I'm sure it's been answered...but the eyes are getting blurry reading all of the posts/opinions out there!

About to hook up the PS3 and the HR21 DirecTV units to the Onkyo 605 - via HDMI cables - and then one HDMI cable to the Sony 52XBR4.

Little nervous about not connecting the PS3 and HR21 directly to the TV - but from what I have heard/read - there isn't a difference passing them through the receiver (and is it actually better to do so??)

But - my question... connecting the PS3 to the Onkyo via HDMI... will that mean that the sound (for movies and games - once everything is programmed correctly) - will only come out of the 5.1 system I have (Polk RM6880)... and not the speakers on the TV?

I know (I think) - if I connect the PS3 directly to the TV - via HDMI - and I use a digitial optical to the receiver from the PS3... I have an option of where the sound is going to go - HDMI or Digital Opt...

So basically- with the PS3 - I will not be using the tv speakers at all...?

(The HR21 if it's anything like the HR20 - can have the sound come out of the speakers and a digital opt going to the receiver... so sound comes out of both)


And I am petrified of the settings/adjustments that I need to do with the PS3 in order for it to come out of the 5.1 perfectly!!!


Advice from those a hell of a lot more knowledgeable than I would be appreciated....

Thanks...

Dave
New Hampshire

I'm thinking the tv speakers will work; the tv is still receiving an hdmi signal so whatever the receiver is feeding the tv should also contain audio. Someone will jump in soon if I'm wrong.

alright...I'll chime in here. I am not familiar with your particular model receiver, but I do know that you might not always get audio to your TV speakers.

For example, the Harmon Kardon 247 will decode the audio signal sent by HDMI, but will not pass the audio signal on to the TV if you wanted to. This is in contrast to, say, the Sony STR DG1000, which allows you to specify where the sound comes out (TV, AMP, TV+AMP). You'll need to read your manual and/or call customer service to confirm.

As for performance, I actually think my receiver improves video playback of the PS3. I expect that this will vary between users, but my guess is that you will be fine with the Onkyo.

You can't run both HDMI and OPT audio at the same time from the PS3. So, if you choose to use both of these for various uses, you will have to change the settings to output over HDMI or OPT depending on what you need.


As for Bitstream vs LPCM...well, this is a raging debate. If you use OPT, then you should absolutely go bitstream. Should you go with HDMI for audio, it is a matter of preference.

All in all, I would recommend going with HDMI audio as this will enable the HD audio formats. Otherwise, you'll only be getting Dolby Digital and DTS.

Hope this helps!

I have a 605 and a PS3 so I can answer.

If you use HDMI from the PS3 to the 605 and HDMI from the 605 to the TV, the 605 will strip out the audio from the HDMI signal and send ONLY video to the TV.

The receiver does the same to my Xbox360, Toshiba HD-DVD player, and cable box via HDMI. It strips the audio and sends only video to the TV. I'm sure there might be a setting to change that, but it's the way I prefer it.

The only time I would ever use my TV speakers is if a family member just wanted to watch TV. I use the component/RCA audio out from the cable box to the TV and have a whole separate activity for that programmed into my Harmony remote.

thats strange i have an older tx-sr803 and you can turn audio on or off via hdmi signal for video being fed to tv via hdmi so check your 605 hdmi settings.

I have a 605 and a PS3 so I can answer.

If you use HDMI from the PS3 to the 605 and HDMI from the 605 to the TV, the 605 will strip out the audio from the HDMI signal and send ONLY video to the TV.

That's a configurable setting on the 605. Check your menus. I have it off, for I have no use whatsoever for the tinny TV speakers. (even though the ones on my current set are light years ahead of any other set I've owned, they still suck)

That's a configurable setting on the 605. Check your menus. I have it off, for I have no use whatsoever for the tinny TV speakers. (even though the ones on my current set are light years ahead of any other set I've owned, they still suck)
Right, I think the option is HDMI Out: Off/On. It's usually recommended to keep it off.

Yes, most audiophiles agree that there's almost no reason to have TV speakers on at the same time as your surround sound. It ruins the sound field and contributes nothing but tinny noise.

If you wanted to only use the TV speakers for volume reasons, I could understand, but you could also just turn down the sound on your surround sound :P

I guess I'm spoiled though, using a universal remote makes things much easier to do when you don't have to actually turn on all the components manually.

They are going to have to address this issue of the receiver not decoding and passing audio out. I'm not one of them, but it seems like a lot of people are wanting audio sent to the TV in addition to the receiver. If there's a good reason they can't do it (copy protection or something?), the least they could do is have a stereo analog downmix. That way, those who want it could connect RCA cables to the set.

Yes, there is a setting on the 605.

HDMI Audio Out

Regardless, you'll have to power on your 605 for video, so you may as well use it for audio, too. Yes, there's a setting in the Onkyo's setup menu for passing audio, but since the AVR's on already, you may as well put it to use. :)

And I am petrified of the settings/adjustments that I need to do with the PS3 in order for it to come out of the 5.1 perfectly!!!



I'll tell you dave, I have the PS3 and 605 and it is extremely worth it to pick up another two speakers for the full 7.1. Many of the games (GT5, Haze, Quake Wars, etc.) being made are in 7.1 (i was actually surprised that GTA4 wasn't)

Also, almost all of lionsgate's films on blu-ray are in 7.1 as well. You can filter the results on this page to show you the 7.1 soundtracks.

http://www.blu-raystats.com/stats.php

Enjoy!@

well, for me, the ONLY time my 605 would not be used is if someone in my household other than me wanted to watch TV.

What did I do? I hooked up my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD using both HDMI and component/analog audio. My Harmony remote has 2 separate activities, one with the onkyo, one without. With the Onkyo off, the 8300HD won't cut the component output off as no HDMI TV is detected.

The solution works for me. This can apply to other components, too...if your family is happy without surround sound, they can be happy with component (or even composite) video.

I have a PS3 and a Onkyo 605 also...

The combination works great using a single HDMI cable. You can set the Onkyo to pass audio to the TV, but I really don't recommend it...

I'm only using a 3.1 setup right now, and it is a million times better than just the TV speakers.