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Home Theater AV Receivers
The heart of your entertainment center. The muscle that pumps video and audio around the anatomy of your AV setup.
Receivers
There are a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting a AV receiver for your home theater system. The first and most important cardinal rule is this: INPUTS, INPUTS, and more INPUTS. I know I sound like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, but honestly this is the first pillar of the home audio visual receiver. HDMI inputs are the most valuable ones to be looking out for. Pretty much every high-end piece of AV equipment these days supports HDMI. It’s a one stop for high definition picture and digital surround sound. Your Xbox 360, PS3, Blu-ray player, and home theater PC all want you to use a HDMI connection, so oblige them. It’s a nice step up from an analog component connection.
Next you’ll want to make sure the receiver has a few component inputs for the older electronics or pieces of equipment that refuse to evolve to digital output. Along with component look for S-Video, standard composite, and optical and coaxial inputs. Sure these connections might be old-hat compared to the rest of your state-of-the-art home theater setup, but it’s nice to have all your basics covered. You never know when grandpa is going to show up again with that beta player.
Audio Decoding
Between Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro-Logic, DTS, and DTS-HD, you’ve probably heard so many buzz names for audio formats you don’t know which end is up. The newer receivers will decode all the usual suspects. Dolby Digital is of course the most important format to look out for. Most content you’ll be watching will utilize Dolby Digital 5.1. There’s the odd Blu-ray or game that supports 7.1 audio (seven speakers and a sub-woofer), but if you’ve managed to hang seven speakers around your living room without having your wife kill you, you probably graduated from needing this guide a long time ago.
The Extras
If you’re going top end with your receiver, look out for models that have some kind of on screen configuration tool (like the Sony cross media bar) for tweaking sound and video performance on your big screen. My current receiver requires a degree from MIT to program, so you can bet with my next upgrade I’ll be gunning for a simpler user interface.
1080p upscaling is another bonus you don’t want to miss out on. What that means is the receiver will take all your standard definition material (grandpa’s beta tapes) and upscale the resolution to full HD. Yes it’s cheating, and no you won’t get any extra detail, but you’ll get what appears to be a smoother and cleaner picture on your 1080p set.
It’s easy to go on and on about AV receivers; these main details will help you stay focused throughout your search. Take a gander below to see a few of my favorite picks, and remember, the Best Buy Geed Squad are evil, Monster Cables are a waste, and don’t pay for expensive calibration! Buy digital video essentials instead!
There are a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting a AV receiver for your home theater system. The first and most important cardinal rule is this: INPUTS, INPUTS, and more INPUTS. I know I sound like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, but honestly this is the first pillar of the home audio visual receiver. HDMI inputs are the most valuable ones to be looking out for. Pretty much every high-end piece of AV equipment these days supports HDMI. It’s a one stop for high definition picture and digital surround sound. Your Xbox 360, PS3, Blu-ray player, and home theater PC all want you to use a HDMI connection, so oblige them. It’s a nice step up from an analog component connection.
Next you’ll want to make sure the receiver has a few component inputs for the older electronics or pieces of equipment that refuse to evolve to digital output. Along with component look for S-Video, standard composite, and optical and coaxial inputs. Sure these connections might be old-hat compared to the rest of your state-of-the-art home theater setup, but it’s nice to have all your basics covered. You never know when grandpa is going to show up again with that beta player.
Audio Decoding
Between Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro-Logic, DTS, and DTS-HD, you’ve probably heard so many buzz names for audio formats you don’t know which end is up. The newer receivers will decode all the usual suspects. Dolby Digital is of course the most important format to look out for. Most content you’ll be watching will utilize Dolby Digital 5.1. There’s the odd Blu-ray or game that supports 7.1 audio (seven speakers and a sub-woofer), but if you’ve managed to hang seven speakers around your living room without having your wife kill you, you probably graduated from needing this guide a long time ago.
The Extras
If you’re going top end with your receiver, look out for models that have some kind of on screen configuration tool (like the Sony cross media bar) for tweaking sound and video performance on your big screen. My current receiver requires a degree from MIT to program, so you can bet with my next upgrade I’ll be gunning for a simpler user interface.
1080p upscaling is another bonus you don’t want to miss out on. What that means is the receiver will take all your standard definition material (grandpa’s beta tapes) and upscale the resolution to full HD. Yes it’s cheating, and no you won’t get any extra detail, but you’ll get what appears to be a smoother and cleaner picture on your 1080p set.
It’s easy to go on and on about AV receivers; these main details will help you stay focused throughout your search. Take a gander below to see a few of my favorite picks, and remember, the Best Buy Geed Squad are evil, Monster Cables are a waste, and don’t pay for expensive calibration! Buy digital video essentials instead!
Some Great Receiver Picks
Sony STR-DN-1010 7.1 Channels Receiver
from
$249.98
AVR-1911 7 Channels Receiver
from
$489.00
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