Just replaced my old Sony receiver with the Yamaha TSR-6750. Now I have everything connected via HDMI with the exception of my kids older WII. Everything is now switched, (sound and video) via the receiver.
I have a few questions:
It is my understanding that this receiver has an up-scaling video chip to send lower resolution video somehow magically up to my large LED TV and make it look better.
#1) Does this mean that my kids WII should be up scaled to fit the entire screen?
#2) Lower resolution TV broadcasts from my cable box are still square and do not fill the screen on the sides. Is that normal?
#3) The colors since I connected my TV video to the receiver HDMI port seem to be a little too bright and a bit fake as compared to running HDMI from each device to the TV's multiple HDMI inputs. I don't see a way to change the video properties on the Yamaha receiver. Should I be adjusting the video on the TV exclusively?
#4) Now that I have a brand new Receiver connected din this fashion, should I reset my Samsung TV to default settings to ensure that I am not using conflicting or off setting video settings between the TV / Receiver?
To be clear on my setup, I have one DMI cable from the Receiver feeding the LED 55: Samsung TV. All my devices (BR, Cable Box, XBox) are connected via HDMI to the receiver with teh exception of the WII which I have used RGB video and Red/White audio connected to the receiver.
The manual that came with the Receiver just does not spell out the information I need. Or maybe I'm just not seeing it.
My understanding is the receiver has a simple video enhancement chip. Nothing fancy and that's probably why you're seeing the color skewing with the signal running through the receiver. There's also a likely edge enhancement circuit being applied so, yes, the picture running through the reciever will probably look a little fake.
It's possible the Yamaha video enhancement can be defeated or adjusted but it would likely involve deep sub-menu work. Most of these sub-menus are not easily accessed by the typical consumer and must be adjusted by a technician away from your display and sources. Not an ideal set up.
The Samsung is likely to have a far too bright (black control), color saturated and sharpened (white control) default setting. In most cases modern consumer video screens are set to jump off the shelf in the store and are not set for accurate picture quality. Of course, picture settings should vary with the ambient light conditions and most serious videophiles adjust for various sources, film and videotape at the least. If you are interested in a more accurate video display, obtain a test disc for consumer TV's and use it to make the best overall settings you can reach while the monitor is set to allow "Custom" video settings. If you are very serious about this, you can have a specialist come on and, again accessing deep sub-menus, bring the display as close to RGB or other "standard" settings as possible. Such adjustments are normally going to cost a few hundred dollars and, quite honestly, most consumer TV's aren't, IMO, good candidates for such adjustments. Buy a test disc and make your adjustments for yourself.
Your 4:3 sources are probably going to remain in 4:3 aspect ratio. Yu can adjust the display with your "format" control on the monitor but you'll often find your 16:9 sources affected with the Samsung monitor.
Investing in a proper calibration / reference disc for home displays might be in order. DVE = Digital Video Essentials is one such disc and MONSTER makes another...though I personally hate Monster. Other discs are out there to allow proper setup and pseudo-calibration of home displays.
With time and patients you can get to maybe 75% of what the ISF guy can attain...not all that bad. Statistics tell me that about 1/2 of ALL home displays are NOT adjusted by the new owners.
Now, as to looking 'better'.....Your TV will also upscale to the 'native' panel format. What looks best sort of depends on what chipset does best. An inexpensive HT receiver OR the dedicated circuits in the TV?
Generally I'd vote for the TV, but if you use the HT receiver, go thru the TV setup menu and defeat extra sharpening and 'edge correction' and most of the rest.....You don't want to 'double up' on most of those 'effects', anyway. Many TV's when left to there own devices will result in what is called 'the Soap Opera Effect' and look AWFUL.
And also, in general, you won't get a 'magic' improvement. Upsampled DVD CAN rival BR, but only in a best / worst comparison. My old OPPO player produced some of the finest upsampling available and was an early adopter of HDMI.
Keep in touch......
Stretching a 4:3 to fill the screen will end up lookng distorted. General advice would be to NOT do so.