Full of features, video processing is not perfectly implemented
Written: Oct 30 '07
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Pros: Very stylish, HDMI upconversion, Faroudja processing, can be found cheap
Cons: Can't upconvert to 1080, 480p source problems, runs hot
The Bottom Line: Buy it if you can get a good price and don't need to upconvert to 1080i or 1080p.
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| riverman's Full Review: harman/kardon AVR 347 7.1 Channels Receiver |
I bought an AVR-347 to replace a Yamaha RX-V2400 so I could run several video sources through it and have them all sent to my older Panasonic 1080i HDTV through the HDMI output. I've always liked the styling of Harman/Kardon's receivers, and I got it for $350 refurbished, directly from Harman/Kardon.
I'll start with the good. The receiver has plenty of power and sounds great. It automatically calibrates your speakers and supports 7.1 channels. It's the best looking receiver I've seen in ages, and the optional "The Bridge" iPod dock can be found for a much lower price than iPod docks for Onkyo, Yamaha, or Pioneer receivers. It works well at deinterlacing 480i signals and can convert them from any input to HDMI.
The rest of the video processing is where it has its issues. The most glaring is that it can only upconvert signals to 480p or 720p. It can't convert any signals to 1080i and 1080p, but 1080i or 1080p signals can be passed through the HDMI inputs to the HDMI output untouched. It also seems to have problems when it's fed a 480p signal and the output is set to 480p. The edges of the picture can be slightly bowed in with 4:3 images, and dotted white lines appear at the top edge of widescreeen images on my 4:3 TV. This may not be an issue on widescreen TVs. I also can't test its 720p processing since my TV only supports 1080i. The workaround for me is to send it only 480i standard def signals and 1080i HD signals. This way it works very well and I have no complaints.
Other more minor issues that may or may be not important to some people are that the HDMI inputs are only version 1.1, it runs hot (hotter than my Yamaha which was rated at nearly twice the power), it can't automatically calibrate a 6.1 channel surround system (you have to do some manual setting to do one), although it can calibrate a 7.1 channel system just fine; and it's a little slow to change inputs. The front panel is also entirely plastic. I would've expected the silver part to be metal considering the receiver's list price.
Overall I like it, considering the price I paid. For $600 I would've looked at some other brands, but this one finally lets me watch multiple sources without having to mess with the TV, it has a nicely integrated iPod dock, and it looks great in my entertainment center.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350.00
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riverman
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Reviews written: 2
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