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Official Yamaha RX-V863 thread - Page 23

post #661 of 998
6/22/09 at 4:45am
rx-v863 for half price or rx-v765?

Witch one would you buy?

Dudes I need help!!
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post #662 of 998
6/22/09 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BWA666 View Post

rx-v863 for half price or rx-v765?

Witch one would you buy?

Dudes I need help!!

I like the phono input and HD Radio tuner of the 863 but others might not care.
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post #663 of 998
6/23/09 at 11:09am
Hello all!

I have as stated above a Sony STR-DG1000 receiver that has a bad zone 2 controlo. Everything else works fine, but when I get this fixed (it is still under warrenty) it will probably take me forever to get it back. I was thinking about getting the RX-V863 as its replacement. Would this be a good step up for me? Also, pardon my ingnorance here, what is the differnce between the RX-V863 and the HTH-6180? If there is no differnce then why have two of the same receivers with different names?

Thanks for all your replys. The rest of my system is below:

Sony KDF-55E2000 TV
Sony STR-DG1000 Receiver
Sony BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Disc Player
Monster HTS 3600
Polk RT600i (fronts)
Polk PSW-350
Cerwin Vega LS-6C (Center)
Paradigm Atom (Rear)
Logitech Harmony 880 (Remote)
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post #664 of 998
6/28/09 at 10:28am
The RX-V863 would be a bit of an upgrade by adding one more HDMI input and the ability to decode the new Blu-ray HD audio formats like Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio. The tuner also includes HD radio capability.

The RX-V and HTR series are basically the same, but just offered through different retail channels, as explained in Yamaha's FAQ section: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/faq/home.html?CTID=5009000.
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post #665 of 998
6/28/09 at 6:17pm
Anyone using a bluetooth for streaming music off your pc? The Yamaha kind of sucks if you want to use a ipod dock and a bluetooth (they share the same port so you have to keep switching.) I found this one what do you guy's think? Anyone have any other options.

http://www.markertek.com/Audio-Equip...s/T30641.xhtml
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post #666 of 998
6/30/09 at 10:04am
In comparing the RX-V863 and the RX-V663, the website says the 663 does do upscaling (with the little dot), but it doesn't say any resolutions. So how does that functionality behave in the 663?
For my decision making, I'm going to have my receiver in the basement, so ideally I would run only one cable to the TV. I think that makes the 863 the obvious choice, but what do you folks think?

PS I'll control everything with my Harmony 890 remote via (awesome) RF.

Thanks
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post #667 of 998
7/1/09 at 7:13am
Hi:

I have a 7.1 speaker setup. If I am watching a movie with a 5.1 source is there a way with the V863 to have the sound in the rear channels go to all
4 speakers in the back?
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post #668 of 998
7/1/09 at 10:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kripes View Post

In comparing the RX-V863 and the RX-V663, the website says the 663 does do upscaling (with the little dot), but it doesn't say any resolutions. So how does that functionality behave in the 663?

The 663 has "up-conversion", meaning it converts analog video to HDMI at the same resolution (no scaling). So you can still use just an HDMI cable out to your TV, and the TV will do the scaling. The 863 can also scale analog inputs when it converts to HDMI, but it probably won't do a better job than your TV so it's not a must-have feature.
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post #669 of 998
7/1/09 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by theper100 View Post

I have a 7.1 speaker setup. If I am watching a movie with a 5.1 source is there a way with the V863 to have the sound in the rear channels go to all 4 speakers in the back?

Look in the SOUND menu for EXTD SUR. (Extended surround, page 94 of the manual). Set it to PLIIx Movie instead of Auto. This should work for all 5.1 sources except a DTS-HD MA bitstream from a Blu-ray movie. If I remember correctly, PLIIx is not supported when decoding this type of bitstream.
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post #670 of 998
7/1/09 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluvette View Post

Anyone using a bluetooth for streaming music off your pc? The Yamaha kind of sucks if you want to use a ipod dock and a bluetooth (they share the same port so you have to keep switching.) I found this one what do you guy's think? Anyone have any other options.

http://www.markertek.com/Audio-Equip...s/T30641.xhtml

Wi-Fi is the more common method for streaming music from a PC. I use a TiVo that can navigate and play the music from a PC or Mac, and I have the Yamaha iPod dock to play music directly off my iPod.

CNET mentions some options: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-network-music-players/, including the Apple TV. Another option is using an Airport Express, but that works best if you have an iPhone or iPod touch to remotely control the PC/Mac running iTunes.
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post #671 of 998
7/2/09 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kriktsemaj99 View Post

Look in the SOUND menu for EXTD SUR. (Extended surround, page 94 of the manual). Set it to PLIIx Movie instead of Auto. This should work for all 5.1 sources except a DTS-HD MA bitstream from a Blu-ray movie. If I remember correctly, PLIIx is not supported when decoding this type of bitstream.


Thanks, thats just what I needed, but it does bring up the question. What is the AUTO setting for. The manual doesn't really say.
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post #672 of 998
7/2/09 at 5:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by theper100 View Post

Thanks, thats just what I needed, but it does bring up the question. What is the AUTO setting for. The manual doesn't really say.

I had an older Yamaha 5760 that always reverted to Auto when powered up (very irritating). I only ever saw it engage PLIIx automatically on a couple of DVDs that had 6.1 sound tracks and were flagged in a special way. So the Auto setting doesn't seem to be much use in practice.
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post #673 of 998
7/2/09 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kriktsemaj99 View Post

The 663 has "up-conversion", meaning it converts analog video to HDMI at the same resolution (no scaling). So you can still use just an HDMI cable out to your TV, and the TV will do the scaling. The 863 can also scale analog inputs when it converts to HDMI, but it probably won't do a better job than your TV so it's not a must-have feature.

Great answer, thanks! I'm looking at coupling this with a newer Sharp Aquos probably. The Aquos should be able to do the conversion better
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post #674 of 998
7/2/09 at 7:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robinhoodCT View Post

Wi-Fi is the more common method for streaming music from a PC. I use a TiVo that can navigate and play the music from a PC or Mac, and I have the Yamaha iPod dock to play music directly off my iPod.

CNET mentions some options: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-network-music-players/, including the Apple TV. Another option is using an Airport Express, but that works best if you have an iPhone or iPod touch to remotely control the PC/Mac running iTunes.

Thanks. I think I am going with the Squeezebox Duet for now. Then later when I save some cash get the Yamaha MusicCAST2.
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post #675 of 998
7/10/09 at 8:39am
I have the 863. The volume level on my cable varies widely from station to station and from program to commercial.

I could have sworn that there was a volume leveling option on the settings, but now I can't find it. Anyone know where it is?

Does using it degrade quality in any way?
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post #676 of 998
7/16/09 at 5:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joggy View Post

I haven't used presence speakers yet in my setup, but as the manual explains it
it "...supplement the sound from the front and surround back speakers with extra ambient effects..." (p. 13).

Someone else may be able to confirm or correct me, but I believe if you turn presence speakers on, you lose the surround backs. Otherwise you'd essentially have the ability to have a 9.2 setup vs. 7.2, so there is a trade off.

Give it a shot, can't hurt.

Can anyone confirm whether the surround backs on a 7.1 setup no longer operate when using presence speakers? I'm considering trying presence speakers out, but I dont want to lose the surround backs. Thanks
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post #677 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tsantanni View Post

Can anyone confirm whether the surround backs on a 7.1 setup no longer operate when using presence speakers? I'm considering trying presence speakers out, but I dont want to lose the surround backs. Thanks

I think I answered my own question. I turned on PLIIx & CinemaDSP mode and verified I was getting sound from my surround backs. Then I went into the OSD and turned on Presence Speakers even though I dont have them hooked up. The Presence Speaker indicator came on, as well as the Surround Back indicators which I haven't seen light up before as I have not played any true 7.1 content on my blu-ray yet. From what I could tell, I was still getting the same sound from my surround backs regardless if I had Presence Speakers turned on or off.

I guess it's time to buy some more speakers!! The sad part is I just told my GF I was done buying speakers....ooops
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post #678 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tsantanni View Post

From what I could tell, I was still getting the same sound from my surround backs regardless if I had Presence Speakers turned on or off.

I'm not sure exactly what settings you tried, but you cannot have 7.1 + presence speakers all active at the same time. There are only 7 amps (not 9) in the 863, and even with the help of external amps you still can't have 9 channels active at once. That's the main reason I never tried presence speakers, because I don't want to give up the rear surrounds.
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post #679 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:31am
ALL Yamaha 7.1 AVR's only have internal amps to drive 7 speakers at any given time.

You have your basic 5.1 and the choice for your last two
1) Back Surrounds
2) Front Presence
3) Zone 2 (3)


You cannot run 5.1 + Back Surrounds + Front Presence simultaneously,
that would require a 9.1 AVR

The only current Yamaha (other than the old Z-9)
capable of more than 7 channels is the Z-11 with enough internal amps to drive 11 channels at once.

...and before anyone asks, no you cannot pre-out and add an axternal amp to run 9.1 either,
you still have to switch the outputs internally in the AVR between Front Presence and Back Surrounds.

You CAN however hook up 9 speakers to the AVR and simply choose which speakers you want to hear (Front Presence, Back Surrounds)
at the push of a button on the remote (I saved a memory slot for each.. Music/Concerts=Front Presence, Action Movies=Back Surrounds)

FYI, 7.1 audio from Bluray's (PCM,TrueHD or DTS-MA) can ONLY be played through the Back Surrounds.

To get a 7.1 disc to play through your Front Presence speakers,
you would have to select a lossy legacy sound track in 5.1 (DD/DTS core)
and then turn on a DSP mode with Front Presence speakers enabled.
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post #680 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kriktsemaj99 View Post

I'm not sure exactly what settings you tried, but you cannot have 7.1 + presence speakers all active at the same time. There are only 7 amps (not 9) in the 863, and even with the help of external amps you still can't have 9 channels active at once. That's the main reason I never tried presence speakers, because I don't want to give up the rear surrounds.

I turned on PLIIx and put it in Cinema DSP mode, Standard to be specific. From what I understand, the receiver has to be in one of the Cinema DSP modes for Presence speakers to work properly. All I can say is, after I turned on Presence speakers, I still had sound from my surround backs. The manaul even states on page 11 for 7.1 configuration that "we recommend that you also add the presence speakers for the effect sounds of the Cinema DSP sound field program".

I think what I will end up doing is grabbing two satellites from upstairs and see what happens. I dont dispute what anyone says, I am just stating what my simple test result was. The surround backs still produced sound even with presence speakers turned on.
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post #681 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PioManiac View Post

ALL Yamaha 7.1 AVR's only have internal amps to drive 7 speakers at any given time.

You have your basic 5.1 and the choice for your last two
1) Back Surrounds
2) Front Presence
3) Zone 2 (3)


You cannot run 5.1 + Back Surrounds + Front Presence simultaneously,
that would require a 9.1 AVR

The only current Yamaha (other than the old Z-9)
capable of more than 7 channels is the Z-11 with enough internal amps to drive 11 channels at once.

...and before anyone asks, no you cannot pre-out and add an axternal amp to run 9.1 either,
you still have to switch the outputs internally in the AVR between Front Presence and Back Surrounds.

You CAN however hook up 9 speakers to the AVR and simply choose which speakers you want to hear (Front Presence, Back Surrounds)
at the push of a button on the remote (I saved a memory slot for each.. Music/Concerts=Front Presence, Action Movies=Back Surrounds)

FYI, 7.1 audio from Bluray's (PCM,TrueHD or DTS-MA) can ONLY be played through the Back Surrounds.

To get a 7.1 disc to play through your Front Presence speakers,
you would have to select a lossy legacy sound track in 5.1 (DD/DTS core)
and then turn on a DSP mode with Front Presence speakers enabled.

I don't dispute what you say because you are obviously more knowledgeable about this than me, but when I turned presence speakers on 3 things happened. First, the presence speaker indicator came on, second the surround back indicators came on, and third I still had sound from my surround backs. I just hooked up my surround backs a couple days ago, and even though they seem to work as I get sound through them, I have never seen the indicators for them come on. What this all really means I don't know, but it means I am going to grab a couple satellites and hook them up tonight or this weekend as presence speakers and see what happens.
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post #682 of 998
7/16/09 at 7:57am
The indicator lights on the front panel are not indicators of which speakers are playing
they are source input indicators

You can send a test tone to all 9 speakers in the YPAO setup menu lighting up all 9.1 channel indicators
...but playing any content will only light up the channels of the signal being received from the source.

FYI, my presence speaker indicators never light up on the front panel while they are playing.
That's because there are no audio sources available with discrete Front Presence channel info to flag the lights to come on.
Its a matrixed extraction from the 5.1 signal, similar to PLIIx that engages the Back Surround speakers (but does not light up the BS indicator lights)

Only a 7.1 source will light up the BS indicators.
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post #683 of 998
7/16/09 at 9:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BWA666 View Post

rx-v863 for half price or rx-v765?

Witch one would you buy?

Dudes I need help!!

863 has a better amp section, cleaner with more power.

I'm real picky and I'm very happy with the 863! the sound is very good and the surround features are fantastic. I like the SRS the best.

I've not listened to the radio in years, but with the HD radio, It's on more than the video!
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post #684 of 998
7/21/09 at 11:34am
I have a Sharp BD-HP50U Blu-Ray player hooked up via HDMI to my RX-V863. When I watch a BD with DTS Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD, I have to have my player send bitstream audio over HDMI to get the lossless audio track to work right. If I select PCM over HDMI on my BD, then my receiver lights up PCM and it still shows Dolby even if it's DTS format. Only if I set the player to bitstream, do I get the Master Audio or TrueHD lights to light up on the receiver.

The question is, is this normal or correct?

What is the proper way to configure my BD player so I get the best audio possible?
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post #685 of 998
7/23/09 at 10:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kriktsemaj99 View Post

Look in the SOUND menu for EXTD SUR. (Extended surround, page 94 of the manual). Set it to PLIIx Movie instead of Auto. This should work for all 5.1 sources except a DTS-HD MA bitstream from a Blu-ray movie. If I remember correctly, PLIIx is not supported when decoding this type of bitstream.

HI,
I tried this, and it works! It will indeed matrix 5.1DD, or 2 ch stereo content ( example, a cable TV movie) into 7 channels. However, when you change the source or TV channel, it defaults back to AUTO. Is there a way to force it to remain in PLIIX ?
HERB
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post #686 of 998
7/23/09 at 10:55am
Not true! On my 863, it had 9 channels. 7+ zone2

I never got around to adding Presence speakers, but the manual said it could be done.


Quote:
Originally Posted by PioManiac View Post

ALL Yamaha 7.1 AVR's only have internal amps to drive 7 speakers at any given time.

You have your basic 5.1 and the choice for your last two
1) Back Surrounds
2) Front Presence
3) Zone 2 (3)


You cannot run 5.1 + Back Surrounds + Front Presence simultaneously,
that would require a 9.1 AVR

The only current Yamaha (other than the old Z-9)
capable of more than 7 channels is the Z-11 with enough internal amps to drive 11 channels at once.

...and before anyone asks, no you cannot pre-out and add an axternal amp to run 9.1 either,
you still have to switch the outputs internally in the AVR between Front Presence and Back Surrounds.

You CAN however hook up 9 speakers to the AVR and simply choose which speakers you want to hear (Front Presence, Back Surrounds)
at the push of a button on the remote (I saved a memory slot for each.. Music/Concerts=Front Presence, Action Movies=Back Surrounds)

FYI, 7.1 audio from Bluray's (PCM,TrueHD or DTS-MA) can ONLY be played through the Back Surrounds.

To get a 7.1 disc to play through your Front Presence speakers,
you would have to select a lossy legacy sound track in 5.1 (DD/DTS core)
and then turn on a DSP mode with Front Presence speakers enabled.
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post #687 of 998
7/23/09 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by OppoPX14 View Post

Not true! On my 863, it had 9 channels. 7+ zone2. I never got around to adding Presence speakers, but the manual said it could be done.

You definitely cannot have more than 7 speakers active at one time with the 863, no matter how poorly written the manual is!
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post #688 of 998
7/23/09 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OppoPX14 View Post

Not true! On my 863, it had 9 channels. 7+ zone2

I never got around to adding Presence speakers, but the manual said it could be done.

Sorry, but its' only a 7.1 AVR and nothing the manual "says" is going to change that, no matter how you interpret it.
I've just searched the manual and cant find a single reference to it being a true 9 channel amp
PDF version of the manual here: http://www.yamaha.ca/av/PDFs/Receive...863_Manual.pdf


adding zones allows you to remap your 7.1 channels, it doesn't add anymore internal amps.
It just the means you dont have to switch speaker wires around when SELECTING which 7 you want to use at any given time.

read the note at the bottom of this snip from the manual in regards to presence and back surrounds at the same time


My current RX-V3900 has the standard 7.1,
+ Front Presence, + Zone 2 + Zone 3 outputs
...does that make it a 13.1 AVR? obviously not.

The only 9.1 AVR Yamaha ever made was the Z-9...about 6+ years ago
and the only current model with more than 7.1 capability is the RX-Z11 with 11.2
(7.1 + Front Presence/Rear Presence) (140W x 7 + 50W x 4) and 4 Zone capable.



...Note every time you turn on an extra zone, you give up a pair of speakers in your main zone.

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post #689 of 998
7/24/09 at 9:23am
Hi all. I just bought the 863 last night and have a question on the inputs. I want to hook up 5 devices. Three will be via HDMI and one via optical MD/CD. If I hook up the 5th via either DTV or DVD optical how does it know if I want the HDMI or the optical of the same name? I see that I can use the MANUAL selection to pick specifically which I want but if I'm using a Harmony remote I'm not sure how to tell it which to use. The 5th device is an XBOX so worst case scenario is to hook the XBOX up via RCA plugs into the VCR slot.

Thanks.
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post #690 of 998
7/24/09 at 5:24pm
Anyone know if you can biwire this amp? I'm getting two Energy RC70's for my fronts and I hear they'll run pretty good that way.
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