Onkyo TX-NR818 "official" owner's thread discussion - Page 155

Check your STB's settings and make sure it is fixed at 1080i. (or 1080p if it is a newer X1 box and not auto)
That should solve your issues between channel changes.

That's actually what I have my TiVo set to: 1080i fixed. Other 1080i stations and 720p stations all play fine.

Try setting your STB to pass content at orginal resolution. You might find the Onkyo does a better job with cadence detection, scaling and deinterlacing. For the price you paid, it should...

When I've done this (native) I can't stand the picture delay when I change channels. When I go from one station to another I get several seconds of blinky-screen (black, green, black, green - FINALLY the pic) as the resolution is being processed and it's very annoying. It happens when going to the menu etc. It's the HD TIvo (not Premier/newer model).

i get this same issue when watching FX

i thought i did also sometimes. but not all the time or havent noticed it in awhile. i believe it only happened on cable tv

Thought I'd update everyone still following this thread that I received the email link from Onkyo for the latest firmware to fix the 24p bug and installed it on the 818. Not only did it fix the issues with dropped frames for me on the main HDMI out, but it also fixed the issues with dropouts while streaming high-res audio files from my NAS. I did notice it updating the DSP while the firmware update was taking place, so I don't know if that has something to do with it. I still have an issue with the 818 not seeing the files on the 818 in the proper order (and, yes, metadata is all correct) when selecting the Home Media option. They'll only playback in correct order using the DLNA option. In other news, gapless is still a no go and the UI is still sluggish. The 818 also froze on me and required a reboot when I switched from Home Media to DLNA. Everything else is going smoothly and I haven't come across any issues. Running the Oppo BD-93 on HDMI "Main" set to "Through" and my FIOS STB outputting 1080i, the 818 applying some mild DNR applied and scaling to 1080p.

I have a question for anyone that has a Comcast Motorolla HDDVR cable box. And it goes a little something like this...

Whenever I turn my 818 on, it goes through an HDMI startup phase, or at least that's what it says on the AVR display. During this startup phase, it "talks" with my cable box and resets all my user settings! Every single time! I then have to go back in to the menu and set the cable box to output at 1080i instead of 480p.

It's so weird, i've tried all kinds of settings on both cable box and AVR but i haven't been able to fix this problem. Has anyone experienced this or know any way to fix it?

Thanks in advance,

Santiago

Is HDMI Control(RIHD): On?

If so turn it off and see if the issue goes away.

It's off, that was the first thing i tried...

I've had a couple of people ask if I could send them the 24fps fix, I'm sorry, but I can't ! Onkyo has made it clear that they don't want unauthorized people to send it out, and has stopped sending it for that reason!
Please understand that I'm not being a jerk, I just don't feel it's right!
Sorry!

Something from the AVR is sending that reset command back over HDMI.
You can always go to component and optical. You won't lose any SQ by doing this.
Life may even be easier this way.

+1

I'm surprised that this issue was not highlighted enough. When I set my cable box to pass-through native video signal it may take from 5 to 10 seconds to change to the next channel if the current channel's resolution is different from the next channel. It makes the channel surfing impractical. Pity as I really like the way 818 upscales the SD channels.

Say thank you to the guys that specified HDMI and HDCP.

Does anyone know the reason why the 818 only ever displays "Multi-Channel" when playing DVD or Blue Ray disks?

Because you have the Blu Ray player (BDP) set up as PCM (ie. to decode the audio from DD/DTS to PCM). On the BDP, set it to "bitstream" and also set the "Secondary Audio" setting to OFF. Note that regardless of whether the BDP or the 818 does the decoding (unzipping), the audio quality is the same either way. Any difference heard can be attributed to a slight volume change from one to the other.

Thanks for the quick reply jdsmoothie. I have the Sony BDP-S790 which only gives me 2 options via HDMI, Auto and PCM, but does give me the PCM or Bitstream option for the digital out. I guess I will have to install another cable from the BDP to the AVR and re-assign the audio input. Which is better to use the coaxial or Toslink?

TOSLink and coax provide same audio quality, although you should be able to set the BDP to "Auto" using HDMI I would imagine to get the "bitstream" audio.

Already set it to Auto and there is no change.

"Restart" everything, i.e. switch all devices off and on again. Disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable might also help.

Holy crap !! Are there ANY ONKYO's that are trouble free ??
Every time i read Onkyo threads
, it's all about one problem or another !!

probably because only people with issues are posting

You really need to dig into some of the other threads many issues. It the nature of the beast .

Do you have the BD Auto MIX setting to OFF?
Do you have the Dolby Digital/DTS setting to BITSTREAM?

I had an 809, worked fine for the few weeks I had it but I was scared off by the issues popping up. I replaced it with a Pioneer 1222-K (aka SC-61), and the biggest thing Ive noticed is the Onkyo was jam packed with features the Pio doesnt have.

I think right now that is Onkyos downfall: TONS of features, but not all of them work 100%. Jack of all trades, master of none, or something like that.

Hopefully the 818 is the beginning of a better era for them. I wouldnt mind going back to an Onkyo if they have all the features AND they all work reliably.

The question is: are there any AVRs from any manufacturer that are trouble free? The whole processor/AVR segment needs serious re-evaluation by manufacturers. Instead of building devices that try to do everything (badly) they should develop solutions that do what people want (even if they don't know yet what they want).

Why does every device need to have a video processor, internet, streaming, etc.? I want a player that is good at playing media, a screen that displays a (calibrated) picture and a processor/AVR that does switching and audio (only) processing.

AMEN!

You want internet streaming? No AVR does it better than a $50 Roku
You want airplay? Get an Apple airport. (and makes a great router)

All we need is an affordable outboard programmable room correction system. (~$1K) and we will be all set.
Order in the audio universe would be restored.

You know you can't get Dolby True HD and DTS Master JD via toslink or coax?

 

Is the AVR set to Bitstream and the player also?

It's not the AVR. Connect your cable box to your TV and it will be the same.

Agreed. My DirecTV DVR has the option for "Native". When I set it to that, no matter what its connected to (directly to TV, thru AVR, etc) it ALWAYS takes a long time to change channels if the channels are different res.

Set it to the best your TV can support and leave it. If you want higher than that, let your avr handle upscaling if it has that feature.