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).