Yamaha 665 vs 663

Finally I got the yamaha 465 replaced with a 665, to my surprise it looks exactly the same as the 465. First impression is that it does not have the smooth aluminum front panel with contemporary touch like the old 663. Appearance-wise it lacks the 'high-class' equipment feel if compared with the old 663. 

The 665 also comes with a smaller foot print and size, you don't have to read the manual to find out the differences - it is smaller and lighter, and... looks cheap! As expected, it supports HDMI video output which the 465 is lacking, and this is the only reason I upgraded it.

Yamaha Receiver Rxv-465 does not pass video through HDMI

I just bought a Yamaha Rxv-465 receiver and only after that I realised it does not support HDMI video output. The manual did not say a word about it and even the vendor could not figure it out until they called the local distributor. I need to have the video output through the HDMI to my LCD TV as I want to use it as a hub for my other stuff such as dvd player, htpc, etc.

Too sad as this is a decent 5.1 receiver that does HD audio via HDMI. My only solution is to upgrade it to a 565 or 665.

EE, I really like you!

EE, the flowers are for you, impressed?!

ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on HTPC features

AMD has just announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 graphics card which delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and game experience at a value price. The HD 5450's passively-cooled, ultra-quiet features is every HTPC builder’s dream. The home theater experience is enriched with features such as HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for the ultimate media PC. According to the source the SRP is $50.


(source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/ati-radeon-hd-5450-focuses-on-multimedia-features-neglects-gami/)

Socket AM3 + DDR3 785G matx motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-US2H is one of the best value for money well-built 785G matx mobo on the market. It supports the latest AMD's Socket AM3 and the other specs are as follows:

AMD 785G + SB710 Chipset

1. Ultra Durable 3 Classic Technology with copper cooled quality for lower working temperature
2. Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
3. Supports AMD AM3 Phenom II/ Athlon II processors
4. Dual Channel DDR3 1800+ for remarkable system performance
5. Integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics (DirectX10.1)
6. PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI Hybrid CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
7. Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet and IEEE1394
8. Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
9. Integrated HDMI/ DVI interface for Full HD 1080 Blu-ray playback with HDCP
10. Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection
11. Compatible with Window 7 to deliver the best operation experience 

source: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=3250&ProductName=GA-MA785GMT-US2H