Futureproof Checklist

[dezzpayne]

I for one am someone who tends to research research research whenever I make a big ticket purchase. Sometimes it's not too hard, sometimes I spend months at it and drive my wife around the bend. For the novice and even for the intermediate a new receiver could very well be the most daunting decision they have to make. Soo many stickers on the face of that fancy new Amp...which ones mean something? Which ones are a gimmick?

Consider what I would think to be the average DHC reader (I would place them somewhere between the average consumer and the very knowledgeable consumer). Someone who perhaps owns or intends to own a HDTV soon, owns or plans to own a HD player in the near future and owns a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound set. What do you consider to be a list of "must have" or perhaps even "really nice to have" features out there that are a standard today and somewhat necessary to protect your investment for future years?

[jvincent]

If you have the following three things it will last you until you or the receiver die.

1. HDMI 1.3 support.
2. HD Audio support. I believe the full list is Dolby TrueHD, DD+, and DTS-HD.
3. 7.1 pre-amp inputs. If some new audio format comes along, just jack it in via analog.

[57]

Here's a bit of a checklist. Basically, the more you spend, the less you'll need to worry about futureproofing, however, with the fast changing technology of today, it's almost impossible to futureproof, so often it's not a bad idea to purchase something that isn't the latest and greatest (say last year's model), so that you can replace it in a few years and sell or hand down the previous item

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=76082

[jlet]

My old multi-channel AVR (2001) does not have DVI/HDMI switching nor HD audio support, but it has 2 set of pre-amp inputs (one is 5.1 and the other is 7.1). I solved the DVI/HDMI switching limitation buy buying an external DVI switch, and I am still good to go when I buy an HD audio player.

[DanTou]

Only 4 companies have really futureproof receivers:

Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo. These companies also produce receivers that are not fully future proof. I don't have the exact list but these receivers (and all higher priced receivers within each companies) are:

Denon AVC-2307CI
Onkyo TX-SR805
Pioneer VSX-91TXH
Yamaha RXV1800

There may be lower priced receivers but those are pretty good a an affordable price (you should get them anywhere from $500 to $750 on the Internet depending on brand).

To be futureproof, you do not need HDMI 1.3 or new sound format support.

What you need is a receiver with 7.1 input (HDMI or other) and independent sound processing on all channels. This includes volume, surround between two channels, équalization, and others.

New sound format support is pretty useless: HD-DVD/Blu-Ray players all decode sound to PCM. All you need is PCM support.

[jvincent]

I didn't think all the HD players provided analog outputs.

[bete_noir]

That's where it comes in handy having a clunky RCA HDV5000 with analog outs...(or an HD-A1). Then even an older A/V receiver with multi-channel inputs will suffice.

jlet has the right approach....wait until the prices for the HDMI A/V receivers with advanced audio support start to drop....then snag one. The prices are ridiculous at the moment.

Just my $0.02....

[jvincent]

To be futureproof, you do not need HDMI 1.3

If you want to do HDMI switching and believe that deep colour is in your future, then I'm pretty sure you will need 1.3 support.

[hduong]

The Onkyo's look great when it comes to features, price and sound quality. Too bad there are so many issues with them. I was thinking of buying a TX-SR705 but will wait until they have some of these bugs Ironed out. Maybe a TX-SR706? Seems like most sub $1500 HDMI 1.3a, HD Audio receivers have their flaws.

[Bent But]

There are 0 futureproof AVRs on the market today that have the updated Cirrus Logic chipset. This chipset eliminates the bulk of the hardware handshaking issues plauging much of today's offerings.

Today, it really comes to the luck of the draw to have all equipment fully functional with HDMI connections.

[Hoowaa]

I have zero HDCP/HDMI handshaking issues with my combination of equipment that you see listed below.

100 percent satisfied with my setup which is all done with 3 simple HDMI cables that I bought from Monoprice.com

The rear of my AVR is so clear of clutter even my mom could hook up my gear if she needed to. That's the beauty of HDMI imo. The simplicity when there are no issues make the connection format a no brainer when everything is HDMI capable and all the legacy components are eliminated.

[57]

The simplicity when there are no issues make the (HDMI) connection format a no brainer

Well, that's if you read the owners manuals and if there are no handshake issues - as mentioned above - the luck of the draw. Many AVRs still require the HDMI connections to be assigned, as well as perhaps enabling the HDMI audio portion so it's in the AVR instead of the TV and provided you know that the HDMI audio will not flow to the TV if you have it enabled in the AVR and provided you know how to properly use the DVD player and STB setup menus to send the proper signals to the AVR. This is all not quite "plug and play" yet and most moms would not be able to handle it without a lot of effort and understanding. That's also providing the components feeding the AVR all have HDMI.

[dezzpayne]

I have handshaking issues with both my Bell PVR and my PS3 used with my HP 58" DLP. They are connected directly to the TV.

[macemuscle]

The list that 57 referred to above is a pretty good one, I would add upscaling all video inputs to 1080p (in addition to converting to HDMI) using a good scaler like Farouja or HQV Reon

I would add to the list of candidates the Sherwood/Newcastle 972... probably as the king of future proof AVRs if it ever comes out

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

One of the sure things in life these days is that hi-tech gear will become obsolete. That doesn't mean unusable, just not outfitted with the latest features.

My A/V receiver is just 7 years old and doesn't have:
1. HDMI switching (Just component which I no longer use.)
2. HD Audio or even the latest 24-bit audio decoding (just PCM, DD 5.1 and DTS.)
3. 7.1 preamp inputs (only 5.1.)
OTOH, I am not about to get rid of it because it is a fantastic receiver in all other respects.

Several things that you can be sure of are:
1. HDMI 1.3 will be superseded by HDMI 1.4 or 2.0.
2. Current HD Audio standards will eventually be updated or replaced.
3. 7.1 preamp inputs will likely become obsolete for prerecorded media due to copy protection.

If having the latest a greatest technology is important, plan on replacing your gear every 3-5 years. If having quality equipment is more important, spend a little more, preferably on separate A/V components, and plan on upgrading with add-on components or replacing pieces as needed.