I use my 318 several times a week at 1080i using the DVI hookup. Best per dollar upgrade I have ever made.

I have compared the DVI and component outputs of the 318 and in my setup the DVI presents a much sharper image with better color resolution.

Either way, the 318 is a big jump in PQ over other DVD players I have used and seen.

Despite the complaints I have read regarding the DVB318 DVI output, I agree DVI works fine for me. I think that big differences between component using the old firmware and DVI using the new firmware are most likely related to the display and not the DVD player. I slightly prefer DVI with new firmware so that is what I use with my Panasonic PTL-500U 720p projector. If not for the stupid Faroudja FLI2301 macroblocking issue with some DVDs, I would really love this player.

Chris

I'm using my 318 to upconvert to 1080i component for my Nec LT150 projector. This player yeilds an incredible picture using the old firmware. Previously. I was using the Panny RP56 which was considered an excellent match for the LT150. Well, the 318 blows the RP56 away in my setup. It's not a small improvement, it's a major improvement.

Jon

Alright, I did the download, renamed it, then burned a copy.
What is it I PHYSICALLY do? Do I just put the disc in and press play?
I haven't got the player yet, I just want to be ready.

Alright, I did the download, renamed it, then burned a copy.
What is it I PHYSICALLY do? Do I just put the disc in and press play?
I haven't got the player yet, I just want to be ready.

Put the disk in and follow the prompts. Just make sure you don't turn the player off while it's in the middle of the firmware change....

Hi Guys,

I just noticed this evening that my 318 only upconverts on my Burned copies of DVDs. When I tried to play a "legit" copy, I went straight to 480. Is there a particular firmware that I'm supposed to be using? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Guys,

I just noticed this evening that my 318 only upconverts on my Burned copies of DVDs. When I tried to play a "legit" copy, I went straight to 480. Is there a particular firmware that I'm supposed to be using? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

You need to flash your player so it will use the original firmware. If you look at the first post in this thread, there's a link.

I am sure it is deep inside the 1500+ post in this thread but if I only want to use the 1080i upconversion over Component cables (since my TV doesn't have DVI or HDMI) is this DVD player ready to do this if I buy it? Does it only upconvert over Component OR DVI or does it upconvert over both? What is the difference in the new and olf firmware?

And are there any other 1080i upconverting players over Component that are easily obtained in the USA?

Thanks

It will upconvert over both with the old firmware (easily obtainable over the net) or over DVI (only) with the latest firmware. The old (original) firmware had a white crush problem over DVI (doesn't affect component) that was fixed with the new firmware, but that killed the upconvert over component. For your situation you want the old firmware. It's a nice unit, you'll like it!

I am sure it is deep inside the 1500+ post in this thread but if I only want to use the 1080i upconversion over Component cables (since my TV doesn't have DVI or HDMI) is this DVD player ready to do this if I buy it? Does it only upconvert over Component OR DVI or does it upconvert over both? What is the difference in the new and old firmware?
New firmware = 1080i over DVI only
Old firmware = 1080i over Component (also upconverts over DVI, but the DVI upconversion is better using the new firmware)

And are there any other 1080i upconverting players over Component that are easily obtained in the USA?None that are easily obtained anymore, thanks to the MPAA and others...

I did a search, but really couldn't find anything substantial to answer my question. Has there been any attemps to make this divx compliant? That's the only thing from having me jump on this product, I'd like to be able to play divx discs as well as upscale over component cables. I know the Avel LinkPlayer2 does that, but from what I've read has a bunch of bugs and seems like more of a hassel to deal with then this player would be.

I did a search, but really couldn't find anything substantial to answer my question. Has there been any attemps to make this divx compliant? That's the only thing from having me jump on this product, I'd like to be able to play divx discs as well as upscale over component cables. I know the Avel LinkPlayer2 does that, but from what I've read has a bunch of bugs and seems like more of a hassel to deal with then this player would be.

I bought a Norcent DP-501M to play Divx. As far as I know my DVB318 will never be able to play Divx.

Chris

Here's a really short review so far, since I've only had it for about 16 hours
The pj is a Pt l300, with a Goo Screen, and an Onkyo Receiver, and Of course, the DVB318.
I did the download/firmware change and it was flawless. It was very easy and that's coming from someone who is computer illiterate.
Have not seen any microblocking as others have reported and neither the sound sync issue, but then again I haven't even had it for a full day yet.
Every thing looks fantastic, but, (there's always a but)This is the first time in how many years that I have seen Star Wars and heard my self say "nice model" during the first scenes. My pj has kind of lost its "film feel" about it. Now it's more a TV feel.
Not complaining mind you, just observing this interesting change in picture quality.
This IS the best $149 player you could get for this kind of picture.

KLAATUWI ,

The 318 yields an incredible film like picture. I think you need to check your settings. Do you have it in upconvert mode?? Or is the PQ just too good for you, since you mentioned that you could clearly see models in the starwars movie.

Jon

This is the first time in how many years that I have seen Star Wars and heard my self say "nice model" during the first scenes. My pj has kind of lost its "film feel" about it. Now it's more a TV feel.

Keep in mind that Star Wars uses a lot of computer graphics. If you want that film feeling, try something like Adaptation. Also, you'll want to make sure you calibrate the image for the 318.

THIS WAS A FEEBLE ATTEMPT OF BEING SARCASTIC :rolleyes:
I have since calibrated it, and again, the picture is fantastic.

THIS WAS A FEEBLE ATTEMPT OF BEING SARCASTIC :rolleyes:
I have since calibrated it, and again, the picture is fantastic.


LOL...I guess we can become a bit too serious about this hobby from time to time and miss a joke...

I know this has been probably covered before but, I've spent the last 2 days digging for an answear with the search function and the almighty hunt and peck strategy but, I still have been unable to find an answear. So here goes. I recently was able to pick up a DVB318 and the picture quality over component just floored me compared to the Samsung HD850 I had. The only big thing that worries me is macroblocking. I was wondering are there any DVDs that would work well as a macroblock test. I know I have seen some macroblocking during The Incredibles main menu intro but, I would like to see it in a movie to see if it will really bug me.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with the unit the only things that bug me are that it doesn't have any feature to adjust the aspect of the picture quickly (ie EZView ala Samsung) I have a Sony HDef CRT which automatically makes all 720P & 1080i widescreen scrunched, which doesn't work well with 4:3 material. And that the unit just doesn't seem as snappy as the sammy and that it is a little louder. Other than that the picture quality is very impressive.

Sorry for the FAQ question, but what is macroblocking? Tried doing a search and couldn't really find an answer. Thanks. :)

I've probably watched over 200 DVD's in my 318, and have only REALLY noticed macroblocking on one..... Season 1 of 24.... disk 1

There is a super dark scene where Bower is looking around a corner and two thirds of the screen is black..... and nice and blocky. :)

My personal thoughts on the issue..... it's not enough of an issue to worry about, and if you dont see it, dont sweat it.

Trust me.... you wont notice it enough to matter. But as always, YMMV.

Enjoy your 318!!!

Coca-Cola Bear,

I hope my impression of the 318 is the same as yours. I have an X1 projector, and have been running a Panasonic S31 via S-Video on it for two years. The picture is great, but it just seems to me to be a little too soft. I find myself constantly fiddling with the focus ring trying to get the picture sharper. I picked up a Samsung 850 for a great price, but I really did not notice any improvement in the picture even after doing the hack for the component upconvert. I have a 318 that is supposed to arrive today, I hope it's better for me than the 850.

Overall I have been really impressed by the image quality of the 318. I guess the bit of macroblocking on The Incredibles menu is just worrying me. I just want to put the player through it's paces to make sure it won't bug me. Oh the upconvert on the fly of the 850 is also a real nice touch.

Here are 2 example that on my display produced clearly observable MB (note that these are the only 2 titles I've noticed it):
1) human stain. This one was mostly clean until the later half of the movie there were some dark shadowy scenes that showed it clearly.
2) the day after tomorrow. again, on my display, MB only appears on a small part of selected scenes.

Another dark movies that showed NO MB is van helsing. this one is one that you think is gonna be LOADED with MB, but it is a really good clean transfer. this just emphasizes the fact that MB is really an enhancement of existing mpeg noise on the DVD by the chipset.

Best,
jeff

I've had my 318 for one week and I just finished watching Signs on my tuned up 61UWX10B. The picture quality was excellent. I'm running with the old firmware. Not to bad for $147.00

Off to watch more moives,
Randy

Ok someone please help me out hear, I am having a problem. I've had my 318 pretty close to a year now. Hooked up to my Mitsubishi "55 widescreen CRT, the pq has been great at 1080i over component, no problems until now. Today I turned it on to do some demos with my new Yamaha 5890. During startup (black screen) I noticed a bunch of moving squiggling lines moving across the screen, then it wasn't noticeable on the Zenith screen, but the Zenith screen wasn't as clear as it usually is. I put in several DVDs and the and the squiggling lines were present with all the DVDs less noticeable in bright scenes and really noticeable in dark scenes. I tryed turning the unit off and on several times, no change. I cycled through the upconversions the 480i and 480p PQ looked really bad with the lines in the pic. It looks like some sort of interference, but I don't know what it is. I recently added a DVD recorder, and have it setting on top of the 318 and my cable box on top of the recorder. I have watched a movie or two after I installed the recorder to my HT and I didn't have any lines in the pic. The cable box was off, and so was the recorder, also the cable channels looked fine.

This is very frustrating when you are use to a very good pic.
Anybody have any ideas?

This is very frustrating when you are use to a very good pic.
Anybody have any ideas?


Two things come to mind right away.

1) cable connections. Make sure they're all tight and nothing has come loose

2) heat. It has been discussed and I have experienced that the Zenith does not like heat. Make sure the unit is well ventilated and not stacked directly on or below another component without some breathing room.

In my case, I had to use a couple of strips of wood between my dvd player and the tivo to make sure there was some ventilation. I have not had a single problem with this unit since I did that.

Two things come to mind right away.

1) cable connections. Make sure they're all tight and nothing has come loose

2) heat. It has been discussed and I have experienced that the Zenith does not like heat. Make sure the unit is well ventilated and not stacked directly on or below another component without some breathing room.

In my case, I had to use a couple of strips of wood between my dvd player and the tivo to make sure there was some ventilation. I have not had a single problem with this unit since I did that.

Thanks for the reply, I hope heat is the issue. I have a total of 3 components stacked on top of each other on that shelf, the Motorola cable box is on top which gets pretty hot when on , next comes the DVD recorder I just installed recently and then on the bottom is the 318.

Did you have the same problem or some other problem due to heat?

I've only had my 318 for a few weeks, but I'm growing more and more dissatisfied with it. This weekend I had some friends over to watch an import copy of High Tension which has quite a few of dark scenes. The macro blocking or whatever the hell it was, was just horrible. I've noticed it before, but I was almost embarassed by it. The 1080i looks nice, but I think I'd rather have a more solid 480p image any day.

I've only had my 318 for a few weeks, but I'm growing more and more dissatisfied with it. This weekend I had some friends over to watch an import copy of High Tension which has quite a few of dark scenes. The macro blocking or whatever the hell it was, was just horrible. I've noticed it before, but I was almost embarassed by it. The 1080i looks nice, but I think I'd rather have a more solid 480p image any day.

That almost surely was the Faroudja FLI2301 macroblocking problem. You are correct with DVDs on displays that are affected by it, a good 480p player is much better. I sure hope Faroudja can fix the issue with the next generation chip. At least we didn't pay a fortune for a player with such a serious issue. Some expensive players like the Denon DVD-5900 suffer from the problem. I have been able to live with it on my displays but I see it once in a while. Don't replace the DVB318 with another player with an FLI23xx chip or you will likely be disappointed.

Chris

Did you have the same problem or some other problem due to heat?


My problem was more like the disk hanging up and freezing, then stuttering.

But I have a plasma rather than a CRT. Different devices can behave differently.

For wavy lines, also check to make sure power cords aren't wrapped around your video cables.

have I missed somewhere where it talks about shifting the image to the right through a service menu on the DVD player to fix the cropping on the right of the image? I know it isn't cropping but you know. I've got a Panny 700u I think it's a great player except for poor 480p and cropping on the right.

thanks

Just hooked up my new Zenith 318 tonight and a few questions:

1) Manufactor date is 10/04 so do I have the new or old firmware? It seemed to be upconverting over Component since when I clicked 720p my picture on the TV goes blank since my direct view TV doesn't do 720p. When I click on 480p or 1080i then I get a picture and the 1080i seems to be a little better picture. So am I imagining that or do I need to do the old firmware change with a 10/04 date the machine was made? I plan on only using Component since I don't have a DVI TV.

2) I have an older Denon 3801 AV receiver that doesn't pass thru very high signals via Component switching so I have a seperate hookup to my TV for both the Component cables for the DVD player and my HD set top box. I also have good ole "S" video cables for Satellite TV, DVD, and VCR so the wife and child can easily watch things from different inputs without changing the TV input. I have the highest end Monster "S" video cables for the DVD and the Satellite receiver but when watching a DVD thru the "S" video cable and 480i then the colors are strange on the Zenith 318 and the picture is noticably darker than when viewed thru the component cables at either 480p or 1080i. This didn't occur with my previous old cheap Pioneer DVD. Has anyone else had bad pictures over "S" video at 480i with this player?

Cheese-its... If you guys would only read the first 1500 postings in this thread... ;)

The 318 is famous only for its 1080i picture quality. It's generally considered that the 318 is essentially no good at 480i or 480p and only passable at 720p.

Often guys report keeping their old dvd player hooked up for the times they need 480 i/p or S-video.

I do need a DVD player to do a decent job of 480i thru "S" video since that is all my older DENON 3801 receiver will pass thru easily. For Satellite TV, VCR, and DVD's with kids movies this is much easier on the wife and kid without having to change video inputs on the TV.

The "S" video cable I used with the 318 is the top end Monster 2000 "S" video cable but it still looks overly "red" and is "dark" overall. I guess I could play with the TV settings but then this might screw up the Satellite TV and the few VCR tapes played thru the S video input on the TV.

So is this poor "S" video picture the norm with this set?

Also, no one has addressed my other question as to the manufactor date of 10/04 on my 318. Does this upconvert to 1080i or do I need the old firmware? When I change the settings to upconvert to 720p then I lose picture on the TV since my TV is only 1080i. When I change the 318 to 1080i setting then the picture comes back on and seems to play normally when I have the 318 set to either 480p or 1080i setting. Does this mean it is upconverting to 1080i ? I can "seem" to see a subtle difference on my 36" TV between 480p and 1080i but am I imaging things? Since it plays with the 318 set to 1080i then does this mean I have a machine that I don't need to do the firmware change? Again the date the machine was made was 10/04.

Thanks.

10/04 should be the new firmware. You're probably getting a 1080i signal to your TV when you switchover but when the player detects a copy protected dvd it downres'es to 480p.

A good test would be to set the player to 720p and let it black out your TV. Then put in a copy protected dvd and see if the picture snaps in. That will mean the player switched back to 480p.

Oh, you have to have the player in autostart mode first so it will start the movie without the menus and previews.


480 i/p on the DVB-318 is famously poor.

10/04 should be the new firmware. You're probably getting a 1080i signal to your TV when you switchover but when the player detects a copy protected dvd it downres'es to 480p.

A good test would be to set the player to 720p and let it black out your TV. Then put in a copy protected dvd and see if the picture snaps in. That will mean the player switched back to 480p.

Oh, you have to have the player in autostart mode first so it will start the movie without the menus and previews.


480 i/p on the DVB-318 is famously poor.

I have some CD-RW's and I guess I could do the old firmware deal but will this work on CD-RW or do you need a CD-R only. Also is it independant of the computer you download the firmware on? I have an IMAC with version 10.3 running.

I picked up the Zenith DVB318 from BestBuy.com last week. After a little bit of trouble, it is working fine upconverting to 720p over component to my NEC LT240K projector.

Like some others, I experienced the problem with my new Denon receiver loudly clicking whenever I tried to upconvert the signal. My optical cable was attached to an S-Video cable, so I had plugged both in. Turns out that the problem was just that. When I unplugged the S-Video portion of that cable, and reset my reveiver video settings, it worked great.

My only complaint so far is that this seems not to support SACDs. That's OK, since I can still use my Sony 400-disc jukebox for those. But it would be good to know.

Tim

timbur,

Why aren't you upconverting to 1080i.. The 318 does this better than it does 720P.

Jon

timbur
sacd's are only going to work analog. They don't support toslink or your coax (spdif, etc).
I also think this is best as a 1080i player - 1080i over component, its reason for being!

LOL to much to read!

Just picked up a 318... did the firmware rollback... easiest thing I've ever done. Great player. One thing I did notice that bothers me a bit is that I lose the vertical zoom setting I've chosen on DVDs that seamlessly branch or have special features that run concurrently with the feature. For example, two titles that I've watched recently: T2 Extreme and The Hustler.

I'm assuming others have had this problem as well?

Component output? With "HD" output - 720p or 1080i, zoom and aspect ratio controls do not function. This is pretty normal for most displays and dvd players of this type. Well, actually, there are no dvd players like this I know of.

Well, actually, there are no dvd players like this I know of.



There are others like this, some better (Momitsu) and some worse (Samsung).

You probably don't know of them yet.

Component output? With "HD" output - 720p or 1080i, zoom and aspect ratio controls do not function. This is pretty normal for most displays and dvd players of this type. Well, actually, there are no dvd players like this I know of.

No, they function. And yes I'm using component out. On most DVDs the vertical zoom I apply in order to use my anamorphic lens on my X1 works without a hitch in 1080i mode on the Zenith. It's just that a few movies that have branching titles that run concurrently with the movie seem to trip up the zoom setting and I lose it momentarily... until I have to get up and set it again. So far, T2: Extreme seems to be the worst offender. My hypothesis is that it's the "Extreme Interactive Mode" on the disc.

Movies such as the Indiana Jones Trilogy, for instance, don't have the problem. As soon as the movie starts, I set the vertical zoom/stretch and it lasts for the whole film. I was just wondering if people have come to the same conclusion that I have... that this is in fact what is causing it.

wblynch
Momitsu and Samsung have a model that does 1080i or 720p over component video?
Man, where have I been? Sorry.

Maxwell Everett
Sorry, I don't have mine connected anymore. I don't remember them working. Which firmware is that? Are you sure you are in 1080i or 720p?

Maxwell Everett
Sorry, I don't have mine connected anymore. I don't remember them working. Which firmware is that? Are you sure you are in 1080i or 720p?

Well, they work in conjunction with my X1... and the X1 confirms I'm in 1080i. I'm running the prior firmware that makes the Zenith an LG and allows 1080i over component. As I said, my vertical zoom setting goes away intermitently only on certain titles.

Another example: The Star Wars Trilogy. The movies play fine except for their opening crawls. I believe this is because the discs have different crawls for other languages. It's the only part of those movies that is seamlessly branched, and therefore it trips up the Zenith's zoom.

Thanks anyway for trying to address my problem. It's appreciated.

Ok, I doubt we will ever have any new firmware to help us, so the issues will remain...
I only updated firmware once, I think. The (zenith) one after that I think disabled component video upscaling. I'll leave mine alone for now. I didn't realize the old LG firmare was downloadable?

In the Audio set up, should I choose 48khz or 96khz? I am using the Optical jack with my Kenwood VR6070, which I believe can sample at either 48 or 96khz. Which should I select?

96khz will give you the best sound, choose that.

Ok, I just got a new projector with DVI. I had done the firmware rollback for componenet and have been happy. Is it worth it for me to restore the newer firmware with the white crush fix to use DVI? How different will the PQ be? And how do I restore it? Thanx!

edit... found the Keohi site again. All I have to do is downlaod and burn the new firmware like last time. The Secrets shootout says it looks best with DVI, others have said component. Without wanting to reread a zillion pages, what looks best?

Thanx! d

edit... found the Keohi site again. All I have to do is downlaod and burn the new firmware like last time. The Secrets shootout says it looks best with DVI, others have said component. Without wanting to reread a zillion pages, what looks best?

Thanx! d

I am using a Panasonic PT-L500U 720p LCD projector and slightly prefer the DVB318 connected by DVI with new firmware to component with the old firmware. The difference is very minor and I doubt I could tell which was which most of the time if pressed. I use the component for D-VHS and therefore I am glad it works best that way.

Chris

Ok, I just got a new projector with DVI .... How different will the PQ be?


Just make sure your projector is HDCP compatible. If not, the DVB-318 will not work with it.

I also would like to know this question of which looks best. I have the DVB318 and just got a Sony 30HS420 and am impressed with the upconverting over component.

1) Would I see any improvement if I bought a DVI to HDMI adapter?

2) Isn't there some color problem I should be seeing by using component, something that has to do with greens? So far I haven't noticed anything peculiar.

Bridge on the River Kwai looked pretty good upconverted (for a 1958 movie).

I believe I have it right that I can roll backback to the older firmware iof I did go DVI/HDMI for awhile.

Edit: I quess Chris answered question 1, a very very slight improvement. BTW Chris I have the same full name as you expect mine ends in t instead of d.

My projector is the h57 so yes, it's compliant. I tried it without adjusting the firmware and it does work.

:) d

Edit: I quess Chris answered question 1, a very very slight improvement. BTW Chris I have the same full name as you expect mine ends in t instead of d.

Mine is pronounced Girard, a silent h, bet yours is pronounced Gearhardt.

Chris

Mine is pronounced Girard, a silent h, bet yours is pronounced Gearhardt.

Chris

Yeap.

I have experimented with both component and DVI connections between the 318 and my GWIII. I prefer the DVI connection with this combination.

The component image looks a bit soft compared to the DVI and the colors are more muted. The softness is only in comparison to the DVI signal. If I did not have the DVI to compare with, I would be very happy with the component output from the player.

I am using the original 318 firmware that has both the DVI white crush and upconverts through component. I have been so pleased with the DVI image that I never checked out the updated software that corrects the white crush problem.

I found a place that sells a 10ft dvi/hdmi cable for $8 plus $5 shipping, so I'm giving it a try.

96khz will give you the best sound, choose that.
Cool. The resampling only affects PCM, leaving DTS and DD streams unaffected right?

Well I got my DVI to HDMI cable today, but I guess I got the HDCP handshake problem cause it sticks at Hello. I have a new Sony 30HS420 so I know it has HDCP. I also tried turning the TV off and starting the player then turning the TV on and as soon as it comes on it freezes/locks up the player and I have to pull the power cord on the player for it to unlock. I asume the newer firmware will not resolve this problem and I'm just SOL when it comes to using my DVI>HDMI for this combo.

Well I got my DVI to HDMI cable today, but I guess I got the HDCP handshake problem cause it sticks at Hello. I have a new Sony 30HS420 so I know it has HDCP. I also tried turning the TV off and starting the player then turning the TV on and as soon as it comes on it freezes/locks up the player and I have to pull the power cord on the player for it to unlock. I asume the newer firmware will not resolve this problem and I'm just SOL when it comes to using my DVI>HDMI for this combo.

Do you also have the component cable connected? If so disconnect it.

Chris

Do you also have the component cable connected? If so disconnect it.

Chris

at first I did. :mad: I also used a non-copyprotected (no CSS that is) DVD.

Also on a test pattern it's cropping the picture on the right by about .5 in (30in TV). I assume this is a know problem and the only way to fix it is to go in my SM on my TV and try adjusting for that input. You can't do this in the DVD player, right?

right.

I should be getting the DVB318 today! I have a few questions I'm not too sure about during set-up. My display is a 46" Mitsu component only T.V. Does it matter where you hook the component cables up? My T.V. has 2 component hook-up's, one for DVD at 480P and the other for DTV. In any case I need a satelite box to get 1080i, it's one of those HDTV ready T.V.s. Will the DVB318 display close to a 1080i picture by itself, no matter where I connect the component? After downgrading the firmware, can you restore it with the same C.D.? Thanks.

to take advantage of the upconversion, you'll have to connect the 318 to the DTV input since you say the other component input is for 480p. How do you connect 2 component connection boxes to one DTV input of the TV? Try an a/b switch like this one
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1217

use the left+right audio and video connections like the Pb, Pr, Y component connections. Dont' worry since this is a hard mechanical switch, it won't degrade the signal. It does however require you to have a third set of good component cables (2 into the box and one out to the DTV input of the tv) and get up off of the couch to switch between DTV and DVD.

This is how I run mine. It's cheap and it works.

Best,
jeff

For 1080i follow greenos advice or get a "real" component video switch.
Just because it is a "hard mechanical switch", does not mean it will not degrade the signal, but at that price you're not risking much! Hey, it works for greeno... Might be worth a try. Do use component video cables and not those a/v dubbing cables with little skinny red and white audio cables.

It won't degrade the signal. post this question in the HD hardware section and you'll get the same answer I gave. It's been tested and it doesn't restrict bandwidth at all.

jeff

Thanks for the informative help. I hooked up the DVB318 a few hours ago. It is a fairly new build date Feb 05. I connected my AR component cables to the DVD input on my T.V. and I was only able to get that signal, the interesting thing was the picture looked really good at this resoulution via component and not the nightmarish picture I read about with 480p during earlier builds. I then connected to the DTV input on my T.V. and I was able to get 1080i signal, nothing was indicating it on my T.V. but I read the display on the unit while pressing the upconvert button. I could see that the picture was much smoother but yet sharper at the 1080i setting. When you stop a movie the Zenith DVD logo appears and on the 480p setting you can see the rough edges and abnormal color displayed, but when I press the 1080i, the logo is super smooth showing no edge distortion at all, along with a vibrant and truer color. The thing that has me baffled, is I did not do the firmware downgrade and it is still showing close to 1080i resolution. I did try the firmware downgrade and I followed the instructions, downloaded the file, changed the name to "igrmout.bin", installed the CD-R and it did not work. I don't know if the software was changed to prevent the downgrade, maybe this unit has most of the previous bugs fixed and still allows upconverting via component. I will have to play more movies to see if I can upconvert, to be certain.

... changed the name to "igrmout.bin" ...The filename should be "lgromout.bin" not "igrmout.bin."

The filename should be "lgromout.bin" not "igrmout.bin." Yes Seymouru, I tried both spellings and it didn't work?
I have played 4 DVDs so far and they all upconverted. I don't know if the downgrade firmware would be much better, as is the PQ looks amazing. Is there another way to try the downgrade firmware, such as with a remote, like some of the Samsungs?

The file is already a .bin so I believe you can just name the file lgrmout and let Windows handle the extension. Also, some folks report that you need to finalize the CD (you are using a CD and NOT a DVD, right?) while others say it's not neccesary.

Thanks for the informative help. I hooked up the DVB318 a few hours ago. It is a fairly new build date Feb 05. I connected my AR component. I will have to play more movies to see if I can upconvert, to be certain.

Try any of the star wars series, they will not upconvert over component if you have the new firmware.

The file is already a .bin so I believe you can just name the file lgrmout and let Windows handle the extension. Also, some folks report that you need to finalize the CD (you are using a CD and NOT a DVD, right?) while others say it's not neccesary. I renamed and burnt the file to a CD-R as per the directions. My burner finalizes automatically before the burn is completed. I did notice that when moving the file to the CD-R/DVD burner, a prompt comes up saying some information in this file could be lost during transfer. I don't know if that's a problem or my security settings are to strict (they are), or if this is normal. I sure wish I could get a hold of a disc in which someone used successfully, that way I'd know for sure.

Try any of the star wars series, they will not upconvert over component if you have the new firmware. Thanks for the info. I will play them, I have both the old and new set's, kid's you know! I have played Spiderman 2 without a problem as well. I am going to play these while changing resolutions, but my eye isn't trained that well. I'll see if I notice a good change in PQ, as I have read before, some DVDs will automatically switch to 480p even though the unit is reading 1080i. I just don't want to be giving the wrong information, unless I'm sure. If anyone has the file on a CD-R, I would greatly appreciate it and pay shipping cost or whatever, Please P.M. me. That way If it does not work, everyone will know if the newer players upconvert or have been changed to refuse this firmware downgrade.

One other thing I noticed is the anomorphic DVDs show a black bar on the top and bottom of the screen, rendering my 46" mitsu to that of something smaller. I learned a neat function of the zoom button on the remote allows you to slightly stretch the picture up and down to fill the screen. I never had this feature on any of the other DVD players I had, and well, I just wanted to share this with you, because I was intrigued by it.

I just got the 318 and downgraded the firmware for the component output. I am sure that the component output is 1080i. When I compare the upscaled picture at 1080i it looks nearly identical to the 480p on my JVC XV-FA95 (except the 318's colors are a little washed out). I have a Pioneer Elite 720 (RP CRT) and I believe that it may upscale everything to 1080i automatically, explaining why the image looks nearly identical.

Any thoughts?

I observed a few more DVDs and the player upconverts with a Feb 05 build date. It does not upconvert copyright protected material, National Treasure switched back to 480p. StarWars, Attack Of The Clones shows at 480p. The Zenith shows a resolution of 1080i, but my T.V. shows 480p. I copied the movies on my DVD burner and the movies will now play at 1080i, I guess the copy and burn software eliminate the copyright protection. As of yet, I am unable to downgrade the firmware from Keohi. I just can't get the player to read the CD-R. I am probably doing something wrong or this newer build date prevents the downgrade. I sure wish I could get a hold of a CD-R that someone had success with, I mean, mine works, I just hate to burn a copies of protected DVDs that I already have.

I observed a few more DVDs and the player upconverts with a Feb 05 build date. It does not upconvert copyright protected material, National Treasure switched back to 480p. StarWars, Attack Of The Clones shows at 480p. The Zenith shows a resolution of 1080i, but my T.V. shows 480p. I copied the movies on my DVD burner and the movies will now play at 1080i, I guess the copy and burn software eliminate the copyright protection. As of yet, I am unable to downgrade the firmware from Keohi. I just can't get the player to read the CD-R. I am probably doing something wrong or this newer build date prevents the downgrade. I sure wish I could get a hold of a CD-R that someone had success with, I mean, mine works, I just hate to burn a copies of protected DVDs that I already have.

I have that build date (Feb 05) and I was able to roll back the firmware. All I did was download the file, changed the name to "lgromout.bin", and burned it to a Memorex CD-R with Nero Express as a data disc... I did not check the option to add files later, so it was finalized. It worked perfectly.

The following is exacly what I saw on screen:

(1) "data loading" appears on screen
(2) the following then appears on screen:

<< cdr update >>
- warning -
do not power off during up date
permanent failure could result
press "play" to continue,
any other button to exit

(3) After I press "play", the following appears on screen:

<<cdr update>>
flash detecting: processing ok
flash erasing: processing ok
flash programming >>>>>>>>>>>>

(a new > gets added progressively as a counter on the digital display of the DVD player counts down from 20 to 1. When it hits 1 the following appears on screen:

(4) <<cdr update>>
-success-
eliminate disc from tray
then press any key

When I remove the disc, the tray closes, and the DVD player shuts off. I wait a minute and power it back on. The LG logo has replaced the Zenith logo.

Hope that helps.

***

Regarding the vertical zoom feature: I wonder, do you lose your zoom setting between the Fox logo and the opening crawl on the Star Wars movies? I think it's because of the different language opening crawls that are seamlessly branched.

I've also had this problem on T2: Extreme... everytime there is a moment in the film (nearly every important FX shot) that has video comentary associated with it as a special feature, I lose the vertical zoom setting and have to set it again.

I imagine all movies with seamless branching may have this problem with the Zenith 318.

I appreciate it Maxwell. I think the problem might be my burner. I did burn it as a data disc with mine, pushed the button, and it informed me that burn was complete. I downloaded the file to my desktop, right clicked the icon to change the name to igromout.bin. I don't know what else the problem could be, unless I need to compress it or change the file somehow after the download. I used a Memorex CD-R as well. As far as changing the vertical zoom, using the arrows to fill the screen. I have to change it every time I stop play, I did not see this function change, when I applied the info option on, The Fifth Element Ultimate though.

I downloaded the file to my desktop, right clicked the icon to change the name to igromout.bin. I don't know what else the problem could be, .

It needs to be renamed and saved as lgromout.bin, and not as igromout.bin

It needs to be renamed and saved as lgromout.bin, and not as igromout.bin Thanks Johnla, I don't know how I could have overlooked the spelling, out of all the help I got, "umm duh". I'll get right back to you, and let you know if this works.

O.K. I tried it this way and it didn't work? I renamed it as lgromout.bin and then saved it to my desktop. I then burned the disc from the saved file. I'm just about to give up at this point. I can see all of the DVDs I have burned in 1080i format anyway. There are only a few that I can't due to them being copyright protected, they are National Treasure and all of my Star Wars. I will be able to upconvert them to 1080i after I burn them, as this deletes the copywrite protection. However, I remember reading that another AVS member could view his player at 1080i out of the box, but did the firmware downgrade anyway and he reported that the PQ was better after the firmware change. So at this point I'm not sure what I'm getting or what I'm missing with the Zenith DVB 318. I do know that as is, the PQ is excellent, but lingering in the back of my mind, is how much better can it be with the original firmware. I did call Zenith about this issue and they told me that they are releasing another firmware change that will allow the player to view ALL DVDs (copywrite protected) via component, she just couldn't tell me when.

whitenoise
"they told me that they are releasing another firmware change that will allow the player to view ALL DVDs (copywrite protected) via component"
I for one don't believe it!

whitenoise
"they told me that they are releasing another firmware change that will allow the player to view ALL DVDs (copywrite protected) via component"
I for one don't believe it!



They probably mean NO DVDs upscaled over component !!

FWIW
HQV disk @1080i over component video - with the faroudja going on, this thing does very nicely on the HQV jaggies tests. Overall it does pretty good.
Stumbles on some of the cadence tests.
I'm using a Sony RPTV with CRT's with only Component input, so ymmv.
It may not be highly rated by secrets and it does have its quirks, but it is not a bad way to get 1080i over component video to a crt hdtv.

Well I figured out what the problem was. I was trying to install the firmware downgrade while the resolution mode was in 1080i and it wasn't working that way. I turned the unit of for 45 minutes (unplugged), turned it back on and changed the resolution back to 480p. The firmware downgraded without a problem and the DVD logo screen now shows the LG icon. The movies seem more sharp and 3 dimensional. I can also play all the StarWars and National Treasure in 1080i resolution, confirmed via the info button on my Mitsu remote. All I can say is "WOW"! About the Zenith customer service reps remark on the firmware upgrade. I'm only repeating what she told me, I take responses like that with a grain of salt, considering I told her I had a few weeks untill I was at the point of no return and she couldn't tell me when they were going to release, this so called firmware upgrade. Well I don't have to worry about it anymore. Since I only have component inputs on my T.V. This was one of the few players that I could use. I did talk to and LG rep who said the DVB418 was another player that will upconvert unprotected material via component, she also said that the LG was a bit better, but I'll have to research more on that.

FWIW
HQV disk @1080i over component video - with the faroudja going on, this thing does very nicely on the HQV jaggies tests. Overall it does pretty good.
Stumbles on some of the cadence tests.
I'm using a Sony RPTV with CRT's with only Component input, so ymmv.
It may not be highly rated by secrets and it does have its quirks, but it is not a bad way to get 1080i over component video to a crt hdtv. With component only inputs, we don't have very much to compare to. I would like to see a Secrets, component only upconversion comparison.

Having owned and sold a DVB318 I'd recommend the Samsung HD941 as a good unit to upconvert over component for those still on the fence. Uses the same Faroudja chipset as the Zenith but has a bunch more features and costs less. The component hack requires only a few button pushes of the remote which allows me to use the very latest no compromises firmware. Just another option to consider!

All I can say is "WOW"!



Congratulations. You now can reap the rewards of your perseverance.

Now you can see what we've all been talking about for the past year and a half.

Although my Momitsu gives a superior picture to the Zenith. The Zenith is a pretty bullet-proof little player that works hard to provide a true 1080i over component.

re: the zenith CSR's comment on an upcoming firware upgrade. I agree that this comment should be taken with a grain of salt. I've emailed regularly about an upgrade to address the SD/HD color mismatch. My inquiries have been forwarded to engineering and the reply is always the same. Zenith will not be upgrading the 318 firmware.

I do wish it were true though, that they would address the HD/SD color mismatch.
Best,
jeff

... About the Zenith customer service reps remark on the firmware upgrade. I'm only repeating what she told me, I take responses like that with a grain of salt, considering I told her I had a few weeks untill I was at the point of no return and she couldn't tell me when they were going to release, this so called firmware upgrade. Well I don't have to worry about it anymore. Since I only have component inputs on my T.V. This was one of the few players that I could use. I did talk to and LG rep who said the DVB418 was another player that will upconvert unprotected material via component, she also said that the LG was a bit better, but I'll have to research more on that.
So does that mean with this new build, the firmware hack won't work at all?

It's not a firmware hack. It's a firmware replacement. if the 318 hardware is the same, the firmware (old ones) will work.

jeff

It's not a firmware hack. It's a firmware replacement. if the 318 hardware is the same, the firmware (old ones) will work.

jeff
Thanks, didn't mean hack but I said it anyway. My bad.

Yep, the hack should still work. My Zenith DVB318 That I got a few days ago has a Feb 05 build date and the original able to convert via component firmware still works. Just make sure you have the resolution set to 480p, before you insert the CD-R. I was impatient and started to throw in the movies like eating popcorn, all the while switching resolutions. My wife thinks I'm insane! My observations thus far between the unit out of the box and with the firmware is: Firmware allows you to watch all DVDs in upconverted 1080i mode and the Picture Quality looks slightly and I mean slightly more sharp, but the difference is it remains that way viewing the whole movie. Out of the box still upconverts unprotected DVDs and occasionally changes in PQ happen with some parts of the movie. I can only guess that this was Zeniths way of keeping the movie industry off it's back by not showing the DVDs full potential in their protectionest mindset. I did notice that the player will not lock on at 720p mode, but I think this has more to do with my older model H.D. Mitsu T.V. I read through the T.V.s manual and it only mentions 480i, 480p and 1080i.

Having owned and sold a DVB318 I'd recommend the Samsung HD941 as a good unit to upconvert over component for those still on the fence. Uses the same Faroudja chipset as the Zenith but has a bunch more features and costs less. The component hack requires only a few button pushes of the remote which allows me to use the very latest no compromises firmware. Just another option to consider! Thanks for the info. Before I bought the DVB318 I had the HD850. This unit was suppose to upconvert via the same hack but would not work for me. I did see the HDCP free icon on the screen, but when I tried to change resolutions, My T.V. was showing 480p. It did have a nice picture, but not like the Zenith. The HD941 might be a different case considering the Faroudja chip however.

Congratulations. You now can reap the rewards of your perseverance.

Now you can see what we've all been talking about for the past year and a half.

Although my Momitsu gives a superior picture to the Zenith. The Zenith is a pretty bullet-proof little player that works hard to provide a true 1080i over component. Yep, I wish I wasn't limited to component only. HDMI offers more choices as well as better PQ with other units such as Oppo and Denon. I wish there were a component/HDMI conversion out there.

O.K. I tried it this way and it didn't work? I renamed it as lgromout.bin and then saved it to my desktop. I then burned the disc from the saved file. I'm just about to give up at this point. I can see all of the DVDs I have burned in 1080i format anyway. There are only a few that I can't due to them being copyright protected, they are National Treasure and all of my Star Wars.
My DVB318 is the same as when I took it out of the box, I haven't "hacked" anything. I watch DVDs over DVI, and National Treasure won't play.

I tried 3 rental copies from Blockbuster (they kept telling me to try a new copy instead of giving me a different title), they only let me get another movie when I told them I'd cancel my online membership and switch to Netflix. :mad:

I borrowed a friend's copy that works fine (purchased retail at Best Buy), she had watched it the night before. Every time I loaded it my player froze! I had to unplug, then quickly eject when I turned it back on or it would freeze again.

Four copies wouldn't work, I assume because of their "anti-piracy" feature. Note to studios: You'll never stop piracy, but you do lose actual profits from people like me.

do you have component AND dvi connected at the same time? this can be a problem.
do you have the "auto-play" feature turned on? this can also be a problem. turn it off.

jeff

My DVB318 is the same as when I took it out of the box, I haven't "hacked" anything. I watch DVDs over DVI, and National Treasure won't play.

I tried 3 rental copies from Blockbuster (they kept telling me to try a new copy instead of giving me a different title), they only let me get another movie when I told them I'd cancel my online membership and switch to Netflix. :mad:

I borrowed a friend's copy that works fine (purchased retail at Best Buy), she had watched it the night before. Every time I loaded it my player froze! I had to unplug, then quickly eject when I turned it back on or it would freeze again.

Four copies wouldn't work, I assume because of their "anti-piracy" feature. Note to studios: You'll never stop piracy, but you do lose actual profits from people like me.If you plan to use the player with the DVI input I wouldn't perform the hack, as it will take away some of the fixes with the players previous problems. You could also view some of the non- protected material via component
to see how you like it and then perform the hack if you do. The only other suggestion is to copy and burn the movie, this will remove copyright protected content and allow the player to view it at the 1080i resolution.

I was looking for the SD color matrix/understaturated green issue with my 318 and Sony HS420. I reviewed some pics in another thread and looks like the issue is, most of the time, subtle. Well I took a color bar from AVIA and LOTR -ROTK and notice this; when I switch from 480P to 1080i my greens actually are a little darker along with the picture itself is noticeable darker (also going form 760p to 1080i the picture gets darker also). Is this normal? and also do I have the SD color issue given what I just described?

I was looking for the SD color matrix/understaturated green issue with my 318 and Sony HS420. I reviewed some pics in another thread and looks like the issue is, most of the time, subtle. Well I took a color bar from AVIA and LOTR -ROTK and notice this; when I switch from 480P to 1080i my greens actually are a little darker along with the picture itself is noticeable darker (also going form 760p to 1080i the picture gets darker also). Is this normal? and also do I have the SD color issue given what I just described? My T.V. shows this regardless of the player, the flesh tones show a little red no matter how I adjust the color or tint. I have a color temperture control on the T.V. that I set to high and this helps a bit. When I set it to low, it is bright all over and minimizes the contrast.

Ok I haven't been to this thread for ages and I can't read through all these pages for the info I need.

Question is what is the latest firmware that upconverts through DVI and where can I get it.

Thanks for you help :)

Page 1, Post # 1 of this FAQ (info reposted / update on post 1)

A Direct quote:

Thanks to Micheal TLV for this and referee for the head's up on all of this.http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/expe...2_firmware.html

Page 1, Post # 1 of this FAQ (info reposted / update on post 1)

A Direct quote:

Thanks to Micheal TLV for this and referee for the head's up on all of this.http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/expe...2_firmware.html

Hmm, ok thanks. I already used that one last year I was just hoping something newer was out.

i've been lurking for a while now and i couldn't help but order me my own dvb-318
and you know what it finally gets here and i have to hear from my wife complain about whats wrong with our other dvd players? but thats not it i plug it up ready to see if i have to do the firm ware downgrade and the dang thing wont read any disk i put into it. i put spider man 2, gladiator and then a regular cd and it wont read any of them. have any one experienced this problem and if so what do i need to do to correct it. my ol lady is really going to let me have it and rub it in my face if i have to ship it back to get fixed.

did you update the firmware or was it doa?

dead on arrival. opened the box, plugged it up and no go. it refuses to read any disk that i put in it. i tried to unplug it and let it reset still nothing. i got it from techforless so i will have to send it back to them. i already talked to zenith and they said that they will have to replace the unit meaning i will get probably the feb 05 build as opposed to the oct 04 this unit was. oh well i guess good things come to those who wait.

just talked to the folks at techforless and they are going to immediatly send me a new unit out and they will e-mail me some shipping labels to return my defective unit. so yea i have to wait a week but i will be able to join the 1080i dvd world. ill let you all know how the firmware works.

From Post #1 at the top of this thread......



DVB 318 FAQ

Updated November 1, 2004

Original Firmware!

This firmware is for restoring full component video upconversion to the Zenith 318 if you have a model that has the "newer" firmware. Unfortuneately, this will also undo the DVI white crush fix, but that's irreleveant if component video is your priority anyways.

Instructions (according to referee): Download the .bin file of your choice. I think I remember reading that the file has to be called lgromout.bin to be seen by the DVB318. So if you want the component-capable firmware, you should rename the file accordingly. Burn the file to a CD-R. Throw it in and turn it on.

Thanks to Micheal TLV for this and referee for the head's up on all of this.
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/lg_dv7832_firmware.html

My LGE version that is a year old is having some serious problems. It is ghosting on all inputs and really messing up blacks. Anyone else have a problem with their player?

I am taking it in tomorrow.

has anyone had issues upgrading the firmware? when I try all it does is say track 20... I know you have to rename the file, and I used the same disc that i successfully upgraded my other dvb318 with and it just wont work... any help? thanks

hey i finally got my dvb 318 in and out of the box i noticed it had the lg logo as opposed to the zenith logo. i know this happens after the firmware downgrade. when i put in spiderman 2 and pressed the upconvert button the screen did look better does this mean it already componet enabled. the build date is oct 04 if that helps. i have the firmware ready to go if not. oh does it hurt to put it in anyway just in case?

New to forum. So let me get this straight, if I get the Zenith DVB-318 and install old firmware, it will upconvert to 1080i over component?

New to forum. So let me get this straight, if I get the Zenith DVB-318 and install old firmware, it will upconvert to 1080i over component?

yup

hey i finally got my dvb 318 in and out of the box i noticed it had the lg logo as opposed to the zenith logo. i know this happens after the firmware downgrade. when i put in spiderman 2 and pressed the upconvert button the screen did look better does this mean it already componet enabled. the build date is oct 04 if that helps. i have the firmware ready to go if not. oh does it hurt to put it in anyway just in case?
--------------------
bump to see if i can get an answere. :)

hey i finally got my dvb 318 in and out of the box i noticed it had the lg logo as opposed to the zenith logo. i know this happens after the firmware downgrade. when i put in spiderman 2 and pressed the upconvert button the screen did look better does this mean it already componet enabled. the build date is oct 04 if that helps. i have the firmware ready to go if not. oh does it hurt to put it in anyway just in case? Yes, the old firmware was installed. You can test this by playing Star Wars, Attack Of the Clones. When you put in the movie, press the resolution button on your T.V. It should show 1080i. If it does, you have the old firmware installed. If the player does not have the old firmware, you will still be able to see upconverted movies that are not copyright protected as well as the movies you copy and burn, just make sure not to compress them.

Well I finally broke down and ordered my 318 after a year of research(convincing the wife). I was actually having some sync issues with my current player. I have only one question about the player. Has anyone had any problem, or heard of any problems with signal issues over long cable runs? I have a 25' run of component feeding my PJ and I have not heard of any issues so far having read this thread a few times.

How do I determine as to what firmware I have? Where do I get the old firmware?

Thanks.

When you power on if the screen says "zenith" it's the newer DVI only uprezz. If it says, LG, its is the older component friendly version.

:) d

When you power on if the screen says "zenith" it's the newer DVI only uprezz. If it says, LG, its is the older component friendly version.

:) dWell.. mine says "HELLO" when I hit the power button. Now what? Actually, I had the older component version which also said HELLO at power on. I had to give it to a friend who needed component out more than I did.
I never saw the other one say say LG or Zenith.

sorry! I meant the image on the TV screen. Not on the front of the player. It should have a HUGE DVD and underneath either Zenith or LG...

:) d

But my older unit which worked with 1080i component also said Zenith on the screen. I never saw the LG name. I don't think that this is the correct measure. The new unit also says Zenith. Unfortunately, I don't have a way of checking component out anymore (I am selling my scaler which was converting component to RGB). I was just curious.

Gotcha. I have gone back and forth between firmwares 2x when I got my new FP with DVI and when I "roll back the firmware" using the lgromout.bin file on Keohi's website to enable component upconversion, the logo changes to LG. When I switch back to the latest firmware that fixes the DVI white crush but disables component upconversion, the onscreen logo changes to zenith. The best way to check is if you have a monitor that displays the incoming signal resolution, (like my Mits. crt did) through component and put in a copy protected disc. If it is the newer firmware, it will snap back to 480P. You can always just go to the site, download the file and burn it on a cd-r and upload it to be sure. And the region -free one is separate. You have to burn a 2nd disc with a different file. Go to the front of the 318 FAQ and it gives all the info.

Good luck! d

also will it make the dvd picture automaticly display in widescreen if the 1080i through componet is working? i got the incredible hulk dvd and despite the fact that it had widescreen on the box it was in fact full screen. well i watched it for the 1st time since i got the dvb 318 and wolla its wide screen. could that be a test. im bumping till someone tells me :D

also will it make the dvd picture automaticly display in widescreen if the 1080i through componet is working? i got the incredible hulk dvd and despite the fact that it had widescreen on the box it was in fact full screen. well i watched it for the 1st time since i got the dvb 318 and wolla its wide screen. could that be a test. im bumping till someone tells me :D

1080i or 720p will display widescreen, but cycle through the upconversion settings on the player without a dvd in to ensure that it's at 1080i (if your tv doesn't tell you). Take a good look at the picture, because it's probably full screen stretched to widescreen. If you want to watch a 4x3 movie in its OAR, then you'll have to watch it at 480p on this player, or go through s-vid.

i have the lg 7832 with nov dated so i can upconvert with component,but now my problem is that i have to use dvi for the z2 projector because my hd will now be using the component.....if i use the lgromount. bin it will take away the white crusch is this correct? and do i just download the bin to a cd and then just put it in the player and hit play?
and in the future if i need to go back to using the component do i just use the lv700i bin? do i need to remane the lv700i bin to lgromount? thanks for the help guys.....

OK I'm super worried... I tried to downgrade the firmware on my new 318 and somethings gone horribly wrong. I forgot it needed to be done in 480P mode and tried inserting my firmware disc in 1080i. It showed "Data Loading" then spit out my disc and the "data loading" screen stayed on and it wouldnt reinsert the disc. the disc just starts to go in then stubbornly goes back to ejected. Now 480P and 720P wont work at all. 1080i stills shows the Zenith splashscreen. In 480P and 720 the screen is blank. When I try to play a movie with CP from 1080i it switches to 480P and the screen goes blank. When I first loaded it up 480P and 720P worked fine. What have I done???

I had a problem with very few DVDs loading:
National Treasure
Hell Boy
Sin City

I thought it was the copyright protection, and it's possible, but turning off the autoplay feature solved the problem.

Ok, false alarm, my TV just didnt like that failed firmware downgrade... Once I restarted the TV everything works fine--I got the firmware done.

Well, it works. I'm thrilled; but I must say--the PQ in 1080i on the old firmware isnt quite as good as I was hoping, it's still pretty darn good though. The LG 511 I tested yesterday is a little nicer in 1080i (well, to be honest I can only really tell on written text). Except for the little issue of not being able to upconvert my CP titles over component (which is all I can use) I really liked the 511. So the 511 goes back to circuit city and I'm done with all this until I graduate and get a good job. By then there will probably be a new standard HDDVD technology. :)

My overall recommendation: If you need component upconversion for some reason--this is the way to go. Thanks to all of you guys for making this firmware downgrade possible.

i am waiting for the 318 to be delivered in a couple weeks. i downloaded the bin file {component upscaling}. do i burn the file as it is or do you have to open it with software such as nero? from what i read you burn it just as it is downloaded am i correct? thx

There was a thread with instructions a while back. Try searching. I can't remember but I think you just burn as is and the DVD player will recognize it.

My two cents on the ZENITH DVD-318:

I found in this equipment a very great player for its cost/benefit relation.
If you have a PJ with component or DVI connections, the player plays in both at 1080i producing a great spectacle for your eyes, the differences between watching a film in 480p and 1080i are notorious.
Personally I have a PJ with component connections so in order to watch every film in 1080i I had to play the LG firmware. Without this firmware several movies were unplayable ( such as EPII ) but the change made every dvd disc viewing possible.
At first a little white line appeared on the up-left corner of the screen, but after turning the player OFF and ON this error dissapeared.
Also, you must know that 4:3 movies are zoomed if seen in 1080i, so for classics and some TV series you must select 480p on the player in order to see them in it's correct aspect ratio.

Well, about the image, the most important thing I have noticed is that not all dvd movies have good transfers, many movies seen on a TV are very difficult to comprehend if the transfer has been done well or not. In a PJ all errors are quite visible. So, to obtain the perfect image two factors that I think were important were the settings of color, contrast and brightness on the PJ and to realize that sometimes it's not the players or the PJs fault if an image is not the desired one, transfers in many movies are horrendous.

The only undesired problem I had and unsolved till now is that the remote control is desastrous, many buttons don't function ( POWER ON and UP-LEFT-RIGHT-DOWN ), I solved it with a universal remote I had, and never used the ZENITH one again.
Also the REGION FREE solftware played great an d very easily to install.

The only undesired problem I had and unsolved till now is that the remote control is desastrous, many buttons don't function ( POWER ON and UP-LEFT-RIGHT-DOWN ), I solved it with a universal remote I had, and never used the ZENITH one again.



Well, join the club. This has happened to lots of us until we realized that we had to press the "DVD" function button on the remote to get it back into DVD mode.

I was also frantic and wondering where I could get a replacement remote until I tried this trick. I guess one of my pets had stepped on the remote taking it out of DVD mode.

I just got the Zenith DVB-318 and I have to say that the improvement (even when using component cables) is amazing. I was previously considering getting a $1,000 DVD player, but I no longer see the need even with my 100" screen.

The biggest hassle was figuring out how to pull off the so-called "simple" component and code-free hacks. I finally discovered that you should not rename either file despite what some have suggested, burn each hack to a separate CD, make sure your CD burning program does not use Joliet names when burning the CDs and that it closes out both CDs when you are done burning them or the player won't read them, and run the code-free hack after you have run the component hack (if you run the code-free hack first, the component hack will reset the player to Region 1).

I've been using a DVB318 for little over a year with my X1 and love the 1080i picture over component via adapter. Yesterday I go to watch a dvd and it keeps coming up "no disc." I clean it and the cleaning did not work. Anyone else experience this? Can't believe it the reader is shot already. Would not consider it was overused at all.

Barring repair, anyone know of a dvd player that upconverts over component for the X1? Searched the threads and came with a Norcent 501, but that doesn't seem to be available anymore. Should I just go with a progressive dvd player, if so any suggestions?

I've been using a DVB318 for little over a year with my X1 and love the 1080i picture over component via adapter. Yesterday I go to watch a dvd and it keeps coming up "no disc." I clean it and the cleaning did not work. Anyone else experience this? Can't believe it the reader is shot already. Would not consider it was overused at all.

Barring repair, anyone know of a dvd player that upconverts over component for the X1? Searched the threads and came with a Norcent 501, but that doesn't seem to be available anymore. Should I just go with a progressive dvd player, if so any suggestions?

The Samsung 841 & 941 will do it with a simple keystroke sequence punched in the remote control. The 941 is especially nice with it's Faroudja processor. It's the same as the one in your Zenith so the picture should be quite similar. It also has HDMI out to keep you covered for the future.

On the first page of thread, reference was made to OAR when talking about region free, PAL to NTSC. Just wondered what OAR stood for.

Origional Aspect Ratio

The drawback to the Samsung is that you have to purchase another remote to make it region-free. The Zenith can be made region-free without having to purchase anything.

I've been using a DVB318 for little over a year with my X1 and love the 1080i picture over component via adapter. Yesterday I go to watch a dvd and it keeps coming up "no disc." I clean it and the cleaning did not work. Anyone else experience this? Can't believe it the reader is shot already. Would not consider it was overused at all.
Did you try putting in another disc (one that you know used to work) to see if that read? Maybe it was the disc the player didn't recognize.

The link on the first page that has the original firmware is down. Is there anywhere else to get this firmware?

I would like to purchase this player, but would need the firmware to upconvert using comp. video cables. Can anyone please provide me with a link that works. Thanks

yanksno1

Yes, I tried several DVD disks and none of them worked. The funny thing is that it will still read and play music CDs. I don't know if there is a different reader for that.

As stated above, the firware links are down. I need to reset my 318 to component-friendly firmware. If anyone has a copy of that firmware will you please get in touch with me?

But does the Samsung 941 upconvert over comp. for all DVD's including copy protected ones?

But does the Samsung 941 upconvert over comp. for all DVD's including copy protected ones?

Yes. I had one and it upconverted everything I threw at it over component.

Link to firmware's back:

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/lg_dv7832_firmware.html

May be coicidental, but I tried to register my 318 on the Zenith site over the weekend and have ben bombarded with solicitation calls since.

I only have a cell phone so very rarely got any prior to this. Now it's ringing constantly.

Anyone else have this issue?

May be coincidental, but I tried to register my 318 on the Zenith site over the weekend and have been bombarded with solicitation calls since.

I only have a cell phone so very rarely got any prior to this. Now it's ringing constantly.

Anyone else have this issue?
Word of advice, NEVER give your real phone number for those types of things... I don't even give my credit card companies my real pone number- and especially not a cell phone. I just make one up that isn't going to be in use in this are code...

Question- I just bought the 4805 on woot two days ago and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I have the 318, but I was wondering what the difference is between the picture quality of the 318 vs. the 4805 chip? Right now I have the 318 hooked up to my 60" Sony, so if the quality is the same I''ll leave it hooked into the TV and just use my old Toshiba in 480i mode with the projector. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Question- I just bought the 4805 on woot two days ago and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I have the 318, but I was wondering what the difference is between the picture quality of the 318 vs. the 4805 chip? Right now I have the 318 hooked up to my 60" Sony, so if the quality is the same I''ll leave it hooked into the TV and just use my old Toshiba in 480i mode with the projector. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Of course only you can decide but my guess would be the Faroudja chip in the 4805 will do a good job with the 480i signal and you will be happy using it that way.

Chris

Ok I understand my player will play PAL and convert it to NTSC (correct me if I'm wrong). If I can get this movie in either format and I know I'll be using it for myself is PAL DVD a much superior looking format or shuold I just stick with NTSC (if I can get it in that format)? TIA

ntSc

Ok I understand my player will play PAL and convert it to NTSC (correct me if I'm wrong). If I can get this movie in either format and I know I'll be using it for myself is PAL DVD a much superior looking format or shuold I just stick with NTSC (if I can get it in that format)? TIA

You will want to stick with NTSC. A PAL to NTSC conversion will take a PAL image (576i) and convert it to NTSC (480i). This process alone degrades the overall picture quality, and upconverting to 720p/1080i adds insult to injury. Additionaly, the Zenith 318 fails 2:2 pulldowns, further reducing the video clarity.

If I buy a 318 today I can still put the firmware on it to upscale over component right?

If I buy a 318 today I can still put the firmware on it to upscale over component right?

Yes. No problem.

I am finally able to hook up my new Optoma H78DC3 projector and a DVI cable I got from monoprice, and I get a no signal message on the projector and the DVD player won't even hardly open up without some unplugging and replugging. I could get the picture with the component cables. Any advice as to what is going on here or things I could try. Thanks for any help.

barry

I am finally able to hook up my new Optoma H78DC3 projector and a DVI cable I got from monoprice, and I get a no signal message on the projector and the DVD player won't even hardly open up without some unplugging and replugging. I could get the picture with the component cables. Any advice as to what is going on here or things I could try. Thanks for any help.

barry

Are the component cables still connected? If so, try using it with only the DVI connection.

Chris

I am finally able to hook up my new Optoma H78DC3 projector and a DVI cable I got from monoprice, and I get a no signal message on the projector and the DVD player won't even hardly open up without some unplugging and replugging. I could get the picture with the component cables. Any advice as to what is going on here or things I could try. Thanks for any help.

barry


-old firmware or new firmware?

-going directly to PJ or through receiver?

-could have wrong inputs selected

-could be a bad dvd player

-could be a weak power source, electrical outlet (because of having to unplug and replug)

-old firmware or new firmware? haven't determined that yet

-going directly to PJ or through receiver? directly to Projector

-could have wrong inputs selected the projector autosyncs with sources

-could be a bad dvd player could be, but it worked last week with my NEC LT150

-could be a weak power source, electrical outlet (because of having to unplug and replug)
old firmware or new firmware? haven't determined that yet

-going directly to PJ or through receiver? directly to Projector

-could have wrong inputs selected the projector autosyncs with sources

-could be a bad dvd player could be, but it worked last week with my NEC LT150

-could be a weak power source, electrical outlet (because of having to unplug and replugplayer) has a direct breaker for that outlet.

Does it matter if I plug the DVI cable in before or after the DVD player is powered up or the same for the projector.
I am going to have the DVI plugge in before I power anything up tonite.
It just seemed that the DVD player wouldnt respond to anything (open close power off) with the DVI cable plugged in.

thanks
barry

I just bought one of these on an open box deal. I know that all things being equal, DVI should be the best output. It seems like a lot of you are using component. Is this because many of you are using older HDTVs that lack DVI or HDMI input? I was planning on using the DVI connection.

I just bought one of these on an open box deal. I know that all things being equal, DVI should be the best output. It seems like a lot of you are using component. Is this because many of you are using older HDTVs that lack DVI or HDMI input? I was planning on using the DVI connection.

DVI with the new firmware is very good in my opinion.

Chris

What is the new firmware?

Ok, I plugged this thing in to my TV (Sony SXRD) with a DVI->HDMI cable. When I power it on it just hangs and the display says "Hello." If I plug it in with component cables it works fine. Any suggestions? With component cables the welcome screen says LG.

What is the new firmware?

Ok, I plugged this thing in to my TV (Sony SXRD) with a DVI->HDMI cable. When I power it on it just hangs and the display says "Hello." If I plug it in with component cables it works fine. Any suggestions? With component cables the welcome screen says LG.

Strangely enough I am getting the same problem you are. Component works fine. I wanted one of the older players to get upconversion over component. I thought upconversion over DVI was a given. If I even just plug in the DVI it locks up the player and the Optoma H78 displays no signal after it drops the Component signal.
I dont really want to get a new DVD player yet. How do I know if it is either the new projector or the Zenith DVD player. I was really looking forward to seeing DVD through DVI upconversion.

thanks
barry

What is the new firmware?

Ok, I plugged this thing in to my TV (Sony SXRD) with a DVI->HDMI cable. When I power it on it just hangs and the display says "Hello." If I plug it in with component cables it works fine. Any suggestions? With component cables the welcome screen says LG.

Of course that is the old firmware and the player does very poorly over DVI with that firmware. As far as I know there are only two versions, the old firmware for component upconversion and the new firmware that fixed issues with the DVI connection but disables upscaling over component with protected DVDs. I do believe it should work over DVI with the old firmware but suffers white crush and some other issues that I don't recall.

Chris

What is the new firmware?

Ok, I plugged this thing in to my TV (Sony SXRD) with a DVI->HDMI cable. When I power it on it just hangs and the display says "Hello." If I plug it in with component cables it works fine. Any suggestions? With component cables the welcome screen says LG.

Search for firmware link. I have the old firmware and am using componenet on my DILA without upconvert problems on any dvd. I tried to connect DVI to HDMI and also got this hangup. New firmware install will be evident. Screen will say Zenith on splash and not LG.

I tried all the different firmware and I still have the same problem. I"m going to just send it back and get a different brand.

I tried all the different firmware and I still have the same problem. I"m going to just send it back and get a different brand.

Does it now flash Zenith on the opening screen?

Chris

kingsley, did you try a different cable? did you mack sure the connection into the dvd as well as into the PJ was pushed in securely? maybe some of the pins on the cable are messed up?

Yes, it flashed Zenith after I did the firmware update.

The cable is "known good." It had been used on other devices without an issue.

Yes, it flashed Zenith after I did the firmware update.

The cable is "known good." It had been used on other devices without an issue.

If you are sure you do have the new firmware that corrected the DVI issues for me, it does sound like you have a bad player or a ocmpatibility issue with the display. The Oppo DV971H is a forum favorite DVI Faroudja upscaling player and worth consideration although based on what I have read recently, it might be hard to find now.

Chris

The Oppo DV971H is a forum favorite DVI Faroudja upscaling player and worth consideration although based on what I have read recently, it might be hard to find now.

Chris

Why is it hard to find? Did Oppo stopped making this player?

Why is it hard to find? Did Oppo stopped making this player?

Not sure where the 'shortage' rumour came from. Amazon has them in stock, so do lots of other places.

oppo did underestimate demand and is airlifting another shipment to for us distribution (source is mikeSRC in hometheaterspot.com dvd player forum).

jeff

Not sure where the 'shortage' rumour came from. Amazon has them in stock, so do lots of other places.

Amazon does show usually ships within 24 hours but I don't think they actually have any now. If you would name the other places that have them in stock, that might be helpful for those looking right now.

Chris

I called Amazon, they do have them. A quick Froogle pulled up this place www.onlybestrated.com which shows them in stock also. There's no shortage that I can see.

Also check out Best Buy-they have the DVB318 listed on their website.

a vote for this post to be un-stickied? it's been here forever, is no longer especially active, and isn't really a major topic of discussion any more.

RIP DVB318.

I have loved this unit since I got it about a year ago.

It now features a major fatal flaw in that DVDs of any kind cannot be read when inserted. Repeated diagnositcs and internal box analysis is that this is a problem with the read head in the drawer assembly. Bottom line - mine is now a scrap electronics box. Shame....

Oh well, my new Sony S70H replacement is working just fine, has less anomolies than the DVB318 had, and more flexibilities in the configuration.

RIP DVB318.

I have a question for all of the 318 experts. I have been using it via component for the last year and a half. I recently upgraded to a projector (Mt-700) that has HDMI. Using AVIA the colors from the 318 were always slightly “off” compared to my older 480P DVD player. It was correctable with calibration, but never perfect. The apparent increase in sharpness more than made up for the color deficiency. My question is, as I am about to hook it up via its DVI output (I have already upgraded the flash memory to the DVI version), are the colors more “correct” out of the box? Also will I see any improvement in sharpness? Any other suggestions?

I have a question for all of the 318 experts. I have been using it via component for the last year and a half. I recently upgraded to a projector (Mt-700) that has HDMI. Using AVIA the colors from the 318 were always slightly “off” compared to my older 480P DVD player. It was correctable with calibration, but never perfect. The apparent increase in sharpness more than made up for the color deficiency. My question is, as I am about to hook it up via its DVI output (I have already upgraded the flash memory to the DVI version), are the colors more “correct” out of the box? Also will I see any improvement in sharpness? Any other suggestions?

I feel the picture is slightly more accurate and sharper over DVI with the new firmware but I ended up with very similar settings with either connection, DVI with new firmware or component with old, after calibration. Out of the box isn't very good either way but after tweaking, I still like mine a lot. I have used it at 1080i with my Panasonic PT-L500U and Sony KV-30XBR910. The 720p and 480p performance was never very good.

Chris

I have had this player for close to 2 years now. I have the original firmware on it and I have calibrated it using DVE. I am only using component @ 1080i with my Infocus SP4805 PJ. When compared to my primary player, Oppo Digital, the Zenith PQ is way inferior to the Oppo which led me to believe that maybe there exists some tweaks that will improve the 318'' PQ. Have I missed this? Is there any specific setting to get the best out of the 318 with Infocus 4805 PJ? I did a search before posting this but the search result is way too much to read post by post. I appreciate any help please.

I'm getting the stuck at "hello" problem with only the DVI cable in. Has anyone figured out a way to deal with this?

I'm getting the stuck at "hello" problem with only the DVI cable in. Has anyone figured out a way to deal with this?

Do you have the latest firmware? I have never seen the problem with the newest firmware although I don't even recall if the firmware fixed that issue.

Chris

I'm having a little trouble with 1080i on my new DVB318, and a search of the 318 megathreads didn't come up with anything.

The player is hooked up to a 32" Aquos via component (this is the new Sharp model without DVI) and I flashed the old firmware last night with no problems. 480p and 720p look fine, but when upconverting to 1080i the picture begins to shake noticeably. It's easy to see the shaking on the DVD/LG splash screen, and when playing a video the picture is jumpy, almost as if frames are being skipped.

Anyone come across this?

The player is hooked up to a 32" Aquos via component (this is the new Sharp model without DVI) and I flashed the old firmware last night with no problems. 480p and 720p look fine, but when upconverting to 1080i the picture begins to shake noticeably. It's easy to see the shaking on the DVD/LG splash screen, and when playing a video the picture is jumpy, almost as if frames are being skipped.

Anyone come across this?

No, but 480p is terrible with my DVB318 and 720p not as good as 1080i so I used it at 1080i even with a 720p display. Does true 1080i have a similar problem with that display? I would suggest just use 720p if it works well. I have several inexpensive DVD players and have yet to find one that doesn't have an issue with at least one of my displays.

Chris

No problems with 1080i signals OTA or through my SA8300HD (HDMI) - it's only an issue with the DVB318. I think I'll try to reflash the firmware when I get home just too see what happens. If that doesn't work I'll probably just stick with the 720p - it looks pretty good, and is definitely an upgrade over the last (cheap!) player I had.

Do you have the latest firmware? I have never seen the problem with the newest firmware although I don't even recall if the firmware fixed that issue.

Chris

Yes. I used the one from the keohi site. I flashed it back to the component now because I could not get it to work. Is there a newer firmware version?

Yes. I used the one from the keohi site. I flashed it back to the component now because I could not get it to work. Is there a newer firmware version?

If you have the firmware that permits upconversion for all DVDs over component then you have the older of the only two firmware versions I am aware of. With this player I can either get upscaling over component or acceptable DVI performance but not both with the same firmware version. If you have tried both, then I don't know what is wrong but it may be an HDCP handshake problem.

Chris

I wonder if the Oppo DV971 will give me a better picture over DVI than the 318 over component (1080i)?

I wonder if the Oppo DV971 will give me a better picture over DVI than the 318 over component (1080i)?


I have both and let me tell you the Oppo DV971 will give me a much better picture over DVI @720P than the 318 over component 1080i. I use Infocus SP4805 for display.

Am I the only one who can't get past the hello when I plug in the DVI?

I recall an issue having both component and dvi connected at the same time. you can get the issue you describe (freeze-up). you get one or the other. You can always connect composite in addition to component or dvi, but not both the later two.

jeff

Am I the only one who can't get past the hello when I plug in the DVI?

I have the older (component) firmware flashed and the dvi will not work. It gets stuck at hello. Rather than use the dvi and reflash, I just use compnent.

Hey Alex (Solomon),

My brother in law has the SP4805. I was thinking about recommending the Oppo for him, but isn't that a lot of uneccessary upconverting and downconverting? The 4805 has 854x480 resolution, and has Faroudja DCDI. It would seem like feeding it a 480i (or good 480p) signal over component would be the way to go as it matches the native resolution. Sending it an upconverted 720p or 1080i signal generated from a DVD (recorded at 480p) would result in it being downconverted by the 4805. That seems like a lot of extra steps that could degrade PQ. Maybe that is why the PQ with the 318 isn't so hot. Maybe the digital signal over DVI at 720p doesn't suffer as much because it skips the extra d/a a/d conversion? But it would still seem that a 480i or 480p signal might be even better. (Not sure you will be able to really test this with the Oppo or 318, though, as I don't think they do well at 480i or 480p.)

Thoughts anyone?

Andrew

I recently set up the Zenith to be region-free, and it works great.

But-- the buttons on the remote don't seem to work with menus on dvds: for example, scene selection, language, subtitles.

The only thing I can do is to play the movie. I can't scroll to any other options. All in all, a very minor complaint considering that I can watch dvds from Europe. Has anybody figured out how to work the menus?

Andrew, OPPO works best at 480p or 720p with the 4805. It's really a matter of preference. I have mine set at 720P with Truelife, CCS & NR set to OFF on the Oppo, with RGB gain @58 and RGB offset @28.5 and overscan to ON on the Infocus 4805 and the result is the most accurate lifelike smooth image I have ever seen from such inexpensive product. I truly believe that only the top offering from Denon, Onkyo and Pioneer will beat the Oppo but only by a small margin and of course, with build quality. But when you factor price into the equation, the Oppo is the best DVD player ever made. PERIOD! IMO, of course. The Oppo and Infocus 4805 mate extremely well. Tell your friend to get the Oppo. Highly recommended.

I recently set up the Zenith to be region-free, and it works great.

But-- the buttons on the remote don't seem to work with menus on dvds: for example, scene selection, language, subtitles.

The only thing I can do is to play the movie. I can't scroll to any other options. All in all, a very minor complaint considering that I can watch dvds from Europe. Has anybody figured out how to work the menus?

Make sure you press the DVD button to activate the DVD portion of the remote control. The bottom row of buttons is DVD VCR CATV TV. Push the DVD button to use the remote control to control the DVD player. I am able to use the remote to access the menu items just fine.

Chris

Chris-
good suggestion. I didn't even think about that. I'll try it and let you know.

I wonder if the Oppo DV971 will give me a better picture over DVI than the 318 over component (1080i)?
It probably will. That oppo is outstanding. If you have both I would use the oppo with DVI as my go to player

If you connect video (component) to TV and connect coaxial audio to receiver, you could experience audio problem (no sound or audio drop). If your CATV (or Antenna) cable does not ground to your house ground, then it is possible you have ground loop problem (different potential from two grounds will make noise to TV and to 318 through video cable). This would affect 318's coaxial audio output (too much noise cause audio drop or no audio at all). It seems like 318 does not implement isolation circuit on component video output (to prevent ground noise comes in from component video cable). If it happens to you, try to ground CATV cable to your house ground to eliminate the ground loop. Or run component video cable to receiver first then to TV, I know my receiver (panny xr50) has isolation circuit to eliminate the noise get in from video cable.

Edit: It seems like DVI connection does not have this problem.
Hi C.Y.

I have the DVB318 connected to my Panasonic AE700 projector using the component video cable. I have the coaxial digital audio out connected to my Denon AVR4802 reciever.

Everything was working fine until last night. Now the reciever appears to be recieving no digital signal from the DVB318.

I've swopped out the cable, checked the digital in assignment on the reciever, and checked the digital input on the reciever by hooking up a CD player and it is working fine.

I hooked up the DVB318 using a fibre optic audio cable and it works fine but the coaxial has just stopped working.

Do you have any idea what migh be causing this ?

I've had the DVB318 for about a month and flashed the firmware so that it will output 1080i from the component cables. I have had absolutely no trouble until now.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

John

Hello,
Just purchased a DVB 318, manufacture date 6/05. Have a 2300mp projector w/o dvi. Where do I find the firmware to allow upconvert of DVD's through component hook-up...anyone.
Thanks

Firmware - read the first post in this thread. (Zenith DVB318 FAQ) This is the most FAQ.

Thanks JKT,
I did find the firmware in the first post, downloaded a copy and tried to install it. The player just reads no DVD. I don't get any message such as downloading data...
Please let me know if you have any ideas of how to make the installation...
meanwhile I'm back to reading the thread.
Thanks again.

OK I helped a guy with this problem last week. Make sure when you re-name the file you do it correctly. Some people make the mistake of renaming the file
blahblahblah.bin.bin

Did you do that?

Took three times to try and burn the cd with the right name...
finally got it .
THANKS!

Sweet! I knew you could get it. :D

nm

Anyone,
New problem 1080i looks great! But I get a small white dotted line above the center of a 16.9 image and and a broad flickering line above a 4.3 image. Lines go away if I switch player to 480p. I'm viewing image over a dell 2300mp projector and this is the first time I've upconverted above 480p any thoughts. I am connecting with a D-sub to YPbPr cable. I'm going to try a new cable (on-hand), and see if it makes a differernce
Thanks,
nm (Sean)

New cable didn't help...
Sean

Do you have any overscan functions on that PJ? If I reduce my overscan to -3 (on a 0 -10 scale) I get some sort of artifact on the top my screen too. I don't know if it comes from the pj or the player I have never switched it out. If I have omy overscan above -3 all is good.

Turn off progressive scanning on your projecot if you have that function too.

Good luck

JKT,
Can't find any overscan settings. Looked in OM as well makes no reference. The projector automatically acknowledges the input signal and does recognize the 1080i. Going to try and hit a resync button on my projector to see if...
BTY, thanks for all the help.
Sean

No luck.
???

Do you know if I need to worry about pixel burnout with white artifacts?

LCD and DLP are not suseptable to burn in. Maybe you should check the <$3500 display threads. They will be able to help you I bet.

Thanks again...
Sean

I have an original DVD318 that can do 1080i/720p over component.. I sold my 65" HDTV due to moving and bought a Sony 27" Wega non-HD set for temporary purposes as it was only $250, it does however have component inputs.

How can I get 480i over component? or is this just not possible with the zenith?

I have an original DVD318 that can do 1080i/720p over component.. I sold my 65" HDTV due to moving and bought a Sony 27" Wega non-HD set for temporary purposes as it was only $250, it does however have component inputs.

How can I get 480i over component? or is this just not possible with the zenith?

The Tv doesn't accept 480p?

I don't erememebr if there's a way to turn off progresive video on the component video. Try looking through the setup menus.

"The Tv doesn't accept 480p?

I don't erememebr if there's a way to turn off progresive video on the component video. Try looking through the setup menus. "

its just the basic Wega, not ED or HDTV so no 480p. I tried going through the menu with the composite cable but couldn't find anything.. THere is no switch on the back of the player like some DVD players have either.. It most likely doesn't support 480i over component but I was just checking to make sure I didn't over look something.

Originally Posted by SJK
I'm getting the stuck at "hello" problem with only the DVI cable in. Has anyone figured out a way to deal with this?

Do you have the latest firmware? I have never seen the problem with the newest firmware although I don't even recall if the firmware fixed that issue.

Chris I'm not sure why you are saying this. There have already been quite a few people in this thread alone reporting this issue. I just recently purchased the Sony SXRD, and tried to use my DVB318 over DVI->HDMI -- same thing, freezes as Hello, even with the "DVI" firmware from the other site. It is also posted on the FAQs thread that it has issues connecting to HDMI. I am not sure there is any fix, I think this model may just not work right with HDMI. So far, for people with this issue, I haven't seen any fix.

right. There are other dvi based players out there (oppo and panny). this players main use IMO is as a component upconverter.

jeff

Those of you who have had both the Zenith and the Oppo DV971H - How does the SOUND quality compare? I have dvi and component available and my Qualia 006 automatically upscales all to 1080P but I find an external scaler to still have some value. My finding is that the sound quality is MUCH better on the Zenith then say a Sony 975 or the xbox. I am hoping the Oppo has that same extra vibrant and crisp sound.

I have both and I can't really tell a difference over digital coax.

I have both and I can't really tell a difference over digital coax.SJK -

Can you comment on which player is better in regards to macroblocking - the 318 or the Oppo? I currently have a 318 and am intrigued by the Oppo (now that my TV has HDMI), but if the macroblocking is the same or worse on the Oppo then it won't be worth it to me. Thanks!

I am not quite sure what macroblocking is, but if it is the artifacts in the dark or black area of the picture then the Oppo is much better in that regard. With the Oppo I hardly see it at all, with the 318 it was terrible.

Is that macro blocking?

Been a while since I've been here. Suprised I could not find any discussions on dual-layer compatibility with the DVB318. I need to buy media for my new burner and am first, not sure if DVB318 plays dual later at all, and two, if so, is it best to get DVD-R DL or DVD+R DL or does it really not matter? (Is one format more compatible with players in general?)

Utente

Try pressing the DVD button on the top of the remote before using the menu keys. This is a common complaint. It is probably in TV mode.

SJK,
Be sure that you re-calibarate the display, i.e. reset the brightness at least, when testing. Having the brightness too high accentuates MB. And yes what you're seeing is macroblocking.

Best,
jeff

The macroblocking seems very minor to me at worst on the DVB-318 at 1080i out the component video.

On my 60" CRT RP HD set, I never ever seen any, and now with the 76" LCD Projector, it seems very minor so far. Nemo didn't exhibit even a trace. The worst I seen it was on a dish 4:3 NTSC movie, of course having nothing to do with the DVD player. I'll have to comb through some of these threads for titles it really happens on bad and look for myself.

The only gripe I have right now with my DVD performance is 4:3 media. I still don't have a good plan for dealing with them. I wish there was a 4:3 pillar box setting on the player.

The only gripe I have right now with my DVD performance is 4:3 media. I still don't have a good plan for dealing with them. I wish there was a 4:3 pillar box setting on the player.

I have mine hooked up via both component and s-video. I just use s-video for 4:3 movies. For me, the small loss in video quality is worth it.

If I understand correctly, this player is usually better when used with the DVI interface, but like many others it does not work with the HDMI interface of my Sony KFE50A10, get stuck on Hello :mad:

I believe this problem been known since the beginning, I come there is no firmware update to fix this major problem, i my view :confused: or maybe it can not be fix with firmware :eek:

Does someone have any update on this issue?

Thanks,

Power, if you go through the zenith 318 mega thread, you'll see that most use this player via component, not dvi. The original firmware that allowed upconversion via component crushed whites on dvi. there was a firmware update that addressed the white crush on dvi, but it turned off component upconversion.

Also, if you have both component and dvi connected at the same time, there is a known bug where the player would hang at Hello.

If you intent on using dvi, then if you have component connected (and dvi), then disconnect component and see if it helps. If you're running the old (original firmware - you can tell you have it if you can upconvert via component copy protected discs) firmware, then try updating to the newer one that fixes white crush on dvi and see if you still get the hang. the firmware is availalbe here: http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/lg_dv7832_firmware.html

Best,
jeff

there was a firmware update that addressed the white crush on dvi, but it turned off component upconversion

I know, I have this firwmare, and the fact that it turned off component upconversion is not an issue if you want to use DVI.

So both my question remains:

1. Why so many people are happy using comp, instead of the superior DVI, when they have that option?

2. How is it posible that they have not provided a fix for the HDMI lock up?

First off dvi may be superior to component on some players, but this one is not one of them. We (the ones using if for component upconversion) are using it with the connection that is best for this player.

The player is not designed with an hdmi connection, only dvi. An adapter is not guarenteed to work. The 511/531/418's are the follow-on hdmi players. With these players there is no lock-up issue.

My question remains: are you connecting component AND dvi at the same time?

And one more quick one: do you have auto play turned on?

I know, I have this firwmare, and the fact that it turned off component upconversion is not an issue if you want to use DVI.

So both my question remains:

1. Why so many people are happy using comp, instead of the superior DVI, when they have that option?

2. How is it posible that they have not provided a fix for the HDMI lock up?

I was never able to get my HDMI to work - and I tried both firmware versions. I went out and bought an Oppo.

I do not have AutoPlay on and I only have the DVI-HDMI connected.

The Review on Secrets shows that the DVI is superior, could you please point me to a review/post where the comp was measured has superior?

Understand that I realize that most of you here prefer the comp over the DVI, I would just like to see it compare in a more scientific way.

THanks,

I do not have AutoPlay on and I only have the DVI-HDMI connected.

The Review on Secrets shows that the DVI is superior, could you please point me to a review/post where the comp was measured has superior?

Understand that I realize that most of you here prefer the comp over the DVI, I would just like to see it compare in a more scientific way.

THanks,

Many of us don't have DVI inputs, thats why we need a player with excellent upconversion via component. If you need DVi, you can do better with another player.

Jon

It's not a matter of scientific fact, it's a matter of functionality and opperability.

This player excels at 1080i over component...... proof is in this thread. DVI handshake issues.... white crush....... etc. Downgrading the firmware, and running over the component connections is the only reason to own this player.

Any other configuration for the 318 and you might as well find an alternative since there are plenty available that will kick this unit in the teeth with a setup differing from above.

I have happily used the DBV 318 for about 2 years with an Infocus X1 projector using 1080i over component connection. The X1 does not have DVI.
Now I have the Optoma H27 which has DVI and I find that the DBV 318 puts out a better image to the H27 using 1080i over DVI, except that whites appear too white some times.
I have read about the firmwear change that corrects the white push, but will I be able to revert to the old firmwear if I need to without having colour change problems? Has any user done the firmwear change both ways successfully without negative permanent changes to the original PQ on 1080i over component??
Thank you in advance for your input.

Yes to all of your questions.

Here's the link to the 2 firmwares. Be aware that if you revert to the upconversion over component version that the player will have a flash/intro screen that says "LG" rather than "Zenith". that's the only issue with reverting.

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/lg_dv7832_firmware.html

Thanks, Greeno!! Just the straight answer I was hoping for. I will flush the 318 with the new firmware. Will I need to tune up the picture again after the change?

I have flushed my DBV 318with the new firmware and it appeared to be successful. The white push is certainly less evident. I guess I will have to tune the projector up to the new firmware. HOWEVER, I can't hardly control the DVD player; often it does not seem to respond to the remote control commands and when it does it does it in strides getting me where I did not want to go. A BIG pain.
Anybody has had similar experiences/know of a fix??
As always, your help is much appreciated.

I've not heard flashing a new firmware affecting remote control performance. have you dropped your remote recently, are the batteries old, have you moved the dvd player so that there's now an obstruction?

Oh, for grins you might consider reverting firmware and see if the remote problem goes away...

jeff

Just double check to make sure you hits the button labels *DVD to enable the DVD mode of the remote. I took my remote to service center for repair, the girl at the counter said this is very common problem with this particular model's remote (perhaps a bad design?). She pulls out a plastic len "card" that changes color when its detects infra-red signal from theremote. She tested all buttons and assure me there is nothing wrong with my remote. And yes, the remote works well after I got home. As someone in your house might accidentally hits one of the other buttons and changed the remote to other modes like TV, CATV or VCR.

Hope this might help!

Thank you, Bear. You have saved the show. One little touch to the DVD button and voila!! remote control is back to normal. No need to revert back to the older firmware. After installing the new firmware to connect throuh DVI, I have tuned up the settings on the projector, Optoma H27, and brightness went up from default 50 to about 65 and no white push. Wonderful colours all across. Great improvement over Infocus X1 at 1080i over component conextion.
Thanks to all of you that allowed me to know of the H27, of the new firmware and all.

Hello all new here looking for info I have the Zenith hooked over component and pic looks great at 1080i except for constant light and dark flickering in the picture. Is this a sign of incorrect firmware and is there a way to check the version you have loaded. or is this macroblocking that Ive read about it does not occur at 480P thanks

Anyone else have problems with Teon DVD-R disc? I've burned several of these and they play on everything except my Zenith DVB318.

Jon

I have a Phillips CRT HDTV that can only accept 720p/1080i through digital component. But I have a Tosh SD-5980 DVD player that only delivers 720p/1080i via HDMI (480i/480p through component). Before I run out and get a DVB-318 and hack it, I was wondering about some options I think I have. Hopefully you all can help me decide the best route to follow.

1. The cheapest option. I can connect the SD-5980 via component, feed the HDTV 480i, and let the TV upconvert to 720p/1080i. I've read, though, that this isn't as good as having the upconversion done on the DVD player end. Is this true? Is it really a noticeable difference?

2. I've seen HDMI-to-DVI adpaters and DVI-to-component cables (haven't seen any HDMI-to-component). I could combine these to connect the SD-5980 HDMI to the digital component input of the TV, and then have the SD-5980 upconvert to 720p/1080i, right? Anyone try this on their setup?

3. Buy the DVB-318 and apply the hacks. Would this provide the best PQ?

Thanks.

WELCOME Scanner50 :)

1st, try option 1. If you like the picture then you're done. No need to ruin a good thing.

2nd, for option #2, you'd have to use a dvi/hdmi adapter AND a dvi/component adapter (this is IF there is no such thing as an hdmi/component adapter, I've never seen one though)

3rd, the DVB-318 or LG 418 are good machines, but soon also OPPO will be coming out with a new player that is going to upconvert via component.

Option #2 will not work. The DVI -> Component cables only work with native DVI connectors, which have several extra pins that usually include a separate analog component signal. The adapter simple breaks out those pins into the usual Y/Pb/Pr connectors -- it doesn't convert the signal in any way. The HDMI output is digital-only and lacks these extra pins, so the DVI -> component converter will not work.