Originally posted by petrdel
Does anyone know where I can find the "Mac Region Free Hack ISO" for the Zenith DVB318? I followed the link in the facts- but I still can't find it. When I burn the PC hack on my mac the player doesn't read the disk.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Maybe try to burn the CD on a PC. What is in the CD (folder name, file name and size) that does not work?

Originally posted by scooterboy
Whoa! What do you mean by "the updated version"? That it won't upconvert to 1080i through component? If so, I'm cancelling my order.
My guess is anything shipped before Labor Day will be the "non-updated firmware" equipment, based on all the posts found in this thread.

I ordered mine 10 days ago, with a one week arrival date (tomorrow). When I tried to order another one today (for testing), I didn't see these kinds of 30 day shipping dates, rather, they were set for 2 weeks (late August). THE SHIPPING METHOD GOVERNS THE SHIPPING DATE AND DELIVERY DATE. If you use the "free" shipping, it can take upwards of 2-3 weeks. If you use "standard" or the other shipping mthods, such as 2-day, the delivery date drops down to a much earlier date.

There is also some question as to whether or not the existing "hack" for region-free can also work with the new firmware upgrade - the jury is out. This means that no one really knows (as of today) that the component upconvert will have to remain disabled under the new firmware anyway.

Originally posted by scooterboy
Damn - I thought I had been keeping up with this thread. Can you be more specific as to which posts indicate that the new firmware will be in factory units by Labor Day?
That's a best guess only based on a "guestimate" from a Zenith rep, when asked the question in early August. There is no firm date on the new firmware delivery.

Yeah, I've been trying to keep up myself.

I am only assuming it will be the new firmware based on my ship date. It is very far away, I even went back into my account and changed the shipping method, it only shaved of a few days.

I am going to wait a day or so and see if they update my ship date, if not I will have to cancel and order from a place that I cannot return.

Then if I get a buggy one then it will be useless.

Anyone who orders the DVB318 from anyplace at this time should be fine.

The firmware upgrade is still in beta, and anything already manufactured and in stock for shipping should not be affected.

I hope so. Just ordered at Amazon as well (for $159). I am probably behind some of you folks, so I will wait and see if we get the new firmware or not before deciding on cancelling.............

Originally posted by IMO
Details, details. OK. The size of the zoom increments depends on how quickly you tap the arrow buttons on your remote. The longer you press the button the more it zooms. I did some tests tapping the button as quickly or lightly as I could to find the maximum number of zoom increments. YMMV.

non-anamorphic 1.85, tap "up" arrow max 7 times for proper aspect ratio with no bars on top and bottom.

non-anamorphic 2.35, tap "up" arrow max 9 times for proper aspect ratio, but as such bars would remain on top and bottom, but you could zoom more to get rid of them, see below...

anamorphic 2.35, tap "up" and "right" arrows max 5 times each to fill your 16:9 widescreen display and maintain proper geometry (but not OAR) resulting in no bars on top or bottom, but some image cropped off the sides.

P.S. Above assumes player is set for 16:9 tv, and with a 16:9 tv. Don't know if it makes a difference...

Does this work over the DVI connection? I'm trying to find out if the 318 supports zoom over DVI in order to fill a 16:9 screen with a non-anamorphic letterboxed picture - both for 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 letterboxes.

Originally posted by jkzahn
I hope so. Just ordered at Amazon as well (for $159). I am probably behind some of you folks, so I will wait and see if we get the new firmware or not before deciding on cancelling.............
If you're willilng to pay for quicker shipping, select one of the other shipping options (range from $8.63 standard to ??? for overnight), you can get it quicker. I ordered via standard, and it's being deliverd tomorrow (8 days).

You can change your shipping method until the shipping date arrives itself. Then you're "locked in".

Originally posted by shanec
Does this work over the DVI connection? I'm trying to find out if the 318 supports zoom over DVI in order to fill a 16:9 screen with a non-anamorphic letterboxed picture - both for 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 letterboxes.
More important, once you set this up, does it hold that configuration?

I just upgraded to 2 day shipping (~$10), and only gained a couple of days. Oh well...

I know there are tons of info on this, but can someone give me a quick summary on what I can expect from this DVD player via component?

What problems I can expect (look for), simple/basic tweaks?

like is it true that upconverting a 4:3 movie will stretch it and I will have no option to watch it 4:3? Is there a way around this?

Thanks, sorry but my head hurts from all the info on this forum!!! lol

And it looks like I must order this player very very soon if I want to be able to upconvert via component.

Thanks again!!!

This DVD player does not do any stretching at all the people having problems with 4x3 stretching are people whose TV's automaticly set the aspect ratio to 16x9 when a 720p or a 1080i input resolution is detected. Sony TV's are one brand that has this problem however you can shut off the 1080i enhanced mode on the Sony's in the service menu. Then it will display 4x3 correctly someone else was having the same kind of problem with a Toshiba RP TV I do not know if he was able to disable the TV's automatic aspect change with 1080i or 720p inputs. Some people have had a problem with green saturation over component since this player seems to use a HD color standard for the 1080i and 720p resolution vs the NTSC color standard however on my unit with my Sony KV40XBR800 I have not had the green saturation problem. Those are about the only issues I have heard about with the upconverted output over component. The picture is absolutly stunning on my Sony at 1080i over component it seems the limiting aspect is the transfer quality of the DVD a poor quality DVD transfer really shows just how bad it is where a good transfer will look stunning. This DVD player also does not like a hot enviroment or any weight on top of it some people have had lockup problems due to heat issues or weight on the top of the player. I have put about 50-60 disks though my 318 sofar without any problems its a great player for my system.

Originally posted by shanec
Does this work over the DVI connection? I'm trying to find out if the 318 supports zoom over DVI in order to fill a 16:9 screen with a non-anamorphic letterboxed picture - both for 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 letterboxes. Yes, the zoom works over DVI and component. You will be able to correct non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs.

And to answer HDTVFAN0001

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001
More important, once you set this up, does it hold that configuration? No, it does not hold the Zoom configuration. It stays as long as the DVD is playing (usually). Press the Stop button or turn the unit off and it resets to no Zoom. And personally, I believe that is a good thing.

Peters62

Thanks for that info, I don't believe my tv (JVC HD-ILA) forces the stretch, allthough I really don't know. I have a button on my remote that lets you choose what stretch mode you want to view and from what I can recall when you have an HD signal, these modes actually change names.

One other issue I remember reading about were white lines via 1080i, is this a common issue or just here and there?

TIA!!!!

That was a problem on some Sony TV viewing 1080i they would have a faint white line moving across the screen like a ghost image also some projectors had some problems with a white line on one of the edges. The problem on the Sony TV is with the TV not the DVD player they have to change some setting in the service menu or in some cases change one of the circuit boards to correct. I think the other white line problem was just with front projectors.

my Sony tv had the faint white line scrolling across the screen, never noticed it until I started using the Zenith dvd player over dvi.

the fix is posted on the directview forum for the sony tv's. Fortunately, my tv has the correct "B" board, so I just made the changes in the Sony service menu. Ever since I made the simple changes the white line disappeared.

Where can I find a model that does have the upconversion feature over component for sure?

Are there any other DVD players on the market that have upconversion to HD over component?

Any Zenith 318 with a build date of March 04 or eariler will upconvert over component however you will have to hurry. It has been rummored that the new beta firmware update is about ready to be implemented on newly manufactured 318's. If the store has it currently in stock you should be OK there is another thread talking about other DVD player that upconvert over component you can check out http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=435800

peters62

Thank you very much for all of your help. I ordered the DVB318 from gauchners (spelling?).

I should have it next week sometime, I can't wait to test it out. I am just nervous about the 4:3 stretching and the green, but hopefully (fingers crossed) I will not have any of these problems and have great DVD viewing via component and my HD DVR box via DVI to HDMI.

Thanks again for all of your help!!!!

I have been playing around with Amazon and it seems that even if you go with the 1 day shipping, the estimated ship date is between September 17th and October 1st...which leads me to believe that it will have the firmware upgrade.

need some input. i bought the 318 with a build date of December 2003. a buddy wanted one so i just ordered his and it arrived with a build date of March 2004.

i had emailed Zenith about the firmware update for mine with a build date of Dec 2003 and the reply stated that there is NO firmware update for the 318.

what gives? i am not interested in the firmware update if i am going to lose the upconversion. need some input, TIA!

The Dec 2003 and the Mar 2004 will have the same firmware there has not been a firmware update yet its currently in beta testing with rumors of being implemented on new units currently being produced very soon. I am sure after they start making the new units with the updated firmware it will be release to the public so you could update your unit yourself if you wish. However if you do update with the new firmware when its released assuming its the same as the current beta firmware you will loose the ability to upconvert macrovision DVD's over component a very bad thing in my opinion.

XBR23,

Actually, the December and March units do have different firmware. The units from March (February for the LG7832) have the updated firware that partially rectified the DVI white crush. On the units from March, only two of the 4 squares on the THX optimizer video tests are not clearly distinguishable from eachother. Overall, the units from March are the best compromise as the slight white crush over DVI is not evident during movies and you still have 1080i over component video. With the forthcoming firmware you will get DVI white crush completely fixed but loose component video scalling (you pick what means more to you).

Personally, I have a DVI input so I have currently hooked mine up through DVI (LG7832 - February) but I may switch it over to component once HD-DVD comes out if the first generation of players not upconvert.

julkruk,

With respect to 4:3 strech, it's only a problem if you like to watch 4x3 in OAR. For the purpose of burn in I have always watched 4x3 material on my RPTV using a stretch mode. If like to strech 4x3 material to fill your screen than this unit fits the bill as it's zoom modes can be used to customize exactly how much vertical stretch you want. If on the other hand you like to watch your 4x3 material in OAR then you will have to switch the player to 480p to regain aspect control on your tv (most tv's work this way). Then again, if the 4x3 material you're watching is old tv shows then due to the source material the upconversion at 1080i will likely go unnoticed anyway.

Originally posted by EVT

Actually, the December and March units do have different firmware. The units from March (February for the LG7832) have the updated firware that partially rectified the DVI white crush.
Could you post your firmware version number? So far we only saw two different version number. All Dec and Mar build seem to have the same version number and Michael TLV has a new beta version number.

Are the green undersaturation and HD Color Matrix issues only on component input? Are they working properly over DVI?

The green undersaturation issue is due to the HD Color Matrix being used over the component connection since most TV's expect a NTSC siginal over component connections that causes the problem if your TV uses the HD Color Matrix for component connections you will not have a green undersaturation problem. Honestly I have yet to see the green undersaturation problem with my Sony KV-40xbr800 using component connections I have checked with DVE and the green look right on for my TV.

Greetings

Generally, this is something seen on test patterns and not on real life material.

I don't know about you, but real life material is what counts for me.

Regards

I think you have it the other way. 318 use SD color matrix for 1080i component output and most TV use HD color matrix for 1080i input (whether it is DVI or component). So the workaround is to change your TV to use SD color matrix for 1080i component input. Lirong, this info can be found in the linked thread in FAQ, you can find detail information there.

Fair enough. Good point Michael.

So then I ask, is there any reason that the DVI picture would look any better than Component picture on this unit for an RPTV display?

Even putting aside potential White Crush issue, it doesnt sound like there should be a reason for DVI to be better...

Thanks CY. I remember this issue altough I think the workaround was for SONYs if I remember correctly? I have a Toshiba.

Also, wont this then interfere with the PQ fom my DirecTV HD box?

Actually you have it backwards. The 318 outputs the SDTV matrix via component and if your tv is expecting the HDTV matrix you get green undersaturation. However, the DVI port outputs the HDTV matrix.

Check this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=411532 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=411532&goto=newpost) for a more in-depth explanation.

FWIW, my sony 32hs500 has this 'problem' over component and is corrected via DVI. My tv is expecting the HDTV color matrix, but it is receiving SDTV. I use DVI since the white crush it not noticeable with my small tube tv and the color spaces match.

peters62, I don't want to sound antagonistic, but I highly doubt your greens are correct over component - unless you changed the MTRX item in the service menu. Cheers,

Greetings

On a CRT based RPTV, there is no guarantee that DVI is automatically better.

Digital to Analog (component) ... to TV ... Displays Analog Image

Digital to Digital (DVI) ... to TV ... Digital to Analog conversion to display analog image.

Maybe the TV does a better job, maybe it doesn't. You have to use your own eyes to decide that.

Regards

Originally posted by lirong
Thanks CY. I remember this issue altough I think the workaround was for SONYs if I remember correctly? I have a Toshiba.

Also, wont this then interfere with the PQ fom my DirecTV HD box? It is the same workaround (change from HD color matrix to SD color matrix), you just need to find it in your Toshiba service menu. If this change affects all component inputs, I guess you could use DVI for HD box.

jBird04

I actually did change the setting in the service menu at the same time I did the change to eliminate the scrolling white line on 1080i inputs for the Sony so my greens are correct with DVE. Its nice to have a popular TV that everyone has pretty much had the problme before with and found the fix.

thanks for the input. since i had both a DEC and a March build date in my possesion i tried to get the firm ware information as described on page 1 of this thread. it did not work for either machine. i did the menu, highlight 16:9, enter 1397139 and select. nothing happened. did i do something wrong? since i have both machine i can verify fireware. post up if i did something obviously wrong.

TIA

It should work, maybe try do it in front of remote sensor to make sure it reads everything you entered

ok, tried both of them again and i was forgetting to press select after the numbers.....douh!

DEC 03 BUILD
MODEL: ZV700I1
REGION: 1
CHIPID: STM5589CUT2.1
SERVO VER: 005D
GUI VER: V1.70
PANEL VER: V2.03
MICOM VER: V1.90
PROM OPTION: 55 53 00 47 16 55 60 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

MARCH 04 BUILD
MODEL: ZV700I1
REGION: 1
CHIPID: STM5589CUT1.2
SERVO ID: 005D
GUI VER: V1.70
PANEL VER: V2.03
MICOM VER: V1.90
PROM OPTION: 55 53 00 47 16 55 60 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

only difference was the CHIPID numbers. i double checked and the Dec 03 had CUT 2.1 and the March 04 had CUT 1.2

both have white crush using the THX optimizer on the Hildalgo DVD playing on a Sony KDF-60XBR950 running on the DVI input using the supplied DVI cable.

thoughts?

If anyone can shed some light on this for me please do.

My tv unfotunately locks to full screen while watching non-widescreen dvds upconverted. I am ok with this, I knew it could happen.

But my question is, will this cause the quality of the picture to suffer? (I am using component)

The reason I ask is because I watched Nemo, widescreen, with the Zenith set to 1080i and the picture was unbelievable, it was amazing. No artifacts no motion blurs, no nothing.

Then I put int Star Wars AOTC non widescreen and there was tons of motion blurs during scene panning, and the quality just did not seem to be there. So was this caused by the stretching of the screen?

To answer walks questions

I think the 480p out on the Zenith is not so good and I dont think the dcdi chip will be used.

I think the momistsu or the bravo does the pillarbox correctly.

Originally posted by julkruk
My tv unfotunately locks to full screen while watching non-widescreen dvds upconverted. I am ok with this, I knew it could happen.

But my question is, will this cause the quality of the picture to suffer? (I am using component)

The reason I ask is because I watched Nemo, widescreen, with the Zenith set to 1080i and the picture was unbelievable, it was amazing. No artifacts no motion blurs, no nothing.

Then I put int Star Wars AOTC non widescreen and there was tons of motion blurs during scene panning, and the quality just did not seem to be there. So was this caused by the stretching of the screen?
The answer is no. The DVD player is not doing any extra processing in this situation. It is simply putting the 720x480 DVD image out just like it was for the anamorphic Finding Nemo. Same number of pixels per image on the DVD, same 1080i video timing. I assume you still used 1080i output for viewing the non-widescreen AOTC, correct? So if everything else was kept the same between viewing the 2 DVDs, then any difference you saw would have been in the DVD authoring.

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001
DCDi is not used for 480P output. Oh? Then why do DVD players that only have 480p as their highest resolution output also have DCDi? When does it get used? Or am I getting comfused again as to which function DCDi is performing?

OK, so what is performing the de-interlacing? It was my understanding that this unit used a combined chip that performed both deinterlacing *and* upscaling. Sorry, but since DCDi stands for "Directional Correlational Deinterlacing", I have my doubts about your answer. Why in the world would this unit have Faroudja DCDi and *not* use it for 480p? My understanding was that 480p is inferior on this unit, at least in part, because of video delay issues as shown on the Secrets tests.

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001
Because the media is native 480p and DCDi would do little to "enhance" the image. It becomes far more important when you increase to 720p and 1080i to maintain image integrity, which is why this chipset is found on mid-higher end projectors as well that show in 720p and/or 1080i.
EXCUSE ME! You are incorrect!!

The native media is 480i for all normal DVD's.

The DCDi chip is deinterlacing to 480p. The 480p anomolies you refer to are y/c delay, not as noticeable at 1080i.

Some of us need to go back to school....

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html

Or this link:

DCDi by Faroudja (http://www.gnss.com/dcdi.phtml)

So why do you like that section? And do you still think DCDi is not used to de-interlace to 480p?

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001

Any progressive scan DVD player can do the conversion, and DCDi is not needed to perform this, nor is it found in most units. It's an upgraded filtering chipset that cleans up the signal for higher resolutions as to retain the integrity of the image. Again, this is why you see DCDi chipsets featured in the most expensive DVD players and front-projectors.

The DVB318 is an anomoly - it is lower priced, but still contains the DCDi chipset for upconverted images. [/B]

I don't know if I completely agree (but then again, what do I know). Any progressive scan DVD player has a deinterlacing chip to convert the DVD image from 480i to 480p. This function is EXACTLY what the DCDi chip from Faroudja does. The DCDi chip is in other progressive scan DVD players that do not upconvert the image and is used only for deinterlacing. It was my understanding that the DCDi chip both deinterlaces AND scales (upconverts) the image in the Zenith. If the DCDi chip is not doing the deinterlacing, there would need to be another chip (Silicon Image, etc) to do this. Check out this link to the Secrets review of the Zenith where it is clearly indicated that the Faroudja DCDi chip (FLI-2310) is the DEINTERLACER chip used... Secrets Review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=118#ZenithDVB-318%20DVI) . If you scroll down, they note the Zenith at 480P and 720P use the Faroudja chip.

Then again... I'm no expert...

Sorry HDTVFAN0001, but that's not how your posts came across. Not to me at least. You are correct that the DCDi chipsets (there's more than one) by Faroudja are not the only de-interlacers made, but you made a pretty blanket statement that it was not used to de-interlace in the DV-318 when outputting 480p. Also note that technically, 480p is an HDTV resolution: at least in the sense that it is higher resolution than NTSC's 480i.

Also your statement Since there are numerous posts indicating that the 480p picture is average at best, while 720p and 1080i are super, it makes no sense to assume the same chipset is performing all of these (two image settings are great and one poor with the same chipset???). doesn't really make sense. It makes perfect sense to assume a manufacturer would only use one de-interlacer. Two would increase the cost of the unit unnecessarily. Also, note that the de-intelacer is only one part of the chain of devices that impact image quality. The mpeg decoder is another, and for component output, the quality of the analog output stages would also come into play.

I also disagree that it's likely the DCDi is bypassed for 480p. More than likely the poor(er) picture quality is due to the Y/C delay as measured by Secrets.

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001
We're on the same page. My point was that this is not the only chipset that performs this task, and it's one of the more expensive ones. The text I highlighted was that the INTENT of this conversion was for the HDTV realm, and not 480i to 480p DVD upconverts (although, as you pointed out correctly), it certainly can do that too.
I note you have now deleted your post that started all this.

First of all, read the Secrets report. Also, the DCDi chip is used for the deiterlacing to 480p in this player. 480i to 480p is deinterlacing, not "upconverts."

It is also used to upconvert after the delinterlacing, and to interlace back after the upconvert.

Since there are numerous posts indicating that the 480p picture is average at best, while 720p and 1080i are super, it makes no sense to assume the same chipset is performing all of these (two image settings are great and one poor with the same chipset???).
Well, it may not make sense to you, but then your posts are not making much sense to us either. Read the Secrets review again and you will better understand why there is a difference in the resolution results. Don't assume. It's y/c delay.

Oh, and you can also open your unit and count the chips too, but that was covered long ago.

Originally posted by BK EH
I note you have now deleted your post that started all this...

Oh, and you can also open your unit and count the chips too, but that was covered long ago.
The reduced/deleted posts was in respect to the thread creater trying to reduce the number in this thread (redundant discussions).

Since I wouldn't open my unit, I'll have to take your word on it that the image goes through on everything, including 480p (it still makes no sense for a 480p image so poor while the 720p and 1080i is so fine all from the same chipset, but there's no sense in be-laboring that point).

Just bought this DVD player from gochnauers.com(thanks to this thread) and had it up & running last night. I have it hooked up to DVI on my Sony 50" GWIII & set at 1080i. While watching the first movie(The 5th Element) after calibrating, I completely lost picture for about 10 seconds-the screen filled with white noise which also seemed to contain some colored noise to a lesser degree. I never lost audio & the picture returned & stayed normal. I even re-wound back to the part it occurred at, but it did not do it again. I was not touching/adjusting anything at the time.
Has anyone ever had this problem?!? Any ideas? :confused:

CHeck to make sure the player is not too close to a hot amp or reciever (Cable or dish STB, they get hot too). Also people have reported that if you stack something ontop of the player it can cause issues like that. Those are the only two reasons I have heard and moving / cooling the player (location, etc..) worked for several people.

Don't suppose it was the Mangalores disrupting the tranmission... (just watched 5th Element again myself a few nights ago). :)

That sounds like a new one. I don't remember anyone posting on AVS with that particular problem.

Edited: I would follow Beaker's suggestion if it applies. Never a good idea to put anything above or below a DVD player.

Originally posted by wmallory
Don't suppose it was the Mangalores disrupting the tranmission... (just watched 5th Element again myself a few nights ago). :) - lol, possibly.


Hmmm, it's not directly stacked below or above any other device.
It's on it's own glass shelf about 6 inches or so below my Comcast HD Cable box which also sits on it's own shelf.
Guess I'll just have to wait to see if it does it again & go from there. I just may move it even further away from the cable box. Thanks for the quick replies.

I hope (and I am sorry if I did) I did not cause any confusion, I have read on this forum that 480p on the Zenith is not so good, and I said I dont think the dcdi is used, but I thought that had to do with upconversion andeven if it does, I am still unsure. But for whatever the reason, 480p doesnt look so hot.

When I choose the upconvert settins, the zenith screen changes in quality, and the quality of it on 480p was horrible.

I leave mine on at 1080i at all times. Don't see any point in going down, really...

If I watch a 4:3 DVD, I throw my TV to 4:3 and I'm set. Very simple. ;)

That's nice for you, but it doesn't work like that on 16:9 TVs that "lock in full/16:9 mode" when fed a HD signal.

Guess I will keep my old player around, or just watch 4:3 DVDs in the bedroom. Or worst comes to worst, I can use my PC and S-video output.. most 4:3 TV shows look better in Interlaced anyway, being that they were interlaced originally (MST3K actually looks pretty bad in progressive, the shadowramma exhibits nasty comb artifacts when it's de-interlaced, and this is with a DCDi doing the work mind you (Denon 910).

same here!

^^ Sounds like a plan. Kinda glad I stayed with a 4:3 TV at this rate...

well I do like my Sony Wega 36" XBR800 HDTV. having both is cool.

Originally posted by bruman
well I do like my Sony Wega 36" XBR800 HDTV. having both is cool.

Winner.

Originally posted by Beaker1024
CHeck to make sure the player is not too close to a hot amp or reciever (Cable or dish STB, they get hot too). Also people have reported that if you stack something ontop of the player it can cause issues like that. Those are the only two reasons I have heard and moving / cooling the player (location, etc..) worked for several people.

yep, that will do it...but I had Zenith replace mine anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Originally posted by shaggnasty
yep, that will do it...but I had Zenith replace mine anyway, just to be on the safe side.
So, your saying yours did the same thing as mine?!? :confused:

BTW, watched another movie & no problems...yet.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fredline
So, your saying yours did the same thing as mine?!? :confused:

BTW, watched another movie & no problems...yet. [/QUOTE

yeah, that was vague...

mine does the same thing but it was in a cabinet with my receiver and I had my Dish box underneath it. I took it out of the cabinet and that seemed to work.

Definitely give this thing plenty of breathing room!

I setup wooden blocks to hold it higher off my glass shelf. They are made from some nice 1x2" cut to a full lenght front and two smaller "feet" for the back which are wrapped in black electrical tape to look really nice / shinny black. I only have about 1" under that glass shelf to the top of my Pioneer Elite 45tx receiver (I have a fan system for it but that 1" air and glass shelf gets really hot). With the Zenith being a super thin case it was no problem at all to have it lifted off the shelf another inch.

I have watched Finding Nemo and Shrek back to back and not had any issues with the player.

Does the march firmware (not the beta one comming) address anything but the DVI white crush? The thing I'm much more interested in is the left and right cropping black bar thing.

Obviously I'm not going to give up 1080i over component for it (because it would become useless for my Infocus X1), but if that in-between March revision gets rid of those dang black bars it would certainly be worth buying.

I have a friend right now who's having the green saturation issues over a BenQ projector via component with the 318. Was a solution ever found for that issue?

personally the green saturation and other problems are minor with this unit. really its not even an issue.

now the cropping is another story.

Originally posted by bruman
personally the green saturation and other problems are minor with this unit. really its not even an issue.

now the cropping is another story.
I'd agree with that...hope the new firmware addresses that issue....

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
I have a friend right now who's having the green saturation issues over a BenQ projector via component with the 318. Was a solution ever found for that issue? It's correctable if his projector can be told to use the SD color matrix instead of the HD color matrix. Just like locking aspect ratio with HD signals, some TVs (like mine aaargh!!!!) lock to HD color matrix when presented with 720p or 1080i. His projector may allow control via normal menu or it might require accessing the service menu.

If he can't switch in his projector, the other option is to put two adjustable attenuators (available from Radio Shack, etc.) in line with the Cb and Cr cables. By reducing the level of these signals and then boosting color saturation, you can boost the green saturation and thus correct for the undersaturation. This is how I've corrected for it.

I have to slightly disagree with bruman and HDTVFAN001. It is an issue, although a fairly minor one. I did notice the green undersaturation. It is subtle but noticeable.

All, I've been trying to find this post 2104. Anyone have the instrucstions for SVCD?

Sorry I'm new here..

1. EEPROM needs to be modified to support SVCD, the instruction is in post 2104.

d-fan

try this post in the 'other' 318 thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3803149#post3803149

Gochnauer's is out of stock. DynaDirect won't answer. Amazon is waiting for the new firmware. I want component upscale. Any other sources?

it was like me when I was looking for a Panny RP-82, I missed the boat.

put your order in at Gochnauers and pray.

I ordered mine from dynadirect on tue 8/23.Just checked status and it is in the next town over from me @ fedex to be delivered monday...:D :D :D

Gochnauers told me they had more coming in "5 days", that was Tues or so.. and they *should* have the old firmware.

Then again if they have DVI white crush fixed but nerfed component output, I would use DVI and switch the cable box to component - the PQ is nearly the same on the cable box whether using DVI or component so WTF.

Shows how stupid the whole thing is..... Ok I can get HDTV and record it on my Comcast DVR but I can't get up-scaled 480i DVD via component?

GOOD THINKING THERE HOLLYWOOD. YEAH GOOD JOB STOPPING PIRATES, YOU GUYS *ROCK*!!
:D

Hey guys,

havent posted since i got my 318. Unfortunately, mine came defective right out of the box(build date of march 2004). It would take 5 to 9 tries just to read a single dvd. I tried every major studio's dvd (just in case it was due to encoding or something) and the same problem. I tried to live with it, but then I started noticing some horizontal lines appearing in the picture (hundreds of them) during bright scenes, and warping lines on solid browns (the brother bear looked hideous, and so did his family). * I suggest you Try that dvd on your units to confirm everything is ok, though not for its picture quality, just to make sure it doesnt have any problems.*

The last straw happened during a "finding Nemo" viewing when during the beginning pixar logo, I saw lines everywhere!! and alot of warping lines moving on the bottom of the screen(seperate issue I guess) These lines wouldnt appear all the time, just on certain scenes. Somes scenes looked beautiful, others I could see the lines in the sky or sea background. I thought they were power related but I tried several different ways and even seperated my unit from the rest of my components and still the same problem. These lines only appeared during movie viewings, not during the zenith logo screen, and only in 1080i mode.Tried seperate cables too, still the same problem (i was using component b.t.w.). So I just sent it back yesterday in hopes of getting a replacement before the new ones come (ordered from amazon.com) and i got an email saying that they are no longer getting any more. Their email said:

Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.

"Please accept our sincere apologies for this situation. Normally, in
such circumstances we would create a replacement order, to be shipped
to you as soon as possible at no additional charge. In this case,
unfortunately, we are unable to replace the item as it is now
unavailable from our supplier. "

So now I'm left without a unit! Want to try that Gochnauer site but it looks questionable. I sent him an email for price on the unit and to confirm that it has the old firmware or not. If anybody could explain to me how the ordering process goes about,what shipping is used, satisfaction level etc. that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance, and I hope everyone the best of luck on getting this unit and keeping it performing well. Despite my bad experience, I did notice a good improvement in picture quality before it started going bad. A scene that pinpointed that something was starting to go wrong was in kill bill 2, when in the beginning 2 days, I could clearly read the headstone name of Paula Schultz in the picture, then all of a sudden I couldnt, and it was "noisy" and not as detailed anymore. Could the de-interlacer have given out on me? who knows

That's just bad luck. Lots of it. I hope you at least got a refund so you can restart towards whatever else you want to do. Defective units are unavoidable in any line of electronics, and yet again...retailers keep running out of these things because Zenith is behind on the high demand for the unit.

Good luck!

Originally posted by redcrow100
Hey guys,

havent posted since i got my 318. Unfortunately, mine came defective right out of the box(build date of march 2004). It would take 5 to 9 tries just to read a single dvd. I tried every major studio's dvd (just in case it was due to encoding or something) and the same problem. I tried to live with it, but then I started noticing some horizontal lines appearing in the picture (hundreds of them) during bright scenes, and warping lines on solid browns (the brother bear looked hideous, and so did his family). * I suggest you Try that dvd on your units to confirm everything is ok, though not for its picture quality, just to make sure it doesnt have any problems.*

The last straw happened during a "finding Nemo" viewing when during the beginning pixar logo, I saw lines everywhere!! and alot of warping lines moving on the bottom of the screen(seperate issue I guess) These lines wouldnt appear all the time, just on certain scenes. Somes scenes looked beautiful, others I could see the lines in the sky or sea background. I thought they were power related but I tried several different ways and even seperated my unit from the rest of my components and still the same problem. These lines only appeared during movie viewings, not during the zenith logo screen, and only in 1080i mode.Tried seperate cables too, still the same problem (i was using component b.t.w.). So I just sent it back yesterday in hopes of getting a replacement before the new ones come (ordered from amazon.com) and i got an email saying that they are no longer getting any more. Their email said:

Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.

"Please accept our sincere apologies for this situation. Normally, in
such circumstances we would create a replacement order, to be shipped
to you as soon as possible at no additional charge. In this case,
unfortunately, we are unable to replace the item as it is now
unavailable from our supplier. "

So now I'm left without a unit! Want to try that Gochnauer site but it looks questionable. I sent him an email for price on the unit and to confirm that it has the old firmware or not. If anybody could explain to me how the ordering process goes about,what shipping is used, satisfaction level etc. that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance, and I hope everyone the best of luck on getting this unit and keeping it performing well. Despite my bad experience, I did notice a good improvement in picture quality before it started going bad. A scene that pinpointed that something was starting to go wrong was in kill bill 2, when in the beginning 2 days, I could clearly read the headstone name of Paula Schultz in the picture, then all of a sudden I couldnt, and it was "noisy" and not as detailed anymore. Could the de-interlacer have given out on me? who knows

Read through this and other 318 threads for people's reactions with their purchase with gochnauers. From the time of order to receipt (when in stock) was 2-3 days, they used fedex 2 day shipment, the only issue is they don't double box, but will if you ask, for an extra fee, they have a strict no return policy (if memory serves me correctly) defective units have to be sent back directly to Zenith/ I bought from them, got it fast and have had no problems.

I placed my order from Gochnauer's on 8/24 and I got an e-mail saying:

"Your order has been received and is being processed now. We will e-mail you tracking numbers as soon as new units arrive soon and ship."

I e-mailed about when it would ship and upconversion via component and I got this on 8/27 morning:

"Should ship within 3 days and will still upconvert."

Then on 8/27, about 7 hours later I got:

"Your order has left today and your tracking number is XXXXXX via DHL."

So, I guess they got some new units in or found some old stock. I would try to order from them if its not available anywhere else.

only problem with the no double box or double box option is they dont ask you. so if you dont know they will double box for a fee it does not help you. wish I knew this before I ordered mine. I would have paid for it.

I wonder how many units shipped and not double boxed are ones that are DOA ?

Anybody order one from Savinglots.com or Dynadirect.com?

Hey all,

Quick update on my quest to get back my 318 and a revelation previously unknown about my tv.

First off, Gochnauers has not emailed me back with a price (dont know how it works, but the site said to email for price) I sent him an email at 8:45 this morning Easterntime, stating my interest in the unit and asking if it had the old firmware. I'm so lost and confused, I'm not used to dealing with these "mail order" types of online shopping. I'm thinking of going with dynadirect, anybody agree? its still less than MSRP, and they have a better return policy I guess. I'll wait till morning and see if anybody replies stating otherwise.

I'm still assuming that the firmware implemented models are not yet available correct???? Its getting dangerously close, and i'm scrambling to get my much desired unit.

I just now remembered that on the back of the 318, labeled under the component connections it states 480,720 and 1080. I dont think they would go thru all the trouble of advertising 1080 upconversion on the back, if it was only gonna work with a handful of dvds. But thats just my opinion.

Now the new "revelation" about my tv is actually something that i completely forgot. I'm sure some people have similar types of projection tv's that did the same thing (I think Sony is/was a major advertiser of such a feature) but my 55 inch sharpvision can upconvert a 480i signal to 1080i (or 480p). So I guess in theory it does what the zenith dvd player does as well? Which one was/will be doing the upconversion when playing a dvd (tv or dvd player) I have no way of figuring this out. I dont want to have it done twice and lose picture quality over it. but i guess theres nothing i can do. Is there really a need for me to be getting my much desired zenith unit back? if my tv supposedly does upconversion already? The picture did look better, but was it the zenith, or did my tv have a hand in this as well? does the tv's upscaling feature get disable when fed an already 1080 signal?

Eitherway, I'm still interested the most in knowing if the shipment of disabled upconversion thru component units are out yet? Any ideas when? I take it that nobody has gotten one yet. Any theories on how its gonna come about? perhaps a unit drought (out of stock everywhere) then availability late next month or something?

I just got an email from gochnauers over the weekend that mine will be shipped today, so they must have gotten the new shipment in late last week. They told me they are still the old firmware so I will report back as soon as I get it to verify. As for your TV upconverting, if it isn't DCDi processor then I would let the 318 do the upconversion. There may be a way to bypass or disable your tv's internal processor. I have read that double processing of the signal will probably result in a degradation of picture quality.

Jeff

To my knowledge, the firmware hasn't been mass installed on 318's yet. Hence the beta testers we've had posting here. Again, though: Act soon!

I ordered mine from Dynadirect last tue and it is " On FedEx vehicle for delivery" as we speak so I will let you guys know when I get home from work all the particulars.

For Gochnauers you email them with shipping address/etc info, then you can fax or email your c/c# ( I used fax, a bit more secure..). I haven't heard anything but my email went down this morning so... Hopefully mine is on it's way.

Originally posted by walk
For Gochnauers you email them with shipping address/etc info, then you can fax or email your c/c# ( I used fax, a bit more secure..). I haven't heard anything but my email went down this morning so... Hopefully mine is on it's way.

yeah, they got back to me the same day with the price including shipping, which was competitive with other retailers (ie amazon...)

Ordered mine from Dynadirect they did have them in stock last Thursday. Called them up to verify firmware. However, no one could guarantee old firmware. Cancelled order. Them ordered from Gochnauers. They emailed and stated in stock soon with old firmware shipped for $ 160.00 by Friday. Well I hope I did not wait to long. I emailed back today and got this response (Next batch within 48 hours hopefully). I'am starting to worry. My old dvd player phillips dvdr985 that won't play it just gives me (dv failed) and will not do anything. Need to call phillips but I'am not hopefull with that units problems..

I just ordered from Amazon with 2-day shipping. Scheduled delivery is for this thursday. 2day shipping was for 15bucks I'll let everyone know if it has the old or new firmware. If it has the new one I hope they come out with a hack to enable 1080i on component.

Hey all,

I know this thread was not meant for a "i ordered from blah blah blah", but I guess we're all in a wait and see approach since we're pretty close to the new firmwared units. We need to be on the lookout for "new" units, so that they dont take us by surprise (those of us who need the component upconversion from the unit).

Just to update everyone about my situation (if you care at all...lol) I ordered from Gochnauers(their price couldnt be beat and i finally got the courage to trust them based on our forum members experience with the site) and I got this email:

"Your order has been received and is being processed now. We will e-mail
you tracking numbers
as soon as new units arrive soon and ship. Thanks for your valued business."

When I inquired first about availability they told me they would get some within 5 days with the old firmware. So, I'm hoping everything goes thru as planned.

I read about somebody getting an order thru from amazon a couple of posts back, strange because they told me they were not getting anymore from their supplier and thats why i couldnt get a replacement. I hope the people that are getting their units from amazon the best. Please check your units thoroughly to verify that it is not a defective one (just to be on the safe side, as it unfortunately happened to be the case with mine.) The tracking number for the zenith that i returned to them does not appear in the ups database anymore(guess they received it) I'm just waiting for an email from them saying that they credited back the amount to my credit card. Does anybody know any additional details about amazon's return protocol?.

P.S. Just to add to this thread, I noticed that when this unit was in my house, the dolby digital sound was much better than my trusty akai progressive scan (that little dude is a workhorse and made region free to boot). Unfortunately that Akai has the chroma bug and also displays just a little hint of pixelation (enough to be seen on a projection tv i guess). they were both at 96khz (or something like that) as opposed to 40 something (I apologize for my not knowing exact numbers on that) Any reasoning behind this, or was I just hearing things because of the excitement?

Originally posted by redcrow100
P.S. Just to add to this thread, I noticed that when this unit was in my house, the dolby digital sound was much better than my trusty akai progressive scan (that little dude is a workhorse and made region free to boot). Unfortunately that Akai has the chroma bug and also displays just a little hint of pixelation (enough to be seen on a projection tv i guess). they were both at 96khz (or something like that) as opposed to 40 something (I apologize for my not knowing exact numbers on that) Any reasoning behind this, or was I just hearing things because of the excitement? You are not the first to report improved sound from the DVB-318. Many (though far from all) DVB-318 owners have reported the same. No one has come up with a plausible explanation yet though.

yes, its pretty obvious that the audio part of this unit is very nice. I wonder how good SACD/DVD-A would have been ?

Wishful thinking is the explanation. Unless you are using the analog RCAs or something..... Most people use the digital outputs.

Well got home from work and there it was sitting in my garage it wasn't double boxed like I'd hope but the box was in good shape, no foot prints or crushed corners. I think Fedex does a much better handling job than UPS.
Anyway I opened it up and it wasn't the march 2004 manufacture date I expected it was Dec 2003 date and yes component upconvert works great so far.Tried a couple of disks "Kill Bill 2" and "The Fifth Element" and the look awsome on my pioneer 610HD RPTV.
Haven't tried DVI yet on my Pany 50PHD6UY and don't expect much.I will try it Tomorrow.
I'll tell you what though from what I've seen so far I'm seriously thinking about ordering another one. For the price these can't be beat.
All we need now is some good coder out there that can mess with the firmware so it updates the DVI and leaves the Component alone.

Probably. I admit I remain skeptical about any real differences (I certainly never heard any with my DVB-318). But there are an awful lot of people reporting that they did: even using the digital outputs. I try to keep an open mind, but short of evidence that Zenith is manipulating the digital stream somehow*, I remain skeptical.

*For instance, there are a couple of locations in the DD data format that could be manipulated to affect volume level, though I doubt that Zentih is doing so.

Originally posted by artb
Fedex does a much better handling job than UPS.. Yes they do, by a factor of 10..... Only people worse than UPS for handling is USPS (aka The Mail).

Well shucks... I cancelled my order from Amazon since they were saying shipping: Late Sept. But today they are saying NEXT DAY delivery is available? Argh!

Fedex does a TON better job! They are also better at updating there tracking numbers and there website.

Obviously the FAQs thread has become Giant thread number two at this point. ;)

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
Obviously the FAQs thread has become Giant thread number two at this point. ;) No doubt! :) I thought there was a 318 availability thread... if that's not the case maybe someone should start it. There is no reason for shipping details to be in a sticky FAQ.

Originally posted by korg
I just ordered from Amazon with 2-day shipping. Scheduled delivery is for this thursday. 2day shipping was for 15bucks I'll let everyone know if it has the old or new firmware. If it has the new one I hope they come out with a hack to enable 1080i on component.

Yes please do report on the 1080i component issue. I'll hold off ordering until we find out for sure. Or is it pretty safe to order? Has the new firmware left its beta stage?

I'm getting mine from Amazon tomorrow...was supposed to get it today but wife wasn't home to accept it :rolleyes: I got one from BB right before I found out that Amazon had it for much less, so I turned around and ordered it there. Anyways, what is the new firmware version that it is supposed to have so I can let you know? The one I got from BB does 1080i over component....was that an issue or something? (sorry, haven't kept up with this thread)

Now I'm debating whether to order from Amazon and cancel my Gochnauers order.

Yeah Gouchner or whatever I felt really leary ordering from so I decided not to get one. Then all of a sudden Amazon had them in stock so I ordered from them. I'm supposed to get it on thursday I'll check the component for 1080i. I also have the starwars episode II dvd which was confirmed not to work at 1080i on the new firmware. If it works then this new batch is safe to order from.

Originally posted by korg
Yeah Gouchner or whatever I felt really leary ordering from so I decided not to get one. Then all of a sudden Amazon had them in stock so I ordered from them. I'm supposed to get it on thursday I'll check the component for 1080i. I also have the starwars episode II dvd which was confirmed not to work at 1080i on the new firmware. If it works then this new batch is safe to order from.

Great. We wait with bated breath. :)

Originally posted by Castaa
Great. We wait with bated breath. :) LOL. Maybe we can make it an Olympic sport.

Originally posted by wmallory
LOL. Maybe we can make it an Olympic sport.

Synchronized bated breath! :D

Just ordered from amazon on 8/31 with one day shipping. Est. ship on 9/1. Est. delivery on 9/2. When delivered will post manufacture date.

So what is the story? Is 1080i output over the component video outputs? Do we really know for sure?

So what is the story? Is 1080i output over the component video outputs? Do we really know for sure?

Originally posted by korg
Yeah Gouchner or whatever I felt really leary ordering from so I decided not to get one. Then all of a sudden Amazon had them in stock so I ordered from them. I'm supposed to get it on thursday I'll check the component for 1080i. I also have the starwars episode II dvd which was confirmed not to work at 1080i on the new firmware. If it works then this new batch is safe to order from.

I had no problems ordering my 318 from them 3 months back. Seems to be a small mom/pop store operation. They were very courteous and shipped when stated. I would buy from them again, if not for getting triple points from ordering through Amazon with a Amazon Visa :cool:

Someone posted a review on the DVB318 page on Amazon today (08/01/04) that "All new units coming with new firmware that disables component up-conversion. DVI only."
I assume he's talking about the new batches that Amazon just got.

Can anyone else confirm this?

Also, how do you check the firmware on the the DVD player itself?

Just checking in with my experience. Ordered the 318 from Gochnauer's on 8/25 and received it on 8/31. Dec 2003 build date (obviously, old firmware). Worked perfectly out of the box (I did not request double boxing - shipping was nicely handled by DHL). I like the upconversion improvement through component on my 55" Mits (no DVI input). So far, I am very happy with this purchase. Hope it stays that way as I use the unit more. BTW, the experience with Gochnauer's was first rate.
Mark

CAn anyone confirm a place online that is selling with the old firmware for upconversion over component? thanks!

jim

Originally posted by chairmantao
Someone posted a review on the DVB318 page on Amazon today (08/01/04) that "All new units coming with new firmware that disables component up-conversion. DVI only."
I assume he's talking about the new batches that Amazon just got.

Can anyone else confirm this?

Also, how do you check the firmware on the the DVD player itself?


I'm not sure if the new Amazon units have the new firmware. I'll let you know on Friday when I receive mine. I ordered it from Amazon on Monday the 30th August. I'd imagine that guy on Amazon who 'reviewed' it has no clue since he says he spent $90 extra (haha) to get a different player, which indicates to me that he never even bought this one from Amazon.

However, time will tell for sure!

I just recieved mine 5 minutes ago from Gochnauers. Unfortunately I am at work so I will have to wait until I get home to test component upscaling.

Jeff

When did you order?

I placed my order on 8/24. I opened the box and it shows a build date of December, 2003 so I should be in good shape.

Jeff

Placed order on 8-20 when I heard the new firmware was coming without
up conversion over component.

Recd unit 8-24 DHL del. Perfect condition. Came with the April firmware date.

Have watched several dvd's all upconverted and they all looked fantastic.
Did not try StarWars though.

Ron

Just something to think about, until someone actually gets one from amazon.com.
They have changed their description of the 318 saying that it only goes from 480i to 480p over component, it used to say 720 and 1080. Just something to think about. Ill will know more on Friday, if its a new unit just return it great return policy no harm no foul, seeing that i already own one.

Originally posted by korg
Yeah Gouchner or whatever I felt really leary ordering from so I decided not to get one. Then all of a sudden Amazon had them in stock so I ordered from them. I'm supposed to get it on thursday I'll check the component for 1080i. I also have the starwars episode II dvd which was confirmed not to work at 1080i on the new firmware. If it works then this new batch is safe to order from.

Goch's is indeed a "Mom & Pop" store. They only really have a single store (plus a warehouse I think) and it is not all that large. The folks there are friendly, in my experience anyway. I happen to live across the street from there store, so have visited it a few times. It kind of reminds me of stepping back in time. It just has that old feel of a small, private store that sells and fixes all your home appliances. It's just a little odd seeing an old-style setup with refrigerators, stoves, washing machines... and a 60" plasma. Of course, I'm generally leery of internet purchases that I can't return to the merchant as well. Goch's is also well respected in the local area. They are legit, despite the lack of return issue.

It actually states on amazon.com in the technical data "480p and above only through component-video outs" which still seems to imply that it will upconvert through components.

I noticed it doesn't look like this has an optical audio out, only component. If my receiver decodes dts and dobly does that mean it can do it through it's optical and component inputs?

I have a Sony STR-DE995 that is 2 1/2 years old and have only tried it with an optical input.

Just wondering if anyone knew this off hand. The manual is at home so I can;t look it up right now.

jim

Zenith Web Site states

Multiple Rear Outputs
Coaxial Digital Audio, Optical Digital Audio, S-Video, Component Video, Progressive Scan Video

and it does have them.

Ron

thanks. I guess Amazon just didn't list it or I can't read. :)

jim

Originally posted by comp1040
Placed order on 8-20 when I heard the new firmware was coming without
up conversion over component.

Recd unit 8-24 DHL del. Perfect condition. Came with the April firmware date.

Have watched several dvd's all upconverted and they all looked fantastic.
Did not try StarWars though.

Ron

What's the April firmware update? I thought there was just a March update? Does the April update remove 1080i over component?

*starting to freak out about Amazon order arriving on Friday*

Sorry it is March not April.
Doing this from work.

Originally posted by comp1040
Sorry it is March not April.
Doing this from work.

Damn...I'll be very upset if I get a March updated firmware from Amazon. I really hope I don't....

Any chance of a firmware downgrade patch?

FWIW, I just received a replacement 318 direct from Zenith and everythings cool. Incidentally, the factory did not double box, either.

any word on Amazon yet? Are they old firmware? I emailed gochnauer this morning but haven't heard anything back

Jim

Originally posted by a4bob
Just got in my amazon order. Bumped the shipping to two day from free shipping on Monday and it just arrived.

Now for the important part. Manufacturer Date: December 2003

Will not be able to check component upconvert until I get home tonight.

Very encouraging. :)

if you order from amazon and it gets in and it doesn't up convert can you return to amazon?

jim

Originally posted by Jim01
if you order from amazon and it gets in and it doesn't up convert can you return to amazon?

jim Sure you can, they even include return shipping labels for you.

Just had my wife open the 318 from Amazon that I got today...build date is Dec 2003

Took the plunge and just ordered one off Amazon with 2 day shipping. Hope it works out for me. Everyone cross your fingers.

jim

Originally posted by Jim01
Took the plunge and just ordered one off Amazon with 2 day shipping. Hope it works out for me. Everyone cross your fingers.

jim

Me too. It's the 26th best selling item on Amazon right now and I don't want this shipment to be exhausted before I get my order in.

*rolls the dice*

but it sounds like it's safe to do so by the accounts here.

Originally posted by comp1040
Placed order on 8-20 when I heard the new firmware was coming without
up conversion over component.

Recd unit 8-24 DHL del. Perfect condition. Came with the April firmware date.

Have watched several dvd's all upconverted and they all looked fantastic.
Did not try StarWars though.

Ron

If my understanding on this is correct - not all DVD will be affected by the new firmware. Only DVDs that use RCE protection.
Confirmed DVDs that use RCE protection and will not upconvert are:
Attack of the Clones
Spiderman (normal)
Star Trek Nemesis
Disneys Hunchback of Notre Dame

If anyone's unsure try one of these titles...

jc3

Originally posted by bmgamble
Sure you can, they even include return shipping labels for you.

Just had my wife open the 318 from Amazon that I got today...build date is Dec 2003

Also keep in mind that, if what an earlier poster said is true, Zenith will be upgrading existing stock the build date will become irrelevant.

jc3

I just received a DVD318 from Amazon today. When I connect via the component outputs to my Mits DVD Component Input, I get no picture - not even the Zenith logo when you power the unit on. When I connect via the S-Video I do get the logo. My Mits DVD Video Input is labeled Y (green) - CR (red) - CB (blue), but the DVB318 is labeled Y (green), Pb (blue), Pr (red). I've tried using the supplied component cable as well as a Monster component cable I was using with my previous progressive scan DVD player - neither produced the logo at power on.

Page 9 of the Zenith manual contains the statement: Component Video Out (Y Pb Pr) - Connect to a TV with Y Pb Pr inputs. I connected the Mits to the Zenith as follows Y (green) to the Zenith Y (green), Cr (red) to the Zenith Pr (red), Cb (blue) to the Zenith Pb (blue). Am I missing something or do I have a defective set?

Well I learned something with the purchase of this Zenith DVB318. If your set is like mine and has a DVD Video input that only produces 480p, you've got a bit of a problem. The Zenith will only work if the 'upsampling' is set to 480p. I switched the Zenith to the one set of HD inputs I have on my Mits and the Zenith worked. I've only had a chance to view a small amount of video, but the picture looks really good when I set the 'upsampling' to 1080i which my Mits HD inputs support.

I'm going to call a TV technician tomorrow to see if I can use a Y connector on the Mits HD inputs so I can connect both my satellite receiver and Zenith DVD to the same HD inputs. I'm not sure what kind of problem could occur if I were to inadvertenly turn both the satellite receiver and DVD player on at the same time.

I wouldn't worry.. Just got mine today & has the upconversion through component cables..

Originally posted by KBI
I wouldn't worry.. Just got mine today & has the upconversion through component cables.. Same here

Originally posted by lwhitefl
I'm going to call a TV technician tomorrow to see if I can use a Y connector on the Mits HD inputs so I can connect both my satellite receiver and Zenith DVD to the same HD inputs. I'm not sure what kind of problem could occur if I were to inadvertenly turn both the satellite receiver and DVD player on at the same time. You'd probably get away with it but you'll be better off with an inexpensive (i.e. mechanical) video switcher. Even a cheap standard video/audio switcher (Walmart carries an RCA brand for $20 or $30 I think) will work. Just use each group of 3 (yellow, red, white) connections on the switcher for the 3 component connections. Many people on AVS have reported that this works fine which makes sense since it's just a mechanical switch after all.

make sure you use yellow for green component, red for red and white for blue component.


also, someone here metioned they did not want the march build date. I have a march build date and upconverts over component fine. RCE discs too.

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
Obviously the FAQs thread has become Giant thread number two at this point. ;)
Actually, Q, it has become the "I just got mine; I haven't got mine yet; Does it upconvert over component; UPS sucks, FedEx Rocks, mine also cooks chili" giant chat thread #2!
:rolleyes: ;)

lol.....

most of those questions have been answered.

Damn just missed the delivery by 15 minutes. The notice says next attempt will be tomorrow! UPS always makes a 2nd attemt the same day at least in my experience. I called FedEx and they just said they'll see if they could. Which basically means they'll relay the message to the driver..whether or not he decides to come is up to him.

I ordered the Zenith unit from Amazon on Aug. 31 with a 2 day delivery this Friday, Sept. 3. However, they haven't even shipped it yet. I wonder if they are out-of-stock. Anyone else order one from Amazon lately?

I also ordered from amazon on 8/31 late in the evening with one day shipping. recevied email from amazon saying order has shipped today on 9/2. When I looked up tracking # it had really shipped on 9/1. Right now it is in transit to be delivered today.

Originally posted by walk
It's still just a rumor at this point. So far not 1 person has actually bought a unit that doesn't upconvert 1080i over component.

I guess there is some beta firmware floating around but it's anyone's guess if they will actually install it.

More likely, they will just stop producing this model, sell off the rest of what they have, and retool for next year's model the 319 or something, and it won't upconvert over component.

Exteremely unlikely they would bother to either A) open the units already boxed in the warehouse and install new chips or B) produce new units with new firmware (since the return rate would go thru the roof since it advertises upconversion via component and about 90% of the people are buying it for that alone..).

Goch's shipped mine yesterday, should arrive next week, but I'm not worried in the least.

Don't know if that is true about new units still upconverting on component. Here is a link to another thread on the LG7832 (identical to the Zenith) where it is noted that upconversion has been disabled for July 2004 build dates. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4288221#post4288221

I believe that upconversion is only disabled in the new firmware for RCE movies. That would explain why some of the movies noted in the other post upconvert and some do not.

Okay I got it. December 03 build date. 1080i works over component with every disc I tried including StarWars EPII. My TV's on-screen menu changes completly when its being fed a HD signal. I think anyone that ordered from this batch is safe. I doubt Zenith is going to open up sealed boxes to update the firmware.
Also, I have to go to work but later on tonight I'll give my impressions.

Originally posted by korg
Okay I got it. December 03 build date. 1080i works over component with every disc I tried including StarWars EPII. My TV's on-screen menu changes completly when its being fed a HD signal. I think anyone that ordered from this batch is safe. I doubt Zenith is going to open up sealed boxes to update the firmware.
Also, I have to go to work but later on tonight I'll give my impressions.

Excellent news! Thanks for posting.

Quick question,
Does anyone have a customer service # I can call for amazon, I think I'm done trading email about where my 318 order is. I can't seem to find one on the web site anywhere.

Goggle my friend.... http://www.echoes.com/greymatter/archives/00000058.html
http://www.virtualchase.com/ask_answer/amazon_phone.html
http://clicheideas.com/amazon.htm hope that's a start

Thank you very much:
Hopefully I won't need them. But you never know :)

Originally posted by walk
It's still just a rumor at this point. So far not 1 person has actually bought a unit that doesn't upconvert 1080i over component.

I guess there is some beta firmware floating around but it's anyone's guess if they will actually install it.

More likely, they will just stop producing this model, sell off the rest of what they have, and retool for next year's model the 319 or something, and it won't upconvert over component.

Exteremely unlikely they would bother to either A) open the units already boxed in the warehouse and install new chips or B) produce new units with new firmware (since the return rate would go thru the roof since it advertises upconversion via component and about 90% of the people are buying it for that alone..).

Goch's shipped mine yesterday, should arrive next week, but I'm not worried in the least.

Actually, the manual states that it will upconvert to 1080i, but it there's copy protection it will default to 480p.

jc3

Originally posted by korg
Okay I got it. December 03 build date. 1080i works over component with every disc I tried including StarWars EPII. My TV's on-screen menu changes completly when its being fed a HD signal. I think anyone that ordered from this batch is safe. I doubt Zenith is going to open up sealed boxes to update the firmware.
Also, I have to go to work but later on tonight I'll give my impressions.

:cool:

Just got mine from Amazon today. December 2003 and all is present and correct! :)

hey househusband36

I stay home too, maybe we should plan some viewings with our spare time ? :)

Haverhill is not far from Lowell.

The player maybe set to 720p and your sets are unable to play this setting.
Change to 1080i or 480i or 480p and see what happens.
My unit came out of the box set on 720p and I got a scrambled picture.
Push the unconversion button on the front of the unit.

Just got mine from Gochnauers. December 2003. Looks like it was opened before hand to see what the date was on back. That's alright by me since I got the old firmware. :) If anybody wants it quick I suggest buying from them since they ship DHL. It was quick.

Originally posted by BK EH
Actually, Q, it has become the "I just got mine; I haven't got mine yet; Does it upconvert over component; UPS sucks, FedEx Rocks, mine also cooks chili" giant chat thread #2!
:rolleyes: ;)

I hope the mods come in and clean this up. Massively. I am going to ask them to do it.

Guys, no offense, but this is NOT what a FAQs thread is for.

I'd like to invite everyone who posted in this thread to consider deleting their posts unless it offers actual FACTS and information that I need to add to the main FAQs body if that has not already been done so.

This is stricly a vital information thread.

A FAQs thread needs to be as uncluttered, streamlined, and as easy to read as possible.

Before we post in this thread, please consider this criteria:

Am I providing factual information that will be beneficial to all Zenith 318 owners and those considering purchasing the unit?


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328403

That's the link to the main thread.

That's where you can add to the endless mountain of shipping stories, whether your unit is a December or March build, whether or not it upconverts over component, how mad or happy you are at a certain retailer, and so forth. PLEASE DO IT THERE!!! Make it 600 pages of that nonesense if you want, that's what it's there for.


Anything that is not concrete fact needs to go there, please. That incldues impressions, bitching about shipping, the angst you felt because some store didn't ship it the second you placed the order, what color the box was, you name it. EVERYTHING except concrete facts that I can add to the main FAQ body. Thanks.

And yes, after a point, I'll delete this post too. :p

As an FYI -- Just received the updated firmware CD yesterday from Zenith - no documentation whatsoever, so there's no idea what is or is not included in this latest update. Unreal. :rolleyes:

EDIT ADD: Yes, that's right -- NOTHING for documention at all - even the CD is unlabeled. I did check and it is the firmware update, but I'm not going to install until I find out more from somebody as to what's in this release.

Just a disc with no information of any kind?! LMAO! I suggest you don't use that firmware for a while, btw...

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
Just a disc with no information of any kind?! LMAO! I suggest you don't use that firmware for a while, btw...

LMAO...?

Laughed My Ass Off....

Try stating what the file name is and date and size that will tell us if it's the usual firmware update. You do know how to open a CD don't you?

Originally posted by Vanderlow
Try stating what the file name is and date and size that will tell us if it's the usual firmware update.
It's the latest firmware update, as I originally stated the first time.

Only one file on the CD.

lgromout is the file name, 2,097,156 bytes file size, dated 8/12/04.

Boy, that sure helps, huh? :D

Heh. :p

I just updated real quick today, 9-5-04, with a general warning/disclaimer about the firmware that seems to be making its rounds.

I got my player today and am still trying to figure out the fingering...

That said, I found, in this thread how to zoom the picture. The problem is that with each chapter change, I have to reset the zoom. Could someone tell me how to set it so that it stays zoomed.

Regards, Jim

Now for the question of the day....

Does the right side vertical bar alignment problem appear in only component, or is it there for DVI as well?

I have tried both component and DVI with my Sanyo Z2 and the alignment
problem appears in both.

you think that would have been the first fimware fix. what a waste.

Originally posted by JCGRIFFIN
The problem is that with each chapter change, I have to reset the zoom. Could someone tell me how to set it so that it stays zoomed. You mean it switches back at a chapter change just when normally playing a DVD? That's odd, I don't think anyone has reported that before. Mine certainly doesn't do that. It does switch back if you stop a DVD though.

Or did you mean it switches when you manually change chapters?

You mean it switches back at a chapter change just when normally playing a DVD? That's odd, I don't think anyone has reported that before. Mine certainly doesn't do that. It does switch back if you stop a DVD though.

After I zoom the picture to fit the screen, all is fine until the DVD player plays through to the next chapter. Then, the big bars are back (top and bottom) and I must re-zoom to make the picture fill the screen once again.

Btw, I just received my DVD player yesterday from Amazon and the build date is Dec 03. I guess I will have to read through this massive thread to figure out what all could be better with the newer software. Other than the problem I mentioned, I haven't noticed any other problems using component out with my old Tosh.

Regards, Jim

:confused:

Originally posted by JCGRIFFIN
After I zoom the picture to fit the screen, all is fine until the DVD player plays through to the next chapter. Then, the big bars are back (top and bottom) and I must re-zoom to make the picture fill the screen once again.

Btw, I just received my DVD yesterday from Amazon and my build date is Dec 03. I guess I will have to read through this massive thread to figure out what all could be better with the newer software. Other than the problem I mentioned, I haven't noticed any other problems using component out with my old Tosh.

Regards, Jim

:confused:

It might do that if it's changing titles, but I haven't had the problem changing chapters -- including manually going to the next or previous chapter. The only time I've seen the zoom drop is when returning to the menu or stopping the disk. Check; maybe it's changing titles instead of chapters or try another disk -- does this happen on all disks?

Originally posted by bruman
you think that would have been the first fimware fix. what a waste.
That is why I asked the question about the right side vertical bar problem. It's amazing that this wouldn't be a high priority fix in the firmware upgrade.

it is amazing!!!!!

whats up Zenith ? who cares about white crush when the right side of the image is all screwed up ?

I hate to even ask this. Any firmware or suggested adjustments for your projectors or other media? This problem, too, rings a bell with me and I feel like some folks were able to get it quickly satisfied.

Also, if all else fails, call 1-877-9Zenith or email customerservice@lge.com. Maybe they can help you figure it out...

Re: Zoom and the amount of zoom changing between chapters...

Check; maybe it's changing titles instead of chapters or try another disk -- does this happen on all disks?

On your reccomendation, I checked about 6 disk and the only one that I seem to be having trouble with is "Enemy of the State." I will have to see if it is changing titles rather than chapters later when have some time.

:D

I ran into the zoom issue, where it resets at chapter breaks, on The Little Mermaid. I did not watch the whole film - it happened once in the first 15 minutes.

Got mine yesterday from Amazon and though I haven't hooked it up it came with a peice of paper explicitly saying it did do upconversion over the component.

Is everyone just using the component cables that came with it? or did anyone upgrade? They looked kind of cheap on first impression, but I am new to all this to what do I know?

jim

I had some $50 Monsters lying around. I definitely recommend NOT using the cheapies they packed in.

On the other hand, the DVI cable they provided was pretty good.

I agree with Q. I am using somem BlueJeans component cables but I would not use the freebies that came with the player. On the other hand I did use the DVI cable that came with it for a little while and it was fine and is actually thicker than the free DVI cable that I got with my Pannasonic RPLCD TV. Then again I worry more about cable quality with an analog signal than a digital one.

Has one bought 318 from Best Buy recently? Is component upconversion working on that? I am planning to give it a try just to see what the buzz is all abt and the compare it with Denon 1910 so that I can truly differenciate two upconverting players.

Mallu, it should be fine, but act soon.

I know..bad timing though...all specials are gone now..not 10% off, no free delivery..guess I shall wait for the weekend...

I'm at work so haven't been able to confirm but I'm assuming it has the component-enabled firmware.

Order placed @ Amazon on the 1st, arrived this morning.


Inside the box indicators:

Special Notice Flyer P/NO 3840R-L004F
(indicates DVI is prefered but component is ok)

Glossy Carboard Color Marketing Triangle
(promotes HD up-conversion and DCDi by Faroudja

Sticker: December 2003 351-22490753
Player is wrapped in protective foam wrap sealed with this sticker.

Excellent. You're good to go!

exactly what mine came with a couple days ago.

jim

I order the 318 from BB yesterday. Shall be here in 5 days or so. Will buy 1910 as well and compare...

just ordered one from dynadirect this morning...fingers crossed for upconversion over component. well let ya know

anyone have this problem?

Whenever I try to use the DVI output with a DVI-HDMI cable the player just freezes. If I just use the componet outputs then I'm alright. TV is a Sony XBR960. Cable is a 4m monstor DVI-HDMI.

We've been hearing about problems some people are having with DVI-HDMI cables and this unit. You're not the only one by a longshot. I don't think this unit likes that very much.

Originally posted by mallu2u
Has one bought 318 from Best Buy recently? Is component upconversion working on that? I am planning to give it a try just to see what the buzz is all abt and the compare it with Denon 1910 so that I can truly differenciate two upconverting players.

I recently bought mine from Best Buy. It had a build date of March 2004, so the component up-convert does work. The only movie tried so far is Monsters Inc, which gave a very nice picture (and I did notice a difference between 480P and 1080i). I'm going to try and watch some more this week before my 30 day runs out to return it. Then I'll know if this is the player for me.

One note---I hooked both component and DVI up to my TV (Mitsu 55413) to look at the difference. When I turned it on, the player froze at the "Hello". After a guess, I unplugged the DVI and ran just over component and it seemed to work fine.

I'm still not sure what the big deal is with up-conversion over component and why the Hollywood Yahoos won't allow it. It's like they WANT the public to figure out inventive ways to get around their new roadblocks by making our lives more difficult.

It would be nice to see firmware developed so the new Denon players would up-convert over component. If you have a RPTV, like me, DVI doesn't do you a ton of good.

Chris

I don't know if this is an appropriate question for this forum or not, but I'm gonna try it. Is this upconversion to 1080i over component also possible to acheive in an HTPC? When you play a DVD on a computer DVD drive can the video signal that comes out of a video card that has component out be upconverted/upscaled to 1080i, or is it already 1080i?

Another question. If the Zenith 318 (the ones that that do upconvert over component) are connected to a receiver/switcher before they reach the TV, does the signal remain 1080i or is it downconverted at the receiver level?

I have a questoin about the Audio Setup of the 318. I just recently tried to play a burned DVD-R (and before that a CD-R VCD) and only got the video with no sound. On my 2nd try I figured out that the audio setup has four or so sections for picking "Bitstream" vs. "PCM". I of course had the setup for all the types of playback set to "Bitstream" but it took changing the "MPEG" audio selection from "Bitstream" to be "PCM" this was the only way to get audio from home burnt video/audio content.

My question is can I leave it set for that and with normal comercial DVDs have the best DTS sound. I believe the answer is "YES" but the fact that DVDs are basically Mpeg-2 (I could be really wrong hear) I was conserned with leaving the Mpeg setting as PCM as Bitstream is more disirable.

Thank you for entertaining a question that I am sure is silly.

Got mine today, orderd on Sep 2nd through Amazon. It is a Dec 03 build and does upconvert. I didn't even play a movie through 480. Just went straight for the 1080 so can't compare. But picture is improved, but I'm comparing it to 5 year old Sanyo non progressive DVD player.

All Dec. 2003's should upconvert easily. I would think all March 2004's would, too. It's anything later than that where you have to start wondering.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to whomever posted the regional code hack. Works perfectly and saves my british DVDs from oblivion. PAL seems to be converted to NTSC with no effort too.
The 1080i picture on component output reads maximum resolution on the AVIA--better than all of the other DVD players that I know of and that includes the 6.75 MHz pattern. Let's hear it for Zenith.
gil (in Seattle)

Do the newer builds of this player still support the Region Free Hack? Or will I need to track down an older model? Which ones are OK?

My Mar 04 build date works fine with the region free hack still have the old firmware so it also upconverts over component

Got mine today, orderd on Sep 2nd through Amazon. It is a Dec 03 build and does upconvert. I didn't even play a movie through 480. Just went straight for the 1080 so can't compare.

I did compare and it was a huge difference. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that the Faroudja wasn't even working (or was broken) at 480p... the anti-aliasing was horrible and the jaggies were shocking.

Using Finding Nemo, find the initiation scene and then watch the starfish slap Nemo with the leaf. In 480p, the starfish's body is horribly jaggy. In 1080i it is smooth.

Originally posted by cpalcott
I don't know if this is an appropriate question for this forum or not, but I'm gonna try it. Is this upconversion to 1080i over component also possible to acheive in an HTPC? When you play a DVD on a computer DVD drive can the video signal that comes out of a video card that has component out be upconverted/upscaled to 1080i, or is it already 1080i?

Another question. If the Zenith 318 (the ones that that do upconvert over component) are connected to a receiver/switcher before they reach the TV, does the signal remain 1080i or is it downconverted at the receiver level? It's not, but basically the answer is A) what video card has component outputs? None that I know of. B) you can use DVI, if you set the resolution to 1920x1080 and get all the refresh rates right. Most vid cards don't include drivers that can do that, most people use Powerstrip or other hacks and hand-tweak them..

Originally posted by Beaker1024
I have a questoin about the Audio Setup of the 318. I just recently tried to play a burned DVD-R (and before that a CD-R VCD) and only got the video with no sound. On my 2nd try I figured out that the audio setup has four or so sections for picking "Bitstream" vs. "PCM". I of course had the setup for all the types of playback set to "Bitstream" but it took changing the "MPEG" audio selection from "Bitstream" to be "PCM" this was the only way to get audio from home burnt video/audio content.

My question is can I leave it set for that and with normal comercial DVDs have the best DTS sound. I believe the answer is "YES" but the fact that DVDs are basically Mpeg-2 (I could be really wrong hear) I was conserned with leaving the Mpeg setting as PCM as Bitstream is more disirable.

Thank you for entertaining a question that I am sure is silly.
Commercial DVDs mostly use AC-3 (aka Dolby Digital) or DTS. Set those to bitstream, your AVR will decode it. Everything else should use PCM (MPEG/CD/etc).

Originally posted by walk
It's not, but basically the answer is A) what video card has component outputs? None that I know of. B) you can use DVI, if you set the resolution to 1920x1080 and get all the refresh rates right. Most vid cards don't include drivers that can do that, most people use Powerstrip or other hacks and hand-tweak them..

Well actually all ATI video cards with a dvi connector can ouput 720p or 1080i through the ATI component adapter which is available on their site for about $35. I use my computer to output DVDs at 720p to my 50" Sony GWIII. THe computer can also do a quality upconversion instead of just stretching the picture to an HD Resolution. With a program called ffdshow the computer can actually sharpen the DVD while it resizes it to what ever resolution you want. The results are amazing and currently no DVD player can come close to what a good P4 can do. Just check out the HTPC forum there is some really good stuff in there.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

Just got mine from dynadirect... march 04 build date... i should be in the clear right?

My march 04 I have had for about 6 weeks upconverts over component just fine.

yup it upconverts over component... just made sure... thanx guys!

Can't you just reflash the player with an older version of the firmware to get 1080i over component back if they take it away? Or is that not an option?

Originally posted by TheLooseThread
Can't you just reflash the player with an older version of the firmware to get 1080i over component back if they take it away? Or is that not an option?
I sure haven't seen the 3/04 firmware available anyplace to use it for flashing back one generation on the firmware.

If someone has a hack to restore the component upconvert capability after installing the latest firmware upgrade (8/04) - THAT would be a useful thing to have. The only thing the newest firmware seems to "solve" is the white crush (which I personally haven't seen as a critical issue on this unit).

I'd rather see them fix the right side vertical band issue.

Again, is this firmware available for download anywhere?!!!

To my knowledge, no. Zenith should send you a disc IF you registered your player at zenithservice.com. Otherwise, someone will have to email it to you.

Again, based on all the input we've gotten so far, I'd strongly recommend to you NOT to waste your time with this firmware, at least not right now.

Overnighted a 318 from Amazon on 9/16, got in 9/17. It had a Manuf. date of Dec 2003, upscaling over component works :)

Just wish it didn't have that damn 15 pixel crop on the right side, very annoying with my X1 projector.

I've been rooting around for a fix for this known problem and before I throw this damn thing up on the bay I'll ask...

I see a LOT of macroblocking in black area scenes. The rest seems fine it's just in the black area. It's just not black through component 1080i.

@ 480P through component there are these hays lines.

@ 480P through s-video is ok but I bought it for the 1080i.


Any fix for the macro in the black areas?

I had the LG vesion of this player it would not do the upconvetion (dont
have the build date sorry) thur component, but the last straw was very bad 480p picture, one movie I was watching the face had a edge made up of diffrent colors like a halo I have seen the movie lots and its not to be there. The only thing I realy like was the auto play skipping the warnings
was cool.

Locnar--Your experience is unique--most of the rest of us are very impressed with both the component upconversion in both the DEC 2003 and the MAR 2004 build dates and the greater than 10 MHz bandwidth. Watching the DVDs made with high definition equipment --look just like (or BETTER) the best HD I get from C band satellite on HBO or Showtime on a 100 inch CRT front projector. I don't know if all the features of LGs are the same as the Zenith package. By the way, Gochnauer has a new batch of original firmware Zenith DVB-318 at $160 shipped.

locnar:

I read that LG version with build date of July 2004 has the new (yak!) firmware that does not upconvert over component for protective disc. The build date is printed on a sticker on the back of the player. Sorry to hear that. Get the Zenith DVB-318 with the older firmware. They are still available.

I had the July 2004 build of the LG 7832 and it's back at the dealer for troubleshooting with LG (less than half of the 15 DVDs I tried upconverted via component). The dealer noted to me last week that LG had told him that a new batch of players (w/ different firmware?) would be coming out soon (within a couple of weeks). Will keep everyone advised....

Dave

I would love to find a Zeinth or try a new firmware so I would be intrested
to see if they will updated the problem. I used LG thur my projector and
the 480p was not as good as my entry level panny and I did recalibrate
with essentials disk.

I definitely can vouch for this consensus: If all you are shooting for is 480p, you can do a lot better than the Zenith at probably equal to lesser price.

Q: I could not get the firmware to show up. Followed steps per ur thread. What could I be missing?

I get a crash with this player, total lock up, have to pull the plug out the wall.. When using "The Big Lebowski" disc and I push the "title" (top/title menu) button. Anyone else? I can just avoid it by not pushing that button and have no other lockups with other discs so far.. but .. weird.

Also on "Dogma" the title screen is messed up, looks like it's not deinterlaced properly - looks very low-res/jaggy. The manual says to hold down the "display" button for 3 seconds to switch the de-interlace mode, but it doesn't seem to work on title screens... The movie itself looks fine, though, just the main title.

Just got this in and installed today.

My thoughts:
1080i and 720p are absolutely BEAUTIFUL with this player over component.

480p, however, sux. The Sony that this player replaced in my setup did a much better job. In fact, 480p on the Sony was only a small grade under the 720p that the Zenith is putting out. 1080i, however, is untouchable.

I only have a 32" HD WEGA, but I did notice a VERY small white crush that everyone is talking about, but I had to stand 6 inches from the TV to find it. Not going to bother me when I'm watching from the sofa or recliner.

One question that I haven't seen an answer to - does this player play DIVX / XVID / MPEG4-encoded movies? If so, does it do the upconversion on them as well? I would wet my pants if it could clean up some of the artifacts that get added when you compress the files. :-)

Originally posted by bkp_duke
Just got this in and installed today.

My thoughts:

I only have a 32" HD WEGA, but I did notice a VERY small white crush that everyone is talking about, but I had to stand 6 inches from the TV to find it. Not going to bother me when I'm watching from the sofa or recliner.


There should be absolutely no white and/or black crush over Component in any situations. I have checked this with test patterns on several occasions and testing the 318 using the DVI connection the white crush is easily seen. The same test pattern over Component cables is perfect without any crushing of the white region.

If you have your brightness set way to high you might the symptoms of white crush even though the player doesnt not nessacrily lose that end of the spectrums info! Remember this player is extremely HOT in the brightness department. I had to lower my brightness setting for the Component input on the TV a bit from what it was set at for an old Sony 480i DVD player. Toss up a contrast / brightness test patterns and adjust it properly with your TV inputs settings and you will find things settle in very very nicely!

As for your DVix / Mpeg-4 question I am inclined to say that this player does not play them. I would really like someone to prove me wrong here but with this player being out so long and so many users using it if it did XVid and Mpeg-4/Dvix I believe we would have read it here already.

Beaker: What settings did u keep with ur Zenith. I find the picture to be more colorful and bright than needed. Does not look natural. I want to correct that and see if I might keep the player then. Denon has better depth but lets see if I could fine tune this player. How about audio settings.?
Anyone, for list of their Audio & Video Settings for this player, if you had to fine tune it. I have a Sony 60'' LCD RPTV.

Originally posted by mallu2u
Beaker: What settings did u keep with ur Zenith. I find the picture to be more colorful and bright than needed. Does not look natural. I want to correct that and see if I might keep the player then. Denon has better depth but lets see if I could fine tune this player. How about audio settings.?
Anyone, for list of their Audio & Video Settings for this player, if you had to fine tune it. I have a Sony 60'' LCD RPTV.

Well it's hard to say exactly because as we all know the 318 doesn't have video level adjustments. So I drop in DVE and go through the major test patterns to setup brightness, contrast, color, alignment, etc.... But all those adjustments are on the TVs input settings. I can say that I found the 318 to be way to bright and with brightness for that TV input lowered a signficant amount I got a good result on the Pluge test pattern. Then with the test patter for contrast for digital displays I set the contrast (needed some adjustment as I just lowered the brightness). I tossed up the 1.78 geometry pattern to move the horizontal / vertical positioning on the TV for the input. Checked the colors (a longer step than I'm making it sound) and adjusted them.

Again all on the TV inputs settings and these things can be set correctly this way for a good picture from the Zenith 318. But I can not give you a value for the player as the player doesn't have those adjustments. :(

Audio wise. I have found that you can not leave all the audio types set to "Bitstream" and have a home made VCD play with sound. It required me to change the MPEG audio setting to PCM and then I got audio on my VCDs (and even a home made DVD-R). Of course you want to make sure that the DTS and DObly Digital audio settings are both Bitstream.

I was certain to have the DRC setting set as OFF. My 318 (March '04 build) came with this setting as ON. I am not sure what to make of the VOICE setting. I know what the 2-3 short sentences the manual says but I do not use Kareoke discs so maybe I should set that as OFF but then again it likely doesn't matter (Please someone help me out on this one).

Thanks Beaker. I do not have Avia or DVE. Can I use THX optimizer to perform the video adjustments?

Alot of people use the THX optimizers.... I brought my DVE to my parents place and they had used the THX optimizers eariler and it did a pretty good job compared to the DVE disc. You just do not get as many test patterns to choise from or the color filters to adjust the color settings. But for Brightness and contrast you should be able to get those tweaked pretty good from the THX optimizers. I would think it would be definately worth the few minutes. :)

Thanks. I shall try that then.

If I have the 318 set to 1080I, and power it on, the top 2-3 inches of the picture are very unstable. The picture is jumpy with skewing to the right. It's noticable when there's no disc playing (just the Zenith logo on the screen) and when a movie is playing. If I switch to 480P, the whole picture is nice and stable. The strange thing, the instability gets a little better if I let the player run about 20 minutes and play with the upconversion and zoom. It doesn't go away completely, but it's a lot better.

This is my second brand new unit that exhibits this problem. The first arrived in a damaged box, so I attributed this problem to possible damage. But the box this second unit arrived in seems reasonably intact. Both units were Dec 2003 builds and I have tried switching cables and component inputs on my TV (Mitsu WT42311 RPTV). I haven't seen this issue reported before, and I'm wondering if I'm missing something in my setup or if I got unlucky with two defective units in a row?

Sounds like some sort of electrical interference.

jeff

I don't think so because it doesn't happen if I change it to 480P. The picture in 480P is always nice and stable.

are you running directly from the 318 to the mits or through some kind of switch (receiver etc)?

It's connected directly to the component inputs on the TV. I have tried two different inputs, two different cables, but the same result.

Gochnauers (where I got the player from) thinks it's a compatibility issue with the TV. I've seen others using the 318 with Mitsu RPTVs, but probably not this exact model. It's possible, but I don't have easy access to another TV. Something I'd got to try though I suppose.

This has probably been anwsered but I don't know exactly how to search for my question..

Is there a way to switch between component and DVI without disconnecting one of them I want to quickly switch back and forth between the two while the PQ of is still in my mind, having to move the TV and plug one in and disconnect the other isn't fast enough 2. Whats the general consensus DVI or component for upconverting with the 318. And finally what exactly is white crush and black crush? I noticed when I was watching 'LOTR Fellowship..' and the beginning were it has all those black fades there would be like banding around where it fades around peoples faces and stuff....i think its called dithering. I have the Dec. 2003 model, just got it from amazon

Edit: Well I've switched between DVI and component like 5x, everytime I switch from dvi to component I swear peoples cheeks get a bit more rosey but then I switch back to DVI and don't notice the difference. Must be in my head with all you people talking about white crush lol, not even sure if thats what white crush is but ya know.

There was a problem with flickering on some Sony TVs...

PCM is the proper setting for MPEG discs, unless you encode them with AC-3 (Dolby Digital) of course. Mine came with DRC on also... turn it off.

I don't use 480p output, dunno why anyone would. For 4:3 discs I use 480i since they are generally interlaced (TV) sources and look better interlaced anyway. For non-anamorpic letterboxed movies, I use 1080i and the Zenith's zoom function - though I wish there was a default setting for this instead of having to eyeball it each time.. Anyway 480i looks pretty good, as good as it ever gets.

White crush has been explained many times, try a search.. basically it's where the high levels of white, 80%, 85%, etc.. all get pushed or "crushed" to 100%. This will remove detail in bright areas similar to the way "black crush" will remove detail in shadow areas...

I have the Hitachi 36SDX01S 36" Digital/HDTV. The Zenith 318 player sounds intriguing, especially since I only have the component input (no DVI). But I am curious, am I really going to be able to see a noticeable difference in PQ on an older 36" direct view tube CRT? I currently am using the Toshiba SD 3750. This machine is having a lot of freeze up problems, so I am looking for a new player. Was thinking of waiting for the Sammy 941 so I could also have the high res audio. But if the upgrade in PQ will be that noticeable with the Zenith and my TV, I’m gonna want to purchase the Zenith while I can still get the up-conversion over component. Any thoughts?

Is this unit HDCP on the DVI output. Thanks anyone, I know the component is not.

Hello new member here. I am really tempted to get the DVB318 but it seems like alot of people are having trouble when running it on Mitsubishi sets. I have a Mitsubishi WS-55411, has anybody tried the 318 with this set. I am currently using a Sony DVP-NS725P and I haven't had any problems with it and it has an excellent picture for 480p with most DVDs.

Originally posted by jbaracelona
Is this unit HDCP on the DVI output. Thanks anyone, I know the component is not.

Yes, it is HDCP on DVI output.

Well I tried to order this for $179 from Gochnauer's Home Appliance center since it was recommended to go their for cheap but as usual anything that is supposedly cheap is not working out. They continue to screw up my order and if I would of just went ahead with Amazon.com I could of had it by this weekend but they are not on the ball. I hate companies that work this way. Buyer beware if you go to them to buy it.

I see tons and tons and tons of talk about the quality of the 1080i...is no one upconverting to 720p on a DLP?

In addition, did anyone notice a change in the PQ using different DVI cables than what comes with the player?

What major B&M retailers carry thing unit? Is there any way to check the build date outside the box so I can ensure I buy a "good" one?

I have tried both 1080i and 720p on a BenQ 7200 dlp and find there is very little difference. The 1080i seed to have slightly more detail and a little better color but unless I were viewing side by there is very little difference. Both are miles ahead of 480p which I find my old Sony 725p did a better job of. This is all over component as the 7200 does not have DVI.

Originally posted by AMaench
Well I tried to order this for $179 from Gochnauer's Home Appliance center since it was recommended to go their for cheap but as usual anything that is supposedly cheap is not working out. They continue to screw up my order and if I would of just went ahead with Amazon.com I could of had it by this weekend but they are not on the ball. I hate companies that work this way. Buyer beware if you go to them to buy it.

I was gonna order from them at that price the middle of last week but for whatever reason, I didnt. Then last Friday I saw that Cousins had them for $150 + shipping ($9.75) and in stock so I pulled the trigger and will have it today. Then a day or 2 later it showed 1 to 2 weeks for delivery at that price. Now it still shows 1-2 weeks but the price is back up to $200 + shipping.

Anyway, we shall see what I end up getting as far as build date goes and whatnot.

Originally posted by Terminator840
Hello new member here. I am really tempted to get the DVB318 but it seems like alot of people are having trouble when running it on Mitsubishi sets. I have a Mitsubishi WS-55411, has anybody tried the 318 with this set. I am currently using a Sony DVP-NS725P and I haven't had any problems with it and it has an excellent picture for 480p with most DVDs.

Hi, I have an older Mitsubishi set (WS55805) which only has one high definition RGB setup and it works great. I had my Panasonic RP91 hooked up to one of my 480p inputs, but for the DVB318, I had to hook it up to my only high definition input instead. I bought three y connectors for this input at Radio Shack so that I could hook up my HD sat. receiver and the DVD player at the same time. You just need to make sure you only have one of those powered up at any given time or the signal gets distorted. My tv was purchased back in 2000, but I have to say that the picture quality from this player is a lot better than the RP91, which I've always liked, and is very close to the HD quality I see with OTA HD broadcasts even with some of my older non-anamorphic dvds.

Originally posted by clangro
I see tons and tons and tons of talk about the quality of the 1080i...is no one upconverting to 720p on a DLP?

I notice that when using the 720p upconversion there is severe color bleeding. I can see it before I even insert a DVD. It shows up in the DVD player's title screen. It occurs with both DVI and component output.

This player was made for 1080i. Definitely. 720p is kind of a wild card.

What I have:
Plasma 50" HD Panny TH-P50HD5UY.

I am very tempted to buy a 318, using its component connection.

Any people with positive or negative experience?

Anyone got a Zenith where upconversion through component was disabled (due to new firmware)? I have never read that myself. Bought was BB and that had it working. Just curious.