CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

I've been waiting/wishing for the day I could make the purchase of a way to be able to feed my PJ from the HDMI outputs on my cable box and DVD players. I'm ready to make a purchase and I cannot decide which way to go. I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck. I finally purchased a Samsung BR last night which has the streaming netflix so I can eliminate the ROKU box. That leaves me the Samsung BR/Toshiba HD/and Cable to connect.

So, I need switching for three HDMI devices and I want gamma correction and I want to feed it all to the pj eliminating any transcoders, etc. in the mix. I know there are several ways to go so I'd like to hear the most recommended and straightforward route. I'm damned tired of running back behind the stack of components and switching component cables and optical cables. I'm leaning toward the HD Fury2 special advertised because I can get the gammax and it has optical out (my receiver isn't HDMI, so I have to have to use the optical.

Just seems the advanced package really has more things than I need but it's the version that comes with the GammaX and I'd need to purchase the switcher...... or there's the Moome card option.

All works out to be comparable prices in the end, the Moome option being a little more.

That said, I just want to confirm that if I go with the HdFury2 Advanced pkg and the switcher, I will have everything I need, right? Shouldn't need any additional line drivers, etc. because this has a power supply...... right? My rgb cable that goes to the PJ is roughly 10ft

Thanks in advance guys!

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

Ok, so further investigation negates the audio out on the HDFury2. Can anyone recommend a decently priced switch for optical audio?

winduptoy · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:44 pm Post subject:

Hi Lori;

I can't remember which projector you have. If Moome makes an HDMI card for your machine, it's worth going that route. Is there an internal card available for your PJ? I had previously tried the HDfury + RTC 2200 and thought it worked pretty well. Moome card is much better, esp for highlight detail. Best route; forget the switcher and look into an HDMI 1.3 compliant receiver and feed your card with HDMI from receiver output. The lossless audio on BR is really worth it! Here's what you would need: HDMI 1.3 Receiver that has DTS/MA and Dolby TrueHD decoders. 10' HDMI cable (very reasonble from Monoprice), Moome card (If your PJ is a Sony - free HDMI cable), if not, price break. This way you plug your souces via HDMI into the receiver, using it for your switching & HDMI out to PJ.

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

My PJ is a Marquee. There's no affording a good quality new receiver right now after buying either of the above options Getting off these component outputs and over to HDMI is priority number one right now. I'd rather pay a little bit for a switcher for now and save up for a nice HDMI receiver later.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:49 pm Post subject:

Go with a Moome box. EXT-FULLHD and add a switcher.
Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/HDVio-Optical-Toslink-Switcher-remote/dp/B001QZ8Z8W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238971674&sr=1-1

You can keep using the optical inputs this way.

The only issue you may have is the Samsung players check the EDID every time they power up so if you don't want to use 1080p you'll have to go into the players menu every time and change the resolution to what your projector needs. Not sure if Samsung has come up with a patch for this yet or if they ever intend to.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:51 pm Post subject:

We should get Sparky in here and see if the giel posts outnumber the boy posts. Very Happy

Supposedly the Moome card has a bit cleaner signal conversion, but I've used/seen both (not side by side mind you), and had no quibbles about either. Get the 3 X1 auto HDMI switch sold by the Fury people, that gets rid of your switching problem regardless of which way you go.

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

thanks guys! I'm not here enough I guess. Who's Sparky?

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

oooh...... I just searched for Sparky. Curt, you ole dog! I read something about an engagement party. I have been MIA for a while. I guess congrats are in order?

drice1234 · Joined: 07 Oct 2006 Posts: 1309 Location: Allen, Texas

I am using an HDFury with the 3x1 switcher for the video side and then I run the optical from each device (satellite receiver, PS3) directly into my receiver. The 3x1 switcher will automatically switch to which ever input is newly inputed so it takes care of the video switching automatically and the receiver handles the audio part.
Dan

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

I agree with AR, I would go with a HDMI switch (like the one Dan mentioned) and then run the HDMI out of the switch into the Moome EXT-FullHD, take the analog video out of the Moome, send it to the Marquee and send the optical audio out into your reciever.

Your reciever does have optical in right?

Erik

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

Yes, I'm currently using optical on everything, but the receiver only has one optical input, so I have to go back there every time and switch it to whatever source is active. That's why I wanted something that would switch the audio as well.

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

Well then it sounds like a smart HDMI switch and a moome box would be the way to go.

Good Luck

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

here is a 4 way HDMI and optical audio switch. looks like it might be a nice piece also.

http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI%20switch%204port_toslink.htm

Athanasios

WTS · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1276 Location: Calgary

There is another way you can go. If you are going to go with Moome's Marquee card then you can take the optical out from there and feed it into your receiver, even if its 25/30 feet away it will be fine just amke sure you buy the optical cable from Bluejean cables and you'll have no problems. As for the HDMI switcher I would go for the Oppo, 3 HDMI inputs, I tryed the Monoprice route before and it was a mistake - problems problems. I use this setup and I've had zero problems.

The audio is switched through the Oppo with the HDMI signals and then output from the Moome card. And there is no degradation of the audio signal doing it this way.

**kal** · Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject:

All good suggestions.

I would be hesitant to spend $100+ on an HDMI / Toslink switcher if you're going to be getting a receiver in the (near?) future that does all that for you. Sure, you can sell the switcher later but you won't recoup all the $$$.

Kal

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

I prefer the external option. I'd hate to spend that much on a proprietary card so that regardless of future pj upgrades or malfuntions, I still have the external HDFury or Moome box to use I'm leaning toward the Moome box at this time.

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

Final question because I've never been concerned about how HDMI handles/carries audio as I always run the optical output of the source to the receiver. The moome external box has toslink out. Says it outputs 7.1 compressed or 2 channel uncompressed PCM. If I get this external box and HDMI switcher in front of it, the Moome box will output the audio of whatever HDMI source is active correct? Am I going to notice a difference between this method vs feeding the fiber signal directly from the source to the receiver? I'm ready to pull the trigger before somebody else in the house spends the money on something else.....

ralpharch · Joined: 02 Nov 2007 Posts: 211 Location: Derwood

I am pretty sure it will be the same. Don't be fooled by the bit rate on the 2 channel lossless pcm into thinking it is better than the blue ray enhanced DTS or DD over bitstream. I was, and for months would listen to BR disks on two channel lossless but it turned out to be just a volume difference. I read the AVR faq thread in the audio section of AVS and became convinced there was no benefit (to my ears) to going with a receiver that did lossless true hd. I think some people may be able to hear it but reading that thread I became convinced that most cannot discern the difference from a high quality bitstream multi-channel feed.

At any rate you weren't asking about that - I am pretty sure there will be no difference in feeding bitstream directly or through the moome box over optical to your receiver since optical will never due the true-hd etc anyway.

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

Thank you. Then I will just opt for the little regular HDMI switcher for now and then when I upgrade the receiver in the future, I'll switch through it. Thank you much!

loribates · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 185 Location: KS

WOO HOO! It's done. I've order the switcher and the Moome external box. It's hard to believe that after several years I'll finally be able to use my HDMI outs and see this pj at it's best and also never again see that damn "hi resoluton output for this DVD is prohibited and will be disabled" notice Thumbs Down

when I play a regular DVD. I just hope the box comes soon and without issues.( I gave up the fancy new headlights for my truck for this. I hope it's worth it......)

Thank you everyone for all of the advice and suggestions! Very Happy