Our email address is hdtvpodcast@mac.com

Brillian  6580iFB six-megapixel 1080p HDTV and Media Server video platform. MSRP $7,999

The last few shows have been related to HDTV so for this one we thought we'd concentrate on your receiver.  We briefly talked about the receiver back in April. Today we will explore the subject in a little more detail. 

 

The receiver is an extremely important part of your home theater. The receiver decodes, amplifies and routes the audio to the speakers. This is where the TV, DVD, satellite/cable, and AM/FM tuner meet. In other words the receiver is the hub of the home theater system.  The reciver will often serve as a video hub as well.  It is critical to have a good system especially if you've just spent a few thousand dollars on a new HDTV. As far as expense goes, your HDTV will be the biggest cost followed by the speakers and then your receiver. Allocate $600 to $1200 for the receiver in most home situations.  Obviously this will not do for dedicated theater rooms but most of us do not have dedicated theater rooms.

Try to listen to the equipment you are about to buy before putting your money down. Go to higher end stores that have rooms set up that allow you to audition the equipment. Also make sure you know what kind of speakers you are listening to. Good speakers make mediocre receivers sound better. That's OK if you own or are going to buy the same speakers. If the speakers are much better than what you own or plan on buying just note that the sound won't be the same when you get the receiver home. Buy from a store that has a liberal exchange policy. If the receiver doesn't sound good at home, you want to be able to exchange it for something else.

Consider the following objective factors in deciding which receiver is right for you:

Audio Processing
Make sure the receiver you buy can decode Dolby Digital (5.1), DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic I and II. DVDs, satellite, cable, and over-the-air (OTA) digital broadcasts can deliver audio in a digital stream. The receiver receives the stream, decodes the information, and sends it to the appropriate speaker. This digital format allows for five discrete channels of audio plus a subwoofer.

 

What about 6.1 and 7.1 decoding? More is better, right? New receivers coming to market today can decode six and seven channels of digital audio. The only problem is that there is not much source material encoded with more than five channels of audio.

 

Our recommendation: If it is within your budget to buy a system with 6.1 or 7.1 audio processing, then go ahead and buy it. That way, you will be ready for the future. If a 7.1 system will break your budget, don't sweat it. DVDs encoded in 6.1 or 7.1 audio will play just fine on your 5.1 system.

 

Dolby Pro Logic is an analog form of audio. It requires two (left and right) channels of audio. The receiver that can decode Pro Logic will separate the two signals into four channels of audio. Make sure your receiver can decode Pro Logic II. Power
Power is the most commonly used measure of a receiver or amplifier. More power is not necessarily better. There are some cheap systems at Wal-Mart that put out 650 watts total power and sound terrible. You want quality, not quantity. Bigger rooms will need more power to fill them with sound. You don't need a 1000 watt system for a dorm room. When trying to determine how much power your theater will need, consider the following:

 

Make sure that the power is rated with low harmonic distortion across the audible frequency range while the system is driving all speakers. Some manufactures will list peak power to look better. Check the manufacturer's web site for a receiver's specifications

 

Also, keep in mind that connecting the receiver to efficient speakers requires less power to achieve higher sound pressure levels (SPL). The receiver will last longer too.

Finally, a human's perception of sound is not linear. Simply put, a 10dB increase in SPL is perceived to be twice as loud (70dB is twice as loud as 60dB). Doubling the power of an amplifier increases the sound by 3 dB at the speakers, which is the minimum difference your ear can actually hear. So don't let a salesman convince you to upgrade from a 50-watt receiver to a 75-watt receiver. You won't be able to tell the difference.  But 50 watt to 100 watt, that's a different story.

Video Switching and Multiple Zones
Some receivers take video inputs from multiple sources like DVD players, cable, or satellite boxes and send them through to the TV. This is a handy feature if the television has one video input. If the TV only has one input connection, then make sure the receiver supports video switching.