Old AV amps still pass through 4k

Uselessoldman

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Ok so I got my old amp out a Sony AV DA2400ES was good until it decided to lock the volume, to low to use properly. But I found sitting between the computer and a monitor that for some reason decided it was also 4k I found the 4k signal was passed through no bother. Clearly there will be no upscaling, but who cares I don't need it and if I were to use the 4k TV it has it anyway.

volume stuck at vol - 40.0 unable to change on remote or unit. If I change the surround speakers db settings that work but volume itself has no effect, I am guessing its bust
 
The "problem" with old AVRs is not that they can't pass a 4K signal (4K has been part of the specification since HDMI 1.3), it's that they can't handle HDCP 2.2, which is required by UHD. In a PC -> Monitor application, the lack of HDCP 2.2 is probably irrelevant, although it might hit you if you try to play a Bluray on the PC.
 
My TV is actually Dolby Atmos & Vision compatible (Panasonic) I can stream through the amp from PC to TV and that works for what its worth although thinking about it, I guess its actually not going through the amp but using the network directly.
 
Can it passthrough HDR? Dolby Vision? etc

No. Not even the first gen HDMI version 2.0 chipsets all fascilitated this, nevermind HDMI version 1.4 eqiuipped devices.

You'll also find that higher frame rates greater than 30fps aren't possible in relation to the 4K content. It wasn't until the advent of HDMI version 2.0 that you hained the ability to convey 3K 60Hz encoded video and got HDCP 2.2 compliance.

As said, you will not be able to passthrough any UHD content protected by HDCP 2.2.Almost all commercial UHD content is protected by HDCP version 2.2 or greater. All UHD TV broadcasts would be either 50Hz in the UK or 60Hz in the USA, but most cinema content you'd get via UGD Blu-ray or via streaming services will more than likely be encoded with a 24fps frame rate.
 
My TV is actually Dolby Atmos & Vision compatible (Panasonic) I can stream through the amp from PC to TV and that works for what its worth although thinking about it, I guess its actually not going through the amp but using the network directly.


The ability of your TV to handle Dolby Vision and or Atmos makes no difference. The TV's abilities will not enable your AV receiver to passthrouhgh the associated metadata.


No, you are not passing through Dolby Vision. HLG or even HDR10.
 
No idea I only tested it using youtube. I was even more surprised the monitor handled 4k it was only supposed to be 1080i. AOC I2353FH
 
I'd conclude that whatever you are seeing not to be 4K, or rather, it isn't 4K while passing through your AV receiver or when displayed on your monitor.

Your monitor has a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.


Just because the content is labelled as being 4K doesn't mean that this is what you'll get passed through the AV receiver and displayed on your monitor. Your PC is more than likly downscaling the video to a resolution compliant with the capabilities of your AVR and the monitor.
 
This video will display regardless of the abilities of the equipment being used, but you'd only get 4K 60Hz with HDR if using equipment that has the capabilities to handle of display that specific configuration of video.





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I'm considering a few secondhand AVR options to replace / add to a stereo amp whilst I save for additional speakers and an Atmos AVR. The AVR options I'm considering don't support HDCP 2.2 or 4K pass through. My current setup is 2.1 and I have a 4K TV and UHD player.

My main focus is being able to access DTS HD Master Audio and lossless sound, as to date I have been restricted to using an optical cable due to the stereo amp.

The AVR options are less important save to note that they support DTS HD Master Audio.

However what I want to know is:

is there a way of getting around the 4K compatibility issues, by setting things up in a way that means that either the UHD player or TV does the video processing side of things, leaving the AVR to handle the audio?

For example, the UHD player has two HDMI sockets, one for video and one for audio. So I know that I can use one socket for the video and the other for the audio and select whether, for example, the UHD player or TV does the video or sound.

In broad terms do AVR receivers have this same work around or does the lack of HDCP 2.2 or 4K pass through mean that this is a no-go?
 
The AV receiver doesn't process the video, not unless you purposefully engage the onboard scaling present on some models. The AV receiver acts as a source switch and passes the video through while processing the audio.

The issue you'd have is if using a receiver that excludes HDCP 2.2 and 4K UHD compliance then you cannot passthrough commerciall 4K video sources.

The 2 outputs on the player allow you to simultaneously use the video output to convey the video to a compliant display while sending HD formatted audio to an older non compliant AVR at the same time. As such, you'd not be passing the video through the AVR and the HDCP version will be of no consequence.

There's no way to emulate this if the source hasn't specific AUDIO and VIDEO HDMI outputs or without using HDMI splitters specifically designed to extract the audio. Here's such a splitter:

Amazon product ASIN B076FVJ4F6
 
Thanks dante01. That helps with using an AVR for watching discs and enjoying better sound - I understand you're saying the HDCP is not an issue due to the 4k UHD player's specific audio / video HDMI outputs, and I therefore have a work around that HDCP issue.

However, what about other sources, such as the TV (where I watch Amazon via a TV app, or a Virgin box connected to the TV) - if the Virgin box is connected to the TV and the TV (which has ARC) is in turn connected to the AVR's ARC / HDMI out, would there be an issue with the lack of HDCP 2.2? That is, do "commercial 4k video sources" include 4k content on Amazon, etc. or do these relate only to physical discs?

I appreciate Amazon / Virgin doesn't have the same audio standards as physical discs (e.g. DTS HD MA), and would have lossy formats such as Dolby Digital Plus, but that would still be an improvement over optical. My main concern is if I bought a secondhand AVR there is then an issue with the 4K display - partly as I have limited understanding of whether a "commercial 4K video source" includes sources such as a TV app or Virgin. Can you help?
 
TVs don't output video and only outputs audio to the AV receiver. The audio in question will not be anything more than SD quality DD+ if using the TV's onboard streaming apps. If using HDMI ARC between the TV and the AV receiver then this can be conveyed from the TV to the AVR receiver using the HDMI cable between them, but both the AV receiver and the TV would need to be ARC enabled. HDCP would have no influence upon this. Only video is protected by HDCP.

TV broadcasters mainly use either 2 channel PCM or conventional Dolby Digital in association with their broadcasts. Either of these can be conveyed via optical. I'd tend to suggest not using the streaming apps onboard the VM STB and would suggest you simply use the apps on the TV instead.
 
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TVs don't output video and only outputs audio to the AV receiver. The audio in question will not be anything more than SD quality DD+ if using the TV's onboard streaming apps. If using HDMI ARC between the TV and the AV receiver then this can be conveyed from the TV to the AVR receiver using the HDMI cable between them, but both the AV receiver and the TV would need to be ARC enabled. HDCP would have no influence upon this. Only video is protected by HDCP.

TV broadcasters mainly use either 2 channel PCM or conventional Dolby Digital in association with their broadcasts. Either of these can be conveyed via optical. I'd tend to suggest not using the streaming apps onboard the VM STB and would suggest you simply use the apps on the TV instead.
Many thanks for clarifying and responding.
 

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