More confused than ever now...please help!

Go visit some local independent A/V retailers (not Big Box) in your area to get other opinions and audition other choices.

Are you going to be upconverting any analog video signals or is everything you are going to use in hd and out through the hdmi to the receiver?

I new to all this too, but here is how I understand it.

upscaling and up converting are two different things.

Most new AVR's (in the price range I was looking) when using HDMI will upscale (not up convert) the picture from interlaced to progressive. In other words, when watching regular TV broadcasted at 480i it will upscale it to 480P. Same for cable. It should take a 1080i and make it 1080P.

When using the analog "component" inputs most newer AVR's will up convert the signal to a high-def picture. Most likely 1080i. If you will be using all HDMI, nothing will get up-converted.


So, maybe it was just misinterpretation of terms??

HDMI does not up convert, but does upscale.
Analog component inputs up convert.



Either that, or I am totally off base and am desperately lost.

Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong or confirm what I've said. I don't want to pass on bad information.

Well, in a way, you got really good advice, and really bad advice, all at once!
First, you have some nice equipment, all of it already capable of sending HD signals to your TV. If memory serves, the AppleTV does 720p, you get 1080p from your PS3, and either 1080i or 1080p from the HD DVD player, depending on model. So, there really isn't any way to improve video quality, it pretty much is already as good as it can get.

So, that leaves you looking for an AVR that can do a good job of switching at least 3 HDMI sources. Also, with Blu-Ray and HD DVD, you have the new lossless audio formats, which, IMHO, are worth using. So, you will want to look for an AVR that at the minimum, accepts multi-channel PCM audio over HDMI, or even has the ability to decode the new formats, should you choose a different BR player down the road. The one question to ask yourself is: will you be hooking up any other sources in the future? Will those future sources be HDMI, component or SD video? If you think you will, then you should take this into account. You may want more than 3 HDMI inputs (or a separate HDMI switch), or you may need an AVR that does a good job converting analog sources to digital (which may even involve de-interlacing and scaling the source video to 1080p).

Luckily, there are TONS of choices. Based on what I've described above, what situation do you see yourself in? And, how much $$$$ do you want to spend? Answers to these questions should help you come up with a short-list of candidates.

OK - it looks like you are a bit confused here. See if this helps. When dealing with lower-resolution sources, such as standard DVD, there are two ways to process the video. Option one, de-interlace, which could take the source from 480i to 480p. Next, there is scaling, which simulates a higher resolution through interpolating the pixes to make a 480 image into a 720 or 1080 image. I usually interpret the more generic term "up-converting" to mean a device that can both up-scale and deinterlace a source image.

In the AVR world, this process typically takes place when you have analog sources fed into an AVR and output as HDMI (also, a analog-to-digital conversion also takes place). Not all HDMI receivers are capable of doing this. Some HDMI receivers are simple switches, and can't convert other video sources. But, quite a few can now take all video formats and output over a single HDMI cable. As you might expect, though, not all are created equal. Lower-priced AVRs that offer video conversion are often limited to the quality of the output. For example, my Onkyo 605 maxes out at converting analog to 720p, which would be an issue if I were to feed it a 1080i source over component cables. There are some very capable video processing chips available, but these typically come at a price premium. If you have no need for analog-to-digital conversion (if all your video sources are HDMI, for example), then there's not much need for a high-end video processor in your AVR.

Also, as another point of clarification, HDMI doesn't really have anything to do with scaling or de-interlacing. There are plenty of AVRs that scale and deinterlace then output over component cables, for example. Its just that HDMI supports higher bandwidths, is digital, supports longer runs and is becoming the interface of choice. The ability to scale and deinterlace is entirely dependent on the presence of, and quality of the video processing chip.

Hope that helps!

Based od OP's other previous posts, he is not really interested in quality sound. His main concern is video quality and does not want anything hooked up to his HDTV but a single HDMI connector. From what I understand, he already have the video components connected to the HDTV via HDMI but does not like switching TV inputs on the TV. If I also remember correctly, he already own a nice but older 3800 series Denon AVR and does not like the idea of having a HDMI switcher either.

To OP, you'll get more confused if you keep starting new thread everytime you have a question. It will be nice if you could state you concerns in a single thread so people will know where your coming from.