Sony STR DG810 6.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

Editorial Review
Supplied Accessories: FM Wire Antenna, AM Loop Antenna, Remote Commander(R) Remote Control, 2 AA batteries, instruction manual.

Customer Reviews

new sony receiver

2008-07-18
The receiver exceeded my expectations. it was easy to install and the manual was straight forward.

Great upgrade to my aging Sony receiver

2008-05-27
For the sake of brevity I will just say that this receiver works great, and with the price that I paid on Amazon completely worth every penny. The only problem I'm having and this could be operator error, is that I find that I have to turn the volume up to mid 20's and 30's especially when watching DVD's for it to be loud enough to hear completely(especially center/voices). I am using a mix of quality Kenwood towers/subs and Sony Surround, and know the speaker are correct ohm and power ratings...I personally prefer Sony receivers and will still choose them years from now when its time to upgrade again.

really good

2008-05-25
the sound is much better than the old Onkyo receiver that it replaced. The HDMI hookup is so much better than the old component video/audio - easier, cleaner and a lot less wiring to clutter things up. I do not notice much difference in the picture, but sound is definitly better. Good value for the price. I would recommend this over similarly price receivers that only have HDMI pass through.

Fantastic

2008-04-27
i bought this in order to use the sony xbr52 it works wonders with my blu-ray player s301 it is all compatible with each other, works fantastic glad i bought this

Good receiver for the price, was just expecting a bit more.

2008-03-31
I was originally going to buy the Sony HT-SS2000 HTIB, but I decide on the STR-DG810 do to it's high star rating on here, some of the reviews that I read on the AVSforum and for it's HDMI Switching capability. I have a PS3 & HD DVD player connected to it via HDMI, which took the hassle out of running a ton of wires to my TV, which only has one HDMI input. As for speakers, I am using Harmon Kardon's HKTS-14 speaker set. It's great to be able to hear HD movies with HD sound. However, I'm somewhat disappointed in the volume of sound. I have to have the volume at about 35 (goes up to 63 if I remember correctly) to even begin hearing the sound. It never really gets loud like I would've expected from this 110w per channel receiver (even my dad said it was pretty weak sounding). My friend's 6-year-old Panasonic HTIB sounds louder with his volume knob not even fully cranked (better signal to noise ratio?) Maybe it's due to the fact that my setup is in an unfinished basement (my buddy is in a 14x12 room), with somewhat small speakers... but I honestly was expecting it to sound louder, not better (it already sounds good... just want it a bit louder for when I'm watching scary movies).

Good Entry AVR for New High Tech Connects & Signals

2008-02-26
Supplied Accessories: FM Wire Antenna, AM Loop Antenna, Remote Commander(R) Remote Control, 2 AA batteries, instruction manual.

The Sony STR-DG810 Audio Video Receiver delivers 660 watts of room-filling sound across 6.1 channels -- your Blu-ray Discs and XM radio have never looked or sounded better. Two HDMI inputs make high-definition video crisp and breathtaking, and Dolby decoding gives you unbelievable sound. The Digital Media Port (DMP) lets you play music from a PC, iPod or Bluetooth device through your receiver. BRAVIA Theater Sync takes you beyond simple audio and video transmission -- control select BRAVIA televisions and Sony HDMI audio and video components, with a single remote. Hook up the optional Connect-and-Play antenna for instant XM (subscription required). Digital Cinema Auto Calibration adjusts for speaker placement, distance and delay. Amazing, theater-quality audio and optimization for 1080p for top-shelf video -- Sony's STR-DG810 Audio Video Receiver will move you. Digital Cinema Sound Technology Memory Presets - 30 AM, 30 FM 30 XM memory presets XM Connect and Play compatible A/B Speaker Switch Digital Cinema Auto Calibration Speaker terminal types - Screw Binding Posts (A); Spring Lever (B) Includes pre-programmed remote control Colors - Black/Silver Inputs - S-Video(3 rear); Composite(1 front, 3 rear); Optical Audio(2 rear); RCA Audio(3 dedicated, 4 A/V); HD(3 rear); HDMI(3 rear); Digital Media Port; Multi-channel 5.1 (rear) Outputs - S-Video(1 rear); Composite(1 rear); RCA Audio(1 out, 1 A/V out); Subwoofer(1 rear); Headphone(front); HDMI(1 rear); HD(1 rear); Antenna Terminals - AM loop, FM (75 ohm) - both rear Dimensions(WxHxD) - 17 x 6-1/5 x 12-3/8 (430 x 157.5 x310 mm) Weight - 17 lbs, 3 oz. (8Kg)

great receiver for the $$ 2008-02-25
this receiver was exactly what i needed. with 3 HDMI ports and easy interface it allowed me to connect all of my devices (PS3, AppleTV, TivoHD) seamlessly. i didn't need an OSD and the PS3 does the DVD upconverting for me so the 910 was just too much $$ for not enough extra features.

i would recommend this receiver to anyone putting together a home entertainment system.

Garbage with no support 2008-02-23
I originally had a DG800, which only had HDMI passthru. When I purchased a Blu-Ray player, I decided to upgrade to take advantage of fewer cables. I purchased a DG810, which had upgraded HDMI capability, but alas no audio and the video was a disaster. Called Sony tech support, assuming I had done something wrong. First they said it wouldn't handle my TV, as it had DVI connecter. However, when I pointed out that it worked on 800 and supported per their manuals, they agreed it wasn't the problem with the video Still no audio. Next they insisted it was my cable, that I couldn't use the $80 Monster, but I had to go all the way to the $120 cable. OK, what the heck. Still no audio. Now they pass me to 2nd level support and I go through pretty much the whole sequence again. Solution is send it in and they will fix it, might take a few weeks. That's a non-starter as I just purchased it. So, back to the store I go to do an exchange. Circuit City tells me they are out of 810's and they are being discontinued by Sony. OK, option is to pay another $80 and get the 910. Back home and hook it up. Picture is great. Still no audio. Now I'm really ticked off. Get on the web and find out from non-Sony posting that this is a common problem. One poor guy had to exchange his 4 times, before he got one that worked. Then HDMI audio quit after 6 weeks! This AV reciver provides good sound and works fine if don't use the HDMI inputs for sound and stay away from Sony support, they are either incompetent of dishonest.

Great Receiver! 2008-02-19
Having recently purchased a new 42" HDTV and an upconverting DVD player, we realized that our older receiver just wasn't cutting it! So we decided to replace it, but realized that that we'd prefer a receiver with three or more HDMI connections to accommodate future growth. Nothing else in our price range had more than two, so we decided to purchase the SONY because it had three!

I had read a number of reviews of this product, and I was afraid that it wouldn't be a very good receiver... but it's excellent! It provides amazing surround sound and is very easy to operate!

has the name but not the quality 2008-02-15
i purchased this system back in december and to say the least it was a major dissapointment. i have sony speakers, a sony ps3, a sony ps2 , and a sony dvd player. i figured that they would all be compatible. boy, was i wrong!! not only that, but the sound was only marginal. i figured that this would be a good fit in medium sized living room, but the sound was low and at times not very clear. in addition to that, i hooked up an ipod dock, that was not sony, and it would not work. i tried using av cables and it still wasn't working properly. the hdmi outputs are nice, but i seem to get better audio thru a direct connection from my dish receiver than thru this receiver. i will say that the picture quality was great, but without the sound, it's like having $2000 tires on a ford pinto.

i ended up buying the onkyo tx-sr505 and can say it has much better sound qaulity and compatability than i expected. and it costs less than this "sony", made in china receiver!!

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Newnes Guide to Digital TV

The second edition has been updated with all the key developments of the past three years, and includes new and expanded sections on digital video interfaces, DSP, DVD, video servers, automation systems, HDTV, 8-VSB modulation and the ATSC system.

* A uniquely concise and readable guide to the technology of digital television
* New edition includes more information on HDTV (high definition) and ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) - the body that drew up the standards for Digital Television in the U.S.
* Written by an engineer for engineers, technicians and technical staff