Author Topic: Home theater question  (Read 2442 times)

Offline EmperorNorton

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Home theater question
« on: June 08, 2018, 07:16:01 AM »

I have a Denon AVR S700W in what I call my home theater system.  I have the Comcast box and the DVD player feeding to the Denon and the Denon sending the signal to the TV.  I have not been able to figure out if it is possible to play music from my CD player (which requires selecting 'media player' mode) while watching the TV with no volume (watching TV requires me to select 'CABLE/SAT" mode).   Is there a bypass somewhere or, as I suspect,  does my current setup require me to select one or the other?   I used to enjoy watching some sports while listening to music.   thanks

mike
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Offline MacGeek

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 07:29:28 AM »
I'll speculate it's one or the other.  I run my HDMI connections for the cable box and DVD player directly to the TV and separately, a digital audio connection to the pre-pro (except from the OPPO, where I use its internal processor and feed analog, multi channel audio to the pre-pro).  This allows the audio signal to be switched separately form video.

Yes, I have to use two remotes to switch sources, but it's the cable box that gets used most of the time and I eliminate possible signal degradation going thru the processor
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Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2018, 07:48:46 AM »
Actually the audio and video inputs are selectable for each function, but each input can only be used once.   So you could do it, but it will require some tricky wiring.   As one example (the most likely one that would work) you likely have set up now one HDMI input for the cable box and one other for the Blu-Ray player.   So, if your cable box has an old style RCA video out (or component out, or S-Video), and your Blu-Ray has stereo audio out (again, RCA) you could run those into a third function on the receiver.   However, if the Denon doesn't have an input natively set up for all RCA, be very careful when adjusting the inputs in the menu.   If you select one that is currently in use, even in passing, it will screw up all of the other inputs and you will have to reset everything (don't ask me how I know).   I hate the menus on the Denon so bad that it has me looking at other receivers.   

This may or may not also require you running another wire from the receiver to the TV (RCA video, component video or S-Video) and selecting that input on the TV when you wish to use that setting.   That depends on if your receiver upsamples and sends analog video through the HDMI cable (some do, some don't).
« Last Edit: June 08, 2018, 07:54:16 AM by Sir Thrift-a-Lot »

Offline Jim Pittsburgh

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2018, 09:07:25 AM »
doesn't look like this receiver will let you do that... 
a bunch of nice sounding stuff. Nice that I'm finally able to actually listen to file music for the first time...

Offline scorpio333

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2018, 11:42:11 AM »
I had a bear of a time trying to do exactly what you want with a Marantz 1602 awhile ago. Never figured out how with two HDMI cables. I did figure it out using HDMI for video and RCA for audio. The marantz has an “assign” menu for inputs. Create a new “sports” input and video to HDMI and analog for audio. This exact issue led me to separate my audio and video systems.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2018, 02:26:40 PM »
doesn't look like this receiver will let you do that...

He has two video ins and one video out.   He could move one of his HDMI inputs to one of the unaffected functions and use one of those for the A/V inputs from his cable box and BluRay.   Now the question is does his cable box have a video out and does his BluRay have analog audio outs?

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2018, 02:37:30 PM »
To be more specific, on that receiver I would use HDMI 1 "CBL/SAT" for the HDMI from the cable box (pretty straight ahead so far), HDMI 2 "DVD/BLU" for the BluRay player.   Then I would use the "MEDIA PLR" function for the analog outputs of both units.   What is screwy (and a good example of why I have grown to hate Denon receivers) is that they have made the analog inputs for that function #2 instead of #3.   So instead of simply selecting "analog" input rather than "digital" input, he will have to go into the menu and assign the inputs.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2018, 02:38:52 PM »
Unless they've already given them that assignment based on the function name rather than the number, but either way it's a convoluted mess that doesn't need to be.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2018, 02:43:33 PM »
Or, if your TV and receiver are both HDMI ARC (HDMI 1.4 or higher) compliant, you could use the TV as your HDMI switcher and use the receiver just as an audio switcher.   This would require analog audio out on the optical player, but would NOT require video out on the cable box.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2018, 02:46:46 PM »
Also I notice antennae on your receiver.   You could use your TV as the HDMI switcher (again, only if it's 1.4 or higher) and stream music if your optical player doesn't have analog out.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2018, 12:06:36 PM »
So, were you able to make any of this work?

Offline EmperorNorton

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Re: Home theater question
« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2018, 11:00:20 PM »
Not yet. The display on the Denon disappeared.  Probably a bad fuse so swapping it out soon.  Probably just watch less sports and listen to more music.......
Rega Planar 3
WTL TPP
Oppo 103
Musical Fidelity M1 DAC
AR LS-17
Quad II 80 monoblocks
Canton CT-800 speakers