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HDMI signal breakout and pass-thru device Quest

merlynski

Curmudgeon Electronicist
I am looking for an HDMI input device that breaks out the video into component video, audio into 5.1 analog channels and also has HDMI pass-thru.
My HT amp does not do HDMI, and has 5.1 inputs.
The primary source will be a PS4 (maybe PS3 also) for gaming.

Am I hunting a Unicorn? Any suggestions?
 
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It's unlikely you'll find one with a 5.1 analog output and HDMI passthru. Presumably, if you have an AVR (what's the make and model?), it has S/PDIF inputs (either coaxial or optical). Therefore, you don't need an analog 5.1 output, instead you can do it with an audio extractor. So you'd need two components:

Audio extractor (has a passthru)
Component video extractor (no passthru)

These are only examples; there are others.

If you need an HDMI passthru then you'll probably have to get an HDMI splitter.

Note that the video extractor may cause trouble with HDCP-protected content; however, if you're just using it for games then you shouldn't have an issue.

Also, I highly recommend purchasing items that can be returned with no penalty. These are the sorts of things that can work in some installations and not others.
 
Thanks for responding!
My AVR is a Pioneer VSX-D412, it does have the S/PDIF inputs.
I have a DVD / SACD (Pioneer DV-45A) player with 5.1 outputs and the computer in the HT stack has 5.1 sound card outputs so I am looking for a 5.1 channel analog switch as well. I may just have to build one, the six channel Pro audio switches are out of my price range.
My TV has two HDMI inputs, one is used by the PS-3, and one is used by the recently acquired PS-4. The PS-3 has an S/PDIF output, but the PS-4 does not, only HDMI, so I am trying to figure out how to get 5.1 audio from the PS-4 output to the AVR. The TV has only 2 channel audio output from the HDMI input.
I recently acquired the DV-45A for playing SACD audio, because nothing I had would play true SACD media.
I may just have to go with the Audio Extractor. No real loss since the audio from the PS-4 is not discrete/analog 5.1 anyway.
 
I am looking for a 5.1 channel analog switch as well. I may just have to build one, the six channel Pro audio switches are out of my price range.
I wonder if an old pro video switcher would do the job, like this one (no affiliation). It has five unbalanced and two balanced inputs per channel. You'll note that some of the unbalanced are marked for audio or video, which leads me to suspect that they could all be used for audio. Use one of the balanced connections (it's easy enough to convert to unbalanced) for the sub and the 5 unbalanced for the main channels. Maybe we've got an expert here who can let us know if the video channels can also be used for audio.

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I downloaded the User Manual for that unit. I understand what it does. Neat unit, I bet it was expensive in its day. Some of the video channels can be used for audio. It will switch composite or component or S video inputs and L/R audio inputs but does not have the 6 channels for 5.1 audio, even using the multi purpose Audio/Video paths. The maximum audio channels it can switch is four, and then it cannot switch component video, only composite or S-video. One channel can be used for video comp-sync info, and one for video vertical sync, but apparently not audio. Even if that channel could be used for audio it would still be only 5, not 5.1.
 
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ISTM that you're going to an awful lot of effort to avoid replacing your AVR. I'm not sure what the market is like in your area, but even if you can't find anything local, I'd bet you could pick up a decent AVR with HDMI on eBay for under $100, and it would do everything you needed except possibly 5.1 switching (and your computer's soundcard should have an S/PDIF output as well, so you could probably use that instead). Your Pioneer AVR is an entry-level model so I doubt you'd be giving anything up, soundwise.
 
Yup, you are correct about the "awful lot of effort to avoid replacing your AVR" and cost is definitely a factor. The kicker for me has been a minimum of 100W per channel. And decent specs for musical reproduction. When I was first considering an AVR there were very few that had 100W per channel. I will take your suggestion into consideration. Do you have any specific suggestions for an AVR that has that output level on all 5 outputs? It also must have a 5.1 audio input for SACD playback.
One of the things I have considered is getting a AVR Preamp/switcher/decoder and driving my vintage amps (and speakers) with that.
 
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Very few AVRs will give an honest 100 watts out of all 5 channels simultaneously; certainly not the one you have now. AV preamps are usually more expensive than most AVRs, but a good compromise would be an AVR with preamp outputs; however, you're going to spend a bit more.

When I was recently looking for a used AVR with certain features, here's what I did: I set up an automated search using this string:

receiver -(vintage,sansui,kenwood,technics,nakamichi,fisher,panasonic,shure,satellite,stereo,shortwave, proton,dvd,pyle,extender,tv,kit,kramer,wireless,rockville,tascam,adc,technical,blackbox,kardon, hall,directv,crestron,extron,sonos,fiber,foxconn,teac,radio,optical,motorola,transmitter,adder, samsung,catv,"black box",blonder,audioengine)​

This allowed me to rule out all the stuff I knew didn't have what I wanted. Then, as results came up, I'd enter them into a spreadsheet, with the make, model number, and relevant features. If I wasn't sure if that was what I was looking for, I did a little research online. Eventually you get to the point where you know that models above a certain series have certain features, no matter what the generation; that models that were made before a certain year don't have it, etc, etc, and you don't need to keep researching every model that comes up. For example, the Onkyo TX-SR705 has what you need (HDMI switching and preamp outputs) but the 605 and 703 don't (the 704 doesn't seem to be that common, so I didn't know for sure). This means that the TX-SR805 (same generation, one level higher) and the TX-SR706 (next generation, same model level) would also have those features.

However, having said all that, are you sure you need a true 100 watts of power into 5 channels simultaneously? Your current receiver can't deliver that.
 
Thanks for continuing the conversation!
Pioneer claims it can in the manual, according to them, by the FTC regulation.
That was one of the reasons I picked it.
Attached is the front cover and spec pages from the manual.
I (think) I am as skeptical about spec sheet claims as many, but I did look around quit a bit at the time, though its been a few years.
FWIW, it does not need to be a receiver, I live in the boonies, and my HT is in the basement, no reception anyway.
 

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Thanks for continuing the conversation!
Pioneer claims it can in the manual, according to them, by the FTC regulation.
Right, it can do 2 channels at 100 watts/channel. Most receivers can do that. But the power supply isn't sufficient to run 5x100 RMS.

Anyway, if it's 100 watts or only 80 watts/channel, it really doesn't make much of a difference. Even if it was only 50 watts, that's only a 3dB difference vs. 100. So I wouldn't sweat the power output too much; look for the features you need.
 
I understand how Watts and dB works, a doubling of electrical power is +3db. And it takes more that 3dB of electrical power increase for human hearing to perceive twice the volume.
Perhaps I am misreading the specs, it appears to say Continuous Power Output (Surround) 100W per channel. Granted it also says that is at 1.0% THD, which is pretty high, and could mean some clipping or slew rate distortion, and is also without a frequency response spec. And the power draw from the wall is 260W, so it is hard to believe that the it will output 500W while drawing half that off the mains.
Anyway, lets not argue a point that is irrelevant to the original purpose of this thread. I understand the point you are making. Maybe some day I will put it on the bench and wring it out.
 
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