Denon HEOS MultiRoom Music and TV Audio Setup!

Dear Everyone!

So I have learnt so much things on this forum so I thought I will contribute back to the community with my HEOS setup. (I think this is really unique, because methods I use here I haven’t found anywhere on the web, it was mainly discovered by me (or least I think that way and I was just bad at searching…)).

Introduction

Firstly, what you can achieve with this setup

  • Have a great AVR in your main (living) room.
    This can be any of the newer Denon AVRs which have HEOS function. You can fully control this unit from openHab. (Details below)
    This is not mandatory, you can still have just HEOS speakers in your setup, it will work the same, there is no need to have a hub or anything else to operate this system.
    Speakers can work individually, but the main ‘function’ of these speakers is the MultiRoom capability! If you have an existing AVR and you don’t want to buy a new one (in my opinion Denon is still a pricey one…) you can extend your existing AVR with HEOS capabilites.
    Later I will refer to the Denon AVR which is HEOS capable just as AVR.

  • Have as many wired (LAN) or wireless zone speaker in your home, which can play any music input (Spotify Connect, AirPlay, SoundCloud, etc… You can find more here).
    Later I will refer to them just as ‘HEOS Spekers’

  • You can group these speakers!
    (Max 32 of them, if I can remember correctly, but I think this will be enough for any home!) and you can output any music source to these speakers or groups, plus you can play your TV or any source from your main AVR to these speakers/groups. (This is why I recommended to have not just HEOS speakers, because then you can listen to any source from your AVR on the HEOS speakers)

I don’t know if anyone else is interested in something like this, but I wanted to have this feature for such a long time, but I didn’t had the time/need to wire my whole house with audio cables and buy an expensive amplifier which can handle that much speaker to have this functionality.

What I use

Other requirements

Because HEOS don’t need any hub (or anything like this) it simply works on your WIFI/Wired network.
Before I bought my first HEOS speaker I read reviews by users who bought these products and the reviews were mixed. Some said it works as it should, some said that they can’t even play any music through the speakers which is connected on WiFi and even Denon couldn’t solve their issue.

From what I can experience I just have to say I don’t have any issues like this with any product. My AVR (which is a X3400H) is connected through LAN cable to my router and my HEOS speakers are connected through WIFI.
I don’t even have a pricey router (it is a cheaper one from D-Link which is a 4-5 years old, but has 5GHz and 802.11ac) and it can handle nicely the speakers. So in my opinion if you have your own router (not the shitty one which you usually get from your ISP) then this setup will work.

These HEOS speakers have 5GHz and 802.11ac support, so you can use it with your router on 5GHz.
Also you can connect any HEOS speaker to LAN, because they have plenty ports available (AUX in, USB, Ethernet) if you want and you have Ethernet available where you want to place the speaker (if I’m right they also support PoE (Power Over Ethernet) so you can use it that way if you want).

It can be great for you if...

  • You want to play music around in your house without having to wire the whole house.
  • You usually play watch/listen to on your TV and you don’t want to miss anything/have the opportunity to hear the sound anywhere in your house.
  • You love great music products (AVR, Speakers). I think these HEOS speakers is really great compared Bluetooth Speakers which has the same price. You can except the music quality to be the same as a Sonos Speaker (but not that much bass-oriented).
  • You want to have a half-DIY solution. I have seen other who achieved something similar, with RPis and plain speakers, but this is much easier to implement and use (in general and in openHab as well).

Downsides

  • Denon products are bit pricey. However these products considered ‘cheap’ if you surround yourself with people who are ‘Audio-Enthusiasts’.
  • The HEOS app which is available for Android/iOS looks like an app from 10 years ago and a sometimes hard to navigate through it. However you can eliminate this app entirely if you use openHab and you want to control it from there. (You only need the app to setup your speakers/create your HEOS account).
  • It seems that sending digital audio from the AVR’s inputs to HEOS speakers is limited to higher/pricier AVRs. So if this is a mandatory function to you, you should double check that on Denon’s page under the Multi Room functionality -> Zone Audio Source: HDMI / Opt, Coax / Network, USB / Analog
    For me it seems that the lowest model which you can choose is the 3xxxH series (e.g.: X3400H, X3500H). Lower models only support analog/USB input to be forwarded to HEOS speakers (who uses analog sources these days…).
    Also these higher models up to the highest model (currently X-8500H) only support 2ch audio from digital inputs and it doesn’t downscale higher channel audio, it just doesn’t play anything when you transmit higher channel audio to HEOS speakers!

Setup

Starting point

I'm starting this tutorial where you included all your speakers in the network, everything is working as it should, there is no network or other problems. Functions which will be available from openHab, can be controlled from the original HEOS app, so there is no additional (hidden) features. You should create a HEOS account also, but this is not required, but I can't say which functions are limited or locked if you use it without an account. One feature I use and I know that it requires account: Save TuneIn favorite channels and easily include these channels is openHab as well.

Installing

  • Install the Denon/Marantz Binding from PaperUI. I just use this to detect that the AVR is on or off, because HEOS doesn’t provide that info. HEOS speakers considered an ‘always on’ device. So you should need this if you want to detect your AVR power status/input source. If you install it, it should automatically discover the AVR.

  • Install the HEOS binding. This is not available in the Add-Ons page, you should install it manually (placing in the addons folder).
    After installing the HEOS devices (and bridges) should get auto-discovered. Don’t include everything!

Adding devices to openHab

Add the HEOS Speakers to openHab which got auto-discovered. You should name it that way you can remember what it is. Like ‘Bathroom- HEOS Speaker’.
A HEOS Bridge is also gets auto-discovered for every device. You only need one Bridge. I think it doesn’t matter which one you choose (I chosed to add the AVRs Bridge).
After adding the Bridge, go to PaperUI -> Things and select one of your HEOS speakers. Click Edit and select the Bridge for that HEOS speaker which you added before (if it didn’t got auto-selected). You should check this for every HEOS speaker.
If you created a HEOS account, you should also set the account/password for every speaker. If this set, your favorite channels will be synced to openHab.

If you also have an active group, groups also get auto-discovered… This is also not so mandatory or pratical to include. You will see why.

Defining items/creating rules

After adding Things and selecting the proper Bridge, you should almost ready to go.
Define the items in *.items file.

Grouping speakers through openHab

To group speakers, you should do the following:

  • Select the speakers where you want to listen your music/audio in the Bridge (there should be a switch for every device in that Bridge). Turn on the switches where you want to play audio.
  • After selecting the speakers, turn on the Made Group switch in that Bridge.
  • You’re done!

You can also do it in rules like this:

Define a String item, with mappings (room names mostly):

String Denon_Group Selector "Group Select"

And the rule:

rule "Select Group"
when
      Denon_Group_Selector received command
then
       switch(receivedCommand) {
       case "Bathroom + Living": {
                Denon_Heos_Bridge_Bathroom.sendCommand(ON)
                Denon_Heos_Bridge_Living.sendCommand(ON)
                Denon_Heos_Bridge_MadeGroup.sendCommand(ON)
       }
}
end

You can do this for unlimited times/combinations.

With the new version of the binding these rules are not that important. I won’t remove this, because sometimes you have to manually group devices, but in the latest version of the binding, dynamic channels are created for groups and players, so you just have to send a command to that switch.

Using additional inputs

You can use HEOS speakers for other inputs, like playing radio on TuneIn from openHab.
For this, just set some channels to favorite in HEOS app. It will appear as a Switch in the HEOS speakers.
After defining, you just have to send an ON command to that channel to start the TuneIn channel.

If you want to play it in a group, you first have to group the speakers (as I stated before) and then send an ON command to one of the switches (which you want to play) to the Bridge. It will play that TuneIn channel on the selected group.

TV Audio

This only works for a few Denon AVR! Please check my notes in the Downsides section!

You can also play audio from any input of the AVR (this works from any speaker, you can play for example music on any device/group plugged into one of the speaker’s AUX in input) to any HEOS speaker.
You don’t even have to use the AVR (for example in my setup, usually we watch TV without the AVR on the TV’s speaker) to forward the input to HEOS speakers.

Steps to use it:

  • Enable TV Sound Grouping in the HEOS app.
  • There is an input channel for every HEOS speaker. You should send the correct input to that channel. (You can send any input to that channel, not just the “physical” inputs of that speaker) You have to play with this a little bit to see which input is identified as which input.
    Accepted inputs can be found here.
  • You can also select a group and send that input source to the Bridge. Then it will play the selected input on the speakers in that group.

Note: To know which inputs are available you should check the HEOS app.

Hope this helps to some people (who owns Denon/HEOS devices) or people who want to achieve something similar.

Update1:

In the newest version of the binding, the main structure improved so it is easier to use. I won’t remove any tutorials in this post (because you can still use it like that, and sometimes you might better want to do everything ‘manually’), but now it might work without any help.

Dynamic channels
Now for every HEOS Player, your favorites from the HEOS app will be added (if you are signed in). So basically you can start one of your favorite radio channel for example, by just activating it’s switch on the corresponding HEOS player.

On the bridge you still have the old functionality, but now channels are created for groups also. You can activate that group with that switch.

Update2:

The binding has been finally merged, so it will be available in the stable 2.5 release (No need to manually install it, you can do it from PaperUI). Hopefully also a lot of bugs and the overall stability of the binding will be improved until then.

If anything is misunderstanding/misleading, please report to me or ask here :slight_smile:

7 Likes

Hi

Please do add yet more detail about how you got openHAB working with your AVR-X.

I tried with mine and just didn’t get on very well.
Based on your post, it’s clear that I must have missed something important.

I look forward to reading the next chapter of your tutorial :smile:

I have extended the original post :slight_smile:

Hope it helps. If not, please ask. However I’m not an big expert of these Denon products, just found a way to use it!

I think this method works on any Denon/Marantz receiver which is HEOS capable.

Great write-up Kristof. I purchased the Denon AVR-X2400H so that we could listen to the TV in other rooms (like kitchen and screened-in porch) using the HEOS wireless speakers.

Unfortunately, the AVR-X2400H receiver will not transmit sound to the wireless speaker sound from any of the digital inputs.

I don’t want to detract from your great write-up, rather warn anyone who wants to transmit a digital input, against getting the X2400H (or lesser model).

Thanks for the great words!
Firstly, I’m also wanted to highlight the pros/cons of the system as much as I can, which was experienced by me during the 6 months, since I have this setup. If this is your case, that you can’t play digital audio through HEOS, then I will include that also. But this is not the case for me (hope that we can find a solution for you as well :slight_smile: )

Secondly…

I can’t believe this… :frowning: I read the same on other forums. The Denon support also just indicates that you should physically connect devices to analog inputs to the receiver to use this (what a solution…).
However after enabling ‘TV Sound Grouping’ in the HEOS app I can transmit the digital audio to HEOS speakers.
My set-top box is connected to the Denon AVR through HDMI cable (so it can’t be analog signal :slight_smile: ).

What does the HEOS speakers do when you select the input as the input of the AVR (which outputs digital signal?)

I have a X3400H, but I don’t think that differs much from X2400H… (or did you heard from anyone who indicated that just your model or older/cheaper ones can’t do this?). I think that the HEOS capabilities are the same of these devices… I mean when I bought it, I could only find differences between the models from the same year (X1400H, 2400H, etc…) are the input/outputs count and the amplifiers in the AVR… Besides that, the functions are the same. (If I’m right)

I spent about an hour with Denon’s tech support trying to get it working and they finally said the optical and HDMI inputs wouldn’t work with HEOS on the X2400H. (Analog inputs and music streaming work fine with HEOS when I tested it. I did not test USB, which may work based on the spec sheet)

I’d guess the shortcoming is reflected in the Denon’s spec sheet under -> Multi Room functionality -> Zone Audio Source: HDMI / Opt, Coax / Network, USB / Analog

As you can imagine, this was a huge disappointment for me as the X2400H and HEOS speaker was a big investment. (Looking at Denon’s site, it looks like the X2500H might have the same shortcoming as well)

Yes I know, I also got disappointed when I first saw this posts, because I also wanted to achieve this functionality. (However this was not the main part I bought these products).

Now looking at the specs sheet you said… I’m wrong and it seems that they have differences! Like the X2500H (I can’t view older models) says that the Zone Audio Source is only analog and USB, but if you view the X3500H specs sheet it says that it can output HDMI (2ch) and optical (2ch)… So this is my wrong…

It seems that they include this functionality if you pay a bigger price. I didn’t saw that when I purchased so I’m just lucky that I bought the bigger one…
That’s why basically everyone mentions on the internet that they can’t output digital source.

Conclusion:

  • I will include this in my original post!
  • I should double check every information before posting. However this feature is so tiny one, I didn’t know until now. In the Offical Denon Shop, they also didn’t say this.

One thing which I have to check: Does this really means that it can only transfer (2ch) audio, or it will convert more-channel audio to 2ch or it just don’t output if the input is not a 2ch audio.
I will check that tomorrow!

1 Like

It also seems that it doesn’t downscale audio to 2ch from audios with more channel (I have tried 5.1 sound).
So usually it only works with higher models and also higher models only support 2ch audio through digital input.

I don’t know what other MultiRoom products available on the market right now, so for me is enough (TV audio is always max 2ch, movies usually 5.1 but I don’t want to extend the movie sound to other rooms).

I have updated the links and the tutorials to represent the current version of the binding.

1 Like

Hi

I can confirm that the AVR-X4400H zone 2 output is HDMI, Stereo Line & Stereo speaker out

Zone 3 is Stereo Line out only.

Any of the zones can (independently) select any of the inputs.

Zone 2 & 3 also have a “source” option, which just means that it follows the main zone.

Does that help you?

Thanks! Firstly, yes these are valueable information for those who are buying these products.

However this is also really confusing. Mainly I was talking here about HEOS capabilities (I haven’t ever tried the other HDMI outputs of my AVR - it only has a second output if I’m right - Zone2).

And as far as I know, regarding HEOS outputs, you can select any input of your AVR to output to your HEOS system, but as I discovered, these just only supports 2ch audio on HDMI (which supports it, because lower models doesn’t even have this)…

My apologies…

You’re absolutely right.

What I’m talking about is the Marantz-Denon binding’s functionality, not specifically the HEOS binding.

No problem (at all)! I would like to expand this tutorial as much as I can - like including other Zones as well (how you could automate Zone selection on AVR, etc…)- but I don’t have any Zone2 thing.

If you use it, you could describe it how you use it, what are the downsides of it (like using the Zone2 HDMI or just mapping the audio output to Zone2 to have a stereo setup in the other room, etc…).

Okay, that sounds fair :smile:

I’ll fill this reply with an explanation of my own setup then. (Which I will edit as I go along)

Currently my system is only a Denon AVR-X4400H, which I specifically purchased for it’s Dolby Atmos 11.2 capabilities. (But I’m only using 9.2 currently) {Which is absolutely AMAZING, speaking as a sound engineer who started in cinemas back in the 1980s just before Dolby SR was launched , I feel that any Atmos / DTS-X / Aura3D enabled multi-speaker setup is well worth the money. NOT a sound bar, don’t ever put me in a room with one of those and tell me it’s good. It’s okay, but it’s not good.}

This article is a must read if you’re considering setting up a Dolby Atmos system.

Even transforming a classic Dolby Pro Logic ii 5.1 into entry level Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 (7.1) setup by adding 2 “height” speakers at the front will make an amazing difference.

Do ask Dolby Labs for a demo Blu-ray disc, it proves that the system works perfectly and shows off the precision sound placement.

Segments from the demo disc can be found online as MP4 files, but I haven’t worked out how to play them yet. (Getting the raw bit stream audio transferred to the Denon is the challenge, as most PC HDMI outputs DON’T support bit stream audio)

HEOS and the extra zones came as a very pleasant surprise when unpacking the amp.

Here’s the manual for the Denon AVR-X4400H

And specification page

The ability to select an independent source for the HDMI Zone 2 output gave me a great idea for distribution.

I bought an IceCrypt DVB-T2 multiplexer ~ £160 and injected the UHF signal into my LabGear UHF / VHF / DAB / CCTV (over DVB-T2 UHF) antenna distribution system.

Alternative LabGear DVB-T2 multiplexer ~£180

FYI - There are HDMI to American ATSC Broadcast format modulators / multiplexers like these on Amazon

I choose the IceCrypt unit because it has IR return built in.
So I only need a Sky-Eye / IR detector at any other location to be able to control anything.

{Whoever holds the remote, controls the device / source}

My IR connection path is…

IceCrypt IR output hardwired to the Denon with a 3.5mm 3 pole patch cable.

3.5mm 3 pole patch from the Denon to a Keene Electronics IR distribution unit.

IR emitters stuck to the sources.

This means that I can (independently) select any of the sources and view it on any connected HD Freeview TV by simply tuning to the ‘extra’ channel on the (DVB-T2) enabled TV. (Subject to a 500ms delay)

The “channel” that Zone2 appears on the TV can be set within the DVB-T2 multiplexer.
(If there is a “channel number” conflict, most TVs will simply randomly place the Zone 2 channel somewhere else in the guide. I saw this at a client’s home, where I put in an IceCrypt so they can view their Sky HD box on multiple TVs)

We had a lounge room which was to be the relaxing / film room and a little winter snug / TV room.

The original plan was that the lounge would only ever be for “Sunday Best”, with the winter snug / TV room being our daily slouching room.

However, since adding the DVB-T2 multiplexer, I’ve moved every HDMI source from anywhere in the house to the Denon amp. (Excluding our lodger’s X-Box, which while he wants to hear it in Dolby Atmos, he would object to it’s long term rehoming).

So now any of the antenna outlets in the house can access any of the sources. (Same source to all TVs)

Now obviously, the following is just a bonus and not an original system design.

I happen to have a TVHeadend setup running with a Hauppauge Dual HD DVB-T2 Dongle which can now access the HD stream from Zone 2.

If I wanted to rip a Blu-ray or other HDMI source to something more portable, I’d just have to setup a manual record schedule :slight_smile:
Then transcode the resulting .TS (uncompressed Transport Stream) into something smaller.
FYI, I tried this with a HD stream from our Google Chromecast, a 1 hour stream resulted in an 8 GB .TS file. !!!

The Zone 3 line level output will eventually be fed into some powered speakers around the house, as we’re not keen on having dozens of different sounds playing, but we do like the idea of a nice even level around the place.

One option that I’ve looked at is converting the Line level output to Coax Digital audio and distributing that over the Cat6 Network (not as TCP/IP, just using the Cat6 cable) then back to line level if required.

Locally switching the power to a room’s speakers would be easy enough :wink:

With regards to openHAB2, The Denon Marrantz binding gives me full control of the AVR-X4400H, including the audio levels on extra zone outputs.

This HEOS binding now means that I can select the HEOS content within openHAB2 too.

2 Likes

OMG this is amazing! :slight_smile: So that means you can select a source to output to Zone2 on the Denon AVR and you can view it on any of the TVs in your home right? It is assigned to a channel or how? You can still use the 2 output independently? I mean view something in your lounge room on the AVR and output any other (or the same) source to Zone2 and view it on another TV? How do you control these devices from the rooms?

This is my first better sound system and it is really amazing. Now I only have a 5.1 setup, but I want to expand it to 5.1.2 (wiring up to the ceiling and placing 2 real speakers in the ceiling), however this is the max which the X3400H can handle, but it will be enough for me I think. I use it to music and movies also and it outperforms any commercial system I think…

I also thought of firstly to use the remaining two speaker output to Zone2 speakers and place it in the kitchen (because it is right next to the living room), but after buying a HEOS speaker and testing out how it performs (and it does it’s job great) I might want to use it as a ceiling speaker.

So my final setup would look like:

  • Have HEOS speakers in almost every room (mainly to listen to the same source without having to crank up the volume on 1 AVR)
  • A 5.1.2 setup in my main room.
  • I might be having a renovation, so I’m also thinking about to connect a UHD projector to the Denon’s second monitor output (this might look overkill, but I really like the feeling of a real movie theater experience and I didn’t have much space in my living room to place a bigger TV in that room. Also I wouldn’t use it regularly, so I might prolong the lifespan of these devices - which I couldn’t do with an overkill, big TV because we would use it for daily commercial TV watching)
1 Like

Hi Kris,

I’ve updated my previous post to cover the points you’ve raised here.

I hope it makes sense.

If you want any more information, please do ask.

Bullet point responses to your points…

  • Output from Zone 2 HDMI can be viewed on any connected HD Freeview (DVB-T2) TV

  • Because of TVHeadend, I can view the Zone 2 output via TCP too :slight_smile: using VLC media player etc

  • Main zone and Zone 2 / 3 are totally independent

  • Control of Zone 2 content is mainly done with the device’s hand held remote via IR return, unless the device supports CEC, in which case the Denon AVR-X app can also control it.

  • Do add 2 extra speakers to your main zone, 2 height speakers at the front are the easiest to install. Overhead speakers are slightly better, but harder to install. (Especially if you need to retain the fire break between floors. You can fit metal or fabric fire hoods behind the speakers. KEF have a range of fire rated ceiling speakers)

Re-run the setup routine to enable the Aura3D / DTS-X / Dolby Atmos sound placement.

5.1.2 (7.1) is perfect for smaller rooms, you really wouldn’t notice more speakers unless you have a HUGE room. (Sub-Bass is non-directional so don’t waste your money on a 2nd sub)

My room is 5M x 5M and to be totally honest, a 5.1.4 (9.1) setup is a little bit of an overkill. (But utterly AWESOME)

5.2.6 (11.2) would be totally wasted with anything less than SERIOUS Dolby Atmos encoded content. (Like the Dolby demo disc has)
There is a music video on the demo disc which is amazing.

  • To project (AKA Beamer) or not to project…

As I started as a cinema projectionist / sound engineer, I say…

Big IS beautiful

If you can get a UHD / 4K projector approved by your “Minister for domestic affairs”…

Then do it :slight_smile:

Install the biggest screen you can :slight_smile:

  • Lifespan of a projector

Most projector lamps should give you ~2000 hours of viewing, with replacement lamps costing £150 ~ £300

So yes, not using it for everyday use is an excellent idea.

Also think about buying a popcorn machine for the true experience :slight_smile:

Never consider Nachos and hot cheese… That’s not a cinema snack, that’s a meal (or at least a good starter)
{It’s also horrible to clean up}

Firstly thanks for your updated post! Really love your whole setup!

Yes, my room is not that big that’s why I thougth it will be enough…

Maybe you have better knowledge on this, I looking for this projector. What do you think? Haven’t heard from this brand before (I found after looking for 4K Home Projectors, that this might be good and after I found out that I can buy this one at the store where I bought my Denon Audio setup… So it might be not that bad?)

Any other Denon related setup you recommend for the best experience? It seems that every speaker is in a good position in my room (after viewing the placement specs again…), but the sorrund speakers are too close to the rear seating… Too bad that I can’t move it back because there is a wall. And I can’t move the rear seats forward, because than I will don’t have enough space…

It is easier to install, but isn’t it better to install in the middle?

What is your main devices which you are using for movie playback, etc…? Currently I’m using a Raspberry with Kodi on it (I love Kodi, it handles everything really well), but I couldn’t get CEC working with the AVR (before it worked well connected directly to the TV).

Thanks, It kind of evolved into the current format, from my original desire for a “Sensible” Dolby Atmos system.

To be honest, the very first Dolby Atmos system I put in was for a client who called me “after” he’d put the cables in… (Don’t ask…why…)

He tried to copy what I’d done for him in his previous house, where I put in a Sony 7.1 amp (Circa 1998)

I did some research on modern speaker layouts that could match his cabling, where I found the Dolby Atmos documentation that I’ve linked to above.

The layout he accidentally opted for was…

Classic 5.1 & 2 front height.

Because I knew how to ask the Dolby team for assistance, they sent me a demo disc.

I can honestly say that in his 6M wide, 3.5M deep & 2.6M (with a centrally positioned large flat screen) room, the sound was fabulous.

I got the normal “Raised eyebrow” from his long suffering wife, but even she said that she could hear the difference in the sound system.

I’ve only ever put one Optoma Projector in for a client and they seemed very happy with it.

They had a 2M wide screen in a conference room, so needed something quite bright.

The biggest trouble with home cinema installations is the lens ratio.

If you have a fixed screen size (Meaning you have limits on how big the screen can be) and you have a maximum distance that the projector can be mounted away from your screen, then you’ll need to look for a projector with the correct lens ratio.

This on-line lens ratio tool is fabulous, it allows you to enter the two values and calculate the third.

Don’t worry about what unit of measurement you’re used to working in, the tool doesn’t care if you’re working in Metres, Inches, Chains or Hands. (One for the sports fans out there)

One small word about projector (in fact any display) specifications.

Watch out for “Native” VS maximum resolution.

The projector you have linked to is listed as a 4K projector, but it’s native resolution is UHD

Maximum Resolution 4K (4096 x 2160) @ 60Hz with XPR Technology
Native Resolution UHD (3840 x 2160)

This means that you aren’t actually getting a “native” 4K image out of it, there’ll be a degree of processing within the machine.

I’ll assume that XPR Technology is something that squeezes just a few more (“Virtual”) pixels out of the DLP image generating chip.

Single 0.66″ TRP S610 4K UHD DMD DLP™ Technology by Texas Instruments

The other details to look for are the Contrast Ratio and Lumens output.

The one you’ve found suggested a

Contrast Ratio Up to 1,000,000:1 with Dynamic Black

Which is pretty good, with a light output of 3000 lumens, which is okay for a domestic projector.

It also has a HDMI V2 input so you should be good for a few years with it too :slight_smile:

I would say that if you’ve only got a small room, get the front height speakers as near to the ceiling as you can, then point them to your listening position and you’ll be fine.

If you decided that you don’t like the resulting sound, you can always add centre ceiling speakers and re-route the cable.

{But, I promise that you’ll be very happy}

Don’t worry about the rear speakers being too close, the Denon Audyssey software will take it all into account and give you a great experience.

For a 5.1.2 system, it’s the addition of height that is important, rather than the location.

Yes, “Ideally” over head would be great, but in the real world, it’s not worth the effort.

A sound element that is intended to sound as if it’s coming from directly overhead will be proportionally send to all four high speakers so that your brain thinks the sound is coming from over head.

Think of it this way, how does your brain know that a sound is coming from ahead of you, on your lower left side?

It’s not that you have a special ear at small child height, it’s because your brain processes the very delicate differences between what your left and right ears are receiving.

Useful fact, did you know that a Hawk’s ears are NON symmetrically located, which is why it’s ability to locate prey so accurately is amazing.

Now here’s a classic example that I love.

Pop some headphones on and have a listen to this pure STEREO track…

There’s a good question…

To be absolutely sure I am getting a Dolby Atmos experience, I have the cheapest of all Samsung Blu-Ray players, which is configured to output audio in raw bit stream.

I also have a Humax HD Freeview (DVB-T2) tuner, which “if” the broadcaster is transmitting the content with Dolby Atmos encoded audio, will happily pass the Bit Stream to the AVR-X amp.

I think the same applies to a Google Chromecast Ultra

Google’s premium streaming “stick” can support 4K at 60fps with HDR. A few basic audio formats can be decoded by the device, but most advanced audio formats like DTS:X and Dolby Atmos are simply passed through from the Chromecast to whatever you have it plugged into. If your receiver or sound bar support the format, it should work.

With regard to Kodi…

You’ll need to check that the PC running it can output audio in Bit Stream format, so that EVERY data bit is sent to the AVR-X for processing

As per the links that I posted earlier.

Thanks! I almost wanted to ask about this. But it seems that these projectors screen size can be a slightly modified (like zooming?) and it will fit in.

Yes I know this, but I have found this one which is not that pricey and has good parameters. Usually I only found FHD projectors for almost the same price…

I have checked that, and it seems that during passthrough Kodi passes the raw bitstream to the device. So it doesn’t convert/upscale it, rather than sending the raw data directly to the AVR.

All good then :slight_smile:

Watch out for the lens ratios from fully wide to fully zoomed, as long as somewhere in it’s range it provides a ratio that suits your screen size :wink:

I’d be very interested to know more about the HDMI output on your Kodi machine if you’re lucky enough to have a true bit stream output.

As I’d like to add something like a Kodi media player to my rig.

If one of those downloadable Dolby Atmos files plays you should be fine.

You might want to try looking at the source information on the Denon to see if it detects the audio as Dolby Atmos.

Currently your amp will try it’s best to give you an Atmos type experience.