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On a better note, the calibration set up description in the manual claimed that the sub-woofer level would not be set up automatically, but it did, and my 6.1 speaker system sounds great. I got the Sony STR-DG910 because of its low price and number of features, expecially the number of HDMI ports. Don't even bother trying without enabling the on-screen-display (OSD) feature. That is a problem with another Sony product - the PS3.
Not a real problem, but it does look a little hokey. I wish that the PS3 could be controlled by the STR-DG910, since it can only be controlled by either a PS3 game controller, a PS3 remote, or a goofy add-on box - not a harmony remote, but I digress. I also use it with a Playstation 3 (PS3) and when powering up the entire chain, the LCD screen flashes pink while all the handshaking is going on. One quirk of my set-up, and it may be common to all HDMI systems, is that every time I power-up my LCD (Samsung LNT-5265F) with the receiver playing the source sound, it goes quiet for a second while it handshakes with the LCD.
There is not a lot of verbage to guide you through the set up, so you will need to keep the manual handy during set up. Over the past two years it has locked up twice, probably due to the HDMI handshaking, and I had to unplug it for a minute to correct the problem. The receiver works well, but it is a pain to set up. Once properly set-up, the system works great.
One thing that took me a while to figure out was that every source input can and must be set up separately. When OSD is 'on', it does not show up as an overlay over the video source selected, it takes over the screen with a low resolution menu display. The manual is not really clear either, so as you are trying to get the thing set up properly, the menu you are in usually times out, and you have to re-enter the menu.
I am using both an iPod Dock with RCA cables out and have also tried using RCA cables connected to the headphone jack, same result. It will play but I have to turn the volume all the way to maximum in order to get legible sound. I can use the RCA cable / headphone plug cable and connect my laptop to the stereo and get great results.Sony Support told me that the problem was the RCA cables were an analog sound and that I would need to buy their DM Port and use their DM Port cables, at an extra $99. I purchased this stereo to replace an old Denon receiver that had burnt out it's surround sound card. The numerous HDMI inputs seemed good, since that looks like the way components are going in the near future.My disappointment is the inability of the stereo to use my iPod or iPhone as an input source.
It's worked perfectly with my Tivo HD, Xbox360, Wii, PS3, and PC input.Bad: Doesn't decode the latest HD formats (DTS Master HD, Dolby True HD). Automatic speaker calibration made my system sound worse.Verdict: Now that Onkyo has released their TX-SR606, the DG910 is pretty much obsolete.
Sorry Sony. More HDMI inputs, HD format support, and it's only a few bucks more.
Good: HDMI switching and video conversion make life so much easier. Only 3 HDMI inputs.
Game over. Nice sound quality, plenty of power, lots of configuration options.
Not a huge deal, but kind of unforgivable at this price.
it has 3 hdmi I was pretty worried that it wouldn't be up to his standards, but he was thrilled and said that it was easy to hook up and had all of the outputs/inputs that he needed. I bought this receiver for my boyfriend as an anniversary present. Like I said, great receiver for the price. There haven't been any problems with it, and we've had it for a while. He's a big a/v nerd and really wanted a better receiver for the new hd-tv that he was getting. I looked around and really couldn't find anything better than this (without being twice the price).
When I swapped out my old satellite front/center speakers with the polk, it correctly detected that the speakers are now "Large" instead of "Small" and adjusted accordingly.I don't mind Sony losing the S-video inputs, I haven't used those in ages, and glad to save some cost and bulk off the receiver by not having them.I looked at comparable Onkyo (605, 705), but they are just too big to fit, or no/bad analog-HDMI transcoding. I have a 5.1 setup, and it detected my speakers just fine. I'm sure they are nice, but this Sony is the perfect one for me. I needed an AV receiver that can switch all of my video sources:Tivo S3XBox 360 (older component only)PS3Wiiand that is not too deep ( HDMI transcoding allowed me to put XBox 360 and Wii in from component inputs, and run one HDMI cable to my TV, which greatly simplified my universal remote macros.The receiver has worked flawlessly for > 2 months now, driving a set of Polk Monitor front/center speakers, Pioneer rear booshelf speakers, and a Velodyne sub, producing great sound. I also liked the auto-speaker set up.
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