"Official" RX-V1900/RX-V3900 Thread

Yamaha is now shipping three new receivers for their fall line - The RX-V1900, the RX-V3900 and the RX-Z7.

(I did not mention the Z7 in this thread title, as I thought it probably deserves it's own thread. But it's similar enough to the 3900 to talk about it.)

The RX-V1900 adds (compared to the 1800,) HD Radio, Bluetooth A2DP (with dock), Sirius radio compatibility, and 8 point YPAO.

The RX-V3900 adds all of the above mentioned items. Additional features when compared to the RX-V3800 are SRS Circle Surround II, two HDMI outputs, Rhapsody, deinterlacing/scaling of HDMI, OSD over HDMI, HDMI audio to TV in standbye, and a number of video processing technologies due to the ABT 2010 chip

All receivers pass BTB/WTW according to initial user testing unlike the spring '08, fall '07 Yamaha receivers.

Reviews -

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post15012288

Official Product Links

RX-V1900 (MSRP - $1399.95 USD)
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...4&CTID=5000300
RX-V3900 (MSRP - $1899.95 USD)
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...3&CTID=5000300
RX-VZ7 (MSRP - $2699.95 USD)
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...2&CTID=5000300


RX-V3900/RX-V1900/Z7 key Features and Specs

Audio
--------
• Power Output 140x7 watts (20hz-20khz @8 ohms with .04% THD); 130 for the RX-V1900
• Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD decoding
• DTS-HD High Resolution Audio/DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
• Neural Surround THX Technologies
• 192khz/24 bit Burr-Brown DACs
• Digital System Clock Isolator and Ultra Low Jitter PLL circuitry; RX-V1900 only mentions having Low Jitter PLL circuitry
• 8 channel input

Video
-------
• Scaling to 1080p; Analog only on 1900; 3900 allows HDMI to be scaled as well
• Four HDMI inputs
• One HDMI output on the 1900; Two HDMI outputs (simultaneous) on the 3900
• 24hz support
• Deep Color/xvYCC/Auto Lip Synch

Misc
-------
• iPod compatibility with YDS-11 dock
• HD Radio with iTunes tagging
• Bluetooth A2DP functionality
• Advanced multi-point YPAO
• Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control) now enhanced with input source level compensation and YPAO speaker setup data
• Assignable amps for (up to three) zones

RX-V3900/Z7 only features
-------------------------------------
• WAV/MP3/WMA Internet Radio
• Windows Vista/DLNA supprt
• OSD over HDMI
• HDMI output in standbye mode
• Album art display on GUI
• Web browser control
• Zone 2 video output with OSD
• Zone mono
• USB port
• SRS Circle Surround II
• Anchor Bay VRS Technology with PReP™ (Progressive ReProcessing) (Via the ABT 2010 chip - see the ABT web page for details)

RX-Z7 only features
-------------------------------------
• Four zones
• Five HDMI inputs, with front input
• 38 vs 22 surround programs on the 1900/3900
• Multi-Point (w/Angle) (w/Angle appears to be the addition over the 1900/3900)
• Component video on zone2
• Optical out on zone 4

Q&A

* Do these receivers pass BTB/WTW over HDMI?
To the best of my knowledge, yes. The Z7 is unconfirmed as it's not been shipped.

* Do these receivers video process HDMI, or analog only?
The RX-V3900 and RX-Z9 will deinterlace and scale both analog and digital up to 1080p

* How do I get 6.1/7.1 from 5.1?
You can cycle through extended processing modes using the 'Ext Sur' button on the remote. Dolby Pro Logic IIx is a popular choice for processing 5.1 movies.

* Can I apply modes like Dolby Pro Logic IIx to HDMI/MPCM as when watching Blu-ray movies using a player set to output HDMI/MPCM?
Yes, it works swimmingly

* Can I use presence speakers at the same time as the rear surround speakers?
No. If you want to do that, save up, rob a bank or whatever, and get the Z11 (I think the Z9 also allows this.)

* What is Cinema 3D DSP?
You tell me. It does not make much of an impact in my setup. But to try it out, you will need to hookup presence speakers

* Why don't my TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio lights light up?
You have a PS3 or you are not sending bitstream.

* Which DSP mode is best?
That's a personal decision. In many people's opinions, Dolby Pro Logic IIx movie or music are as good as anything else. But if you paid a lot for the 3900, why not try them out yourself?

* How does HDMI standbye mode work?
Really well I suggest using fixed, set to your TV source. Make sure you have selected the correct HDMI input and HDMI output. Hit the standbye power button and after a few seconds, your receiver will be off, but your TV will be getting both audio and video over HDMI. Potentially useful for people wanting to watch TV with the receiver off.

I know that the RX-V2700 had the Anchor Bay 1010, a basic scaler chip. It's deinterlacer chip though, a key component of the video processing solution, was not an Anchor Bay chip. If you look at the HQV benchmarks, deinterlacing performance is a very big part of the tests, and I don't think we can blame Anchor Bay for the 2700/3800's poor performance in this area.

According to T2K's thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ght=anchor+bay), the 3800 uses the same solution. The 2010, on the other hand, is an all-in-one video processor.

I would hope would could expect a high level of performance from the 3900 over the 3800/2700.

Until this post a manual link on the 3900 page, here's a link to the 3900 manual. Changing the URL to '1900' does not seem to work. I have not tried too many permuations.

I read through the manual, and there were no surprises. I did not fully understand how the HD tuner memories worked from the desription. I think it will be obvious once I have hands on access.

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/...RX-V3900_U.pdf

To name a few things both the 1900/3900 have over the 663

* HD Radio
* Four HDMI Inputs (vs. two for the 663)
* More power
* Adaptive DRC

To name a few things the 3900 has over the 663 (and the 1900)

* HDMI video scaling
* Potentially superior video processing using ABT's 2010 VP; The deinterlacer, in particular, should be excellent, we will have to see
* The 3900 has internet radio which is useful for parties or for a change of pace
* The 3900 has various internet related music streaming options

I don't see the 1900 as a big step up from the 1800. I don't see why a 663 owner would buy one either. That would be a waste of money for many people. HD Radio and extra HDMI inputs may not be a compelling reason to fork over a lot of hard earned jack.

The 3900 on the other hand adds a lot of useful features over even the 3800.

I own the RX-V2700, and the 3900 offers a lot over the 2700. The 2700 meets my needs, but I am seriously considering the 3900. It adds HBR decoding, in case that becomes useful at some point. It adds an HDMI input which I want. It adds HD Radio which could be nice. It adds WMA to internet radio capability which should increase the number of usable stations by a lot. It's video processor looks excellent as mentioned above. I don't think a quality deinterlacer as necessary in a receiver, but it gives me options for potentially improving my video quality. It adds Adaptive DRC which could be welcome, I have to test it out to see.

My guess - If this thing clips, Yamaha will sell fewer than if it does not clip. Yamaha should probably know this. It's sorta irrelevant whether they are doing the correct thing or not if sales suffer.

My RX-V2700 remote is ok for basic tasks. Don't expect the 2700's remote to be a Harmony. Powering on your TV, playing and stopping DVDs etc. will probably all work fine.

With my Tivo, I can't abide even using my Harmony (which I use in the bedroom.) The Tivo remote is too perfect and can be operated in darkness by touch alone (why does that sound dirty?)

Even the Harmony can't control a PS3, or I would consider one for the living room setup. At the moment I am juggling 5 remotes.

Out of curiosity, if you have already decided these features are useless to you, a point which I would never dispute why were you looking at the thread? Did you want to be convinced they added a lot, or did you feel it was your moral right to discourage others?

My thoughts on your points -

Perhaps HD radio is not very useful. I think it's nice to have the option to actually check it out though, as I have yet to hear it.

I find external switches to be clunky and they add more wiring clutter; I have enough.

It would be great to not have to watch any SD source. But impractical. Even if you had a DVD player with a great VP, there's still SD cable. Anything that could make Speed TV look better would be welcome. Cinnamax still has a lot of SD movies. Not every movie is getting shown on their HD channel.

They have not killed of internet radio yet. Some feeds are regular broadcast stations which have been around for what? Eight years? If they were going to kill them off, they would have. And then there's indepedent material. I think alternate distribution channels could likely increase for artists rather than decrease, and internet radio is one way for bands to get their music out to people.

The devaluation of the features these receivers bring to the table, especially the 3900 is very much a function of the features you personally value.

Obviously people will differ in how much they value certain features.

Many of the 3900s features are not available in a cheaper model.

I don't really have the money for it, but I will likely buy it. I was hoping to maybe sell my 2700 and a few other items.