The dual HDMI outputs on the BDP-10xAU series of players provide additional versatility in the connections you are able to make to the rest of your equipment.
The player's Dual HDMI Output setting will default Split A/V mode when two HDMI cables are connected. This will result in video being output via HDMI 1 OUT, and audio being output via HDMI 2 OUT. There are a number of reasons why you may want to consider this connection type:
1. If you have a 3D display but your AV receiver or processor is not 3D compatible, you will not be able to output a 3D signal to your television by connecting a single HDMI cable from the Blu-ray player into the AV receiver / processor, and then to the display. Rather than purchasing an entirely new AV receiver, you can make use of the player's dual HDMI outputs to split the audio and video signals. Split A/V mode will send the 3D video directly to your display via HDMI 1 OUT and the audio to your AV receiver / processor via HDMI 2 Out.
2. If your AV receiver / processor has undefeatable video processing associated with its HDMI output that you would prefer to avoid, then utilizing Split A/V mode will ensure that the video signal reaches your display device without undergoing any additional processing.
A consideration that needs to be made when using this connection type is that HDMI 1 Out will output video only, so you will need to ensure that your AV receiver / processor is turned on in order to get any audio. When Split A/V mode is enabled, there will be no audio output to your display via HDMI, so you will not be able to use your display's speakers.
Note: While HDMI 1 will only output video while Split A/V mode is active, HDMI 2 will output both an audio and video signal.