Official Samsung HT-AS720 thread w. updated first post. - Page 50

First post, not here to ask... but to answer. I had the HT-AS720S set up for about 3 weeks. It worked perfect. I had two extra speakers laying around so I was able to utilize the full 7.1 surround sound (works like a champ!). I have my Explorer 8300HD Scientific Atlanta running to HDMI 2 (SAT) and my Xbox 360 running to HDMI 1 (DVD).

I was watching some HDTV when all of the sudden the sound went out and I started to hear a "pop... pop... pop" coming from the front speakers. I played with every setting and nothing worked. Finally I called Samsung support (which is a joke at best) and they told me the unit needed to be serviced. Since the unit was no more than three weeks old I took it back to BB for an exchange (which is another disaster in itself), came back home, hooked everything back up... "pop... pop... pop". I was furious (because of the 3 BB stores and 4 hours it took to get it exchanged), so I called Samsung back. They ran me through the same stuff and told me the same thing. I told them I swapped the Xbox with Cable HDMI inputs and it worked fine, meaning the HDMI port was good.

After steaming around for a minute trying to calm down before I started being a jerk on the phone, it dawned on me... the cable box. I called Time Warner and had them reset the box, 7 minutes later everything worked perfect. Let this be a lesson, or reminder, to all. When you get frustrated, take a break, breathe, then think logically. Anyway, hope this helps.

Can I use diffrent speakers other than the ones that came with it? Can I buy Polk speakers and would they work?

I researched the TV I wanted to buy (I got the Samsung 52" 750 series LCD) and the Blu-Ray Player (Samsung 2550), but the HTIB, well, I've never had one before and I could get a deal on the AS720, so I bought it. I didn't really knowwhat I was getting, or the first thing about setting them up. I think I'm managing okay, but I wanted to run my set-up by some of you kind experts and see if I'm doing okay.

Aside from the three items above, I also have an XBOX360 and a Wii.

Blu-Ray Player is connected to the AS720 via HDMI1
Xbox360 is connected to the AS720 via HDMI2
The TV is connected to the AS720 via HDMI out on the AS720
The Wii is connected directly to the TV.

1) That's the best combination for me, right? Aside from the Wii, which I guess I would have to split with the video going directly to the TV through componant and getting some kind of extension to run the audio jacks into the AS720... I guess?

2) I believe I need an optical cable to run from the TV to the reciever, if I want to hear my TV shows (I don't actually get any kind of cable, I watch my TV off the USB in port on the TV). Right now, I can only hear audio by turning my AS720 off, so that my TV "takes control" of the audio out again. Does that make sense?

3) For sound coming from the Blu-Ray player to the AS720 (and I know I can probably get the answer to this with a bit of research), is the best setting to bitstream(audiophile) to the AS720 from the Blu-Ray player? My understanding is that sends the least compressed sound to the AS720... but I'm not entirely sure.

I think those are my biggest questions right now. Sorry for the very "green" questions.

I also just bought this bad boy and loved it....

biggest selling point for me was that it was samsung like my ln46a650 and it has 2 hdmi inputs and one hdmi output along with 2 opticals...sweet deal there

I have my 360 connected via vga to the tv and running an optical from the vga cable to the optical 2 on the receiver....to allow anynet service with one controller....

i then have my ps3 which is my blu ray player connected to hdmi dvd on the receiver and my direct tv hd receiver connected to hdmi sattelite on the receiver...

then the 3rd hdmi cable goes from the out of the receiver to the hdmi slot 2 on the tv...

love the sound....

now i have my 360 settings on dolby digital 5.1 which is what all games use.... it sounds amazing via optical but i hear that DTS is better and in order for me to get that i have to change the xbox settings from dolby to digital and it then allows me to change to DTS or Pro Logi 2x on my reiver

I tried to get the settings right for DTS but dont know how and i keep going back to dolby which i dont have to change anything since it is native and it wont allow me to tinker with settings when its on dolby digital 5.1

so i ask those here...for gaming and movies on blu ray which is the best option DTS or Dolby 5.1

and if it is DTS then what settings should i move around to get the best sound from games

How should I put the speaker size...should I put it at large or leave it at small

Should I raise the speaker volume from 0 to any higher number or should I only do a few of the speakers...

So much to think about..but cant get it right....

Tips?

After using my new AVR for about a month with each channel's level tuned by ear , I finally bought the Radio Shack SPL meter, set the levels acording to this procedure, and was amazed at how much better (and more balanced) eveything sounds. It really does take more than just setting each speaker level to match the other. Thanx for this great tip!

Ok guys this is what I have figured out with the last 3 days of messing with this bad boy...

I read this whole thread in a week or so and got some good inputs and I decided to read the whole manual and then messed with the system itself...

1. I have a PS3

2. Xbox 360

3. Direct TV HD receiver

4. I have 4 HDMI Cables

5. I have 1 optical cable


I had the handshaking issue with the PS3 and came to find out that I only had that issue when connecting the hdmi cable from the PS3 to the HTIB in the HDMI Slot called DVD

I had the PS3 connected with HDMI to HDMI input DVD and the 360 connected via HDMI to HDMI input Satellite.

The 3rd HDMI cable went from the receiver output to hdmi 2 on the samsung lcd tv and renmaed pc for input lag purposes for my 360 gaming.

I was playing 360 and turned on the ps3 and had to click on INPUT MOde on the remote for the receiver to get to get to hdmi for dvd and i heard the audio for the ps3 but it said mode cannot be supported...

So I thought it was perhaps the fact that I still had the 360 on and it also feeds into the hdmi 2 on my samsung tv...but I was upset..

then I decided to swith the HDMI cables from the back of the receiver and now the PS3 was on the Satellite input and the 360 on the DVD input with the 3rd hdmi cable running from the out to the hdmi 2 on the samsung tv renamed pc for input lag purposes...

NOw I dont have the issue and if I want to switch from 360 to ps3 all i have to do is press input mode on the controller and it changes the screen to the ps3 from 360 along with the audio since hdmi carries both signals..


My Direct tv HD is connected with the 4th hdmi cable from the Direct TV receiver to the TV slot 1 HDMI and I run an optical from the DIrect TV box to the Samsun HTIB in slot 2 because this is the ONLY way to get AnyNet to work with one controller for all things...

Ever since I did these things I never get an issue at all and I am loving this bad boy....

Since all PS3 games and 360 games are in Dolby Digital 5.1 then you cant change the settings on the AVR.....

In order to do the changes you want...please do the following

In the ps3 you must uncheck dolby digital 5.1 and it will allow you to modify the sound settings on the AVR for games and movies that are only dobly 5.1

In the 360 you have to select digital and not dolby in the menu and you can then put DTS or Pro Logic 2 for any game or movies...

In the Direct TV box..go to your direct tv remote and click on audio settings and turn dolby digital off and it will allow you to select any kind of sound settings for your tv watching...

Wallllaaaa

-edit-

I turned mine yesterday, this system was a pain on so many levels :

- Speaker noise when changing channels on the STB
- Handshaking issues with the PS3
- Consistent issues with input source changes
- Issues with Harmony remote because it uses a multi-method input change system, which requires a level-2 support from Logitech to set it up through a 1h phone call...and it still didn't work correctly !

I went with the Sony STRDG720 and I'm loving it so far.
All of the issues above a fixed.

samsung ln46a850>dish network vip622 hd dvr> samsung bd2550>samsung as720. hdmi from bd and dish to receiver>out to tv.

how do i watch tv and sound out to tv not receiver. i have to goto setup everytime i start up the system. so i think something is wrong.

also anynet is not working properly. how is the correct way to set this up?

thanks in advance

Sorry to hear you had so much troubles. Everything I have worked fine with mine...including my Harmony 880 remote.

Would you mind sharing your setup? I still seem to have handshaking issues. Things work eventually, but not always without turning the amp on and off again.

I've not had any handshaking issues with mine, either, since I changed the power on sequence....

Harmony 550 remote > 720AS > LN-T5265F > AT&T DVR

All connections AT&T < 720AS < LCDTV are HDMI 1.3

hello guys i just got my 52a850 and a ps3 as a blu ray and i am planning to get the home theater th-x715t to go with them but there is a problem i need help with this home theater does not and hdmi input just 1 hdmi output so i cant hook the ps3 with in it
what should i do to get the best pic and audio

I wouldn't buy that htib, its a fancy looking dvd player/upscaler, thats all.

noted, any sugestions they have to be small in size

Hi! Is it possible to use the HT-AS720S remote to control my scientific atlanta 4250HD box? Then I can use one remote for everything. Thanks!

Just received my HTIB.....question....what connector do I use when hooking up the sub woofer????

Help!!!

On the back, use the connector labeled "SW OUT".

I have my system setup with 2 HDMI cables 1 from Dish network box other from PS3 into the HDMI inputs. 1 HDMI cable from receiver to the tv. The problem I have is all the extra sounds (i.e. music, sound fx) over power the voices because i need to turn it up so loud to hear whats being said. Any suggestion on how to fix this would be much appreciated.

Boost your center channel. You need to calibrate that bad boy so that way vocals are not totally drowned out.

I have my center at 8 and my right and left at -3 and +3 respectively (since the right is further away).

i have a Samsung LN52A850 a samsung ht-as720s home theater system, a ps3 that i use for a blu-Ray player and I have comcast high def cable box which also has a hdmi plug in. What is the correct way to hook this p? does anyone know? i hooked it up but it doesnt seem right and my subwoofer was working last night but after getting home today it did not work. My wife and a few other people watched some movies but who knows if the subwoofer was working while they were watching or not. I walked into the house and right away asked what happen to the sub and they could not even tell so i thought i would hook it up correctly so i thought i would start from scratch. thank you so much for anyone who can help me hook this up the correct way. i also have 3 hdmi cables. thank you ahead of time
jeff

What guage of speaker wire should I use. One of the two rear speakers will require a run of 20 feet of wire and the second speaker will require about 35 feet of speaker wire.

Yes!!!
Cox Motorola HD STB
Samsung HT-AS720S AVR
Samsung LN46A650 TV
Samsung BD-P2550

With STB connected directly to the TV via Monster HDMI cable, TV indicates 1080 HD signal. With the BlueRay connected directly to the TV via Monster HDMI cable, great picture.

However, when the STB is connected to the AVR via HDMI and in-turn the AVR HDMI out is connected to the TV, the TV ONLY indicates a 720 HD signal.

When the BlueRay is connected to the AVR via HDMI and in-turn the AVR HDMI out is connected to the TV, the TV indicates Mode not supported. (Samsung says this indicates a problem with the AVR)

AVR was sent for repair and they could not resolve. They sent me a new AVR - same problem!!!

Currently STB and BlueRay are directly connected to the TV via HDMI. Optical audio from the STB and BlueRay are both input into the AVR's optical in jacks. So, I have 1080 pic and optical sound - BUT the AVR will not pass 1080 and Samsung has no explanation as of yet!

Anyone with similar problem?

Thanks

I'm having a very similar problem with my 360 and AS720. I can only get up to 1080i/720p when it's passed through the receiver but I can get 1080p when it's plugged straight into my TV. When I set it to 1080p the screen goes black, the display on the AS720 shows no icons except for LPCM, and no sound comes out.

I am finally the proud owner of this HTIB and so far set up has gone flawless. The only question I have is that I am going to be putting it behind a glass door enclosure in my tv stand and I am worried about heat. Can I run this with the door closed and not worry too much about over heating? I put it in there to keep my young daughter away from it.

Amazon is running this unit for $395 and free shipping, pretty good deal, it was $386 but when I checked back it was 10 bucks higher.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HT-AS7...pr_product_top

I don't know if this will help you or not, but make sure your xbox360 is powered up, before you turn your AVR on. I wasn't having your exact problem, but I was having a problem, where 1080p would be greyed out on the xbox options, unless I did it this way.

I saw one at Circuit City "Liquidation Sale" at 40% off of retail price ($549) = $329. Obvioulsy one needs to consider whether it's worth the risk since you cannot inspect it on site and return it to the store if something doesn't work...

I've had this HT-AS720 for almost a year now and I have been very happy with it - until last week. Now, sometimes when I switch to a standard def channel there is no sound. Or, sometimes when I am on a hi-def channel, the sound will come in and out.

After several days of messing with it, I found out that I can fix the problem by changing the input and then changing it back. Problem solved, but very annoying! I can't believe that this problem just popped up all of a sudden after almost a year of perfect operation.

Am I experiencing the infamous "handshaking problems" that everyone keeps talking about with this unit?