Background video - listen/watch different sources


I'm about to invest in new home theater components and something that would be very important to me is to be able to watch one video source on my television while listening to music from another source from the same receiver and set of speakers. Here's the specific example I'd like to accomplish: mute the football game and listen to a record. Now obviously I only want to purchase one set of speakers that can be used when watching movies or TV or when listening to my turntable or other audio source. This means I don't want to set up a "zone 2" of speakers there in the same room because that would necessitate (as I understand it) a complete second set of speakers. Someone suggested I plug the HDMI from the satellite straight into the back of the television which then means I can't use these speakers to listen any audio from the television programs I may watch (unless I manually switch the cable back and forth, which I don't see as viable).

I have been told (from Yamaha support) that this would be called "Background Video" and that it as a functionality has disappeared from receivers with the prevalence of using HDMI connections to/from receivers.

Obviously I've googled and read reviews and so on, but I cannot find a receiver that can make this happen in my home theater. Do any of you dear forum readers know of such a receiver or likely brand? Or perhaps is there another way to accomplish this other than manually switching cables around or using zone 2 functionality and needing another set of speakers? I would GREATLY appreciate any guidance, thank you.
gtjdorris

Showing 2 responses by dbphd

I think a neat solution might be to introduce a DVDO Edge into your system. Take the HDMI out for your TV source to the Edge, where you split off video and send that via HDMI directly to your display; the audio goes via HDMI to your processor. By selecting the audio input at your processor, you can decide what audio accompanies the video.

In my application, video goes directly to a projector, audio to an audio-only processor. What you see and hear is entirely up to you. And the Edge can do wonderful video processing.

db
Silly me, Noble100. I moved my Proceed PAV/PDSD to a second system and installed a (used) Cary Cinema 11a in my main system for HDMI and with it the ability to process lossless codecs from my PS3 and 2.1 and 5.1 DSD from my XA5400ES.

Of course the Proceed stuff is more than 15 years old and still in use, so it may be unfair to characterize me as chasing the latest gimmick. I think your brush is too broad.

db