one and returned it because they dropped the optical output from the box. At the time, I was using the 4K set in my MB and needed the optical output for the AVR. I'm hoping the new FTV box shows up soon and has similar specs to the Roku 4, especially upscaling all content to 2160p. I'm pretty sure the way my luck is if I were to buy another 4K FTV box the new one would come out 31 days later. I'm also waiting and hoping for a new ATV box that upscales to 2160p and has an Amazon app. I'd rather have the ATV box than the FTV box.

Rich


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## Rich

mutelight said:


> Yeah, two of my TVs are Samsung.
> 
> I have seen a similar issue to you where I was seeing no 4K content in Netflix on my Shield but that is because it is running through my pre-pro which doesn't support HDCP 2.2. If I connect it directly to the TV, I can then view 4K content.


I never use my TVs for sound. I did have the R4 HDMI cable hooked up to the JS8500 and used the optical port for sound and got no mention of UHD on NF or Amazon.

Rich


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## nuzzy

I'd just hold out for a Trinnov Altitude 32 


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## lparsons21

I've been trying to talk myself into upgrading to an AVR that supports 4K. There are quite a few making the claim, but in reading it seems most are having at least some issues with some TVs. Makes wanting to buy a not so good idea at this time.

It would help if they could get ALL the specs set in at least soft stone! 

If I were to get an AVR it really wouldn't do much more than make things a bit more convenient. Streaming 4K has stereo with some services and DD and/or DD+ with others. Optical can handle that well enough even if it doesn't quite do DD+.

All the current real 4K BluRay players have dual HDMI out, one for video and one for audio. So connecting straight to the 4K TV is being supported just fine and with the dual outputs you can get the more advanced audio codecs too.

Note that it seems most, if not all, of the AVRs bragging about 4K support and the HDMI/HDCP spec that comes along with it, are only doing that support on 3 HDMI ports. Unless I've misread specs, none are doing it on all ports, hell not even all 4K TVs are!

For me, when they get AVRs that are fully supportive it would be one step forward in video and a step or two back in audio since Harman Kardon has quit making home AVRs. 

I've been told that Marantz gets close the HK sweetness and someone on another forum mentioned a NAD ($$$$) receiver.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> I've been trying to talk myself into upgrading to an AVR that supports 4K. There are quite a few making the claim, but in reading it seems most are having at least some issues with some TVs. Makes wanting to buy a not so good idea at this time.
> 
> It would help if they could get ALL the specs set in at least soft stone!
> 
> If I were to get an AVR it really wouldn't do much more than make things a bit more convenient. Streaming 4K has stereo with some services and DD and/or DD+ with others. Optical can handle that well enough even if it doesn't quite do DD+.
> 
> _*All the current real 4K BluRay players have dual HDMI out, one for video and one for audio. So connecting straight to the 4K TV is being supported just fine and with the dual outputs you can get the more advanced audio codecs too.*_
> 
> Note that it seems most, if not all, of the AVRs bragging about 4K support and the HDMI/HDCP spec that comes along with it, are only doing that support on 3 HDMI ports. Unless I've misread specs, none are doing it on all ports, hell not even all 4K TVs are!
> 
> For me, when they get AVRs that are fully supportive it would be one step forward in video and a step or two back in audio since Harman Kardon has quit making home AVRs.
> 
> I've been told that Marantz gets close the HK sweetness and someone on another forum mentioned a NAD ($$$$) receiver.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I've tried doing the HDMI thing with my Samsung upscaling BD player and no matter what I do the AVR keeps reverting to TV (which is an optical line). I can clear it if I reset the AVR, but that doesn't last long. Frustrating. My AVR is an older Sony, not a 4K AVR. Kinda makes me wonder if I'd have the same issues with a 4K Sony AVR. Anyone having any ideas about what I can do to solve this problem?

Rich


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## lparsons21

Are you connecting the BD player just with HDMI to the TV? Or to the AVR?

If you do it to the TV then audio would come from the TV via either ARC or optical. If you do it to the AVR and only have single HDMI out of the BD player, then it should do the audio fine but the video would be 1080p max. 

The 4K BD players have the dual HDMI and from what I've read one is video/audio for those that have AVRs that are fully 4K HDMI/HDCP compatible, and the 2nd HDMI output is audio only. I don't think the upscaling 4K BD players do that.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Are you connecting the BD player just with HDMI to the TV? Or to the AVR?
> 
> If you do it to the TV then audio would come from the TV via either ARC or optical. If you do it to the AVR and only have single HDMI out of the BD player, then it should do the audio fine but the video would be 1080p max.
> 
> The 4K BD players have the dual HDMI and from what I've read one is video/audio for those that have AVRs that are fully 4K HDMI/HDCP compatible, and the 2nd HDMI output is audio only. I don't think the upscaling 4K BD players do that.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


My Samsung BD upscaling players do have dual HDMI outputs and I use one for video and one for the AVR. When I do that, the Sony AVR keeps switching to TV, which is an optical output. It won't stay on the HDMI feed. So, I gave up on the dual HDMI thing and I use an optical feed for sound. I'd rather use the HDMI, but I don't seem to able to.

Rich


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## lparsons21

That is odd! 

I had an HK AVR3700 that would change inputs randomly, never could quite figure out how. Gotta love all this great tech! 


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> That is odd!
> 
> I had an HK AVR3700 that would change inputs randomly, never could quite figure out how. Gotta love all this great tech!
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


This problem has bothered to the point where I don't want to buy a new 4K Sony AVR. And I don't feel like learning how to use another brand AVR. (Hmm, "brand" or "brand's"?)

Rich


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## lparsons21

I've found over the years that the daily use of an AVR isn't much different between brands, especially if you use something like the Harmony One universal remote. It is the setups that are widely different and oft times irritating as hell. But if you take the time to setup properly the first time, you generally never have to go back to those screens.

Hmmm... I think I'll head over to BestBuy and get an Onkyo 757 to try out. Rainy day, no golf 'cause I'm getting to be a wimp, good day for it.


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## Cholly

We are currently using a Yamaha RX-V 663 in the family room, connected to the Samsung TV via optical cable.That way, we can use either the Sammy for sound or turn off the TV speakers and use the AVR. Blu-Ray and HD DVD players and TiVo all feed the TV via HDMI. We aren't using a Harmony Remote, relying on the TV to autoselect inputs .It does pose a bit of a problem, needing to use remotes for TV, DVD player, TiVo and AVR. If we're just watching broadcast TV, Netflix or Amazon, we only need the TiVo remote.

I'm a Yamaha bigot, and am considering getting a Yamaha RX-V377 5.1 channel AVR for my bedroom from Newegg (on sale for 2 days for $169.95) to replace a Pioneer VSX-521.


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## boukengreen

Cholly said:


> We are currently using a Yamaha RX-V 663 in the family room, connected to the Samsung TV via optical cable.That way, we can use either the Sammy for sound or turn off the TV speakers and use the AVR. Blu-Ray and HD DVD players and TiVo all feed the TV via HDMI. We aren't using a Harmony Remote, relying on the TV to autoselect inputs .It does pose a bit of a problem, needing to use remotes for TV, DVD player, TiVo and AVR. If we're just watching broadcast TV, Netflix or Amazon, we only need the TiVo remote.
> 
> I'm a Yamaha bigot, and am considering getting a Yamaha RX-V377 5.1 channel AVR for my bedroom from Newegg (on sale for 2 days for $169.95) to replace a Pioneer VSX-521.


HD DVD what is that format lol is it like laser disc or something lol


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## Cholly

boukengreen said:


> HD DVD what is that format lol is it like laser disc or something lol


Sadly, Sony and Disney had enough power that Blu-Ray won the format battle even though HD DVD was acknowledged to be better and was supported by Paramount, Warner and United Artists. While the battle was waging, I had purchased a few HD DVD players and acquired 25 HD DVD movies before they disappeared from the market.


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## longrider

It is interesting how the inferior format always seems to win. Supposedly Beta was superior to VHS but we know how that went. Personally I lucked out on the Beta/VHS battle and chose VHS and I did not buy my first Blu-Ray until that battle was over.


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## jimmie57

Cholly said:


> We are currently using a Yamaha RX-V 663 in the family room, connected to the Samsung TV via optical cable.That way, we can use either the Sammy for sound or turn off the TV speakers and use the AVR. Blu-Ray and HD DVD players and TiVo all feed the TV via HDMI. We aren't using a Harmony Remote, relying on the TV to autoselect inputs .It does pose a bit of a problem, needing to use remotes for TV, DVD player, TiVo and AVR. If we're just watching broadcast TV, Netflix or Amazon, we only need the TiVo remote.
> 
> I'm a Yamaha bigot, and am considering getting a Yamaha RX-V377 5.1 channel AVR for my bedroom from Newegg (on sale for 2 days for $169.95) to replace a Pioneer VSX-521.


Does that receiver do the HDCP 2.2 ? I am missing it in the specs, etc.


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## Cholly

The 377 does not - The newer RX-V381 has HDCP 2.2


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## dpeters11

longrider said:


> It is interesting how the inferior format always seems to win. Supposedly Beta was superior to VHS but we know how that went. Personally I lucked out on the Beta/VHS battle and chose VHS and I did not buy my first Blu-Ray until that battle was over.


Betamax was better generally, but the players were more expensive, and in the early days a tape only held an hour. Even back then people didn't want to have to get up to change tapes while watching a movie.

Though of course that was the kid's job anyway.


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## TheRatPatrol

Cholly said:


> HD DVD was acknowledged to be better


Better how?


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## dpeters11

TheRatPatrol said:


> Better how?


One thing I remember (early on), networking was optional on blu-ray players, required for hd-dvd. So getting firmware updates could be more problematic for blu-ray.

I also think that the manufacturing process for hd-dvd was closer to that of dvd, requiring fewer changes in manufacturing.


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## Rich

longrider said:


> It is interesting how the inferior format always seems to win. *Supposedly* Beta was superior to VHS but we know how that went. Personally I lucked out on the Beta/VHS battle and chose VHS and I did not buy my first Blu-Ray until that battle was over.


I did have a Sony Betamax VCR. It blew away every VHS VCR I tried. Then, in a moment of supreme stupidity, I sold it and bought a Panasonic VCR. Really regretted that.

Rich


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## Rich

dpeters11 said:


> Betamax was better generally, but the players were more expensive, and in the early days a tape only held an hour. Even back then people didn't want to have to get up to change tapes while watching a movie.
> 
> Though of course that was the kid's job anyway.


All I can remember is the lack of Beta tapes at the movie rental store and the wonderful PQ put out by the Sony.

Rich


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## dpeters11

Rich said:


> All I can remember is the lack of Beta tapes at the movie rental store and the wonderful PQ put out by the Sony.
> 
> Rich


The oy thing i remember from Married with Children. If the movie were any good, they'd put it on beta.

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## Rich

dpeters11 said:


> The oy thing i remember from Married with Children. If the movie were any good, they'd put it on beta.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


Always thought the rental stores with their massive displays of VHS tapes and the Beta tapes off in a small corner contributed heavily to the demise of the Beta recorders.

Rich


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## Wolfmanjohn

I loved my betamax, but as mentioned above, I, too, sold it in a moment of stupidity. Got what I paid for it, as the coworker who bought it promptly sent it back to family in the Phillipines; apparently the beta format was still alive, well, and in demand there in the early 90s.


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## inkahauts

Hi Definition DVD was not any better than bluray and in the long run blu ray has probably turned out better because it was able to expand capacity even further and allows us 4k material now. 

When they where both out it was a tie imho.


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## Cholly

True to form, I bit the bullet today and ordered a Yamaha RX-V377 receiver. for my bedroom HT. system. It's a nice 5.1 receiver, with 4 HDMI inputs and 4K passthru (only when powered on, of course). Only downside for me is the fact that it only has one optical input, while the Pioneer that it is replacing has two. Not a big problem.


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## Rich

Wolfmanjohn said:


> I loved my betamax, but as mentioned above, I, too, sold it in a moment of stupidity. Got what I paid for it, as the coworker who bought it promptly sent it back to family in the Phillipines; apparently the beta format was still alive, well, and in demand there in the early 90s.


Oh well, the time of the VCRs is past, and now we can watch the demise of the DVRs.

Rich


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## Rich

inkahauts said:


> *Hi Definition DVD was not any better than Hi Definition DVD* and in the long run blu ray has probably turned out better because it was able to expand capacity even further and allows us 4k material now.
> 
> When they where both out it was a tie imho.


That's a bit of a head scratcher...what did you mean to write?

Rich


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## boukengreen

Cholly said:


> Sadly, Sony and Disney had enough power that Blu-Ray won the format battle even though HD DVD was acknowledged to be better and was supported by Paramount, Warner and United Artists. While the battle was waging, I had purchased a few HD DVD players and acquired 25 HD DVD movies before they disappeared from the market.


Yea my first laptop had a HDDVD drive so that was what I went with until it was no longer supported


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## jimmie57

Cholly said:


> We are currently using a Yamaha RX-V 663 in the family room, connected to the Samsung TV via optical cable.That way, we can use either the Sammy for sound or turn off the TV speakers and use the AVR. Blu-Ray and HD DVD players and TiVo all feed the TV via HDMI. We aren't using a Harmony Remote, relying on the TV to autoselect inputs .It does pose a bit of a problem, needing to use remotes for TV, DVD player, TiVo and AVR. If we're just watching broadcast TV, Netflix or Amazon, we only need the TiVo remote.
> 
> I'm a Yamaha bigot, and am considering getting a Yamaha RX-V377 5.1 channel AVR for my bedroom from Newegg (on sale for 2 days for $169.95) to replace a Pioneer VSX-521.


Take a look at this one. One day only sale.
Yamaha - 700W 5.1-Ch 4K Ultra HD and 3D Pass-Through A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black


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## Cholly

jimmie57 said:


> Take a look at this one. One day only sale.
> Yamaha - 700W 5.1-Ch 4K Ultra HD and 3D Pass-Through A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black


Already ordered the 377. It's being delivered today.


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## inkahauts

Rich said:


> That's a bit of a head scratcher...what did you mean to write?
> 
> Rich




Fixed it.


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## Rich

inkahauts said:


> Fixed it.


Can we blame that on Tapatalk... 

Rich


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