Sony STR-DH810 7.1-channel Blu-ray Disc A/V Receiver with 7 HD Inputs (4 HDMI, 3 Component) (Black)
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7 HD Inputs : Get versatile HD connection options with seven HD inputs. Four HDMI inputs (up to 1080/24p capable) let you connect a Sony PlayStation 3 entertainment system, Blu-ray Disc player, any 2 other HDMI-capable devices, for high definition video and audio. Three component inputs (1080/60i capable) provide added HD-capable connectivity and versatility.
Features
- 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver (110W x7 @ 8 ohms 1kHz 1% THD)
- 7 HD Inputs (4 HDMI, 3 Component)
- Upconvert/Upscale from analog to 1080p via HDMI
- Dolby TrueHD and dts HD Enhanced Audio Codecs
- Wireless 2nd Zone audio (S-AIR multi-room capability)
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 13 x 6 x 17 inches
- Weight: 18 pounds
An excellent buy for starting a 7.1 system
I purchased this receiver a few days ago and waited until I ran it through as many set-ups and combinations as I could in order to be as thorough in my review as possible. The STR-DH810 has been able to easily handle everything I’ve thrown at it through every type of cable imaginable and has only had one flaw that I’ve noticed: upscaling a composite video signal to 1080p (from a Nintendo 64 in this instance) seems to come with some flicker to the upscaled image, but flicker was solved by changing the resolution to 480p or 1080i. My only fault with the input set-up in the back is that there are no audio inputs that correlate directly with the component video inputs, so when I want to hook up a Wii or Xbox with component cables I have to hook the audio cables up to different inputs. Therefore, I have to have the L/R audio cables plugged into the BD composite audio input and reprogram where the video signal comes from in order to have the video and audio programmed to the same input selection. Because of this I had to do some unconventional reassigning of inputs, but since each input can be named by the user it is simple enough to keep track of.
Programming the remote to work with all of my components was very simple. Everything is working smoothly together, especially by utilizing Bravia Sync with a PS3.
5.1 and 7.1 DTS-MA and Dolby TrueHD have been handled perfectly and the 7.1 set-up has given my living room a sound field that I wouldn’t have believed. I prefer to calibrate my speakers by my own ear, but using the Auto Cal option to see how well it works was a very pleasant surprise, and trying to fool the mic by placing it in tough spots was harder to do than one would imagine. As long as the environment is quiet during the Auto Cal, then the calibration will do a fantastic job. I preferred to do a few tweaks of my own after the Auto Cal, but for the most part I felt that it was spot on.
This seems to be a fantastic starting receiver for the price, and the only reason I could see to upgrade to the STR-DH1010 would be for HDMI 1.4 support for 3D. If 3D isn’t your concern then this receiver is the way to go.
Great Receiver! Improved Remote. Easy set-up.
I just received my new Sony STR-DH810 7.1 on Friday afternoon. I already had the previous version, the STR-DH800 set up in the living room. The DH810 I got for the den. It took less than an hour to pull the plugs out of my old Sony (non-HDMI) receiver and set-up the DH810. I would recommend that anyone getting this get a set of banana plugs for the speaker inputs. You “can” get the wires in the “screw-in” connectors, but banana plugs are just so much easier to deal with. I am using all 3 component inputs, 3 of 4 HDMI, Composite and CD, including DVD Coax, and all Optical audio inputs. Everything is very accessible and clearly labeled.
Once I had everything set up, I ran through the Audio/Video set-up manually. The DH810 comes with a mic that allows you to automatically configure your sound system (the receiver does all the work, but I prefer to do the “tweaking” manually. But that’s just me. However, that said, after manually setting up my system, I reset the receiver and allowed the included mic to automatically detect and set up my sound system (just to see how it handled the task) and it did a bangin’ job! Very easy automated and intuitive set-up.
The initial set-up is a breeze. Hold down the On/Off button on the receiver for 5 seconds until the receiver says CLEAR (which you can do anytime you want to undo any major blunders or just start fresh). Press the speaker button on the receiver until your speaker set-up appears, select your desired input button on the remote, crank up the volume and you have sound! From there, the remote’s menu allows you to configure all the tweaks like EQ, Speaker distance, balance, bass, treble, you TVs resolution, etc. I would prefer some kind of TV-On-Screen Menu, but that is not really a big deal to me.
The sound is phenomenal and the DVD upscaling is very cool. I have Avatar on DVD (not blu ray) and the picture upscaled crisp and clear. The sound coming out of the speakers is clean and crisp. My audio CD’s, movies, Cable TV, all sound great with the DH810.
I had been putting off buying this until someone gave it a rating, and I finally found a couple on the web that convinced me to give it an “early-adopter” try. Suffice to say, I am NOT DISAPPOINTED! The Price of $285 with no shipping was just a BIG plus too.
I will probably add to my rating later on, but for now, I HEARTILY recommend the STR-DH810 to anyone that has been hankering to upgrade their sound system with an upscaling 1080p A/V Receiver.