Need help deciding which Sony receiver should I get

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

hello guys,

Before I proceed, i would like you all to know that I am new to all this HT thingy, I just want to get into it starting with a decent/budget set up

Since I have all Sony equipment sofar- sony tv, ps3, and bd560(soon) so i would like to keep it all sony

I went on amazon to explore my options on sony receivers.. here is what I found..

I plan on running 5 channel plus one subwoofer (so can I just use a 7.1 receiver or I MUST get 5.1?)

here is the 7.1 I like but the biggest gripe here is that it is 1080i not 1080p

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDG820-Audio-Video-Receiver/dp/B0015HPYDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1247932463&sr=1-1

On other hand, I could get this one for 5.1 but it got only 2 hdmi inputs.. I am not sure what does 1080/60p means? 60 represents the hz refresh rate?? Im wondering cuz my TV is 120hz so I would like to put it to the fullest potential

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DG520-Audio-Video-Receiver/dp/tech-data/B0015HPYD0/ref=de_a_smtd

any opinions would be greatly appreciated since it is going to be my first time dealing with this stuff

Thanks in advance!

p.s. I am thinking that I would get all speakers by polk on amazon which got nice prices and then i might just build my own sub with a plate amp or just get a psw12 and call it a day

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[JarvisB 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif no one wanna help me?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

go to icixsound.com

they do some HT stuff

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

Go with the 820. The 520 doesn't have video swithing, just HDMI passthrough. I used to to sell these for a living.

 

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

i see but can i just use 5 channels rather than using all 7?

but my biggest gripe with the 820 is that it does not process 1080p picture..

I could just get optical cable so i can just get the picture straight from the systems but the sound thru the optical cable

EDIT: I think I got things mixed up, the 820 model got 1080/60p HDMI so my bad..

 

but i m wondering if i still should use optical cable since my TV is 120hz so if I plug all of my systems to the receiver and then plug the output to the TV, I will be seeing only 60hz refresh rate?? or i got it all wrong? I read it somewhere that 60 is supposed to be future proof on home theater systems

 

and my other question is can i just use 5 channels out of 7 on this system?

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

i see but can i just use 5 channels rather than using all 7?
but my biggest gripe with the 820 is that it does not process 1080p picture..

I could just get optical cable so i can just get the picture straight from the systems but the sound thru the optical cable

EDIT: I think I got things mixed up, the 820 model got 1080/60p HDMI so my bad..

 

but i m wondering if i still should use optical cable since my TV is 120hz so if I plug all of my systems to the receiver and then plug the output to the TV, I will be seeing only 60hz refresh rate?? or i got it all wrong? I read it somewhere that 60 is supposed to be future proof on home theater systems

 

and my other question is can i just use 5 channels out of 7 on this system?

Running only 5 channels is not an issue. In fact, I believe with this receiver, you can bi amp a set of front speakers when running It in 5.1. There's no harm in running the HDMI into the receiver first then to he TV, however, I do not remember if the receiver supports 1080/24p. If it doesn't, don't run a bluray/ps3 through it, use an optical for that. If it does, use HDMI for everything.

 

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

cool man but like I said my TV got 120 hz refresh rate so will I be able to use its full potiential by going thru the system??

and yes this receiver supports 1080/24p

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

cool man but like I said my TV got 120 hz refresh rate so will I be able to use its full potiential by going thru the system??
and yes this receiver supports 1080/24p

Yes, the reason TVs have 120 Hz processors is for programming that is recorded in 24p. most TV programming and DVDs are 60p (60 frames per second). Blurays are 24p (24 frames per second). A standard 60 Hz processor will have no motion issues with a 60p signal. However, it has to use a 3:2 pull down or reverse 3:2 pull down to properly display a program in 24p. This is where you get a "jerky" picture. The 120 Hz is capable of both 60p (120/60=2) and 24p (120/24=5). With a 24p signal, the TV is capable of doing what is called a 5:5 cadence which essentially is 1:1 so you will get a perfectly smooth picture. This is really what 120 Hz is all about. Most new LCDs have no motion blur issues even with a regular 60 Hz processor because the response time on the panel is 6 ms or faster. Essentially, as long as the receiver supports 1080/24p, you will not compromise the 120 Hz processing the television is capable of. Also, you said it's all Sony, keep the 120 Hz on the normal setting, not high.

Man, I kinda miss selling this stuff...

 

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

lol you sure sound like you know ur stuff

so are you saying that 24p is supposed to be better than 60p??

and my TV got motion enhancer in low, standard, high.. i usually have it set at high to experience the best picture without any motion blur.. so not sure why are you telling me not to set it at high?

lmk thanks

 

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

hey guys, i found this set of speakers and was wondering if this would be a good buy or not..

they are priced decently as well

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-F6000-Floor-Standing-Speakers-Woofer/dp/B000OG4E20/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1248020238&sr=8-3

scroll down to middle of the page you will see they are offering you 3 piece set of front, center, and rear speakers combo.. That is what I am looking at, I can get all of them for just a bit over 300 bucks but I am wondering if they would do good or not, any opinions?

and then I will either buy a sub off a member here or build my own one

any input would be appreciated, thanks

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

lol you sure sound like you know ur stuff
so are you saying that 24p is supposed to be better than 60p??

and my TV got motion enhancer in low, standard, high.. i usually have it set at high to experience the best picture without any motion blur.. so not sure why are you telling me not to set it at high?

lmk thanks

24p is the cinema motion that the 120 Hz smooths out. If there wasn't a 24p, there would be no need for a 120 Hz processor, but that's not what every TV manufacturer wants you to think...lol.

hey guys, i found this set of speakers and was wondering if this would be a good buy or not..
they are priced decently as well

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-F6000-Floor-Standing-Speakers-Woofer/dp/B000OG4E20/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1248020238&sr=8-3

scroll down to middle of the page you will see they are offering you 3 piece set of front, center, and rear speakers combo.. That is what I am looking at, I can get all of them for just a bit over 300 bucks but I am wondering if they would do good or not, any opinions?

and then I will either buy a sub off a member here or build my own one

any input would be appreciated, thanks

I've never been impressed with any Sony speaker products I've heard. If you want to stay all Sony, they're not too bad and for the price, they're probably worth it.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

lol you sure sound like you know ur stuff

Home theater is/was my area of expertise. Home audio is what got me into car audio.

 

[JarvisB 10+ year member]

24p is the cinema motion that the 120 Hz smooths out. If there wasn't a 24p, there would be no need for a 120 Hz processor, but that's not what every TV manufacturer wants you to think...lol.

I've never been impressed with any Sony speaker products I've heard. If you want to stay all Sony, they're not too bad and for the price, they're probably worth it.

yeah that is what most reviews said as almost all of them said they didnt expect it to be that great but until they got it, they were impressed..

i think for the price i cant go wrong?

but i m thinking about going with the 7000 series instead.. link

Home theater is/was my area of expertise. Home audio is what got me into car audio.

great to hear //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif hope to get few more advices from you in near future //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif thanks man

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

820

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I've never been impressed with any Sony speaker products I've heard.

Ever hear the Sony transmission lines from the ES days? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Might have been pre-ES, even.