Hdmi for audio only?

Question

this is for home theatre experts. if i was to get a receiver like a yamaha that decodes dts hd master audio etc.is it possible to use hdmi for the audio only and not for video?because i dont wanna run the hdmi cable through the receiver for video because most receivers dont do a very good job of upscaling etc.how would you hook the hdmi up for audio only?

Answer 1

I agree with AGB that there is no advantage to separating your signal and sending video directly to your display. Be sure that the DVD player you buy will "multi-session," meaning that the video signal will leave the DVD player through all it's outputs rather than switching and only sending video out the one you sellected. If your DVD player only sends video down the HDMI line when HDMI is sellected, you won't be able to connect to your TV. Most DVD players multi-session, but not all.

Answer 2

Sure. HDMI carries both audio and video but you can ignore one or the other if you want. Simply connect from player to receiver and don't connect from receiver to display. The two are separate cables anyway.

Bu, you don't lose anything by connecting the receiver to the display for video. Where the scaling takes place (in the TV/projector, the AVR, the satellite or cable box or the disk player are yours to control. The HDMI cable simply passes the signal.

Answer 3

Most receivers only allow for HDMI switching and passthrough.  This means you will still have to hook up an optical or coaxial digital audio cable to the reciever.  First answer is right in that the upconverting will be done at your BlueRay/DVD player and passing the HDMI signal through your receiver will not effect picture quality.