Ultimate Splitter Question

[evilnick]

The DVD player's speakers are compatible with the receiver, but I sincerely doubt that they will last very long plugged into it. Your receiver is monstrously powerful, and those cruddy little Magnavox speakers will probably do little more than die screaming.

I have rewired the majority of my set-up.  The Magnavox speakers work fine in the Onkyo receiver so far.  I'm going to have to do a bit more work, but I'm encountering an issue my personal troubleshooting can't address:

I have only two HDMI devices plugged in:  The Wii U and the PS3.  The receiver can only seem to handle one at once if they're both plugged in, it will always show the Wii U, not the PS3. 

The Wii U is plugged into the DVD HDMI port and the PS3 is plugged into the VCR HDMI port.  This doesn't seem to matter as I switched which port they both went to, and still the Wii U worked, but the PS3 did not. 

I plugged the PS3 directly into my TV and it's settings are all correct (after I remembered what a pain in the ass it is to switch between component and HDMI on these things).  I'm not even sure how to look this up online via Onkyo's support.  Everything else works, and as of right now, I'm going to have to remember to shut off the N64 and Genesis in a few minutes.

Both the DVD and VCR HDMI ports are set to automatically recognize a connection, so I'm not sure what the problem is.  Any thoughts on this one? 

[byron]

You must manually assign each HDMI  port to an input selector before using them, so make sure the HDMI ports are assigned properly. Pages 22 and 43 of the instruction manual contain the information pertinent to this procedure.

[evilnick]

You must manually assign each HDMI  port to an input selector before using them, so make sure the HDMI ports are assigned properly. Pages 22 and 43 of the instruction manual contain the information pertinent to this procedure.

I was sure I had done this before I noticed it was automatic.  Is it possible that it's not saving these settings?  I suppose the other option is that after I set them, I accidentally set them to automatic.  I'll check it again.

[dstone]

Sounds like you're after a matrix switch. We use them all the time at the TV station I work at. We were getting ready to replace our current unit with a larger one (a 128x128, all HD) that was going to run almost $90k. But you certainly don't need something that big. Looking at some of the drawings, a 24x2 composite/analog audio would do nicely (it would probably end up being something like a 24x12 but you don't have to use all of the outputs). With nearly all of the TV stations and high-end conference rooms moving away from analog you can pick up used matrix switches for a fraction of the cost they once were. One thing to keep in mind is that the audio block on these things tend to be screw terminals or pinch terminals; you'd want to build an adapter that would take the RCA plug to the bare wires so you don't mess up your console cables. Autopatch, Extron, Evertz, Kramer, Pesa and Utah Scientific all make matrix switches. A quick jaunt through eBay showed stuff ranging from $20 to ~$5k depending on configuration. You'll want to steer clear of the HD-SDI and SDI stuff (not compatible with composite video without special adapters). Might even be worth a call to some of your local TV stations. Sometimes they have a bunch of obsolete gear sitting around in engineering that they haven't disposed of yet.

[evilnick]

Sounds like you're after a matrix switch. We use them all the time at the TV station I work at. We were getting ready to replace our current unit with a larger one (a 128x128, all HD) that was going to run almost $90k. But you certainly don't need something that big. Looking at some of the drawings, a 24x2 composite/analog audio would do nicely (it would probably end up being something like a 24x12 but you don't have to use all of the outputs). With nearly all of the TV stations and high-end conference rooms moving away from analog you can pick up used matrix switches for a fraction of the cost they once were. One thing to keep in mind is that the audio block on these things tend to be screw terminals or pinch terminals; you'd want to build an adapter that would take the RCA plug to the bare wires so you don't mess up your console cables. Autopatch, Extron, Evertz, Kramer, Pesa and Utah Scientific all make matrix switches. A quick jaunt through eBay showed stuff ranging from $20 to ~$5k depending on configuration. You'll want to steer clear of the HD-SDI and SDI stuff (not compatible with composite video without special adapters). Might even be worth a call to some of your local TV stations. Sometimes they have a bunch of obsolete gear sitting around in engineering that they haven't disposed of yet.

I didn't even realize anything like this actually existed.  But it makes sense for something like TV stations.  Man, they're pricey.  Do you happen to have any model numbers to make the search easier, by chance?  This would do well to augment the improvements I'm making to my setup from byron.

[evilnick]

You must manually assign each HDMI  port to an input selector before using them, so make sure the HDMI ports are assigned properly. Pages 22 and 43 of the instruction manual contain the information pertinent to this procedure.

I was sure I had done this before I noticed it was automatic.  Is it possible that it's not saving these settings?  I suppose the other option is that after I set them, I accidentally set them to automatic.  I'll check it again.

I don't think it's saving the settings.  When I re-enter them, the default settings are shown, not the ones I set.

[byron]

According to Google, confusion over un-saved settings is not an uncommon problem. I'm willing to bet the receiver is not at fault, but I'll be damned if I can tell you what the solution is.

This sounds like a job for... Customer Support!

[evilnick]

According to Google, confusion over un-saved settings is not an uncommon problem. I'm willing to bet the receiver is not at fault, but I'll be damned if I can tell you what the solution is.

This sounds like a job for... Customer Support!

Ha, I suppose that's my next step.  Thanks again with all the advice so far.

[evilnick]

I discovered that the Onkyo receivers, like mine, have a defect in them that essentially causes it to lose the ability to switch between inputs smoothly, in in really bad cases, prevents it entirely.  I may be able to replace some capacitors inside on the HDMI board myself, get it repaired, or graduate to a newer receiver.  I've had this one for about 4 years.

[byron]

That's a tough break, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully the HDMI board is reasonably accessible and you can fix it yourself. If you've never done it before, replacing capacitors is no big deal.

[evilnick]

I found a YouTube video showing how to do it, because YouTube shows us how to do literally everything these days, and I know people who have soldered before.

[evilnick]

On an update to my splitter questions and upgrading notes:

I have removed three 4-device AV splitters from the set-up, and replaced them with one (eventually two) 8-device switches.  I found one on Amazon that is remarkably sturdy and well-made.  It currently has NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and 3DO plugged in.

Currently, the PS1, PS2, PS3, Ouya, Xbox, and GameStick (GameStick is also not in the console database on the site, and maybe there should be an Android console section to include this, Ouya, Shield, and Fire TV) are not plugged into the main set-up.  The secondary TV still utilizes coaxial input games, but I moved the NES to the plasma TV, cleaned it with ye olde fashioned NES cleaning kit, and finally it seems to be working as expected again. 

I have essentially confirmed that the receiver badly needs the capacitors replaced, as it is very slow and chunky to switch HDMI ports.  However, the Wii U runs quite beautifully on the HDMI now. 

I removed nearly a dozen cables from behind the entertainment center.

I discovered an anomaly I did not consider before.  I purchased an unpowered HDMI splitter and discovered that only the Wii U is able to punch through it with ease.  The PS3 can't get a signal through it at all, and the X360 can't play DVD's through it, but can play games.  Go figure.  I will have to upgrade to a powered HDMI splitter from here on.  Eventually.

[evilnick]

Your best choice of selector box or receiver will depend on your television. If you have two HDMI inputs and one component input (that's the red, blue and green cords) available at the back of your TV, just use them and any composite (yellow, white, red) selector box you find on Amazon.
 
If your TV inputs are inadequate and you would require a selector that accommodates HDMI, component and composite, I suggest getting a better TV.

I received new capacitors in the mail yesterday, went out and bought a soldering iron, and replaced the noted capacitors in my receiver.  Holy crap, what a difference.  I didn't even realize that there was a Setup screen that was supposed to be on the TV when going through Setup options.  It works quite brilliantly now.

No wonder this thing was in a pawn shop all those years ago when I bought it, but this saves me from buying a new one, and I'm roughly 80% of the way to the set-up you illustrated in your original help.  I still need a powered HDMI splitter, but that's about it.