HDS-42AVR Available

Anyone notice the HDS-42AVR advertised on the home page?

Anyone buy one yet?

My 1080p plasma TV has suffered an unfortunate accident so I will be upgrading to 4K sooner rather than later but I plan to keep my 975 and will be ordering the HDS-42AVR shortly...

I am pretty sure psklenar has one he was hooking up in the last month or so.

I set up my HDS-42AVR 4K switch designed to pair with the Outlaw 975 Pre-Pro several days ago, and just yesterday I went over to Pat Sklenar's (psklenar) house to help him put up his new Sony 4K UHD HDR set onto the wall mounts. Pat got me interested in Outlaw products back in the Outlaw 1050 days.

We also got the 4K switch set up with his system. When I left his house all that was left for him to do was reprogram his Harmony remote to replace his old TV for the new one in the remote and a couple other items related to installing the switch and using multiple HDMI ports on the TV. (HDMI/ARC from the 975 and his other high speed HDMI port for video from the 4k switch)


First impressions from both of us is the switch is great. Once hooked up and configured (only real configuration is on the 975 side) it works seamlessly to get your 4K devices video onto your 4K set and the audio pumping through the 975.

When it switches devices The 975 picks up the audio format being put out by the device and displays it on the 975's display for a couple seconds and shows which speakers are being used etc.

My first note to anyone setting up the switch is to RTFM!! Read the documentation that comes with the switch and follow the directions. Most importantly is page 4 where it explains how to hook the switch to the 975. I had some initial issues getting it all to work and it was 100% my fault for not RTFM'ing and following the instructions in the documentation that came with the HDS-42AVR. A call to Outlaw tech support and they got my brain "right" (shut up Pat! <g>) and once I had followed the directions from the documentation that came with the 4k switch everything worked.

Connect the Audio Only port on the switch to HDMI1 on the 975. It also explains that all the ports you are using on the switch have to have their corresponding HDMI Input settings on the 975 set to HDMI1 for both video and audio input.
The "video" setting isn't all that important since no video will be going through the 975, but you have to set the video to that HDMI1 in order for the audio input to be set to HDMI1 for all those ports.

Put the HDMI Out on the 975 into your HDMI/ARC port on the TV. This will allow you to get audio back out of the TV for any "TV" features like built in tuner, Smart TV apps, etc and getting the audio through your 975.

Put the Pass Through out of the switch into another HDMI port on your TV. I would suggest checking your owners manual for the TV to pick the next best HDMI port. As an example my set (Vizio M60-C3) has one other HDMI port that has a higher speed capability than the other ports and that is where I connected the pass through from the switch to the TVs HDMI input.

My suggestion is to plug your 4K devices into the same port # on the switch that you had them plugged into on the 975. A) This makes it easier to remember what to set where when you're using your remote to switch devices since it is the same that you were using before.
B) if you are like myself and Pat and are using a unified remote (Harmony in our case) to do all your switching it will cut down on reconfiguring the unified remote to work with the new switch in the system and using multiple inputs on the TV.

On the subject of Non-4K devices you may have hooked to your 975 now you can put them on the switch as well. However I had an issue with my cable set top box in that the Vizio wouldn't sync the video when going through the 4k switch so I had to move that back to the 975 (where I had to set that port to autoscale from the default of native resolution).
I don't fault Outlaw for this, neither the 975 nor the switch. My cable box is an older model. I have Comcast/Xfinity and they want me to upgrade to the X1 system, but I was told if you do that all your boxes have to be X1 boxes and the X1 box doesn't work with my SageTV PC based DVR (NOT giving that up until someone pries it from my cold dead hands!!).

Pat's cable STB (Cox Cable) which is a more current model STB worked fine going through the 4K switch, so most likely yours will too but if not you can still use ports on the 975 that aren't being used on the 4K switch.

I had to fiddle with the placement of the remote IR receiver for the 4K switch (there is no built in IR receiver) to get better reception from my remote controls (both 975 remote and the Harmony). Like a lot of remote IR receivers placement may have to be experimented with for the best reception.
Initially I would suggest (per Outlaw tech support) placing the remote IR receiver right near the left hand side of the 975's display window where the 975's IR receiver is located.

Anyway. My impression of the HDS-42AVR is that it is a great addition to the 975 to get your 4K video and audio working seamlessly. And now I get to see the gorgeous 4K content on my 4K TV and all the great audio through my 975! Well worth the price of the 42AVR IMHO.

I hope this helps people decide whether to get it (If you have a 4K TV then I'd say it is a YES!), and also hopefully some of the tips I mentioned will help others in configuring it with their 975 and TV. If I have anything wrong, or left something out I'm sure someone will reply to add something I missed or correct something I may have misstated.

Yep. I've got one and after one afternoon's testing am quite pleased with it! *Much* less painful to the wallet to add this to my perfectly working 975 than to replace the 975 with a 976. I replaced a failing 1080P Vizio (early 2013) with a UHD Sony(late 2017 build).

I was going to replace my nearly 5yo Vizio with a new (2017) Vizio that SquareTrade is giving me (since the 2013 model is no longer available to replace the original TV), but the vendor they selected to provide the replacement TV sent me a DOA one and is dragging their feet on picking it up (2 weeks now) which they insist they need to do before replacing it. So I'm guessing at least 2-3 more weeks before my warranty replacement is finally here. So I went out and bought the Sony (end of model year and Super Bowl sale) and will just sell the replacement TV as NIB as soon as it arrives to help offset the higher cost of the Sony.

Anyhow the 42AVR switch setup is surprisingly easy if you read the install manual *very* carefully. I missed a couple of points initially, one of which led to my posting earlier looking for guidance on the ARC channel. The switch has six HDMI ports. Four are HDCP 2.2 inputs, one is an HDCP 2.2 output (this goes to the TV) and one is an audio only passthru that goes to the prepro or receiver. On my 975 I plugged it into port 1.

I connected the 975 Output/ARC port to the TV ARC port to 1) see the 975 menu and 2) provide audio for any TV based sources (OTA antenna, Firestick plugged into another port on the TV and any TV apps).

I unplugged all four of the devices i had originally plugged into the 975 and plugged them into the same ports on the switch that they had been on the 975 (975 port 1 to switch port 1, 975 port 2 to switch port 2, etc). I then went into the 975 menu (after switching the TV input to that ARC port) and changed all input sources other than AUX to Video HDMI 1 and Audio HDMI 1 (since that's the connection between the switch and the 975) and I then set the AUX audio to HDMI ARC (video setting doesn't really matter since AUX will merely be playing audio from the TV's other sources).

Oh, and I received mixed opinions on plugging my HD devices into the switch vs leaving them on the 975. I ended up plugging everything into the switch just to make programming the Input Sources and future upgrading easier. Both HD and UHD sources look great, no indication that there's anything extra in the signal path.

I apparently swapped 2 inputs lines by accident, so I had to update my universal remote, but everything else ... simply works!

pat----

It matters that the Video setting be left blank (----) with the audio choice set to HDMI-ARC. Otherwise there could be a handshaking conflict with the audio return.

Thanks for the good feedback. I just hit the Spend (correction: Send) button on the order.

"Spend button" I LOVE IT!

I'm about to hit the "SPEND" button on this sucker too! Thank god they released this. As much as I would have loved to just upgrade from my 975 to the 976 I just do not have the available coin to do so and this solves my 4K/TrueHD/Master Audio woes.

Sorry I haven't stopped by as frequently as I should. Life happening and all that. Hope everybody is well and enjoying their gear, of course!

Does anyone know what makes this unit unique to the 975? I would love to have one of these to stick between my Marantz 7701 and Sony 4ktv but spending another 270 bucks because I've only got an Outlaw 5000 in my system right now (long history of other Outlaw gear - 950, 1050, 990, 755, ICBM etc. - if I'm remembering my model numbers correctly) would make me feel like a bit of a sucker. No dig at Outlaw, of course, it's a great deal for their 975 owners, but at the unit's bust-out retail price I could theoretically purchase a lower-end 4k-capable receiver, heaven forbid ;-). Hoping this doesn't sound like a complaint, just wondering what makes this unit exclusive to the 975.

What makes the HDS-42 unique to the Model 975 is, it's configured with a static EDID matching that of the 975. So, it wouldn't work with other devices/processors.

Thanks Outlaw Jim! Guess I'll wait until Monoprice comes up with one!

Check out this link to see the Non-Outlaw version.
http://www.transformativeengineering.com/project/hds-42avr/

You may not know the answer to this but looking at some of the info for EDID, I am confused what the static EDID in tthe HDS-42AVR buys you.

All the video processing is between the source components and the switch and the switch and the TV. The only video flow between the 975 and the TV is it OSD.

Is this more to do with audio capabilities between the source devices and the switch that are passed off to the 975?

Just curious if you know.

It is exactly to do with the audio connection to the 975 from the HDS-42.

Thanks, I've seen that and even corresponded with Sean at Transformative. Just trying to figure out why the "generic" unit goes for $449 or so but the Outlaw version is $179. Is someone taking a bath on this unit or is it way overpriced for non-Outlaw usage?

It appears the Outlaw version will only work with the 975 vice the Transformative version works with all sorts of devices.

That's my understanding as well. Still doesn't quite explain a price difference of around 150% more (off the top of my head) for the non-Outlaw unit, unless there is some magic in the way more expensive unit that I'm missing.

The product page description could use a little tweaking to specifically say that the device does not work with non-Outlaw processors. The way it reads it can be misconstrued that while it is specifically geared towards the 975 it isn't exclusive.

Transformative Engineering has introduced an HDMI switcher that allows older processors to integrate into a 4K/UHD system. Transformative and Outlaw paired up to release an Outlaw edition of the HDS-42AVR that works with the Model 975 only to allow four 4K/UHD inputs!

Because the Outlaw version is limited in scope. It ONLY works with the 975 so it costs less as it has less functionality in the larger marketplace.

Respectfully, still not buying into that as an explanation for such a HUGE price difference. Not looking for an argument, just my opinion. Just for fun, here's a "switch" I can get for $449 that does one or two other things as well (yes, I know it's a refurb, but still...).
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-...receiver/1.html
I think I may have been wrong once or twice in my life, so I'll go ahead and assume this might be the third time. ;-)

What other explanation could there be for the price difference?

I don't know, maybe the manufacturer has identified a need and is just taking advantage of the fact that it is seemingly the only switch of its' kind on the market and in turn tacking on a huge markup? Kudos to them. I don't blame them for charging this much, especially if they can get folks to pay it. Supply and demand and all that. It seems that at some point there will be competition, and when that occurs prices will come down, sort of like any other piece of gear. I'll wait, even though my current ARC/HDMI set-up is somewhat less than seamless.

Are there any firmware updates available. Suddenly mine has stopped working all together. I've tried power cycling the unit both with the whole system on, and with it all off as well.

Nothing else in my setup has changed, all still the same equipment and as far was I know nothing else has updated. The TV updated its firmware, but that was several months ago and it was working fine until just the last few days.

If this is still occurring, please reach out to us and open up a support ticket at support.outlawaudio.com