AV Receiver Reviews

The Onkyo employs Faroudja DCDi video processing but performs no video processing of any kind (including upconversion) on incoming HDMI signals. The same is true with a component input routed to a component output. Therefore, the only Digital blocks in our Video Test Bench chart that are applicable relate to pass through only performance, which we found to be transparent. These entries normally show the results of a 1080i-to-1080p deinterlacing and HDMI-to-HDMI upconversion (except for 3:2 SD, 2:2 SD, and Scaling, which reflect 480i-to-1080p, HDMI-to-HDMI processing).

On the plus side, I ran passthrough tests using both 1080i and 1080p test patterns, HDMI in to HDMI out. On these tests, both the luma (black and white) and chroma (color) resolution of the receiver’s video circuits were excellent. No overscan was added, and the output retained both above-white and below-black information if present in the source (that is, there was no video clipping). 480i pass through over HDMI was similarly transparent.

The Onkyo does perform video processing on an analog input transcoded to an HDMI output. But it will transcode and upconvert a source to a maximum of 1080i, not 1080p. Therefore, the results shown in the Analog line of the Video Test Bench chart are for 1080i to 1080i, component in to HDMI out (except for 3:2 SD, 2:2 SD, and Scaling, which show 480i to 1080i, component in to HDMI out). The 1080i-to-1080i tests were run to determine the quality of the component-to-HDMI transconversion, even with the resolution unchanged.

The 1080i-to-1080p performance of the monitor used to view these tests clearly entered into the results. Two displays were used, and their 1080i-to-1080p processing were known quantities. A new Samsung 7000 was the main player (see review on page 56). A Pioneer Elite PRO-141 was also pressed into service because of its superior performance on 3:2 pulldown. —TJN