HD-DVD connections (and everything else)

[Coasterdon]

Hello

I just bought a PS3 and I am trying to get everything hooked up as best I can for the best picture. I have a Samsung DLP. I have one DVI connector and 3 Component connectors. One of the component connections is only 480i or 480p and the other 2 are 480p, 720p and 1080i. The fact that the other 2 do not support 480i causes problems when setting things up but I can get around it if I think about it before doing anything.

I have an HD DVD player and a Wii also.

Because I only have one DVI connector I bought a switcher box so that I could put all 4 (PS3, Wii, Cable box, and HD-DVD) through on one component input and switch them.
It has HDMI too but if you use those connectors you can't use a separate digital audio

I managed to get everything working after much agony BUT when I put a regular DVD into the HD DVD player a message comes across the screen that says that the DVD cannot be played in high definition due to copywrite and will be displayed in 480P. Has anyone ever seen this? Does this mean I am not getting up conversion if I use component?
I wonder if this message came from the HD DVD player or the switch?

I thought this was my solution since I understand component at 1080i is as good as DVI. The HDMI to DVI works fine for the PS3.

Should I take the box back and get an HDMI and Toslink splitter cable instead? (from monoprice)

(I only have one digital audio on my receiver too)

Sorry for the rambling.

Don

[g011um]

Standard DVD cannot be upscaled over component (well, technically it can, but legally it cannot). You'll need to connect the HD DVD up using HDMI. Or in your case, DVI I guess. 57 and others more knowledgeably will likely need to step in here to provide better advice.

[57]

As mentioned by g011um, all current upconverting players or HD-DVD players will only upconvert SD DVDs to 480P via component video connection. If you want SD upconverted to HD formats, then you'll need to use the HDMI or DVI connection.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112

You can use one of the HD players for SD DVDs connected to your DVI input, however, you may not see a significant difference, depending on the upconversion in the TV.

[Coasterdon]

Thanks.

I wasn't aware of that. I will leave the HD-DVD on the DVI input and use the PS3 with the component input. Switch goes back to Bestbuy.

Don

[Battscrew]

Originally Posted by Coasterdon

Thanks.

I wasn't aware of that. I will leave the HD-DVD on the DVI input and use the PS3 with the component input. Switch goes back to Bestbuy.

Don

can you not use an HDMI switcher - connect PS3 and HD-DVD via HDMI to the switcher - then use HDMI-DVI from the swicther to the TV set?

[DJDiggler]

Yea you definitly will want a HDMI switch.... if you put your PS3 on component your Blue-ray movies will be downconverted to 480P... I think games will still be HD res as they aren't copy protected.

You can find simple switches fairly cheap now, (monoprice has a wide selection at very cheap prices)... auto sensing/remote controlled input selection features are common also.

[57]

if you put your PS3 on component your Blue-ray movies will be downconverted to 480P...

Is this only on the PS3, as most HD-DVD players will output 1080i on the CV outputs for HD-DVDs (up until there is an ICT, which is not yet present). The 480P limit on the CV outputs is for SD-DVDs.

[DJDiggler]

Is this only on the PS3, as most HD-DVD players will output 1080i on the CV outputs for HD-DVDs (up until there is an ICT, which is not yet present). The 480P limit on the CV outputs is for SD-DVDs.

Oops, I was assuming the PS3 and all HD players would not output HD quality over component. It doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't allow upconverted content over component, (in fear of people making high quality copies), but do allow actual HD content to pass, (allowing people to make HD quality copies!)

Do these players really pass 1080i unprotected over component?

[57]

Do these players really pass 1080i unprotected over component?

Yes they do, just like STBs let HD pass, and yes it is strange about the limit on SD-DVDs.

[Coasterdon]

OK. I decided to buy a new AV Receiver and take the HDMI switch back. (Any excuse to upgrade components). I bought a Sony receiver with HDMI.

I hooked up the HD-DVD and PS3 by HDMI to the receiver and then HDMI out to DVI on the TV. I get picture but no sound from the receiver. When I try to set up the PS3 for HDMI sound it says "This HDMI device cannot be used for audio output".

That doesn't make any sense. The receiver says that it does output HDMI sound through either the AMP or the TV. I have it set to AMP. They even tell you to put your blu ray player on that input.

I guess I could use toslink for the sound but it's supposed to work with HDMI. Why does this all have to be so hard? I have e-mailed Sony.

[57]

What's the model number of the AVR? You probably need to "assign" the HDMI inputs to a particular device, the same way that some digital audio inputs need to be assigned.

I've set up a few of these HDMI AVRs and you would think they would have one device as a default, but sometimes they don't. Once assigned, the sound should come to life. Make sure you don't turn the volume up too high - leave it at a "listenable" level for another device that you've already hooked up, or listen to the static on the AM Tuner and make sure the DVD is playing.

[mfabien]

... in Setup, make sure that, for Audio, HDMI is set to PCM in both players (and not Bitstream).

As for the receiver, it needs to passthrough audio and not process the audio signal. Check the receiver's manual.

[57]

Clarification, passthrough would send the sound to the TV, I believe that Coasterdon wants to hear the audio from the AVR.

[Coasterdon]

I'll check that I have PCM set up. The model is STRDG710. The sound is set up to go to the receiver for the HDMI input.

[Coasterdon]

I give up. Sony support is useless. I have hooked the Hd DVD and PS3 to the HDMI inputs and then both to the optical for audio. Works fine. Just bugs me that HDMI audio doesn't work when it is supposed to and Sony cannot tell me why.