I am replacing my RPTV with a FP( preordered JVC-RS1) in my basement HT. Right now I have an Onkyo 989 AVR and am sending output from Denon 2910 DVD player and D* H20 Sat receiver thru the AVR to the RPTV. I have purchased the Toshiba A2 HD DVD player but not hooked up yet and will probably have a PS3 hooked into all this soon.

My question- I have planned on replacing my Onkyo 989 with something like a Pio Elite 84 AVR or Denon 4806 because the 989 does not have HDMI output, only component. I'm wondering though whether I would be better off keeping the 989 for the audio portion of my setup and instead purchasing a VP to run my video thru. Any thoughts on this?? I want to maximize video quality to my new FP and consider myself more of a videophile vs audiophile. I guess my eyes are better than my ears. Would anyone like to suggest a VP or VP's I ought to consider if that was the route you suggested.

Thanks in advance. You all are a great source of info. Happy New Year.

krfuquamd

It depends on where your equipment is relative to the projector location, among other things. If they are close, you might not need the extra box. Bear in mind that projectors have had increasingly better on-board processing. You may well find that you don't need a VP or that you only really need source switching, or that you do need a VP to do the right squeeze if, for example, you go with a 2.35 set up.

There's a new generation of VPs coming out that build on the current generations much improved deinterlacing and add better video noise processing.

So my advice is, unless you're in a big hurry or just have to have switching, get the projector, hook it up to the sources and see what it can do on its own.

A VP probably wouldn't improve picture quality significantly. The RS-1 already includes Gennum processing. I understand the desire for a switcher, which certainly makes connections easier, but the VP20 in pass through mode would be about the cheapest approach to a video switcher that allowed different settings per input, and it's quite a bit of money.

You might be better off just running video connections directly into the PJ, if you can stand that many cables.

FP is going to be ceiling mount. 2" conduit from equipment room to projector( about a 30' run). Plan was to run just 1 HDMI, 1 component and a couple cat 5e initially. My problem with existing equipment is the 989 has no HDMI, just component, so it is no good to me?? as far as my video sources. I either have to replace with a AVR that has HDMI or use the 989 for audio and get a piece of equipment, VP I assume, that will handle the video.

My other option is to bring my Pio Elite 74 AVR from the family room to the HT and move the 989 to the family room. I have a Pio Elite plasma in the family room and I could simply run the video outs from the H20 sat receiver and DVD player in that room directly to the media receiver that came with the plasma TV. All those units are in close proximity. I'd use the 989 for audio in the family room. The Pio Elite 74 has HDMI so I'd be good there in the HT.

What do you think? It sounds from what I'm hearing that the JVC getting ready to be released will do a good enough job with with video processing that I may not need a VP. I am going with a 16X9 set up.

Once again, thanks for your insight in advance

krfuquamd