Product Description

The STR-DH800 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver delivers the Full HD 1080 experience to a home theater system. This newly designed 1080p A/V Receiver features 7 HD inputs including 4 HDMI inputs with "Active Intelligence" that allow the desire for more HD content to grow. In addition, the STR-DH800 is compatible with 24p True Cinema technology video signals and decodes uncompressed audio formats (Dolby TrueHD/dts Master Audio/LPCM via HDMI) making it compatible with Blu-ray DiscPlayers , the PlayStation 3 Technology and other HD sources. Simply plug in the optional S-Air transmitter and turn on the AirStation client (sold separately) and listen to your favorite music in another room or in multiple rooms.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #397 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Black
• Brand: Sony
• Model: STR-DH800
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 6.20" h x 16.90" w x 12.60" l, 18.30 pounds

Features

• 7.1-channel A/V receiver
• 7 HD inputs (4 active HDMI and 3 component inputs)
• Enhanced color range (Deep Color and x.v.Color technology)
• Blu-ray audio decoding (Dolby TrueHD/ DTS Master Audio/Linear PCM)
• Wireless multi-room audio (S-Air ready)

Customer Reviews

Great Receiver but one Important thing to be aware of...
I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.

Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound...the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn't sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said "oh its set to TV + Amp". So we changed that setting to just "Amp" and bingo...DTS surround sound!! I said "but that's the factory default setting". He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to "Amp" only and not the default setting of "TV + Amp". What the...??

So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my "Watchmen" Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to "Amp" instead of the default "TV + Amp" unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them.

Nice but no upconversion...
Don't be fooled by the manual or by descriptions on other AV retailer websites... This model does NOT include analog->digital upconversion. If you have a mixture of new and older devices this will not allow you to use a single HDMI cable to your display. It provides input switching, but if you provide a composite or component video input, then you must use the corresponding output to view that source. Only HDMI inputs are routed to the HDMI output. The manual suggests that you do not need to connect all of the outputs. In a sense I suppose that is true, but but only if you don't connect to all of the various types of inputs!

As long as you understand the specs, this seems like a nice receiver.

Worth the wait!
The DH800 wasn't yet available when I started shopping for a new receiver a couple of months back. Even though the 700 was being heavily discounted at the time, the 800 had enough next-generation features (DTS-HD decoding, Dolby Digital + and a couple THX modes) to prompt me to hold off a while. And it was worth it. This is an incredible value for a mid-range receiver. After going through the manual, the setup (tuning it for a room) looked unbelievably complex. You had the ability to electronically position each speaker (forget balance controls!). Then, I found the section that explained what the little microphone was for. Wire everything up. Power it on. Put the mic where your ears will be and press the "go" button. Your system sounds like an Atari video game for about 20 seconds and you're done. Remarkable.

Part of my motivation for staying with Sony is that it plays so well with Sony-brand components via Bravia Sync. My DH800 is plugged into an XBR screen and will be joined by a BDP-S560 Blu Ray when it ships this summer. Yes, I tend to be Sony-biased. I've worked in TV production on and off for a lot of years and now spend a fair amount of time in Oregon's first (and still best, IMHO) HDTV studio. On cameras, switchers and displays, the Sony nameplate figures prominently. As with DH800 and XBR screen, has proven it still excels in convenience, consistence and logical interface design.

The rest of the system is a bit of a hybrid (I'm not a huge fan of Sony speakers). My primary front speakers are old and venerable (Canoga Park-era) Infinity 2500's, B&W VM-1 surrounds, HTM-61 center and a truly fabulous Hsu Research VTF-1 subwoofer. However, the auto-calibration has this menagerie blending together seamlessly.

The only down-side I've found so far is that the back panel (particularly the large cluster of speaker terminals) is pretty crowded and the speaker lugs tend to be a bit sticky and troublesome. Sony seems to have skimped a bit on the connectors they chose. Beyond that, it's a beautifully designed and executed component that will really shine when attached to Sony's next-gen Blu-Ray.