Some basic questions on AV receiver

hifi1975

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Hi All,
These questions have been bothering me since i got my Onkyo 606 AV last week ..Hope some one can clarify

1 ) My Hathway Cable Digital set top box ( hyd ) is connected to the AVR through RCA cables .. and the AVR is connected to the 5.1 speakers ..

Will AVR decode the audio signals from the various TV channels to 5.1 mode or its just the stereo i hear from the 5 speakers irrespective of which TV channel i am watching

2 ) If its just stereo i am listening for tv transmission and need a 5.1 DVD or other source equivalent source to listen to 5.1 sound ..then my DVD player which has 5.1 output would do the job ..where is AVR adding value apart from connecting multiple sources
 
1 ) My Hathway Cable Digital set top box ( hyd ) is connected to the AVR through RCA cables .. and the AVR is connected to the 5.1 speakers ..

Will AVR decode the audio signals from the various TV channels to 5.1 mode or its just the stereo i hear from the 5 speakers irrespective of which TV channel i am watching

There is no 5.1 sound being offerred by any TV channels in India, so your AVR will not be able to help

2 ) If its just stereo i am listening for tv transmission and need a 5.1 DVD or other source equivalent source to listen to 5.1 sound ..then my DVD player which has 5.1 output would do the job ..where is AVR adding value apart from connecting multiple sources

The AVR is adding value in that it is connecting everything together, decoding surround sound formats, amplifying the sound, and adding whatever processing it has including video upscaling in the case of the 606. Its primary job is amplification, if your surround decoding is being handled by your source.
 
The AVR will not decode a 2.0 or 1.0 signal (from your cable box) into 5.1, but it will definitely be able to multiplex it into a "decent" 5.1 stream if you switch on some of the DSP modes on the AVR (ex: DDPL-II) and not just the 2.0/1.0 streams distributed/repeated on all the 5.1 channels equally.
 
Will AVR decode the audio signals from the various TV channels to 5.1 mode or its just the stereo i hear from the 5 speakers irrespective of which TV channel i am watching

2 ) If its just stereo i am listening for tv transmission and need a 5.1 DVD or other source equivalent source to listen to 5.1 sound ..then my DVD player which has 5.1 output would do the job ..where is AVR adding value apart from connecting multiple sources

If the signal is coming via RCA's (2 from TV) or 5.1 (from DVDp), then it has already been 'decoded' and converted from digital to analog. AVR just amplifies. Either directly as it comes or with some effects, if you switch on any sound processing options.

If you pass a digital signal (optical, coax) into the AVR from the DVDp (TV's/STB's here normally have analog RCA out), then the digital to analog conversion happens in the AVR. If I'm not mistaken, decoding could happen in the DVDp or AVR, based on options chosen at the source (PCM, Bitstream?)

You would need some way to amplify the 5.1 analog out from your DVDp. So the AVR helps there.

If you have an AVR like 606 with loads of decoding options, then you can connect sources through optical/coax/HDMI without bothering about whether the source can support the decoding of a particular format or not - knowing that the AVR will take care of it.
 
Well, your AVR will produce a simulated 5.1 surround effect from your TV signal's 2-channel audio source dependng upon the DSP mode you select in your receiver. However it is not recommended as the sound will be pretty deflated.

If you are using a LCD TV then it will upscale the video signal.
 
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