HTPC or Media Player

I have been using PC with a USB tuner to record HDTV for some time. But my old RPTV Mitsubishi VS-60111 only has component or RGB video inputs for 1080i signal; it is tough to connect it to the PC. I have tried various Nvidia’s solutions in the past; they all failed because the way they [...]

$98 Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-Ray Player (4) – Usage Impression Follow Up

When I first got the Magnavox NB530MGX I was using an older Pioneer receiver that lack of HDMI connection which means I was not able to decode the HD audio formats. I was using the coaxial digital output of the NB530 to the receiver. The result of course is as good or as bad [...]

Yamaha RX-V665 (3) - Inside the Cover Part 2, Digital Section

The digital section of the Yamaha RX-665 looks much much better than the power supply and power amp section. Let’s take a look from the input end.

The HDMI connectors are directly soldered on to the board. They are controlled by Silicon Image’s chips,

Receiver: SiI9233
Transmitter: SiI9134

These chips can handles up to 4 HDMI [...]

Yamaha RX-V665 (2) – Inside the Cover Part I, Power Supply and Amplifier Section

 While just by the weight we already know the Yamaha RX-V665’s power amp is not going to be that good, we are still surprised by what we found inside the cover.

 

First, the power transformer is unbelievably small for rated spec output. To make the matter worse, the capacitors in the [...]

Yamaha RX-V665 Receiver (1) – Packaging

By all account, the Yamaha RX-V665 is a just another mid range A/V receiver. What made this unit attractive to us is it probably the lowest cost A/V receiver in mid 2009 that has pre-amp output.

 Why is pre-amp output important for a receiver? This is because it will allow us to use it as [...]