Can I watch TV with the amp switched off ?

wwwebber

wwwebber

wwwebber

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Hi folks,
I'm thinking of getting a new HDMI HD AV receiver to replace my ageing STRDB940 but one thing is really bugging me. I have a BTVision box (HDMI) and a PS3 (HDMI). I really would like just one HDMI input into the TV which would necessitate feeding all HDMI inputs through the amp and onto the TV - this would make things really simple for my other half. Now, the kicker is - I dont want the amp switched on all the time mainly to save energy - and I also dont want Eastenders being fed through and amplified in surround :eek:.

The question is :- can I switch the new amp off and still get a signal to my TV via HDMI ? ie - does it wave the signal though untouched when switched off or does it stop it in its tracks ?. Is there any jargon that describes this function ?. This of course could dependent upon the make & price of the amp I would get.

Comments please - I would be very grateful.
 
I have the Sony 820 and that has to be switched on to view any of the sources plugged into it. I'm fairly sure this applies to all AVR's though could be wrong.

You can also set the amps to use speakers and TV, speakers only or TV only.
 
I've been told that the Yamaha 3900 does this but I'm not paying that much on an amp !!.

Ok, what I've decided to do is this :-

I've bought a self powered HDMI auto switcher which will allow me to use a single AV channel on the TV so no more manually cycling through the AV channels on the TV when switching the HDMI inputs (BTVision, PS3). This will make it much easier for my other half.

Also, as my BTVision box doesnt do HD audio I'll feed the HDMI directly to the switcher and thus onto the TV and send audio to the amp via optical for when I want to watch BTVision DD5.1 HD films. The PS3 HDMI will go through the amp as I generally want top use the amp when using the PS3. The HDMI from the amp will then go into the switcher and then into the TV.

This way the amp is switched off most of the time when watching normal TV. I'm quite happy about this - anyone see any issues ?.
 
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It adds more cable/equipment but if that's not as important as drawing less power, then it should work.

From my experience, if GF's have to deal with anything other than simply switching on the telly and sky box, it's a hissy fit! So the HDMI switching may result in a similar result! I'm happy to pay the extra power costs to avoid this and it also means I don't have to have the radiator by the amp switched on!
 
Ok, I have made a discovery and I have stumbled upon this nugget. The Onkyo 606 has a Power Control feature that claims to do just this. See the manual here on page 81 :-

http://www.eu.onkyo.com/dl/1040433/M...SR606_En_A.pdf

Now a question for Onkyo owners - does this work for you ?, it says that power consumption increases, but by how much - is it the same as being switched on ?. Also, how does it handle multiple HDMI inputs - does it intelligently switch like a HDMI switch does ?

I would appreciate any responses.
 
pre1twa said:
Why is it such a problem having 2 feeds going to the TV? Not criticizing, I'm just curious. Are many programmes broadcast in DD these days?
Click to expand...

Because it makes things very simple for my other half. No AV channels to cycle through and no HDMI / optical changes for the PS3 either.
 
I have tested it on my SR606 and it does indeed work with Audio & Video, but it doesn't appear to autosense the active HDMI port in this state.

It works fine if you select the desired input before switching the amp into standby.
 
I have the Onkyo 606 and like JudgeC it works fine so long as the right HDMI input is selected before turning the 606 off.

Its fugly great amp to look at though :)
 
Cheers fellas - thanks for the test - much appreciated.

I can get around the "last source" problem by putting a self powered auto HDMI switch between the Onkyo, PS3 & BTVision so as to have a single HDMI input into the amp and a single HDMI ouput into the TV.

This means no more manually changing of AV channels on the TV between PS3 & BT Vision and if we want 5.1 surround then we just switch the amp on and hey presto we have 5.1 surround for either source automatically - easy peasy :D

Chuffed - thanks again.
 
Well, not sure if you still care for any info on this, but I discovered over the weekend that my Sony HT-SF1300 will put video and audio through to my tele while it is off.
 
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