[xtc]

I've upgraded to the HR20, but I'm keeping my HR10-250 and I plan on hooking both up to the same TV. My TV has 1 HDMI slot but 2 different Component slots.

Should I just leave my HR10-250 in the HDMI slot and plug the HR20 in the Component slots? or Should I get this HDMI switch : http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=2&style=
and have both DVRs plugged into the HDMI slots? What will give me a better picture? If it helps, my TV has 720P & 1080i, but I always use 720P, it seems to be a better picture. Will splitting the HDMI make me lose any quality or will the picture look as if my TV came with 2 HDMI slots?

Also, for the audio, If I'm given the HR20-700 I plan on getting this Toslink splitter : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002344GG...e=380333&creativeASIN=B0002344GG&linkCode=asn

And if I get the HR20-100, should I still get that same splitter, or should I buy this Coaxial Digital Cable (cheaper) : http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1023602&p_id=2680&seq=1&format=2&style=

or this one (just a few bucks more - any difference?) : http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...&cs_id=1023601&p_id=619&seq=1&format=2&style=

Basically, what's better, splitting the toslink connection or using a Dedicated Coaxial Digital Audio cable connection?

 

[phox_mulder]

You don't want to split the toslink, you want to switch it.
There are many variations of toslink switchers out there, from manual 2 in 1 out to 12 in 1 out remote controlled.

You'd only want to split it if you were trying to watch in two seperate locations.


phox

 

[TyroneShoes]

I've upgraded to the HR20, but I'm keeping my HR10-250 and I plan on hooking both up to the same TV. My TV has 1 HDMI slot but 2 different Component slots.

Should I just leave my HR10-250 in the HDMI slot and plug the HR20 in the Component slots? or Should I get this HDMI switch...

A switch could turn out to be an unneeded expense and a continual hassle. I think I would do a comparison and see if you could see a difference. Record a good (PQ) 1080i program like CSI:Miami and watch about 10 minutes on HDMI, and then watch the same 10 minutes connected by component. There's a ton of information on this forum that points to the likelihood of a discernable difference being typically nil, which has also been my experience. There is certainly no evidence that HDMI is superior, although people tend to assume that far too often. If component turns out just as good in your particular setup, no switch is needed.

 

[xtc]

You don't want to split the toslink, you want to switch it.
There are many variations of toslink switchers out there, from manual 2 in 1 out to 12 in 1 out remote controlled.

You'd only want to split it if you were trying to watch in two seperate locations.

phox

I think I have tried the toslink splitter in the past and there didnt seem to be a problem. Are you saying splitting it will result in a loss of audio quality?

 

[xtc]

A switch could turn out to be an unneeded expense and a continual hassle. I think I would do a comparison and see if you could see a difference. Record a good (PQ) 1080i program like CSI:Miami and watch about 10 minutes on HDMI, and then watch the same 10 minutes connected by component. There's a ton of information on this forum that points to the likelihood of a discernable difference being typically nil, which has also been my experience. There is certainly no evidence that HDMI is superior, although people tend to assume that far too often. If component turns out just as good in your particular setup, no switch is needed.

Thanks for the info. The way everyone talks about HDMI, you would definitely think it was superior to component...

Just so i know though, if I do look into an HDMI switch is there any loss in picture quality vs. plugging it directly into the HDMI slot in the TV?

 

[rbreding]

Thanks for the info. The way everyone talks about HDMI, you would definitely think it was superior to component...

Just so i know though, if I do look into an HDMI switch is there any loss in picture quality vs. plugging it directly into the HDMI slot in the TV?

Digital is Digital....its either there or its not.

 

[tvl76]

I'm planning on adding an HR20 to my system along side my HR10 also.
I was just going to connect with component to a second input on my TV and use PIP to have the capability to view from both receivers at same time.
The audio would connect through my AV receiver with separate tos cable.

But come to think of it. When I switch between Video sources on my TV, The audio will have to be switched separately to match the video. AARGH !

Would the toslink splitter/switch work for me in this case.

(Sorry to hi jack, but it is related)

 

[TyroneShoes]

Thanks for the info. The way everyone talks about HDMI, you would definitely think it was superior to component...

Just so i know though, if I do look into an HDMI switch is there any loss in picture quality vs. plugging it directly into the HDMI slot in the TV?

One of the beauties of digital encoding is that PQ is locked, and therefore protected, until the signal is converted back to analog. What that means to us is that a device like a HDMI switcher can't contribute to degradation of the PQ, since the video/audio is still in the digital domain when passing through this device.

This may be where much of the confusion about HDMI being better than component comes from. Component, being in the analog domain, is NOT invincible to PQ degradation. But in the sorts of applications we use it in consumer scenarios, there is not really much chance for said degradation to creep in, which makes it on par with HDMI as far as PQ goes. That, and the whole "digital must always be superior to analog" fantasy.

For instance, while a HDMI switcher can't degrade the PQ, a component switcher CAN contribute to degradation. But, if properly designed and implemented, it won't. Assuming it works properly, the potential for degradation is not an issue, and component holds its own. Regarding the ability to maintain pristine PQ, neither has an inherent advantage over the other.

 

[TyroneShoes]

I'm planning on adding an HR20 to my system along side my HR10 also.
I was just going to connect with component to a second input on my TV and use PIP to have the capability to view from both receivers at same time...

(Sorry to hi jack, but it is related)

Unless technology has marched further than I suspected, I think you will have larger issues to deal with than dual-switching your audio, such as the fact that few HD displays will do PIP with 720p or 1080i component (at least they didn't when I bought my Sony). I think you will have to use 480i for the PIP input.

I have all but circumvented the dual-switching of audio issue by attaching all video-with-audio sources to the switcher built into the TV itself, and taking the output of that to my AVR. That means that the switcher in the TV acts primarily as a pre-switcher, and I can switch between video sources directly on the set, and since it is an audio-follow-video switcher, there is no need to adjust the AVR (of course you have to have a TV that has a switched output preferably with fixed output levels, and you should disable the speakers in the display itself -- having them running in parallel usually buys you exactly nothing but more complications).

Then I use the AVR to switch only between the TV (which pre-switches all sources that are video with audio) and the audio-only sources (those connected directly to the AVR). It gets a little more complicated than that when you want to set up dubs to DVD, but that's the primary concept, which works very well, and also gives you more total sources available to your AVR.

 

[xtc]

Thanks for the Info, TyroneShoes


Any info on whether a toslink splitter is better/worse/same as a toslink switch? I need to get one or the other... and I'm hoping I could use a splitter so that I don't have to manually switch it every time I switch an Input.

 

[kmramos]

Reviving this thread, because I'm trying to sort out these issues myself. I too plan to add an HR20 to my system which already has an HR10. My 50" Fujitsu only has one HDMI input, and the DVI input is occupied by the DVD player. I know that the HR10's PQ is better through HDMI than component on my display (less banding), so I would probably keep the HR10 connected that way.

So, my first thought would be just to hook up the HR20 via component. But this talk of an HDMI switcher intrigues me. So, xtc, what did you end up doing?

Also, I've gotten really confused about the audio. So, with one toslink output each on the HR10 and HR20 and only one toslink input on my AVR, I must get a toslink switch, correct?

 

[phox_mulder]

Also, I've gotten really confused about the audio. So, with one toslink output each on the HR10 and HR20 and only one toslink input on my AVR, I must get a toslink switch, correct?

I got a 3 input switch, switches Component Video, Toslink and analog audio (red/white)

http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat_id=1002&sku=40324

Search for the best price, link is to the manufacturer.

It has a remote control, but I set my Harmony up to control it.
Switches it seamlessly depending on the activity.

For the last year I've only been using it to switch the Toslink, as my TV has 2 component inputs and one HDMI input, but when I added the HR21 last week, I needed to start using it for video switching again.

I wonder if there are HDMI switchers that also switch Toslink?
I'm guessing no, since HDMI is video and audio, but I could be wrong.

phox

 

[coachO]

XTC: I did exactly as you are wanting to do.

I bought the 5x1 monoprice switch which I programmed into my harmony remote. I did this because my Sammy is very slow in switching from HDMI to component, etc. I use it for my HR10, HR20, Xbox and PS3.

My Receiver only has 3 optical inputs so I use the toslink which monoprice also carries. I set my HR10 to one optical in, the HR20 to one optical in and I use the toslink to run both my Xbox and PS3 into my 3rd optical input.

I was quite pleased with how little it costs and how well it works. The other option is to buy a switcher that has HDMI and optical audio but they cost much more.

 

[xtc]

So, xtc, what did you end up doing?

Originally, I kept my HR10-250 connected to my TV through HDMI as it was before receiving my new HR20-700. And I connected the new HR20 to my TV through Component cables. Then, after using both my HR10-250 and my new HR20 for some time, I realized that I was going to primarily use my HR20 for HD shows (because of the much larger HD channel selection) and my HR10-250 primarily for SD shows. SO, I switched. Now, My HR10-250 is connected by Component cables and my HR20 is connected by HDMI. I feel that when my HR10-250 was connected through HDMI, the picture quality was superior to the Component connection, but it's ok, since I primarily use the HR10-250 for SD shows now.

As far as the audio goes, I bought this Toslink switch on eBay : http://cgi.ebay.com/3-way-Digital-Optical-TOSLink-Switch-4-6ft-Cables_W0QQitemZ300184965278QQihZ020QQcategoryZ14965QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
It worked on half of my components, but not on my HR10-250 and not on my Panasonic DVD Recorder.

I love having both the HR10-250 and the HR20 hooked up to my main TV. I get the best of both worlds, have tons of hard drive space and love having 3 live buffers running at all times, especially since I have NBA league pass. I would highly recommend having both.

 

[joed32]

Thanks for the info. The way everyone talks about HDMI, you would definitely think it was superior to component...

Just so i know though, if I do look into an HDMI switch is there any loss in picture quality vs. plugging it directly into the HDMI slot in the TV?

You're getting good info, switching is better than splitting in almost every case. I am using that 2 way monoprice switch and it works very well. If I were you I would try the Component first and see if you like it. Don't forget that you have to adjust your TV for the different input. The toslink splitters are less than $10 all over the internet and they work by redirecting the light when you switch inputs, nothing is lost. But they are flimsy and cheaply made so you have to jiggle the switch sometimes. I used two of these before I got my new receiver and with good results.

 

[robnalex]

Someone may have mentioned (didn't read every word of every post), but regarding audio, keep in mind that the HR20-100 has a coax audio out in addition to the optical. You will need a coax-RCA adapter on at least one end, or both if your audio receiver's coax audio in is RCA.

 

[TommyB]

Someone may have mentioned (didn't read every word of every post), but regarding audio, keep in mind that the HR20-100 has a coax audio out in addition to the optical. You will need a coax-RCA adapter on at least one end, or both if your audio receiver's coax audio in is RCA.

What are you talking about? Coax-RCA adapter?