Yeah, you are certainly not alone in wanting this. I was thinking about this the other day, actually - it's only been recently that I was able to reduce the number of disc players in my system to two (one of which was there as a DVD recorder, mostly time-shifting using a built-in hard drive and rarely using the DVD drive). Since then, I've already jumped back up to four players (granted, one is there to assist in occasional beta testing for OPPO, but still...). If I do get a Blu-ray player, it would rise to five players. The idea of paring things back to a single "jack of all trades" player is appealing.

Just saw a spot for that new Samsung Dual Player at the local Best Buy. None on the shelf though. $799.00

Nice price - hadn't expected to see them at all before mid-December, and if they are going to be $800 at retail, one would think that some online dealers will have them for closer to $700.

As noted above, have been keeping my eye out for the Sammy myself. Have not seen any on any of the web sites (including the Best Buy site - they still have only the 2 LG units shown, and they are no-gos for me). Have three DVD players right now - the Sony BDP-S500, a vanilla standard DVD recorder and (coming Wednesday) a Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD unit. Having only two would be nice. Hope the Onkyo 805 works out as a pre-pro - won't know that until at least this weekend. It has 3 1.3 HDMI inputs, which works for me right now.

OK. I cheated a bit. Got in the Tosh A-35 and swapped out the Sony BDP-S500 for a Panasonic DMPBD30K. Have played some and the following are my initial impressions. Remember, no measurements, objective criteria, etc. - this is my and my family's completely subjective impressions of the Onkyo TX-SR-805 used as a pre-pro with my Outlaw 770 for HT (We do not use the system for pure audio much at all).

Both players send Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD-MA through HDMI bitstream. Nothing in DTS-HD MA yet to check out with the Tosh (played Batman Begins for Dolby TrueHD), but played Eragon this afternoon on the Panny. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA confirmed on the front panel of the Onkyo during playback.

The Onkyo TX-SR-805 is connected to my Outlaw 770 via pre-outs. The Panny, the Tosh and my Cox HD cable box are connected via 1.3a HDMI cables through the Onkyo and another 1.3 HDMI to the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 display (1080i input/1080p display).

Used the Audyssey setup for calibration. Worked like a charm. Had to up the center output a few notches to accommodate wife with trouble hearing center channel (not b/c of the Onkyo - same with the 990 due to some hearing issues - nothing major - she is cute as hell so hearing issue not a deal breaker).

No lip-sync issues with either disk. Wife is my litmus test for my HT audio comparisons. She confirmed my initial subjective impressions. The soundstage is solid- the sound is "crisper" to our ears - no harshness in the high or mids - very clean, and the voices through the center channel are especially clean and understandable. Bass is deep and tight. Separation is wonderful as well.

The startup time on the Panny is extremely quick - not as fast as standard DVD but light years ahead of the Tosh and my previous Sony BD players.

Picture quality is as perfect as I have seen on my display. I do not let the Onkyo do any processing from any source. The cable looks like - well ... cable on standard sources. On the HD channels, the picture is stellar.

So far, I am both pleased and surprised by the Onkyo's performance in my setup. I was frankly prepared not to like it. The only reason I went out and bought the Onkyo is that I was able to pick it up for a song and a dance at Circuit City (yes, Circuit City) for $629.00 during their incredible 4 hour sale last Sunday that I happened to stumble upon by accident. My 990 has been a terrific part of my system. It is still a terrific unit and a great buy! However, if nothing else changes, the Onkyo has a home here.

It does run HOT - even with the amps not being actively utilized. However, it occupies the top shelf of one of my equipment racks and ventilation in not a problem. It is not so hot that it bothers me, just hot compared to the 990 after running for a while.

Hope this is at least mildly interesting to some as I know it is not a detailed report on spec performance, measured performance, etc.

In sum - so far - I like it a lot!

Mike

Thanks for the report! Even though I'll remain without HDMI v1.x inputs on my processor for the time being, I may still jump on a BD30 before the year is out.

Thanks for the report Mike. The fact that the TX-SR-805 runs hot may be a deal breaker if I was to replace the 990. I have the 990 in pretty tight quarters in my rack.

I do have a question. While flipping through channels on your HD cable box does the audio start decoding right away or is there a moment where there is a picture but no sound? I know this can be a slight annoyance with even very expensive pre/pros and receivers.

OK, one more question for anyone. How much are we missing if we don’t have the equipment to take advantage of Dolby TrueHD?

Hi, Daryl. Yes, it does have a short delay when going through channels. Not enough to bother me, but it is noticeable on my setup.

It does run hot, but I would not classify it as dangerously so. I think there is a recommended clearance for the receiver on the top and sides. I can check that if you'd like tonight.

If you could get the recomended clearance. Does it have a 12 volt trigger to turn on the amp?

Interesting question - mgdurand and I were just discussing that via PM the other day. The 805 does not have a 12v trigger for the main zone. Instead it has a switched 120v outlet, which is not as convenient as a 12v trigger but can be used with some power conditioners to switch multiple outlets.