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Setup was easy, hooked it up to my Boston Acoustic speakers w/ sub, PS3 via HDMI, cable receiver via HDMI, 50″ Panasonic Viera via HDMI and voila – instant home theater. No problems so far. Sounds great! Not sure about all the technical problems that other people experienced but I had no problems with the unit. Would recommend it.

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This receiver is awesome for the price. Setup was fairly easy and the sound is incredible for my HDTV yet alone when I play BLU-Rays. I would recommend this receiver to anyone. Read the other reviews they were very helpful.

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I bought this specifically so I would be able to access the DTS Master Audio and Dolby True HD available on many of the new Blu-Ray discs and I am not at all disappointed. It was not yet in stock at Amazon so I paid what turned out to be a 65$ premium by ordering it from Vanns (so watch out for that -I could have lasted 2 weeks for 65$- d’oh). If you have had previous STR series Sony receivers it’s the same set up. Screws instead of clamps for speaker inputs are the only annoyance. There are seemingly infinite manual adjustments which can be made and it takes time to get the hang of it- but it is laid out in the manual, not exactly at “dummy” level, but it is there. Four HDMI inputs allow for multiple decks of which I’m using 3 and they switch back and forth flawlessly. The sound is extraordinary. I’m in a 500 square foot rectangular room with a 15 foot ceiling, 7 speaker set up at the corners/ back / sides and though there are more expensive units, many both from Sony and others, in my room as great as it sounds now I could not justify spending more.

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I had no luck here. Bd80 blurayer player, latest digital DishNetwork HD set top box, Panny plasma, all HDMI to the 800. Everything works but Bluray playback cuts out randomly every 30 seconds to 2 minutes then resumes again. Called Sony, changed settings, no luck. Reset everything (PITA). Tried moving the HDMI inputs around, no luck, New cables no luck. Bluray audio worked fine through my old component cable Sony amp. The 800 does not play well with my BD80 setup. The sound while viewing Paladia was awesome. Love Amazon, easy return. I do not think I’ll try a new one as it may be a handshake problem, who knows. If I manage to get it working before the UPS guy comes to pick it up I’ll change my review.

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Was wanting to replace a 9 year old Phillips due to the newer HDMI technology. Spent approximately 2 months getting information and reading numerous reviews. Found it to be very user friendly and while the accompaning documentation was somewhat disoriented, I was able to find everything I needed to get up and running. It may have helped that I had downloaded the manual from Sony’s website and was able to read at leisure before actually ordering the receiver. Having dealt with receivers, computers and other electronics, I did not see a problem with the initial setup and was up and running in about 30 minutes. All hooked up to Blu Ray, DVD recorder, VCR, CD player and Dish Sat with great connection to tv. Having read all of the reviews and the manual, I was able to get by the problems others had experienced. Sound is great at 5.1 for now and the HDMI connections make things so much smoother for all components using this technology. Very happy with Sony.

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First off, this thing rocks. Sound quality is excellent, plenty of inputs/outputs, rock solid performance. Don’t use a weak powered sub, or you’ll get some serious popping action. If you want some cheap/decent speakers to go with this system, the Insignia 5.1 speakers from Best Buy (despite being a questionable brand) put out some serious highs and lows, emitting a decent high-end twinkle and a nice bass breeze from the sub’s general direction. Score one for hit or miss Insignias! But I digress…

Anyway, the real reason for this review is the learning curve, and also people’s general lack of knowledge regarding audio receivers and PS3s. Audio receivers are generally difficult to use, but if you’re not the type to research how receivers work, then you’re probably not the type who would appreciate the quality difference, anyway. Spare yourself the headache and get a BD all-in-one home theater system and a powered sub; that’s all you’ll really need. If you want something more, however, please realize that the manual will not answer all your questions; the receiver is only one component and is dependent on other equipment.

So, to begin: if you have a PS3, this WILL work with TrueHD and DTS-MA HD. But you don’t need this particular receiver (or any receiver that can decode TrueHD or DTS-MA) to get beautiful, uncompressed, lossless audio. Any 7.1 receiver with a HDMI input will do.

If you’ve already gotten this receiver and have no intention of returning it (like I did), then here’s your lesson: If your piece of equipment can decode TrueHD or DTS-MA natively (such as your PS3), then it will likely decode the codec FIRST, and THEN send it to the receiver as Linear PCM. The process is fully lossless and there is essentially no degradation, and all relevant speakers will perfectly reproduce the right sounds. If you don’t believe me, press Select on your PS3 controller (or Display on the BD Remote). The top right corner should either say TrueHD or DTS-MA, along with some crazy bitrate usually above 3 or 4 Mbps, sometimes up to 20 Mbps (Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround cap out at 1.5 on a good day). The display on the STR-DH800 will also show you that all 5.1 speakers are lit up and in action. It will also, however, display “Linear PCM” instead of “TrueHD” or “DTS-MA,” something that scares the uninformed and at least one person who reviewed this receiver on Amazon. As a result, they scurry off and change their BD audio settings to “Bitstream,” which, depending on your PS3 model, could be the WRONG THING TO DO.

Older PS3s (see: the fat ones) do not pass TrueHD or DTS-MA via Bitstream. They will automatically demote the audio to plain Dolby Digital or DTS, which will cause the receiver to display a nice “Dolby Digital” or “DTS” running marquee, but ultimately result in lower quality lossy audio. One thing for sure; it’ll sound louder. That’s because the dynamic range (the difference between loud and quiet sounds) is smaller with the older digital codecs. In any case, Bitstreaming from an older PS3 to the STR-DH800 will result in lower quality audio and a misleading Dolby Digital or DTS message on your display.

Newer, Slim PS3s, however, can now bitstream TrueHD and DTS-MA straight to the receiver and allow the receiver to do the decoding. It’s all really unnecessary, since there is no discernible difference between PS3′s LPCM and bitstream audio. Some audiophiles might cry otherwise, but their numbers are few, and their arguments are, as one wise man said “theoretical/pedantic.” But hey, you’ll get to have the TrueHD and DTS-MA logos flash across your receiver’s display! Huzzah!

That’s cute and all, but you actually lose something with bitstreaming: the PS3′s system sounds. Since only the untouched audio is passing through to the receiver, the PS3′s system audio gets left behind. Maybe it’s a small price to pay to get the TrueHD logo up.

To make things worse, if you pick up a receiver that DOESN’T have TrueHD or DTS-MA capabilities, then bitstreaming will result in audio downgraded to DD 5.1 or DTS Surround flavors. However, if you did the smart thing and stuck with Linear PCM, you’ll let the PS3 do the decoding and pass an uncompressed Linear PCM signal to your receiver, which it is almost guaranteed to process and output properly.

Rule of Thumb: Linear PCM is your best bet for PS3 audio bliss, regardless of the model.

All this is really pointless if you primarily use a PS3 for Blu-Ray. The STR-DH700 is a similar, but cheaper, receiver that has all the HDMI ins and outs you need without native TrueHD/DTS-MA decoding. The PS3 already does the decoding, and any decent receiver will accept Linear PCM, so as long as the receiver has HDMI input, you’re good to go. Enjoy!

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given as gift, have no real opinion on this product except that it was the one the recipient wanted.

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I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I’m not a true audiophile (or whatever they’re called). So I don’t know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.

Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound…the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn’t sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said “oh its set to TV + Amp”. So we changed that setting to just “Amp” and bingo…DTS surround sound!! I said “but that’s the factory default setting”. He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to “Amp” only and not the default setting of “TV + Amp”. What the…??

So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my “Watchmen” Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to “Amp” instead of the default “TV + Amp” unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them.

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I am upgrading from a 7 year old Kenwood. Wanted to get all I can for the least amount of money. BAM!!!!!!! This one is it. Works fantastic with all my equipment including the PS3. Video and audio quality surpassed my expectations. Shipping was the fastest I have ever experianced for an online transaction. BUY ONE!!!!!

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Very easy to get up and running (assuming, of course, that you already have a 7.1 system ready to plug in). My only complaints are the lack of onscreen controls, which is mitigated slightly by an easy to learn menu system (Think Xrossbar on PSP and PS3), and the twisty-plugs for the speakers, which I believe are built too close to each other. Other than those two minor flaws, this system is a top notch receiver.

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The receiver is about what you’d expect for the listed specifications. I run at 5.1 instead of 7.1, so I can’t provide comment on that. The auto-calibrate feature for the speakers is easy to do and greatly improves the quality of the experience. I’m not an audiophile, however, so I can’t comment on “lows” or “highs” or whatever; movies sound like you’d expect, except that maybe the bass is more noticeable than with my previous Sony receiver. I generally dislike that the receiver (and I believe it’s true for most or all) doesn’t pass through HDMI without being turned on. That leads to a few mild annoyances, but only mild. I also dislike that the system doesn’t yet appear to have the ability to automagically turn 2.1 or 2.0 into 5.1. I can enable it with a press of a button, but if there’s a setting, I haven’t been able to find it through the on-receiver-screen-only interface.

Speaking of said interface, hands-down the best reason I like this speaker system is the on-screen display that will show me which speaker configuration is active. I have a smallish family room, and it’s not always easy to determine by sound if a speaker is active or not–and if it is active, if it is being transformed from 2.1 to 5.1, or if it’s a true 5.1 signal. This little on-screen display is huge. I also run a media server with a PS3 front-end, and this allows me to check whether my settings for audio have been maintained or downsampled through the process. Rather useful.

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I recently purchased this product and for my apartment its has the perfect output for a small to medium room. The features and options are great and i have enjoyed the surround sound for all of my media.

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I owned a sony receiver for 10 years now the str985, but the lack of hdmi input / switching and the sucess of bd players made me buy this new one.

Quality is excellent, sound is great it can do most of the new audio formats like true hd, etc

The value is phenomenal, the price is great it has great features.

Thank you sony for this great receiver!

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I bought the STR-DH800 with Amazon Prime and received within 2 days. Setup was difficult and confusing. Several of the HDMI inputs do not pass either audio or video or both via a Blu Ray player. Other HDMI sources pass video fine, or audio in LPCM format (not TrueHD or DTS HD). It seems only the HDMI3 input passes both audio and video in the format desired. I am not sure if this is a defect or feature set. Possibly returning if I find from Sony this is a feature.

UPDATE: 5/19/2010 A higher quality cable solved the HDMI issue with the other HDMI inputs. Setting the HDMI Audio Output to “AMP” instead of “AMP + TV” solved the LPCM and digital decoding loss/forgetting issue. They really should reconsider who is writing or what they are writing about in the documentation/user guide to make things easier for consumers.

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We bought the receiver, and hooked it up to existing Panasonic speakers and a Polk sub-woofer. We use it as our surround sound system. It has worked flawlessly. I think it was a great purchase.

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I’m not an audiophile. I just wanted a good basic receiver for 5.1 sound. Since I have a Sony TV and a Sony DVD player, I wanted a Sony receiver too so I could take advantage of the “Bravia Sync” feature. This is an awesome feature. My TV, DVD player, and receiver all communicate via the HDMI cable. I only need to turn on one of the components, and the others automatically turn on and set themselves up. For example, I just need to hit the eject button on my DVD player, put in a DVD, then hit play. The TV and receiver automatically turn on and set themselves up for DVD viewing. The problem I have with this receiver is that every half-hour or so it makes a loud clicking noise, as if it was switching inputs, and sometimes the TV screen will go blank for a second or two. This happens without me pushing any buttons. It’s annoying. A receiver shouldn’t make any unwanted noise. But it’s not so annoying that I would get a different receiver. Other than that problem I am happy with it.

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An OK unit but….

Will NOT allow both surround sound & TV speakers to work at the same time.

We use the TV sound output for a hearing impaired person who has a headset hooked up to the TV so we all can enjoy as a family music/movies with out blasting every one in the room. Impossible with this unit, and it has the typical problem of most amps, loud music & effects but very low volume voices even on Blue Ray. BTW I am using only HDMI hook ups.

Also the speaker connections are a pain and do not always have the best connections. The bass output connection is RF style only, while the rest of the speaker outputs are twist down plain wire.

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When the guy in Best Buy mumbled something about how some of their receivers only get picture through HDMI, but not sound, I politely told him that I did not believe him. After all, why in the world would that be?

Then I did all the research that you are now doing. I find this imcomprehensible: several receivers using HDMI do NOT let the sound signal come through the HDMI. (Huh?) So you would need a separate digital sound cable, and pray that your receiver has as many of those inputs as it has for HDMI video, AND that you can match them all correctly. The descriptions do not want you to know this until it’s too late and you have the unit in your home. They hide this glaring lack of convenience by calling it “pass-through” HDMI. They describe this “feature” by saying that you can access all your HDMI devices without powering up the receiver. (What bloody good is that, if you don’t have the sound for them? Turn the receiver on!)

Look carefully at this STR-DH800 vs. its “newer replacement”, the STR-DH810. With the 810, you “get” the pass-through, as if that’s some kind of a desirable attribute. I suppose if you love cables, go with the receiver that doubles the requirement for them. Personally, I prefer to have one HDMI cable do the full job of state-of-the-art picture and sound. Wouldn’t you?

- STR-DH800 gets both picture and sound through one HDMI.

- STR-DH810 uses “pass-through” and only lets picture go over HDMI. You must use an additional digital audio cable if you want to listen to what’s playing on your TV. (You do want to listen to it, don’t you? Aren’t you trying to buy an audio/video receiver?)

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Sound quality is great. Set up is easy but instruction manaul is overly wordy and complex. The receiver does more things than I want it to. If it did less it would have been a much quicker set up.

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Purchased this product after weeks of research and i glad with the decision i made. I am using a ps3 and directtv hd dvr both connected with hdmi cables. As far as the video goes, I can see absolutly no loss as it goes through the reciever. Audio- I am using a 5.1 setup with 4 sony ssf-5000′s for my surrounds, a sony sf-cn5000 for my center, and a polk psw-110 for my sub. I was half tempted to try to set up the speaker settings my self. However after reviewing the manuel i decided to use The auto calibration speaker. It made things much smoother. I had the system setup and playing within 10 minutes. I havent cranked all the way up yet becuase i want to break in my speakers first. The only downside if i was forced to pick would be the screw in connections for the speakers, but some banana plugs easily solve this. If i was to sum up, this is an awesome receiver that if you dont need all the fancy decoders (my ps3 does everything for me) then this receiver is a must buy.