Buy Pioneer VSX-519V-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black)

The receiver has great features which I only got to enjoy for one day.
The receiver turned off while playing the radio and would not come back on. Now, I 'm dealing with the returns dept to get another one. I'm hoping the first one was a lemon and I'll get a good one next time around. Keeping my fingers crossed.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-519V-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I have had the VSX-519 for almost a month. Connection was a little time consuming, but instructions were simple and easy to follow. It works really well with my Sony HDTV and Harmony 670 remote. One button on/off and Tv setup for play.

The sound is very good for this price range and is OK for my un-educated ear. The only negative is: No STV connection, but good selection of HDMI and component conections and RCA ...so there are lots of options. I have 5 components connected currently and room for two more.

No problems so far.

WRKTEM

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The Pioneer VSX-519V is an entry level 5.1 receiver made by Pioneer. Yet, don't let the fact that it is the cheapest 5.1 receiver they carry turn you away. This product has plenty bang for its buck. The receiver has an excellent build and a sleek look to it, but that is not all. The receiver has a plethura of connections ranging from hdmi, optical, digital coaxial, component, analog video, and of course and antenna hookup. The only hookup missing is s-video. The receiver handles video signals well. I cannot discern any degredation of video quality when compared to a direct video hookup to the television. Now moving onto the real reason someone would buy this, surround sound. This receiever can power my Bose Acoustimass Series I speaker system very well. It gets very loud and there are no signs of the speakers being underpowered. For volume control there is a knob on the right front side you can turn. The sound level ranges from 1 to 80. Which does strike me as a bit odd why only to eighty, why not a hundred instead? You can also adjust the volume with the included remote. The remote is very substantial and lets you control any and every setting the receiver has. The remote takes 2 AAA batteries to work; a pair is of course included. Functions, there are many effects and settings you can change on the receiver but most are uneeded and will most likely be overlooked. An example of these includes the settings for different types of music such as rock and classical. You are better off just leaving these options alone. However is you are interested the manual is very thorough and describes this receivers features in much greater detail. All you need to know is this receiver supports Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, and Dolby Prologic II for your stereo encoded sources. When you play a DVD that supports say DTS the receiver will automatically detect this and switch to that setting. So for movies, television shows, videogames, and music this projector has it covered. However there are a few downsides. The receiver does not support HDMI passthrough for audio sources. This means you can't hook all your audio souces up and then run them through one HDMI and have it transfer all your audio signals through that one hdmi cable. Only more expensive receivers support this feature. It also has no upscaling feature, which is no surprise for a sub [...]receiver. And finally the reason I give it 4/5 stars instead of 5/5. The receiver is advertised as having 5x110 watts for a total of 550 watts and 110 watts per channel at an excellent .05% distortion level. This is not entirely true. While it may be true in some respects it is a bit deceiving. In the manual it states "continuous average power output of 80 watts* per channel, min., at 8 ohms, from 20Hz to 20 000hz with no more than 0.2%** total harmonic distortion. So it makes you wonder if you one can really trust wattage and distortion levels. It may be able to push a 110 watts a channel, but at continuous average power at 20hz-20,000hz with .05% distortion, it seems not. Anyway if you are looking for an entry-level home theatre receiver for your 5.1 system and are on a budget look no further.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-519V-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Too many buttons and preset settings. I don't want to spend my life with this thing. After pushing a few buttons and choosing from dozens choices in their menus, after about 15 minutes you can get the sound you like. Then the wife comes in and says she doesn't like the way it sounds. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Good unit but hard to set up.
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The Pioneer VSX-519 is the entry level A/V receiver by pioneer, but this baby packs a lot of features and power for it's price.
for the price, i do not think any other brand comes even close with some of their mid level receivers.
i own the vsx 919 pioneer and i have to say the vsx 519 has the very similar sound, very pure and powerful. i use it with polk audio speakers, the sound is unbelleivable, the vsx919 has more decoder modes but for the every day music playing the vsx 519 does the same job, for half the price.
it has only 2 hdmi passthrough not upscaling hdmi, requiring digital audio input from coax or optical for movies and tv/sat. but the sound is just as powerful and has little or no distortion at high volumes.
i have it connected to my desktop, and play music out of itunes, the sound is simply great, pure and powerful, appeases to the musical ears.
got it on promotion at (...) for 169 free tax and shipping. can not be happier.
here's the pro's and con's:

Pro's:

1- pure beuatiful sound, powerful, 0.05 % thd, true and tested. (8 Ohms).
2- beuatiful, stylish piano balck finish, fits anywere in your audio/video rack stand.
3- Runs cool, just give it enough space to breath.
4- remote: small and controls all other components. very functional.
5- manual: a must read, otherwise you get lost, past the basic set up.
6- not using it for video, so i can not comment on picture quality.
7- price, multiple decoder modes, for 5.1 surround setting or straight stereo. ( 2 Speakers or 2.1 Set up).
8- cross over for sub, low at 50 hz, but for the all system,
9- Advanced set up Feature comparable to my more expensive receivers, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, & Sony
10- Dimmable display, for night use.
11- Ample memories entries for tuner, auto seeking feature.
12- Docks and plays Ipod/Iphone, without problems, through composite rca in. use a cheap kingston docker, for under $ 50.00
13- Well Built, durable.

Cons:

1- Not a backlit remote.
2- Manual is a must, even for the audio tech experts.
3- only 1 coax and 2 optical digital audio inputs, but for the price, can not be too demanding.
4- Spring connections for the surround and center chanel speaker, post binding only for front.

All in all, excellent A/V reeiver for the price, excellent & powerfull sounds. Sounds better then my Yamaha and Onkyo, can be the center of your secondary HT and does that with grace,and ease. Powerfull 110 watts per channel. Get it while on promotion, you will not be disapointed.
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Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Right now

Went to Best Buy to compare the Yamaha RX-V465 and the Pioneer VSX-819H-k. I had read reviews on the Yamaha on several different websites and most were very positive. I could find no reviews for the Pioneer since it just started reaching retailers during the past 2 weeks. I noticed the Yamaha on display and didn't really like the appearance-seemed less substantial in appearance than the Pioneer. They both looked impressive with the online pics. I know you don't buy according to appearances, although aesthetics can weigh in on a tie/deal breaker. I asked to see the Pioneer and the sales rep had to check his stock. They had not displayed a model since they just arrive the day before. He brought a new box out and opened it so I could compare it to the yamaha and we talked about the different features that were important/meaningful on both receivers. The advanced digital sound fields mean nothing to me. On most receivers they are either a variation of Dolby Prologic II or provide sound stage fields with irritating echoes. Every receiver I have owned (currently we have Panasonic and Sony Models)have these digital sound fields and we never use them.

The Yamaha sounded pretty good hooked up to a blu-ray movie at the store. The True HD was unbelievable! The specs on the Yamaha were the same as the Pioneer as far as supporting True HD and DTS-HD through the HDMI inputs-all switchable to the one HDMI output. The Yamaha has 4 HDMI inputs/1 ouput and the Pioneer has 3 HDMI inputs/ 1 output. I did a mind calculation on the spot and decided 3 outputs were sufficient for my set-up (Dish sat/Sylvania blu-ray/Panasonic DVD Recorder.) The THD was .9 for the Yamaha and .05 for the Pioneer. I don't know how significant that is but the Pioneer seems that it would have clearer sound at low volume with less distortion. The Quick set-up using a microphone placed at your normal listening position are also similar. The Yamamha calls it YPAO while Pioneer calls it MCACC. Most receivers have some variation of this at the mid-price range. The back of the receivers were similar as far as inputs/outputs but the Pioneer had the banana plugs for wiring (which I prefer) while the Yamaha had spring clips for some of the speakers. I won't go into any further specs/features-just go to the company websites or here at Amazon.

Well, I chose the Pioneer. It looked more solid and had some additional features that seemed important to me. I could always return it if I was less than satisfied. I did mention (I am no slouch) that since it was an open box-could I get an "open box" discount? The sales rep laughed (he had opened it for me) and said "why not". So off I went with my 10% discount on a brand new Pioneer VSX-819H-K receiver.

Well, I am tired today! I spent about 2 hours setting it up in the den and removing a Sony which is going to the master BR. But I am VERY HAPPY. This thing sounds fantastic. The set-up was easy. I played the Blu-ray disc "Hitman" and it was like you were inside the screen with the DTS-HD giving you that feeling! Here's the weird thing- I have ordered a set of Yamaha surround speakers from another website (at that time I was somewhat sure that I was going to Purchase the Yamaha model) not that it matters-I'm sure that they'll sound fine with the Pioneer. Back to the weird- The speakers that I am currently using have not been placed on the walls or configured for surround sound-since I had taken them down and re-wired with 16 gauge wire. Since I should receive the Yamaha speakers in a few days I didn't replace the speakers back on the walls etc. I decided to do the QUICK SETUP with the right front on the floor tilted up toward my seating position-the left front 3 ft. off the floor on my AV rack- the center speaker on top of the TV- the 2 rear surrounds are on the floor behind me in the corners also tilted towards my seating position and my Sony subwoofer disconnected. (wired so I couldn't connect it to the Pioneer.) I guess the MCACC SETUP is really precise/accurate because the Blu-ray DVD was phenominal in it's surround direction. Just think when I get the new speakers appropriately set up in the surround configuration!? I think anyone will be happy with this AV receiver. I am a happy camper in my den surrounded by HD SOUND!! P.S. Try to find a store that just received them and ask them to open the box and then ask for a discount!! LOLGet more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Just got my new receiver about a week ago and I couldn't be happier. It works better than I expected and with the Yamaha speakers I bought the sound is phenomenal. I've heard higher end setups before that don't sound this good. If you're thinking about getting this one stop thinking and get it. With all hdmi inputs setup couldn't be simplerGet more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This receiver sounds great and has all the connections I need for the system I have. It decodes all the new sound formats on the Blu Ray disks and works with my Logitech universal remote. No on screen menu , only for the initial setup, which runs through a plain old video connection to the TV. It powers my Bose speakers just fine and no static even at high volumes.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Very good receiver and does what ever you want and decode every sound format with no issue. How ever, for some reason it does not support 24 frames per second from som blu-ray players and it greatly molest the picture quality. read more on avs forums.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I paired the Pioneer VSX-819H-K receiver with Yamaha NS-SP1800BL speakers and I am *very* satisfied. The sound quality is excellent to my ears. The receiver plays MP3s from a usb flash drive just fine, and anything 256kbps or higher sounds fantastic. Even lower bitrate MP3s sound pretty good!

The receiver has a LOT of surround modes, but I pretty much use two: Dolby Pro Logic for music, and "Pro Logic II Movie" mode for movies, as those two sound the best to me.

A couple minor gripes: The MTAC setup didn't work for me -- In a TOTALLY silent house I got a "too noisy" error. No big deal though, I just did some minor manual speaker set up and everything sounds fantastic. The other gripe is that I can't get an on-screen receiver menu on my TV. I only have an HDMI cable going from the receiver to the TV, so that may be the reason -- it may need a different connection for the TV menu.

Neither of those are big enough to warrant the loss of a star, though. The sound and DVD HDMI video quality on this receiver are fantastic. Movies and music sound better than ever.

If you get this receiver, go for those Yamaha speakers -- they aren't very expensive, and they sound great with the Pioneer.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This is an amazing receiver. Im fairly new to the world of surround sound and digital tv and audio, but I was dismayed to find out that to get surround sound I would have to pay 300-1500 dollars for a receiver to power speakers I have to pay for as well!! Well, after doing a bit of research, I found this great entry level "budget" receiver. Amazingly this baby has it all! I payed under 300 dollars and it has all the specs I need for my little 5.1 surround sound. Whats even better is that if I do decide to upgrade to some 7.1 speakers, I can add on an additional amp for expansion.

Ultimately, if you're on the fence about getting this receiver, or whether or not to get this one over the entry level yamaha, go for the Pioneer. Its worked great, has an additional HDMI input, it does audio over HDMI, which limits the use of cords, and it sounds great!!! Don't pass up on this great offer!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Cheap Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black)

First, do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy this receiver if you have large front speakers and/or no subwoofer.

The receiver's auto-speaker calibration forces you to dedicate all of your bass to a subwoofer; what this means is that, A) If you have no subwoofer, you will receive absolutely no bass frequencies from your speakers or, worse, B) If you have large speakers like my 8" woofer Athena towers that dip down to 30hz, you will lose their low frequences from 30hz up to 50hz, as manual set up FORCES you to cross over to a subwoofer at 50hz, regardless of whether you have one or not. You will thus lose those critical 20hz of low-bass capability in which you had invested so much money in in the first place. With my Athena F1.2s in front and B1.2s in back, I shouldn't have to run a superfluous subwoofer, many of which perform worse than my F1s. But without a subwoofer, the system's base frequencies are simply removed, automatically crossed over to a phantom subwoofer. The only explanation for this lame design is that the receiver was really intended for the sonically undemanding home-theater-in-a-box crowd. Pioneer really ought to have clarified this design flaw.

Second, do not buy this receiver if you wish not to have the worst customer service experience in your life. I called Pioneer to report the problem, and after a half hour on hold, an aggressive representative finally came on, demanding, "Yeah, what's up!" Umm, I just wanted to report a problem I have with the lower frequencies . . . . "What, 50hz isn't good enough for you?" (Me, with jaw dropping) Well, are you planning to release a firmware update? "No plans, but you could just hold on the receiver for a while and hope and pray that one comes through. But that's a risk that you'll have to take." So what do I tell amazon? "Tell them its their problem now to sort out." Okkkkaaaayyy. Now, about the 1/2 wait time . . . . "lskdjflskjflskjdflsdkjflsdjfk" (she lectured me in words that I'd rather not repeat here. If you thought your last customer service call to India didn't go well, I dare you to try Pioneer's California service number. The unprofessionalism and utter apathy will knock the wind right out of you.

I'm returning the unit, and I will never buy another Pioneer product. But if you're still thinking about buying the unit, read more:

Other sound issues:

1. The Pioneer has an effects-free, "pure-direct" stereo (2-channel) mode that allows the listener to hear the music "the way it was meant to be heard." Using this mode as a reference, I compared the Pioneer's simulated-surround 2-channel mode, all of the Dolby and DTS modes for 5.1, and the Pioneer's own DSP effects-laden 5.1 mode. None of the alternatives comes close to matching the pure-direct sound: they are very exaggerated and harsh in the upper frequencies, cold in the mids, distorted in the lower end, and altogether lacking in separation. With no fewer than two "gaming" sound modes, the receiver seems to have been designed for the recreational viewer/gamer rather than music listener.

2. Treble, bass, and loudness controls are the only options to the Pioneer sound modes, and they unfortunately have little appreciable impact on the system's sound. This means that the listener is essentially stuck with Pioneer's pre-programmed sounds, which, as noted above, are not geared toward someone who would listen to music with a critical ear. Ultimately, it's a 5.1 system that sounds good only in basic 2-channel stereo.

I wish I could compare this system to the more expensive Onkyo with the same specs. Any suggestions out there for a more musical and a reliable 5.1 or greater receiver at a $350-ish price? Or is this an impossibility for the time being?
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Buying Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black)

I have only had this receiver for a few days, so this isn't going to be as in depth as some of the reviews. I got the unit to replace an older model Pioneer receiver that didn't have any HDMI inputs or an on-screen setup guide. My TV only has 2 HDMI inputs and I have 3 components that can use HDMI (Blue Ray, High-Def DVR, and a Vudu box). Somewhere along the way, I was getting short changed. Instead of buying an HDMI splitter, I decided to replace my receiver with a more current model. Being familiar with Pioneer's Auto-calibration setup for the speakers, I stuck with what I knew. Besides, with the receivers 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output, I am good to go.

Out of the box, this receiver can deliver very good sound. Once connected and calibrated, there is not much that you have to adjust. If you use the HDMI connections and then run an HDMI cable to your TV, there is really no need to have any other cables with the exception of 1 set of component cables (more on this later). I now have the above mentioned components connected via HDMI cables to the receiver and 1 HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV. All switching between sources is handled by the receiver and video is upgraded to 1080i (except the Blue Ray of course, which is 1080p). When set to auto, the receiver automatically chooses the best audio format for the signal that it is receiving.

Now for the bad, and there isn't much. As mentioned by another reviewer, if you don't have component cables going from the receiver to your TV, you aren't going to be able to see the on-screen guide. The only mention made of this in the manual is in the footnotes. If I had not read this in a previous review, I would have been extremely frustrated. I am not sure why Pioneer did this when you are already using HDMI. At the very least, they could have made it a little clearer (or bigger) in the manual. My other complaint is the remote. It is not very intuitive and is pretty basic. I use a Logitech Harmony remote for all my stuff anyway, so this is not such a big deal to me.

Overall I have been VERY happy with this receiver so far. After using the auto-calibration microphone, the receiver made all the adjustments (speaker size, room size, sub-woofer present) and all I had to do was adjust the bass and treble to my liking. Another feature of this receiver is that it can control your iPod or iPhone. It comes with a special cable to connect them to the stereo and shows the information on the receiver and the TV and while the GUI may by pretty primitive (think VCR menus), it works and gives you the information that you need.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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It looks like it has plenty of inputs, but that is deceiving. Does not send video to HDMI, only passes through from an HDMI input. Requires separate amplifier for subwoofer. Weird connector labeling. Auto speaker level adjustment with included microphone keep giving error of too much ambient room noise in a very quiet room. Very unfriendly hard to understand buttons and manual. Very poor AM/FM receiver.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Bought this receiver because I wanted one that could decode Blu-ray audio (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD). Came with an added bonus, a USB port for direct hookup of your ipod. This receiver is extremely easy to set up, no matter what your speaker configuration is, and it sounds great with my 5.1 system. It can also decode PCM audio for blu-ray, and it can control your ipod when listening to music. It also switches HDMI sources for you (the only 2 I have are my blu-ray and cable box.) All in all, I can't say enough good things about this receiver. Great value for the price!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This purchase was an upgrade and a great one. The different ways you can listen to your surround sound is amazing. It has every possible connection that you may need and I had no problem connecting it to my blu ray, my HDTV 1080p, and a DVD/VCR recorder. I kept my old speakers and the sound was even better. You can't go wrong with this receiver.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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The first Pioneer VSX-819H-K receiver I bought was defective; the ir sensor on the receiver was not detecting the signal from the remote. So I returned the unit.

A week later another one arrived. This time the remote worked...well not really. It did work, however any button on it (treble, volume, etc.) would TURN ON MY TV (new 42" Phillips LCD/HD). Long story short, I was told by Pioneer that I was out of luck, that the remote signals were very similar and there was no way to change that. This is a problem since once the TV would turn on the remote would no longer operate the receiver. How this happens is beyond me, and tech support. When I would turn the TV off it would work again, until the TV would turn on again...and so on. It is also VERY hard to read anything on the front of the receiver unless you are in very bright light. I returned this unit and gave up on Pioneer. Very poor design overall.

I ended up getting a Yamaha HTR-6130BL 500 Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and could not be happier. It sounds better than the Pioneer, looks much better, has an easy to read display, and a universal remote that controls my Sony blu-ray and TV as well. On top of everything else, the Yamaha was $50+ cheaper than the Pioneer although the features are not exactly the same. For my needs the Yamaha is perfect.
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I needed a two-channel (stereo) audio device for my sun-room. Unfortunately, these days you have to buy a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver even if you only need a quality stereo amplifier. So, I chose this Pioneer (VSX 819H-K) especially because of its built-in I-pod usb port and the supplied i-pod cable. I don't use the Pioneer for my home theater or to listen to AM/FM radio. I have an older lap top that I have also connected to its aux input terminal, which I use to listen to i-tunes radio stations. I listen to Pandora, Slacker, and Last-FM through my I-pod touch. The receiver drives two Monitor Audio BR5 speakers (which, incidentally, needed a couple of weeks playing to break in - they sounded not very good initially.) The end result is quite satisfactory. I was disappointed to find out that the Pioneer does not allow for bi-wiring or bi-amplifying the BR5s, which can be bi-wired - someone from Pioneer also confirmed this. I can't compare the Pioneer to my Denon DVR-4306 but it cost me less than $300, almost 80% less than the Denon. I would recommend it to someone with similar needs but can't comment on how well it would perform as an A/V receiver that drives your HT system. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Save Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black)

This is a high quality product for the price and was only released in late April 2009. HD audio capability and video upconversion are the greatest advantages. I have a regular x-box and cannot run the component video through the receiver becuase of the upconversion. It creates a delay from the controller to the image. That's a definite disadvantage. You can turn off the upconversion, but I haven't been to get any video at that point.

The sound quality on this machine is pretty amazing. I have Klipsch speakers and the treble reproduction is fantastic... So clear. Can't wait until my 300w sub arrives later this week. The surround and advanced surround options are easy to use once you play around with them a bit. The advanced speaker options/configurations are plenty and you can even run a separate component in a different room simultaneously (albeit only in stereo).

Again, once you've had a chance to play around with all the configurations, you'll find this puppy very user-friendly, but with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a receiver twice the price. And at 120w per 7 channels, how can you go wrong?

Highly recommended for this price range!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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For years we have been trying to get my husband to spend a little money on himself. OUr old reciever and speakers are at least 18 years old. They were top of the line then, and worked fine, but he has very few things he really enjoys and music/movies are his favorites. When the reciever came we hooked it up to the TV/DVD player and the old speakers with just one of the new Klipch speakers in the middle. I could not believe how crisp and clear the sound was just because of the receiver!!! It was beautiful!!! Last night we got all the new speakers set up and turned on Pirates. It was phenominal!!! I'm glad we made the investment. He is really happy.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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Hooking up everything to this was simple. The GUI is a nice feature (I had a very simple one with my Yamaha RX-V730). Turning on/off inputs and renaming them are very simple and so is setting up the speakers. The manual is easy to follow.

The remote is pretty simple to use for setting up, but I will be using our Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control (Black) after the set up.

The lights on the display aren't blinding, but the shiny finish can make it a little difficult to see the displayy.

The KURO Link is compatible with AQUOS Link, so seeing the volume change can be shown on my display and turning the display off can turn off the receiver.

The sound is good. Since I am using Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 Speaker (Single, Silver) and
Definitive Technology ProSub 800 120v Speaker (Single, Black) there isn't really any extra setting up involved. I just turn off any delays, set speakers to small, turn on sub and it is good. The sound coming out is as good as I can tell. I mean, it makes me happy.

It is also is compatible with my Apple iPod touch 8 GB (1st Generation). I can control the music with the remote and I can also watch any videos that I have on the iPod to it on my display. I probably would never have tried that out or even thought about using it, but it actually comes with an adapter cable for connecting an iPod to the receiver so I think it will come in handy when I take advantage of multi-zone and put some speakers in our backyard.

Xbox 360 Pro 60GB Console plays games through HDMI to the receiver at 1080p and the DVDs played through it also get played back at 1080p. I played The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) to test out some DTS using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player and it looked great and sounded great.

The TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder plays back in 1080i and is connected with an HDMI cable. There aren't any issues with sound or video.

I have everything running through the receiver to my Sharp LC52E77U 52-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black using HDMI to one HDMI input. When change the input on the reciver from the TiVo to the Xbox, the signal is sent to the TV and will change the input name from "TiVo Series 3 HD" to "Xbox 360" so the information passed through the receiver.

I also have a Wii connected to the receiver with component cables. The receiver takes it and sends it to the TV through the single HDMI cable at 480p. The picture looks normal.

Based on what the manual says it converts 480i to 480p. Basically makes it progressive to the HDMI cable. I don't think it upconverts all the way to 1080p.

I wanted to get a 7.1 channel receiver that had HDMI and some sort of up converting and ended up getting that and a lot more with the iPod adapter and pretty GUI.

I ordered this on Friday and if I wanted to get it on Monday, it would have been $3.99 more with my Prime account, but since this was an impulse buy, I spent $6.99 to get it the next day on Saturday. It was there and hooked up and ready to play video games and watch movies and television for a lazy weekend.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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I replaced a Pioneer VSX-1016TXV-K 7.1 Channel Audio/Video Receiver with this one Mainly because of the HDMI, loseless sound and familiarity with Pioneer. My old receiver was only 2.5 years old.

I've only had it a couple of days but some things I'm noticing---

---When playing music I noticed a sound coming from the receiver,,,it was a fan turning on and although it was not noticeable during loud music, during soft music I definitely noticed it. Why is this happening when the old receiver put out 110 per channel and this one puts out 120 per channel, plus the receiver is probably at 50%! It is in a well ventilated area.

---For whatever reason I am having a difficult time with the receiver and DTS from the HDDVD and also when it displays lossless sound from my bluray player (BD360). It is somewhat confusing although I believe it is performing the function of converting the signal displaying PCM on the display. Never the less it is certainly not 100% forthright and the manual does not explain it fully IMO.

---Being familiar with PIONEER made it easier on me however if I had never bought a Pioneer I could be lost as I am definitely not an audiophile.

---Setup was fairly quick and I am now in the process of replacing all my speakers with Klipsch.

Don't get me wrong as I like the receiver because of all the less wiring and the functions I bought it for but I cannot rate it higher than my prior receiver yet.

I will give it a month and addendum this review after I play for awhile although I had to put down my initial response.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

Buying Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black)

This is a great receiver, especially for a newbie like me. Setting it up was very easy and the sounds is great. I opted for the 919 over the 1019 since I don't plan on using more than 3 HDMI ports. I have a Dish Network DVR and a PS3 which is the CD/DVD/BluRay player. I run HDMI cables from the DVR and the PS3 to the AVR and one from the AVR to the TV, that's it. The only thing I will add is an Xbox and there would be nothing else I could possibly need - hence the 919 version is perfect, plus you save about $100 this way.

As much as I wanted to rate it 5 stars, there are a few things that take away one star. Small quirks, but far from perfect.

* The manual is almost useless. That said, I had no problem setting the system in less than 15 min., wiring excluded.

* There is some feature that turns off the power to the sub if no bass is fed for a few minutes, then turns it back on when bass is fed. Maybe not a big deal, but prepare to hear a lot of clicking (On and Off) from the sub, especially if you use the AVR to listen to TV. I am not sure if I can turn it off.

* Sometimes when I start the TV or switch between TV and DVR I would lose sound. Since it happens every now and then and I have not changed anything in the meantime - the problem is not in my set up. The only thing that fixes this is restarting the AVR. Obviously this takes away from the rating of the 919.

* Every now and then an "HDCP Error" would display when I turn on the TV. Everything seems to be working just fine. The manual says that this error could be displayed even if nothing is wrong. Still, it makes me nervous...

* Does not support Zune. This really bummed me out, I was hoping to use the USB to connect my Zune, but it doesn't work (maybe it's not FAT). I did put a few songs on a cheap USB thumb drive and they played just fine.

For the life of me, I cannot find the EQ. As I said, the manual is quite useless and not much is being said on the forums. (If anyone can help, feel free to comment on my review).

All those things are relatively small, but bothersome and that's why it doesn't deserve a 5-star rating. That said, it offers an amazing sound when watching movies. I replaced a $500 Panasonic HTiB with this and now I hear sounds I've never heard before on the HTiB (my wife would often look through the house window when doors are being closed far away in the movie's background:), you hear every sound, and it's very clear (and loud if you want to).

Bottom line: If you don't mind the few setbacks, this is a great buy!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

Buy Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black)

You can pay 3 times more and not get a better receiver then this Pioneer. Bought to get the HDMI switch, After a month of using I am still amazed at the sound! I would get this just for the sound clarity. The auto tune really does a fine job - better then when I brought the professional sound equalizer in. I even noted a cleaning up of the SD video coming from the sat- box. To test I took the 2 component video feeds from satellite one to the tv direct and one to the receiver to allow A-B testing on an older TV avoiding the HDTV that I know worked well. The VSX919 was better! Pioneer really tryed to get it all in. This box really hits the sweet spot for all critical video while keeping the sound as 1st priority. The Bad -such as it is: The sound processing delays the sound enough that you cannot have TV sound on from the source and have the receiver sound on too. Need to shout off the TV sound, a pain sometimes. But the clarity of sound, and control avail. make this box - and if you can live with 3 rather then 4 HDMI, save $ from off the VSX1019. Manual hard to read, but quite complete. Prepare to send some time getting to know all you can do with this unit.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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Pros: . THD: 0.05 %: SOUND QUALITY IS SIMPLY UNBELEIVABLE
. EASE OF SET UP. I HAD TO READ SOME THROUGH THE MANUAL, BUT THE OSD and GUI are so easy, really, a cave man can do it.
. multiple decoding modes.
. Nice Blue screen with big letters and numbers.
. Sturdy, Well constructed, appears durable.
. programmable remote.
. 2 zones AUDIO control.
. beuatiful clear lows, and distinct highs, appeases to the musical ears.
. easy to configure manually, the base, treble, and eq,..
. nice shiny black. dimmable light, sleep mode. PS: the remote lay out actually makes sense, unlike my yamaha 565 (see appropriate rview).
.3 hdmi, 2 opticals, one coax, multiple other inputs,. easy to rename and reassign.
. ability to control crossover for subwoofer and manually set up your system. also can use included microphone.
.My biggest plus remains the beuatiful pure sound coming from the ceiling speakers. it blows my yamaha vx 565 away....far away

Cons: the manual may be a bit confusing, but once you get a handle on what button is for what, u can consult the manual less frequently. it is intuitive. also the osd diplay makes the set up a breeze.

I can not actually think of any con. having owned the yamaha 565 and 361, and sherwood receivers, i can say this one delivers the best sound and has the best controls. the price is eggcellent,..thank you newegg.

Other Thoughts: I received the VSX-919AH-K & was very anxious to set it up. i have researched it extensively before placing my order, and it came down to choosing between this receiver and the Yamaha VSX565 which i already own, but was on a discounted price prom. Avoiding duplicity, I bought this receiver knowing it has only 3 hdmi inputs and ability to upgrade signal from component only to 1080p, but in the next 1-2 years all video component would be alrready in 1080p, so unless you are using old system it will not matter.

I am extremely satisfied with the sound from this receiver, much more then the one in my main room, the yamaha 565, and here is why

. 120 watts versus 90 watts, and pay attention: 0.05% THD versus only 0.9 % THD on the Yamaha. yes the wattage is not the only criteria, getting a pure sound is the bottom line.
. great sound experience, hooked up to a 5.1 configuration with OSD speakers, C640i series, 150 watt ( each) spearkers and 100 w sub.
. easy to operate, and set up
Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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I have had this receiver for about 3 months. I love it. I have it hooked up to Hd DVR, Xbox 360 and a PS3 all running HDMI connections. The sound is great on my polk audio speakers. My only suggestion is to buy banana plugs for speaker hookup (makes it a lot easier). Easy to set up with the auto MCAA feature or manually. I would recommend this Pioneer to everyone that wants affordable home theater.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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My $1200 Denon blew up after a year which is when I discovered that the large local chain I'd bought it from was not an authorized dealer and thus my 2 year warranty was worthless. Got a Sony DN1000 but the HDMI inputs didn't work and the Customer Service sucked.

This AVR sounds at least as good as the Denon using it bi-amped with my ancient Polk SRS3.1tl front speakers.

Features and drawbacks have been well documented by others. The manual is virtually worthless, but most of the functionality is intuitive, the rest just takes a little patience and luck.

I can't believe you can get this much AVR for so little money. For a hundred and fifty bucks more you can get the 1019 which has one more HDMI input and one more coax digital input but is otherwise IDENTICAL. I figure if I really need that fourth HDMI I'll buy a twenty dollar switch. They're just cables, they aren't magical.

One other note, it's a half inch narrower than all my other components (16.4 vs. 16.9), so Anal Retentives of the world beware.

Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

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I recently purchased the Pioneer VSX-919AH-K, which replaces an older Pioneer receiver without HDMI connections. The new receiver seems to be every bit what I expected from the folks at Pioneer. It has enough clean power to fill my living room and more. It has 7.1 channel surround sound, which goes well with my Premier Acoustic speakers. The auto MCACC calibration was easy to use and I am happy with the result. This receiver has a lot of bells and whistles which I will never use, such as the ipod and Sirius capabilities; also the 7.1 channel analog audio input. If I had a complaint, it would be that this receiver tries to be all things to all people. If the rear panel were cleaned up a little, the speaker binding posts wouldn't be so cramped for space. I highly recommend using single bananna plugs because the posts are too close together for dual bananna plugs and makes bare wire very cumbersome. I purchased a new 42 inch lcd tv along with this receiver and hooked them both up together. Adding my Pioneer DV400 Dvd player, all with HDMI connections, and the result is nothing short of spectacular, both audio and video are beyond my expectations. Way to go Pioneer!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-919AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with Full Color GUI/OSD, Advanced MCACC and Analog to HDMI Up-Conversion (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Top Quality

I've had this receiver a week now, and so far, so good.

After getting a PS3 recently, I realized my current receiver was a bit dated, having no HDMI whatsoever, so, I began looking around for a replacement. This one was introduced at CES and I've kept my eye on it ever since. I've had Pioneer before and I've always been pleased with their receivers. I'm no Audio-phile (I don't need the uber-high end stuff), but I know good sound when I hear it, and this seemed like a good choice, especially with the features it has for the price. In particular, I wanted as many HDMI inputs as I could get (even though I only use one now, that will change) and a good video upscaler so I only need one output to the TV.

I considered a couple other receivers, namely Onkyo's new 607 as well as last year's models from Onkyo and Pioneer (including their low-end Elite receiver), but I picked this one for two main reasons:
First, the video upscaler goes all the way to 1080p. The Onkyo 607 only goes to 1080i.
Second, the Pioneer will convert the component digital signal to HDMI (needed for my Wii); the Onkyo does ONLY analog, no digital conversion, according to their specs.

The 607 did have a couple more HDMI inputs, but I felt the better upscaler would suit me better in the long run. This one also had more overall features and HDMI inputs than last year's models from either manufacturer (unless you wanted their higher-end $800+ units, which was more than I had in mind).

As I said, I've only had it a week, so I'll need more time to properly check it out, but so far I'm very pleased with it. The sound is great, the single remote now replaces my two previous ones, and it was easy to set up. If I had one complaint, it's that the unit does not have any S-video connections, but as the Onkyo didn't either, I'm guessing S-video is being phased out for some reason.

After I've had it a little longer I will update with any additional information, but as of now, I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking for a new unit.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 120 Watts A/V Receiver with HDMI Repeater 4 In/1 Out, Faroudja I080p Video Scaler and iPod Zone 2 with OSD (Black)

I have to say this is a great receiver for the price. I'm no audio expert but so far this unit is performing great. I recently got the HD setup with the Samsung 52-650, Samsung Blu-Ray and Samsung DVR/VCR along with the Comcast cable box. Initially I had the Pioneer 1016 and while that had HDMI connections, I was having major issues getting sound out of the system and assigning all of the connections. You still had to connect other cords other than the HDMI cables to get the sound and with the number of components. But the 1019 was very easy to set up with HDMI cables.

Another great feature is the USB port in which you can hook your iPod up to for charging and control it on screen. That was pretty much the clincher for making the purchase. This is the perfect mid-range receiver for the HD age...

Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Let me first say setup was trial and error over a couple of days. I highly recommend even if you are a veteran of electronics to go sign up at avsforum.com cause those guys are a great help if you need questions asked. Okay to my review. This thing once you have it setup is amazing. This product is HOT literally.

My setup. I have a 50in. Samsung HLT5087SAX DLP TV with the LED Light Engine. Then I have a Samsung Blu-Ray BD-P3600 Player, Directv HR20 HD DVR, and an oldschool Xbox 360 via component cables w/ 5.1 DD.

OKay I have the Bluray and the Directv DVR going in HDMI to the receiver. I have the Directv audio going in as a optical digital cable since I ran into some screwups with HDMI audio not switching from standard def audio from HD audio. It was like I could hear audio on HD channels but not analog standard def channels. So the optical cable fixed that.

Blu-Ray sound is amazing. I can hear Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. It is phenominal. I use bitstream audiophile on the Bluray player so it sends the primary audio uncompressed for the receiver to decode. PCM also works great to hear the 2nd audios and third (menu/button press) audio, but I prefer the receiver to do the decoding. Also everything i have is HDMI 1.3 so man watching these Blu-Rays at 24FPS and hearing the movies is awesome.

Cool thing is and one of the major selling points was the HDMI upscaler. If you have component or analog source devices it will convert them to HDMI so you can leave the TV on HDMI1 input the whole time and just change the receiver sources on the receiver. My 360 did do component 1080p, but I had to bump 360 down to 1080i because the highest component signal that the pioneer receiver video scaler will do is 1080i. So once I did that I had the 360 finally working. Weird thing is that it will show DVD movies on the 360 and Netflix movies on the 360 it will show those as 1080p@60hz. Pretty sure for the games and dashboard it will only do 1080i with my working setup. This method will tide me over till I get a Xbox 360 Jasper that has HDMI.

As far as sound goes I have a 5.1 setup, and the receiver comes with this mic that you plug in and you put in the center of the room or in your favorite listening position. I put it in the center of the room on my video camera tripod at ear level for movie watching. I let it run through a 5-8 minute test of speaker test tones and it came back and set each speaker's loudness and distance and also recognized my speakers as small, with loud sounds to come out of the subwoofer. Did all that on it's own. So it really is the best option to let it auto setup the speakers. It is an amazing technology.

Playing Gears of War 2 shooting my golden lancer there is some nice bass to it. It set my speakers to not too loud, but the subwoofer it set it up pretty loud just because it takes care of all the bass sounds/tones via the LFE.

I got the Batman Begin and Dark Knight on BluRay coming out as 1080p@24hz. That is 24fps! The same as when they actually film the movie HiDef Film. PLus those movies are playing uncompressed audio Dolby TrueHD! It is legendary. I also have The Wrestler movie and it does the DTS HD Master Audio, and for a drama movie like that it sounds really good as well.

Anyways if you are looking to blow $500 on a new receiver or if your old receiver gave out on you after 8 years (like me) you will be happy with going the route of the VSX-1019AH-k. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Best Quality

I have had this unit for close to a month, and love the features. Suggest you read the manual before attempting to connect, yes resist the guy urge.
I have a fairly simple setup, Sumsung HLT-5075S, Dirctv with DVR, Sony 5 disk player and a Harmony remote. My biggest surprise was the Harmony already had the codes, except Ipod took some sluething and manual button setup. Being able to use one HDMI cable from the cable box into the VSX-1019ah-k and one cable into the Samsung TV, was great. One glitch, I did need to run an RCA audio from Directv box into the receiver for some channels, and the receiver at times misses automatically switching from HDMI cable to the tv/sat audio. My fix is clicking tv/sat for sound, then click the HDMI to get the picture and sound. Using the microphone to balance and setup the speakers is easy, provided you find the "receiver" button on remote. Also having 6 different audio setups on the receiver makes switching from daytime listening, or watching a movie, or listening to Ipod, or even old cd's a breeze, once you have the basic settings you like. The sound is wonderful. The receiver has a lot features for audio and video settings, just play with it and browse the manual a couple of times. I use the volume max on setting, saves me if I turn the unit on after my kids have using it. The Ipod feature is great, the cable is included and connect on the front. You can use the remote and tv to make your selections. I am very happy with this unit.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Get it now!

"I replaced an 8+ year old JVC RX-884 unit (when they still made receivers) to upgrade to HDMI, etc. for my new LG LCD. All functions on the JVC could be set/viewed via OSD: tuner, surround settings, etc. The pioneer has very attractive setup and IPOD playback OSD's but they didn't follow through in other areas such as tuner setup/ station selections or a master screen to view surround sound settings during playback. I was also shocked that volume levels are not saved for each input selection making for some jarring volume changes when changing inputs. The remote feels somewhat cheap as well. Maybe I'm expecting too much for my $500.

Now for the good: Very attractive unit with great 1080p upscaling and I must say excellent sound which puts my old JVC to shame. So, after using the unit for several days, it's a keeper. I've made comparisons with similar and higher priced units from Pioneer and competitors and they all seem to have the same lack of a viable GUI. And, with the other mfgs the IPod control requires an extra cost dock. For the price, the 1019AH has an unbelievable amount of customization available and even includes a mic for auto speaker level setup."

Update: For the money, this is truly a wonderful AVR. The sound is great across all inputs, the "auto" settings really work, zero problems with HDMI switching, and almost anything can be tailored to your preference. I still wish the GUI was 100% implemented thoughGet more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Buy Now

Title says it all. I love this receiver. I bought it to replace a 12-year old Pioneer receiver that actually still worked but needed updating. Figured I'd stick with Pioneer since mine was so reliable. After waiting for months for the 1019 to be released I am not disappointed at all. Plenty of connections for my current set-up (Cox DVR box, Samsung TV, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii) and, happy to say, everything works and sounds great. Connecting my iPhone is simple, though the interface isn't pretty.

I am no A/V expert by any means and I will admit I just starting hooking things up the way it made sense to me instead of reading through the manual. Luckily, it worked out--even used my old speakers until I buy new ones. The only thing I had to look up was how to get audio and video from my Cox DVR box just using HDMI cable. Video was fine but had to go into DVR's setting and switch the audio output from "digital" to "HDMI" to get both video and sound.

Great price for an amazing product. Hopefully it'll be another decade before having to upgrade. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Order Now

I have had this receiver hooked up for about a week now and I am very pleased with it. I fretted for a while about which receiver I wanted to buy, I was orginally torn between the Pioneer 1018 and the Onkyo 606, then this reciever vs. the Onkyo 607. I finally went with this one and it was a great choice. I have all new equipment - a new Samsung plasma TV, a Sony Blu-ray player, and a direct TV HD-20 DVR with Polk 6750 speakers (5.1) and everything hooked up great with HDMI. I did not have the issue with audio that others with the HD-20 DVR have had - it all came through with just the HDMI. The IPod interface works great - even better than I had hoped. I don't claim to be an audiophile or anything, but for an average guy who wants an easy receiver to set up that provides great home theater sound for a decent price- this was just what I was looking for.

If I find any issues in the future, I'll update this review.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Decide Now

I've had this receiver for almost a month. Connection was simple, much less clutter with HDMI vs. multiple video and audio cords. Works as advertised -- ALC has greatly reduced the volume differences, on-screen GUI for IPOD is great, IPOD connection works as advertised, auto-setup for sound correctly identified my speaker setup and it sounds great (did not have to do multiple manual adjustments as with previous receiver), have not used 2nd zone capability, bought this because the 919 wasn't available yet and my receiver was dead so spent an extra bit and am happy with the decision. Highly recommend, I'm an exacting consumer and this product has exceeded expectations. Hope this helps!Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black) Right now

I finally received my Pioneer 1019 last night. I ended up staying up way too late last night setting this up. I purchased the Pioneer 1019 after a lengthy decision process between the Denon 1910, Onkyo 607 and Yamaha 765. I needed 4 HDMI so the earlier models wouldn't work and I was also limited in footprint depth so it was these 4. I went with the Pio because I've always been a fan of the sound and quality and each of the others had one or two things wrong (Denon not available, Onkyo quality issues (?), Yammy no assignable inputs). My one concern with the Pio going in was the revamped amps and the decline in weight. Would it impact quality of sound and power? Based on my early tests, NO. This unit has a great, clean sound with lots of detail at low levels and high. I did not hear any hint of strain.

Design
While the unit is smaller and lighter than the 1018 it doesn't look `cheap' and it still has enough bulk to it to make you think it has power. It looks great in the rack. Remote is a bit confusing but I won't use that much after setup and the Harmony database had all the relevant codes, a nice surprise for such a recent release.

The Setup Process
It was pretty easy to get all of the speakers and components hooked up. The manual stinks but I had spent a fair amount of time with the manual online in advance and after a few reads you can fill in the blanks. It took me about an hour to get all of the old equipment out and the new equipment in. Assigning the inputs was relatively straightforward. Renaming inputs was awkward due to the way they handle text input but it was very flexible. I had a little trouble assigning the Optical audio signal from my Macbook along with an HDMI input. I first tried to assign the optical directly to an HDMI input but you can't do that. Instead I had to assign both the HDMI and Optical to an entirely different Input Name (I chose DVR). It worked fine but I suspect that means I really lost a video input since I can't send anything else to the original HDMI input. Not a huge deal as I don't use all the inputs but it was still annoying.

I haven't done MCACC yet but I did use the manual speaker setup and my speaker settings from my old Sony AVR and input those here. That was pretty easy and even with this rudimentary setup the sound was great. Even my wife (who is happy with TV speakers alone) commented on the improvement in quality.

I ran though some of the DSPs and effects but I prefer to set everything to DIRECT, especially on BDs but it was nice to use the Extended Stereo for my iPod and get sound from all of the speakers.

Video
I had lots of questions on the video scaler. I agree with most posters that you should not buy an AVR for this capability. Most TVs will do a better job than any $500 AVR. My TV is a 2006 model though and it has pretty average scaling so I wanted to see how it would look. I hooked up my Comcast DVR with both HDMI and with Component/Optical to gauge the difference. HDMI looks great (and no scaling, of course) but there was no impact on visual signal. I did not have any annoying audio lags either. Component also looks really good for HD signals. I could not tell the difference between the HDMI and Component signals on HD channels.

I then tried it on some SD channels with the scaler set to 1080p. The AVR did fine but it wasn't any better than my TV. No worse either but then I already mentioned my scaler is pretty average. So, as I said earlier, don't buy the unit for the scaler but it's not a negative either. Just try it for your sources and TV and it may or may not generate any improvement in PQ.

The good news is that it does a very good job of upconversion (switching analog signals to digital) which means you can have 6 HD sources (4 HDMI and 2 Component) which is nice.

The one odd thing I found was in the aspect ratio settings for 4:3 signals. The default is `Through' which would make me think it sends the signal untouched but it is actually for stretching the signal (and it does a bad job of that). I switched the signal to `Normal' and it then just passed the 4:3 signal untouched - a definite improvement.

All other sources looked great. Panny BD35 looks and sounds great and I was relieved to see that my Macbook was able to pass a clean signal through the AVR to the TV.

Audio
So the real question is about how this unit sounds. As I mentioned earlier, I am really pleased with the quality and balance. Everything sounds warm and detailed. I expect it to improve even further with the MCACC adjustments. I've listened to quite a few units over time and this has all of the Pioneer sound and quality you expect from them. I don't think anyone will be disappointed with the sound or the power (Of course, if you are willing to spend 3x the $$ then you can get better quality from the Elite series. If you have the cash, definitely buy one of those. If you are looking to spend <$700 then this is a great unit.)

One thing that annoyed me was the crossover setting. My sub and speakers want a 110hz crossover but the options aren't that fine grained. I think you can set at 50, 80, 100, 150, and 200. I would have appreciated a few more options. Setting at 110 causes me to lose bass but 150 causes me to send more signals than necessary to the sub. It sounds ok but most other AVRs I've seen allow for this extra detailed setting.

Movies and TV sounded really great and my speakers and sub had a nice blend even before running MCACC calibrations. Music was where I really noticed a HUGE improvement over my older Sony. That unit handled movies well but strained a bit on music. The Pioneer really handled music beautifully. I tried a CD, an iPod via the USB interface, and an iPod via RCA inputs. CD sounds fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised by how great the iPod with USB sounded too. When you use this setup the Pioneer is using its quality DACs instead of the cheaper ones in the iPod and it makes a really big difference. Still, even with an iPod and RCA connections the Pioneer had a really nice balanced sound and were quite powerful. I don't think you will be disappointed with music from this unit at all.

On the iPod interface/GUI it's ok but not great. The GUI is very low end. It's functional but I don't think anyone is going to want it up and displayed all of the time. I can't fathom why people don't make these a bit better. I've got to imagine the design costs would be negligible. I have both an iPhone and a 5th generation iPod. I was not able to get the iPhone to work at all but I didn't try very long. 5th gen iPod worked and sound was great but I was annoyed that you cannot use the iPod itself to control materials on 5th gen units (apparently you can on newer models). That means I'd need to turn on the TV to play music from the iPod. So I'll probably use the old RCA connections for most usage (despite less quality) just to avoid turning on the TV. If I have a party or will be playing music for a long time I'll use the digital connection then and turn on the TV to choose the playlist and then turn off the TV. Again, not a big deal but annoying.

Summary
If you can't tell by now, I really like the Pioneer and am quite pleased with the purchase. Way more upsides with a few annoyances but no showstoppers. Unit runs warm but not too hot. I could still put my hand on top after 5 hours on. There are plenty of inputs, lots of flexibility on configuring inputs, plenty of decoding options, video conversion works well and scaler is decent (but not great). Sound is fantastic - don't worry about the weight. I highly recommend this unit. If you want a quality AVR with great sound for less than $500, this is your unit. If you can spend $800-1000 then by all means get a Pioneer Elite but everyone else will be very, very happy with this unit.

Edit:
I came home early (I love Fridays) and went right back to work with the Pioneer. Ran the MCACC settings and it sounds great. I did have to tweak a few speaker levels by 0.5 to 1.0dB. Most notably the center speaker was too low along with the sub. I also went back and changed my crossover freq back to 100hz from 150. As I said previously, the ideal setting is 110hz and I originally thought setting to 150 would be better despite 100 being closer to ideal. I was wrong. At 150hz the sound was too bright but switching back to 100hz refilled the room with a much warmer more balanced setting. I was expecting to go in an play with all of the other MCACC settings but I think I am going to pass on that for now. The sound is just too good as is. Since I am a tinkerer, I'm sure I'll go in and play with everything eventually and I like that I can store this MCACC setting and then compare old and new to see if things have improved. Even more excited by this unit now.

With my old Sony AVR, the bass was always a bit boomy but now the bass just blends right into the rest of the speakers. The standing wave control and reverb management definitely made an improvement in my case.

The other item that I mentioned was iPhone connectivity but I discovered the issue there - I didnt have any songs loaded so it obviously could not find them.

All in all a very good buy.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This receivers combination of features and price are incredible. It took me less then an hour to set it up from start to finnish and I'm very happy with the results. I had no idea Blu Rays could sound this good. I also can just plug in my iPhone and listen or watch videos with the included cable without buying an expensive dock. It runs hot so make sure you give it plenty of room to breath.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I've had the VSX-1019 for about two weeks now. My first choice was the Harmon Kardon AVR-354, but the online forums were full of HDMI switching and audio cutoff issues for the HK.

Overall the Pioneer VSX-1019 delivers beautifully clear sound and a wide variety of supported digital and surround options. I can hear things on some CDs that I never noticed on my old Sony receiver and digital surround sound with Blu-Ray disks is awesome.

I do have three issues, however.

Issue 1 - Is this progress?
The instructions are quite clear regarding initial connections and speaker setup options. Just about any device connection you might think of is covered. You have to keep track of where you connect things and make sure you connect an output to a TV, because one of the first steps after initial power up will be to define to the Pioneer where and how your devices are connected using the receiver's On Screen Display. All relatively simple so far.

After that things got complex. Also as part of the initial setup, the VSX has you run an initial full auto MCACC analysis and setup of your listening area. Using the included microphone, the 1019 sends tones around to the various speakers and listens with the microphone. It automatically balances channel levels and equalizes for your speaker placement and room characteristics. You can then do additional fine tuning with a second more thorough automatic MCACC, and finally with a manual MCACC which gives you complete control. Theoretically this should be great - custom tailoring of your receiver settings to match your room. In my case, the end result was severely lacking in low to mid frequencies. Audio and video sounded way too bright and everything lacked low end punch. So, then came hours and days of fiddling with the MCACC settings to redefine speaker size settings, adjust channel levels and fine tune EQ settings. Made me yearn for the days when you manually set the channel volume levels and used a 9-band graphic equalizer to get the kind of sound you like. There are AV forum web threads devoted entirely to the complexities of MCACC.

2nd issue:
The 1019 WILL NOT pass through HDMI from my Sony PlayStation 3! The PS3 is an excellent Blu-Ray disk player. All 4 VSR-1019 HDMI input ports work properly with my DirecTV DVR passing 1080i through to my Samsung 1080p LCD. However, the 1019 will not play audio nor pass through video from the PS3 HDMI on any input port. Per some online forums (for receivers and PS3s in general) I tried adjusting various resolution and frame rate settings on the PS3 and the 1019 - to no avail. As a result I've had to run the PS3 HDMI cable directly to my HDTV for video and run digital optical cable from the PS3 to the 1019 for audio. The PS3 only delivers 5.1 audio on its digital output as opposed to 7.1 via its HDMI output, so I've lost my rear surrounds, although I think the 1019 will try to recreate the rear surrounds using the Dolby Digital EX setting. Disappointing and unnecessarily complex. If anyone knows of a fix for this problem please post a reply to this review.

Third issue, and maybe this is just my lack of understanding, is that it is unclear how the 4 primary buttons (on the receiver front and on the remote) work to select the sound processing. Button 1 gives you Auto Surround. Button 2 gives you stereo options, Button 3 gives you manual selection of various Dolby, DTS and Neural THX options. Button 4 gives you pre-set options, like acoustic, drama, action, TV surround and several more. So, are these completely independent or do they interact? For example if I select Dolby Pro Logic IIx Movie with button 3, and then "Action" using button 4, is it applying an effect to Dolby IIx or doing something else? Not clear in the manual.

The VSX-1019 delivers great sound, after a lot of work. In reading the HK AVR-354 manual, the HK looked to be so much simpler to set up and operate - more user friendly than the Pioneer. But, in the end the HKs firmware issues forced me to the Pioneer. No regrets.

UPDATE:
It appears that the HDMI handshake is affected by power on sequence. Powering up the VSX-1019 before the PS3 seems to have resolved the HDMI interface issue (#2 above). Will have to see if that consistently works.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I've had the receiver for about a week now and overall I've been fairly impressed with it. The audio out is simply superb while the video upsampling to 1080i really does do a fantastic job. There are a few pain points, but in general this product is really a great value for the money.

The setup was a fairly straightforward. There are 4 HDMI and 2 component inputs so I was easily about to hook up my cable, xbox and wii. Speaker setup was a little tricky as the connections are a little close together I would suggest investing in some stereo connectors as this makes a rather annoying job super easy.

The MCACC auto setup is a little tricky too, at least for me. The device kept wanting to make my front and center speakers "large". This resulted in less bass and a slight tinny sound. After the first time through, I set the speakers to "small" and redid the MCACC setup. After that, I had the sound I wanted. Its not quite as warm as my previous receiver (an old Outlaw Audio 1050) but I'm quite ok with it. The music is true and well balanced. So be warned you may want to run the MCACC tests twice. It is worth it to use there setup as it really does deliver wonderful sound.

One sad point, since there is a USB port on the front (and ipod port too!) I tried to connect my gPhone and play some of my music off that. Sadly the Pioneer did not recognise the gPhone as a music device so I couldn't get that to work. Sad, but not unexpected. This is something I'll continue to play with. In the meanwhile I can use one of the extra audio connections in the back.

There are a few negatives though. The receiver runs really hot. I know this is common with receivers in this price range but I was still surprised. I can barely kep my hand on the top, that's how hot it gets. This is not something to put into a space without good airflow.

The controller isn't very good either. This isn't unexpected really. If you were hoping to pair down to one remote with a receiver purchase, this certainly won't be the one. Its too simple and can't really do anything complex.

Finally a note for those of you hooking this up to your cable box. I have a motorola DVR with DVI out. Sadly, when I tried to run the DVI cable box to the HDMI input port on the receiver, I got a blank screen. Turns out this is due to DRM. The cable box thinks that the receiver is a copying device and shuts down the connection. There are two work arounds for this. The first is to hook the audio from the cable box to the receiver and the HDMI to the tv. This wasn't very elegant to me so I went for option two. In this option, you still hook the audio to the receiver however you use the component out from the cable box and go to the receiver with that as well.

The second solution, to me, was the winner since I no longer had to switch both the receiver and the TV's input source. I can tell no difference on the HD channels either - they still look great on a LCD. The other great benefit of this solution, the regular cable channels are upsampled too! This provided a noticeable improvement to the vast majority of channels. Note that this is an issue you'll have with every A/V receiver on the market today as this is an issue with older cable boxes (and possibly newer ones too).

For the money, this system really is one of the best out there. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This is an excellent receiver for the money with a few caveats.

Remote is difficult to use. It is very long with some important keys (channel and Play/Pause etc. ) down low requiring two hands to balance it.

I have a projector and not a TV and have not been able to assign the TV buttons to my Cable box.

Does not multi-task well - Unable to listen to the radio while playing a video for example.

Instruction manual is not organized well. Why does volume say -36 db for example?

The sound is very good but radio reception is weak.

HDMI inputs are plentiful.

Video upconversion appears to work.

I am disappointed in the Auto Level Control. What does Effect setting mean in regard to ALC? I am not sure that this feature works and why do I have to choose ALC or Surround Sound? I just want to keep commercials from blasting me out of the room.

USB connection is great but there should be one in back also for a semi-permanent installation of an MP3 device. Front inputs are for temporary inputs.

Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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Awesome receiver at a great price. I am very happy with it. For some reason I was under the impression it would upscale HDMI video, but it only does analog video (composite and component), which makes sense. But the upscaling I tried on component works pretty well.

Setup is easy, but you can make it very complicated and get into some cool deeper settings if wanted.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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This receiver is pretty awesome, except that the bass isn't that healthy. Kind of zero bass actually. Might be my speakers though. I have an old bose 5.1 and the subwoofer is connected by all the cables and not to the sub-out. I had an old sony reciever and it had no problem putting out deep bass, but the center speaker output went out so i go this reciever. Connections are easy, sound is still clear at very loud volumes, and the remote will control anything. Great deal, but until I get a new sub the bass is lacking. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I just replaced my JVC Receiver that I had over 12 years. The VSX-1019AH-K has the best sound of any receiver I have listen to this year. I have shopped around for a replacement and this is the best mid-range for the price and sound.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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The Pioneer receiver is misrepresented as producing 120 watts and it does not. It lacks sufficient wattage to drive my old Bowers & Wilkins speakers (which, while old, are fantastic). I would not have purchased the Pioneer receiver had it been accurately represented (it puts out a max of 90 watts over the two front channels (IIRC), pretty wimpy). I ended up buying a Yamaha RXV 3800, which although three times the money, is more than three times the receiver. It puts out a true 140 watts from 20 to 20K Hz, 0.04 THD into 8 ohms over all seven channels. The user's manual is better (clear, well organized) the remote is better, the front panel controls are better, it plain outclasses the Pioneer, as well it should. But that's not the lesson here. The point is that you can't trust the advertised specs, and if you really need the power (newer B&W speakers don't require quite so much power to drive), you better get the manual and read it ahead of time.

Avoid Dependable Resource as a supplier. This little ordeal wasted several weeks of my time and about the only thing dependable about Dependable is that the company will charge you a 20 percent restocking fee, which ran me over $100, a ripoff. I won't use the company again. In contrast, Amazon has been outstanding. I got two defective Boston subwoofers and Amazon refunded the full amount. That's customer service. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I just can't believe how some people have just given 4 stars! This deserves 6 stars. I did extensive research for about a month on receivers and speakers. This was the best receiver I could get in the 400-500$ price range. I doubt you will find another one that matches the functionality and the quality of this. Please let me know if you do. I don't have the time to get into all the details but will try to do so in the future. One reviewer said he had issues using Sony PS3 HDMI input with this. I don't have any issues using the PS3 via hdmi. Keep it up Pioneer!! (the manual however could have been written better)Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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I purchased this unit as my first AVR, and connected them to a 5.1 speaker system from Bose.
- Impressive sound, especially with DVDs, though compared to nothing more than hearing sound through the speakers on our Samsung TV
- Agree with other reviews on quirks of setup (renaming inputs, challenging manual, etc.) and how well the system works.
- MCACC speaker setup was relatively easy and probably helpful given the strange architecture of the room it is in (no right angles - don't ask why ...)
- Considered Onkyo, Denon, Sony, Yamaha models with similar price breaks and specs. Was worried about various comments about Onkyo (overheating, upconverting) but otherwise did not have much "objective" evidence to use to pick among them and not sure about how unit would handle PAL signals (below). Of all things, the dedicated iPod connection (in the context of generally favorable reviews) swayed me to the Pioneer.
- We are in actually in Dakar, Senegal so trying out various units and returning them was not going to be easy. We also have most all music on iPods / iTunes to avoid hauling CDs overseas. Of course, given the 240V electricity and frequent power cuts here the unit is hooked up to a 110V UPS and a voltage regulator / converter.
- Another big worry was how the upconverting would handle our satellite TV: Canal+ (France) and DStv (South Africa) are both PAL signals (I believe, though of course France uses SECAM) and we have both PAL and NTSC DVDs in our collection. DVD player and TV are both multisystem; DVD is zone free.
- For those interested, the Pioneer upconverts both PAL satellite TVs (one a composite video, the other a single video cable) to HDMI without any obvious degradation in video quality compared to the upconversion by the TV itself.
- HOWEVER my poor 60 GB iPod would not work with the dedicated iPod connection - I would get a cryptic message saying "Gen Error". The iPod dock is connected to the CD input and works fine ... oh well.Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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After researching reviews for a couple of weeks I purchased the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K. My quick impressions:

Plus:
1. Easy set up. Even the MCACC speaker calibration was simple due to a user friendly graphic menu on the TV screen.
2. Amazing sound. Amazing.
3. Included iPod/iPhone cable. Finally, a company that understands that most people carry their music on a single device.

Minus:
1. Manual. The manual is just about useless once you read beyond the most basic functions
2. Heat. This unit runs very, very hot. Be sure to use an adequately ventilated cabinet or stand.
3. When playing a Blu-ray disc from a Playstation 3, the Playstation decodes the audio format and sends a Linear PCM signal to the receiver. The receiver will display "PCM" on its face, but is playing whatever audio format is on the disc. (HD Master Audio, etc.)


One problem and one solution which I hope saves someone else some time and stress:

I have a DirecTV DVR and found that several (but not all) non-HD channels would produce picture but not sound through HDMI. To solve this, run an optical digital cable from the DVR to the receiver and then press the "HDMI" button on the remote (near the top) to cycle around and back to the input you are on. The sound will come back. It might drop out again after watching an HD channel and then going back to one of the problem channels, but pressing the HDMI button to cycle the inputs restores the sound. Not elegant, but effective.

Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).

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We had this for about two weeks and returned it. The sound and video quality were fine, but after running it for several hours, it was so hot you couldn't leave your hand on it. Note that the manual recommends you leave something like 2 feet of space around it, which is not possible if you're going to put it in an enclosed cabinet. If you are going to leave this in a relatively open area, by all means buy this, but if you're going to want to put it in an entertainment center that is relatively enclosed, keep shopping for something else. Get more detail about Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black).