[Nancy]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

This thread is kind of going in a number of different directions, but oh well...thought I would ask those in the know since we have been talking about receivers.

I have a Sony STRDG800. Imagine my surprise when I finally decided to use HDMI cables for both audio and video instead of just video directly to my HDTV and digital optical cables to the receiver. I decided to do this because of my recent Blu-ray player purchase. I've had an HD DVD for a while, but never bothered with just an HDMI cable for both audio and video.

So the 800 says HDMI right on the front of it and I plugged in the HDMI cables for both the HD DVD and BD. Guess what? The audio when using HDMI only is output via the TV speakers only! Can you imagine this? It's in the fine print in the 800 User Manual. Unfreakinbelievable... Why, if I have a BD player, a 46" HDTV and a surround sound system, would I want the audio output via the TV speakers? Arrgghhh...

So...I have been hunting for a new receiver. I found this one: Sony STRDG720, which is a lower number, but seems to allow for both audio and video throughput on the receiver. Not sure why this is. Some people in this thread have said Sony is not the greatest choice. So, this receiver not all that great then? Comparibles at or around the same price range? Thoughts?

Edit: I should add that one of the reasons why I like the Sony is it comes with built-in XM which I bought an antenna for and I use quite often. This 720 model also has the built-in XM.

I have the STRDG800. All you have to do is run an optical cable from your BD player as well. The sound quality is the same. Google if you need instructions. (e.g. see below)

While I wholeheartedly agree it's ass-backwards to allow audio pass-through only to the Monitor with an HDMI configuration, it's not impossible to setup. The trick, as the other user said, it to use optical digital cables from the components to the receiver then use the digital assign feature (p.78 of the manual). Doing this, I was able to connect a Comcast HD via HDMI, XBOX 360 via HDMI with separate digital optical cables coming from both into TV/SAT and Video 1 digital inputs respectively. Then, I re-assigned Video 1 digital input to DVD. All's well (and it's now infinitely easier for the inlaws to work it). Not very user-friendly, I grant you. However, not a lot to go through given the price.