[ddelella]

Here is what I would like, and the answer doesn't have to be a receiver but any setup recommendations:


Current Hardware:

Samsung 62" DLP

Onkyo TX-SR705

Xbox 360

Wii

SA8300 HD-DVR

7.1 Speaker Surround Sound

Multi-Zone Configuration


Currenly I have all devices going into the TV ports. The TV optical audio output goes into a single channel of my receiver which provides 7.1 to my family room. The second zone is then hooked into my receiver and I can use the CD input to channel audio to the other room. Everything works fine but I feel like I am wasting the receiver using it for just a Multi-zone seperator. The reason I don't use it for the other hardware is a channel switching and overloading issue with the hdmi channels on the receiver. I am considering purchasing a DVD player to add to the hardware simply because the Xbox drive has skipping issue with some DVD media. I would like to maintain the same audio setup but remove the need for the bulky receiver. I still want to get 7.1 surround on the main channel and at least stereo quality to the second zone. All speakers run standard cable wire, not RCA or RJ45. Any advice on a smaller receiver or another device which can accomplish this under $1000? All audio amplifiers and power amps I found for multi-zone only handle stero audio.

 

[Santapimp27]

Your tv will not output 7.1 or even 5.1 sound for that matter unless it is from an internal tuner. What you need to do is connect everything to the receiver, and then run one hdmi from the receiver to the tv. This is the only way to truly get surround sound. what your hearing is not true surround sound

 

[ddelella]

For the reason mentioned in my post running HDMI from the receiver to the TV is NOT an option. There is a known HDMI switching issue with receiver. Besides the specs on my Samsung tv do say that it can output 5.1 surround using the optical output on the back of the TV as long as the input support it. The only one I care is my Xbox which runs HDMI 1.3b and the 5.1 is working fine. I do not mind the lack of 7.1 and I only have 6 outputs. I am still looking for any solution ideas that help me replace or shrink the size of the receiver.