Denon AVR 1708 review in AVSA

[oradba69]

I dont have the mag with me but if I am not mistaken it says that the HDMI is the switching variety? If I understand that correctly, it only has video in and sound needs to be sourced via coax or optical?
I went to check on Denons website and it says the 1708 comes with HDMI 1.3a which should be both audio and video in?
Or am I missing the boat somewhere?

[milesgopal]

ive enquired at a dealer and they seem to verify that the hdmi on the 1708 is audio only.you have to use optical or coax for digital which has implications for the new hd sound formats.

[oradba69]

But that is what confuses me.
According to the Official Denon website:
http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&ver=&MID=3&sub=1&action=detail&Pid=336

HDMI1.3a inputs/outputs allow to handle video signal with higher speed.

What are we missing?

[joel]

The HDMI section on the amp is a switch only.
IE the internal processors dont strip out audio data and decode this.
What this means is that you have to connect co-ax, optical or analogue outputs to the receiver for audio, so you're not going to get away with only connecting one HDMI cable between DVD and receiver.

[oradba69]

Thanx Joel, so what spec should one look for to make certain that sound and video is carried and decoded in the receiver by the HDMI cable?

[DRNB]

Thanx Joel, so what spec should one look for to make certain that sound and video is carried and decoded in the receiver by the HDMI cable?

Just be cuasios, I see most of the upper mid to high-end designers still prefers a coax or optical signal for the sound to HDMI.