Dish 722 and A/V amp-receiver hookup

If you hook everything through the AVR, then you use the AVR to select anything.

If you do the other thing, then you have a combination of selecting the the input on the TV and input on the AVR.

So the first just seems simpler to me.

From my 722 the HDMI is ran to the TV. From the optical output of the TV the optical cable runs to the optical input of the AV Amp. Connect HDMI for the DVD player directly into the input of the AV receiver.

It depends on if you always want to use the receiver for sound, or only sometimes. If you will always use the receiver for sound run every component to the receiver, and then one single cable to the TV. This is the simplest and most elegant install as there is only one cable going to the TV, and you never have to change the TV's input, just the one on the receiver. The problem is, if you don't want the surround sound all the time, you still have to leave the receiver on, and turn it all the way down, and then turn the TV volume up. I say this because receivers will not pass the audio through HDMI while turned off.

If you want to use the TV's speakers for audio most of the time and only turn on the surround for movies, then run the HDMI to the TV, and the optical output from the TV to the receiver. This will make you switch inputs on both TV and receiver when you want to switch to Bluray or other source though.

I just consider the A/V receiver as a big, complicated switch box connected to my 722, 612, Blu-ray, Wii, etc. Whatever I want to watch and/or listen to, I simply use my remote to select that input and the video appears on my TV and the audio at a level the A/V receiver controls comes out of my 5.1 speaker setup.

(I do, however, have the RCA stereo audio from my 612 connected to a Sony wireless transmitter so I can listen to music from the CD/Sirius channels on receiver-amp-speakers in various parts of the house.)

I run everything through my Pioneer AVR(1120). HDMI from the 722 and my pioneer blu-ray to the AVR, component/optical from my Denon DVD to the AVR. Then one HDMI to my Sony TV. I do use the AVR for all audio. I think it simplifies things vs. having everything plugged into the TV and having to switch audio AND video inputs. The only thing that I kind of miss is being able to calibrate each TV input separately for each individual component, but I think the simpler setup makes up for it.

dcb said:

I have a Dish 722 , a Sony Bravia TV, Sony DVD, and a Pioneer VSX 821 A/V receiver. There seems to be a couple of options for hooking all this up when using an A/V receiver for surround sound.

First way, run the HDMI from the 722 and the DVD player to the A/V, then run a HDMI cable from the AV to the TV.

Alternately, run HDMI from the Dish 722 to the TV and then a HDMI cable out from the TV to the A/V receiver. The DVD would be hooked up with an HDMI directly to the A/V. My Pioneer has Video pass-thru as well as Audio return (ARC) through HDMI cable so that is not an issue.

Any suggestions as to pros and cons of the two methods? Which gives most potential for good sound, good picture, ease of control with the Dish remote etc. .

dcb

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Your alternate method sounds impossible. I've never seen any tv with HDMI outputs. So I'd go with the first way. If your tv really does have HDMI outs, please post the model number.

mdavej said:

Your alternate method sounds impossible. I've never seen any tv with HDMI outputs. So I'd go with the first way. If your tv really does have HDMI outs, please post the model number.

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You are correct. All the HDMI's input to TV. My thought was to use this second HDMI cable as audio return( HDMI ARC) to the A/V. I don't know if that would work or not, but any way I decided to hook it up using the first method as seconded by others. It is working great and I can control must functions I routinely need with just the Dish remote.

dcb