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


HDMI/DVI and HDCP Issues:

The DVB318's DVI incorporates HDCP encryption so your display's DVI port will also have to be HDCP compliant to decrypt the signal.

You will run into problems connecting the DVB318's DVI to a display's HDMI(or M1-DA) input. There is a known problem throughout the industry of some very picky HDMI<->DVI handshakes issues that hopefully will see fixes in the near future. This is not a problem exclusive to this unit by any means.

In this type of connection it appears that the HDCP handshake is failing.
As a result, all sorts of glitches can occur:

People have had trouble turning their DVB318 on while connected like this, finding themselves stuck at "hello".

It may be possible to turn the 318 on with nothing connected and then once the DVD is spinning plug the cable in. Some people believe that the problem is the DVI<->HDMI cable or the HDMI adapter but based on occurrences that have happened with other units to this regard, it's very likely that the two devices have HDCP software issues.

And this needs to be said again:

DO NOT HAVE BOTH DVI AND COMPONENT CABLES CONNECTED AT THE SAME TIME! GLITCHFEST!



Secrets' Shootout Test Results:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=DVD+Player&manufacturer=53&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0

Interesting reading that gives you an nice pros and cons takedown on this unit. It also confirms yet again that, yes, this has DCDI, HDCP, and a Faroudja chip. ;)

The bottom line to the test: This is best used over DVI if you have the option.

RECOMMENDATION:

Regardless of medium used, it is strongly recommended, for optimum results, to set the Zenith to 16X9 in its video menu and leave it there.



WARNING:

Zenith has recently started to distribute firmware for this player. As of this date, it is not recommended that you install this firmware due to the likelihood that you will have less than 100 percent component upconversion capabilities. You may even lose them outright.

Some here have reported also that the firmware doesn't help with any of the known quirks, except for the DVI white crush. This was the sole priority of the firmware anyways, so if you intend to use this player with DVI and don't care to use it with component, get the firmware.

Tread carefully, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it! ;)




Absolute proof that the 318 has a Faroudja chip and the type:

Originally posted by pww118


Someone did opened the unit and took pictures, but it shows just the Omega DVD chip.

Since no one had actually disassembled the player, I went ahead tonight took everything apart, turned the circuit board over, and there it is: the Genesis FLI2301 along with the Silicon Image chip. Mystery solved!

Here is the picture.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3766240&fullpage=1


The SEARCH function is your friend.

If you punch in "318" or "DVB318" you will quickly see that this is the most overwritten and well documented piece of electronics that you will ever run across. Especially for under $200!

Virtually guranteed: A thread already exists to answer any questions you may have, in addition to this FAQs. Very likely, your answer is repeated several times over several threads.

USE IT! :D



YES, THIS PLAYER REALLY HAS A DCDI CHIP! DETAILS BELOW!

The DVB318 DOES incorporate DVI with HDCP.


AVAILABILITY: As of this date, all online authorized Zenith dealers expect to have the unit in a timely and normal fashion. I will change this status as necessary should there be a time Zenith's supply is exceeded by demand or other factors.

The unit is also expected to be available at Best Buy and Circuit City. Call your local store for availability. Amazon has it. Wild West Electronics no longer carries it.




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

2. Maybe Zoom feature can be added as a workaround for viewing 4:3 content (for those TV has fixed format in 1080i)

3. Doing a factory reset will set region zone back to 1.





*********************************RELATED THREADS****************************************



DVB318 Main Discussion super thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328403&highlight=DVB318

Firmware wishlist thread for DVB318
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=401627&highlight=DVB318

The FAQs thread (This thread):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=400480

Connection poll thread (DVI or component?):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=404830

Fascinating probably explanation to known green undersaturation issues:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=411532

HDCP issues/relations/compatibility
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=411511

Use search function with "DVB318" for other threads.

These are the largest and most prominent threads currently. Many of the other threads were specific question/scenario threads.





*************************VERIFYING UPCONVERSION**********************

The only way to do this is to press the upconversion button on the front of the unit and read the display on the front of the unit. Press the button once and wait a few seconds. Repeat until unit is set wherever you want it.

The unit WILL remember which setting for upconversion you used.






*******************************VIDEO MODE SETTINGS**********************************


This is from the owners manual. Page 23.


Video Mode Setting

With certain discs, the playback picture may be flickering or Dot Crawl is shown on straight lines. That means Vertical interpolation or De-interlace is not perfectly matched with the disc. In this case, the picture quality may be improved by changing the video mode.

To change the video mode, press and hold DISPLAY about 3 seconds during disc playback. The new video mode indicator appears on the
TV screen. Check whether the video quality has improved. If not, repeat the above procedure until picture quality is improved.

Video mode sequence: Auto -7 Film -7 Video If you turn off the power, the video mode will return to initial default state (Auto).

Auto: The source material of the DVD video (film material or video material) is determined from disc information.

Film: Suitable for playing film based content or video based material recorded by the progressive scan method.

Video: Suitable for playing video based content with comparatively little motion







***********************************GENERAL FACTS AND FEATURES:*****************************************



1.) Best places to buy currently as of May 10, 2004. www.zenith.com or 1-877-9Zenith to find authorized dealer near you or there are two known authorized Zenith dealers on the Internet: www.wildwestelectronics.com or http://www.gochnauers.com

Both of these Internet retailers are authorized Zenith dealerships.

2.) MSRP is $249.99, but unit is easily had at $200 or even as low as $160 if you shop around a little bit.

The unit is expected to filter out to Best Buy, Circuit City, and the like. Amazon also has a listing for it.

3.) Uses Genesis' Faroudja DCDi FLI2301 chip. Only plays 480i over s-video. Plays 480p, or will upconvert to 720p or 1080i via component video or DVI. You can only use one of these formats at a time. See Upconversion steps further down.

For PCM/bitstream audio, has a coax and optical out.

4.) Upconversion is done soley with the unit itself, not with the remote control. It can only be done when a DVD is NOT playing and the lcd on the face of the unit will display which upconversion you are at for each time the button is pressed. Nowhere else.

By pressing "STOP" while a DVD is playing, you can then press the Upscaling button to change resolutions.

Wait a second or two after pressing the button to give give the unit a chance to switch to the newly selected resolution.

Pressing "PLAY" then instantly continues your movie at the point you left off.

5.) Thus far, most of these units, if not all, seem to have a birth month of December 2003. More of them now also have March 2004 so there are newer cycles being released into the marketplace.


6.) There have been no confirmed DVD's identified as of yet that have failed upconversion. There also seems to be, as of this date, no difference in upconversion capability whether one uses DVI or component.

7.)DVD R formats function, as well as MP3's and .JPEG's. JPEG view is a bit slow and can be glitchy. WMA support also. VCD and SVCD also supported.

8.) Using autostart allows you to skip FBI warnings, previews, etc. and takes you straight to the movie. Obviously, you would have to press menu to change options or access special features as you see fit.


9.) DOES NOT SUPPORT SACD OR DVD-A






******************REGION FREE PLAY***************************


DISCLAIMER: The following information involves basically an unoffical hack that many seem to have had success with. It is not endorsed nor has it originated from Zenith or LG Electronics in any way, shape, or form.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Hit this link:
http://lgregionfree.tripod.com/menu.htm

For those who want to use the region hack be sure that you follow the
instruction for burning the files. All files are necessary and you must
finalize the disk. You must also press pause after you insert the 0.

Pick 6000 series and and follow instructions after you unzip the file you
download.

6000 Series Region Set File.

1) Unzip the folders and files to the hard drive in exactly the same order.
2) Burn the folder "RMT000" (including sub files and/or folders) to a blank CDR
3) Make sure you set; 'close' disc and session
4) Make sure you burn the disc in ISO mode (not joliet)

Insert the disc in the player and follow the screen instructions
set region for 0

And you must power it off after that... do not forget!
And you cannot burn it on a Mac.
And it works.

And PAL-to-NTSC, with OAR, is provided by the unit... and for the last time, it has nothing to do with the region-free hack.

Here is a second link:

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?dvdplayer=lg+6054&Search=Search

It is the same hack as the Lg 6054. See link below and follow instructions.

Be sure to burn the entire folder RMT0000 after you extract it.
Insert CD a screen will come up listing the Region you now have (1)
Insert 0 and press pause. It is now region free.


FOR MACS:

How to do it:Go to www.dvdrhelp.com and in the hack section, search for zenith 318, in that lead will lead to the disc image for the hackware,already in iso format.

Mount the disc image, and use toast to burn it as disc image, not iso image, check there should be two folders in the disc.Pop into dvd player, set region edit to 0, QED.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!!







***************DISPLAY FIRMWARE VERSION INFO/INSTRUCTIONS:*********************



I found a way to show version info (actually it is for factory reset).

Goto setup, TV Aspect option, highlight (yellow) 16:9, then press 1397139, then press select/enter (all on remote control). Now factory reset is done and a version screen will come up. Press any key to exit this screen.

Mine has the following info:

MODEL: ZV700I1
REGION NO: 1
CHIPID: STM5589 cut 2.1
SERVO VER: 005D
GUI VER: V1.70
PANEL VER: V2.03
MICOM VER: V1.90
PROM OPTION 55 53 00 47 16 55 60 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00


It just resets everything back to what they were before (like all settings in setup screen, etc).

It has yet to be determined if this process negates the region free hack or any other user updates.







******************KNOWN ISSUES/PROBLEMS/GLITCHES/ETC.*******************



1) Remote control for unit leaves a lot to be desired in terms of layout and functionality. Highly recommend a universal remote of your preference and forget this thing. Takes getting used to - not the end of the world, though... ;)

2.) The pack in cables that come with the unit are garbage. The DVI is so-so, but it's recommended that you seek other connection cables of your choice.

3.) Some folks are claiming a white crush issue via DVI. Most of the time, this cannot be seen under practical cirucmstances, although testing with DVE, Avia, THX Optimizer can show it. It is very negligible in most cases, and if it's a problem, component runs perfectly.


UPDATE!!!! 6-1-04:
ZENITH HAS CONFIRMED TO SEVERAL AVS MEMBERS VIA EMAIL THAT A FIX IS CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION TO ADDRESS DVI WHITE CRUSH ISSUES!!!!


4.) Bigger TV's, especially any kind of projection technologies, rear or otherwise, seem to be very unforgiving with this unit, especially with DVI, and this is where the bulk of the compliaints for cropping issues and white crush, and other types of color anamolies have occurred.


****NOTE: Many folks have been able to get firmware for their sets that have fixed the problem. (Example: X1 owners.)*******

Link: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396991&highlight=DVB318


5.) Some first generation DVD's, especially Paramount DVD's and other bare bones as such, need to be switched to 4:3 because they don't even have anamorphic widscreen. (Example: Paramount's Black Rain.)

6.) Some people have reported seeing a horizontal white line that sometimes appears towards the top of the picture when they use the dvb318. What is the quick fix associated with getting rid of it?

Answer: Switch resolutions, turn the player off, turn the player back on.

7.) Some people have also reported bleeding that is visible in 480p and 720p modes via component or DVI. This was visible on all of their displays , regardless of tube, Front projector DLP or rear projector CRT. They were the only anomaly documented via photos also.

8.) Some reported anomalous JPEG issues. The player would stop working outright, lag, or just be very slow in this function. Very likely these were defective units as there were only one or two reports thus far on this issue.

9.) In some instances, with DVI or component video on certain televisions, a black ghosting issue is apparent. What this look like is essentially a breif and very faint after image that occurs during a chapter change or some other scene change on a totally black screen. Not ulike dithering on a PC.

It does not effect the movie viewing itself, and many have had success getting rid of it by lowering their contrast, sharpness, and brightness values on their televisions. Others don't have this issue at al.

10.) Some folks have had the player come out of the box with extremely sluggish response times for functions. Zenith customer servicve recommends that, if this happens, unplug the unit for at least 15 minutes, then reboot it.

11.) Disabling the auto play feature may also be helpful.

For best results, and least frustrations, it is recommended to turn off autostart/autoplay when using a calibration disc like Avia or DVE.

You may want to consider keeping it off at all times.


12.) For 1080i component out to a front projector, in particular a Z1.

To take care of the cropping issue:

For a Z1 1st enter service menu via hold down "menu" and "input" at the same time on the projector for 5-10 seconds.

In the service menu go to item 330, this set the horizontal in 1080, and adjust it up until the image of a playing up-converted DVD fills the panel.
For my Z1 it had to be adjusted from 14 to 31. Don't go to far past, just stand by the screen and you can see when the pixels are just filled.

Be careful on what you adjust in the service menu and right down defaults before you change anything.



13.) Certain Sony RPTVs have had issues with the player that Sony has already moves to start addressing.

Example:

Sony kp-53hs10, and on 1080i, it will lose sync on high contrast material, like explosions. It is not the dvb318, it is the sony and it effects the 61 inch model and the 2 xbr's from that year as well.
480p is no problem except for some dots across the top that can't seem to make go away.
The good new is that there is a fix it is here: http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/2/TVP0442-607.pdf

It is 4 caps and a resistor that need to be replaced.


14.) Don't forget to clean your discs! :)



*****************Zenith can be contacted at 1-877-9Zenith or customerservice@lge.com************************


If you are having issues with the unit, let them know! The more people that let them know, the quicker firmware and other fixes can be had.

Also, make sure to contact your retailer for exchanges and returns as necessary. Be mindful of these things before making a purchase. Duh! ;) :p

for Issue 5) you might want to add that the adjustable zoom feature can also be used to correct for non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs. At least I think it should be able to, right?

Also, might want to bring up the faint residual "ghost" image on fade to black scene transitions.

Minor nit: in issue 7) "anamlous" should be "anomalous"

Great FAQ start though.

The Sigma 8500 clones allow changing resolutions WHILE playing a DVD.

Best,
jeff

Any solution for the cropping problem on front projectors?
Hate to give up this 1080 but your losing a good part of your screen.

Don

Keep sending emails to Zenith about the cropping and white crush
problems. If enough people complain they may do a firmware update.

Here is the link for Gochnauers, I am sure people will ask for that:

http://www.gochnauers.com

Also you may want to add the Auto Start function for skipping FBI Warning and Previews and goes directly to the movie.

Does the DVB318 stretch, pillar box, or let you choose aspect for 4:3 sources over DVI?

--Galvin

Originally posted by galvin
Does the DVB318 stretch, pillar box, or let you choose aspect for 4:3 sources over DVI?

--Galvin

No.

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
9.) In some instances, at least with DVI on certain televisions, a black ghosting issue is apparent. What this look like is essentially a breif and very faint after image that occurs during a chapter change or some other scene change on a totally black screen. Not ulike dithering on a PC.
Just to let you know, I have seen the black ghosting via component connection as well. It's definitely there.

Originally posted by wblynch
A nice feature of the variable zoom...

If you're in the variable zoom mode, at any time in the movie you can press the up-down-right-left buttons and make fine adjustments.

You don't have to press the zoom button again or cycle through the modes.

Please elaborate. Is this feature like the Zoom functionality of Sigma-based players like LiteOn,Bravo as well as Panasonic RP-91 which lets you Zoom non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs/ 4:3 images to be the correct proportion on a 16:9 set?

Originally posted by Sam Scamardo
Please elaborate. Is this feature like the Zoom functionality of Sigma-based players like LiteOn,Bravo as well as Panasonic RP-91 which lets you Zoom non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs/ 4:3 images to be the correct proportion on a 16:9 set?
Yes and no.

Yes, you can use it to zoom non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs correctly because you only need to increase the vertical size.

No, you cannot use it to "de-zoom" a 4:3 image to the correct aspect ratio (i.e. pillarbox) because you can only incrementally increase the zoom in the x1 zoom mode. Basically, you can zoom in (in either axis) but you can't zoom out.

There is also a x4 and a x16 zoom mode, but these are far too much zoom of course and you can only adjust the "zoom window" position in these modes: not the amount of zoom.

HTH

What are the amount of zoom steps that the Zenith provides in the incremental zoom mode? A 1.33x zoom is needed for non-anamorphics, is that the first zoom step or is it finer than that? I don't see any mention of the finer zoom in the owner's manual only the 4x-16x zoom which is way too much.

Originally posted by wmallory

Yes, you can use it to zoom non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs correctly because you only need to increase the vertical size.



OK, echoing Joxer's question, how is this accomplished? In the manual, the Zoom feature only seems to indicate 4X zoom (too much).

Yes, the manual does not explain it , but you can easily zoom x and/or y in very small increments from 1 to 1.33 as necessary for non-anamorphic disks, or to have 2.35 DVDs to fill your 1.78 screen. Actually you can zoom in very small increments all the way to at least 4x.

It should also be pointed out that 4:3 DVDs can be watched at 1080i with this player, just not in proper aspect ratio. I bet most (yeah, not all)widescreen owners already use a stretch mode for most 4:3 material anyway... "My TV has the best stretch mode, I can't even tell it's stretched"! Zoom vertically and you have your own 4:3 stretch mode.

Others report an average layer change, but the layer change on my LG is under half a second, pretty good IMO. No problems whatsoever with 1080i over component, just great PQ, and I checked closely using DVE and many of my fav DVD titles.

Sorry mod, if I posted in the wrong place or went off-topic, feel free to edit or move the post.

So how small/fine are the increments? How many steps from 1 to 1.33 for example? The better 4:3 stretch modes are non-linear, they stretch more on the sides than in the middle - you can't do that with a fixed zoom.

I'm still confused. Say you're watching a non-anamorphic DVD title like Goodfellas. Using the 16:9 TV setting with the DVB318, this would looked stretched out, with black bars on top and bottom.

What manner would you use to get this one back in the "correct" 1.85:1 proportion and push the black bars out of the 16:9 picture?

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

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

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

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

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

Great! Thanks IMO for your descriptions. Can't believe they left this "feature" out of the manual???

Here is the link for Gochnauers, I am sure people will ask for that:
http://www.gochnauers.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mods don't want links or prices in FAQs threads.


So why is there a link for Wild West Electronics, and none for Gochnauers?

The sticky post is sliding. I have an update for those of you interested in the zenith for 1080i component out to a front projector, in particular a Z1. I suspect it is similar for all though.

To take care of the cropping issue:

For a Z1 1st enter service menu via hold down "menu" and "input" at the same time on the projector for 5-10 seconds.

In the service menu go to item 330, this set the horizontal in 1080, and adjust it up until the image of a playing up-converted DVD fills the panel.
For my Z1 it had to be adjusted from 14 to 31. Don't go to far past, just stand by the screen and you can see when the pixels are just filled.

Others have posted similar adjustments on there projectors.

Be careful on what you adjust in the service menu and right down defaults before you change anything.

Now I really want to keep this DVD player, but the Momitsu will be here in a couple days. I'll maybe have to keep both.

Don

I'll also post this in Q of Bs sticky page and hopefully he'll add it.

I wonder what the service item number is that does this for the Z2? Also, how will this change affect other 1080i sources such as HDTV? I'd hate to then have my High def channels be skewed to the right.

It is just an overscan 1080i adjustment. It is very easy to shift back if you need to. On a Z2 you wouldn't see the change at 720p only when scaling 1080i. The problem with the cropping is still a part of the DVD player, the overscan adjustment just allows you to fill the small missing part of the panel.

good work! Q of BanditZ, very useful info!

can this DVD handles DVD-RW, DVD-R via DVI with 1080i display?
THX!

For those Zenith users with a Home Theater Master remote control such as the MX-500 or MX-600, the Zenith works with the built in LG DVD player code.

No learning required, very cool...

Any hope a firmware update/hack can allow upconversion on component output? I'm really bummed by this turn of events.:(

Relax.... It does do upconversion over component.

:)

If the rumour about the July/August batch of players is true, then there'll be no upconversion over component out. Just wondering if a firmware change can bring back the upconversion feature.

I believe the LG LST3510A does 1080i over component and it's sitting at your local Circuit City right now. :)

Of course, it costs a bit more because of the HD tuner in it...

Originally posted by Sam Scamardo
Great! Can't believe they left this "feature" out of the manual??? It's in my manual, page 18, Zoom: "Use the <>^ buttons to move through the zoomed picture (400% or 1600%), or to enlarge or reduce the picture size through the multi zoom mode."

Originally posted by cmm0325
Any hope a firmware update/hack can allow upconversion on component output? I'm really bummed by this turn of events.:(

In the big thread, there is a link to another forum that has a bunch of hacks for Zenith players. Several of these have been confirmed to work on the current player. At least one of the hacks listed is a means to disable macrovision, so there is hope. That said, I'm glad that I don't have to rely on that hope...

Yah. I have one on order. If it works as good as most everyone say, I may just get another one. :D

ANyone cure the cropping issue with the Z2 and other projectors? Aside from white crush....is the DVI picture as good as the component?

can we add some dvb318 service menu adjustments like Y2JDMBFAN added in the original thread for the player:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3823394&highlight=dvb318+service+adjustment#post3823394

I'm looking for what service menu adjustments were made in the DVD player for hookup to Sony CRT's. I have the 34hs510, the 34xbr910 is supposedly an overall darker picture, plus apparently the connection over DVI is darker as well.

I read over at RemoteCentral.com that there's a discrete remote code for the upconversion function on the front panel. The info was not specific but Harmony was able to take a TXT file and get the code posted for their remote.

Anyone know of this?

I could not find the player in this site http://www.nfm.com/ , so I can send them an email to find out more.

Lenny

May be you could add a section for compatible list of displays (ie, Z1, Z2, X1, specific TV models, LT150, etc.). It certainly would ease some buyer's anxiety about it working with their displays if they know that others who have the same displays have successfully tried the DVB318 and have it work. If there are issues (cropping, etc.) then you can put it in parentheses behind the model number.

It works perfectly (no cropping, white line, audio issues via optical, black/white crush, or black ghosting) with my NEC LT150 XGA DLP (just received today from Gochnauer's 8 days after placing order via web order form. They shipped it out in 6 days with tracking number (active 24 hrs later) and arrived via FedEx Ground in 3 days to IN.

I think it works well with most diplays except for a few issues on a minority of digital displays (white line, L shift, cropping, sync. issues, etc.)

Is there any way to set this unit to "multi", so it will output either NTSC or PAL depending upon the disc? I plan at some point to get a multisystem TV, and being able to use this player to watch PAL discs in actual PAL would be nice...

BTW, if this thread is a "sticky", how come it keeps sliding? Did it have its "sticky" status revoked?

Do the newer models with a build date of March 2004 still do upconversion via component? I''ve purchased a unit from an individual with a build date of March 2004 and would like to know before it arrives. Thanks in advance.

Yes, I have a 3/04 and it works as advertised.

my unit,arrived on the 28th of may,and the manufacture date is MARCH 2004,got it at Gochnauer for $160.00delivered as promised,I was in doubt,now I'm amazed,how affordable this unit is,it has outdone the Sammy,wich I rapidly sold,I know it's not perfect, and probably i said the same about my previous players RP91,RP82,Samsung(HD?)931,Sony,Pioneer universal,but none has given me such visual pleasures,and Iam sure a better one will come along but for the time being....

I just received an a message from LG stating that they're working on a solution to white crush over DVI. I had emailed Zenith customer support asking if a firmware update would be available to fix the problem. They gave me the following reply, but didn't specify what form the "solution" would come in:


-----------Reply to Customer Enquiry ------------
Great Company, Great People Dear John, Thank you for inquiring of LG Electronics. Your e-mail has been received. At this time, our factory in Korea is working on a solution for this. Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thank you again for contacting LG Electronics. "Think the Best and One Team Spirit" = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Kim E-mail Administrator Customer Interactive Center LGEAI

You mean, why didn't I post the info on the 139 page thread? It seems to be going way off topic. It seemed like there was less of a chance of it being buried here, plus I figured you could consolidate it into the FAQ.

anyone know where i can get a Zenith DVB318 ?

I have one up for sale, used for half a day, March 2004 build. Don't think it's better than my Denon 1600. I'm asking $170 shipped. PM me if you're interested.

i want to purchase a brand new one, anyone know where i can get one?

google for it, it will show up where available.

Originally posted by Toastermax
i want to purchase a brand new one, anyone know where i can get one?
Did you read FAQ (the first post in this thread)? It is right there.

So, I ask again:

Is there any way to set this unit to multi, so it will output PAL if a PAL disc is inserted? Anyone?

AFAIK, the hack only makes it region-free. I did the hack, and my unit is now region-free, but I can't find a setting for multi. It converts PAL-to-NTSC straight out of the box, but a multi setting would be nice in case I ever get a multisystem TV.

yes it might not do native pal prog like philips 963sa, has no settings, unless there is something in service manual

How about making this a "sticky"? :confused:

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ

****NOTE: Many folks have been able to get firmware for their sets that have fixed the problem. (Example: X1 owners.)*******

Link: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396991&highlight=DVB318

[/B]


Where exactly is this firmware fix? Is it only for the X1.
what fixes are included?

is it just me or does the mac link for the region free hack not work? it redirects me to videohelp where the only hack i can find is the pc one. :(

Just fyi you may want to add to your list: I got one from wwe, great service, and hooked it up over component (only choice) to my sony kp-53hs10, and on 1080i, it will lose sync on high contrast material, like explosions. It is not the dvb318, it is the sony and it effects the 61 inch model and the 2 xbr's from that year as well.
480p is no problem except for some dots across the top that can't seem to make go away.
The good new is that there is a fix it is here: http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/2/TVP0442-607.pdf

It is 4 caps and a resistor. Have ordered mine and will post the results when they arrive and I have time to install.

Has anyone noticed that the upconvert to 1080i removes the closed captions (that would be decoded by the TV set)? I prefer the CC because they tend to appear in the lower black border of 2.35 films, whereas the "subtitle" version (that the DVD player decodes) seem to appear more in the picture area.

Would someone please direct me to a link or explain to me what region free means? Sorry for my lack of knowledge. Thanks

Well done Q.

Region free means that you turn the DVD player from a Region 1(US) style only dvd player into a player that will play anything from any region. Different countries/areas use a region stamp so that people from US dont buy Japanese DVDs etc....anyway. This "hack" just allows you to watch all region type movies on your dvd player.

If you dont watch imported movies like Japanese anime, European stuff, it really has no importance to you. I only have region 1 movies, so the region free thing is just an unused bonus :D

Originally posted by SevenVII
If you dont watch imported movies like Japanese anime, European stuff, it really has no importance to you. I only have region 1 movies, so the region free thing is just an unused bonus :D
Sometimes other regions DVD on the same title are better than region 1 DVD (like anamorphic vs non-anamorphic), region-free player would be desired for this case.

Originally posted by SevenVII
Region free means that you turn the DVD player from a Region 1(US) style only dvd player into a player that will play anything from any region. Different countries/areas use a region stamp so that people from US dont buy Japanese DVDs etc....anyway. This "hack" just allows you to watch all region type movies on your dvd player.

If you dont watch imported movies like Japanese anime, European stuff, it really has no importance to you. I only have region 1 movies, so the region free thing is just an unused bonus :D


Just for clarification there are players that can be "hacked or modified" to play all regions but the player must also be able to convert pal to ntsc if that is required as it is on region 2

the Zenith does this beautifully!:cool:

Is there a non 1080i version ? the reason i ask is i see it listed for $50. to $80.http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?dvdplayer=lg+6054&Search=Search

Can someone clarify if this unit will upconvert to 1080i to a non-HDCP DVI projector such as the Pany l300u? The FAQ mentions the Z1 which I thought was also non-HDCP DVI so I'm confused.

Q, great job on the FAQ. Might I make a small suggestion? When updating the FAQ, instead of making a new post regarding the update at the end of the thread (which can quickly get buried) if you could edit the original post and put a dated revision history right in the front we can see at a glance what has changed. What do you think?

I'll post a quick note here and more details in the main thread. I know people were complaining but I have not had the time to check through the 1000's of posts to see if anyone had the answer. (So please excuse if this is old news)
But I was able to program my universal remote to do the upconversion. It is an All for One Kameleon 8 and with device codes 0591/0741 advanced code number 069 does the upconversion. As with the front button the disk has to be stopped. Hope this helps.

I just ordered one from *G* as well. Couldn't pass up the chance to get 1080i over component+region free (since I have about 100 European dvd's that I haven't been able to watch in 4 years..)

Anyway, quick question; Does this player have the capability to play SVCD? I looked at the manual, and figure it won't do WMV/DIVX/MPEG4, but it may still do SVCD, right? If it could play non authored mpeg2 files etc, that would be great too.

Thanks

-Tom

does vcd/svcd fine for me. even on the cheapest crumiest cdr's

don't think it plays non authored mpeg2's

Hey Q,

Just realized that the FAQ does not have the new info about the green desaturation due to SD rather than HD color matrix. Might want to add if/when you get a chance.

Thanks Primetyme, appreciate it!

Best Buy (make that Worst Buy) has this unit up for sale on their site now. Click here (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?j=1&id=1077626516556&skuId=6416568&productCategoryId=cat03013&type=product).

$259.99 :eek: :eek:
$10 over MSRP?

White crush info at LG thread, maybe that explains why our sets were repackaged at Zenith warehouse
white crush info (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3939748#post3939748)

Originally posted by Primetyme
does vcd/svcd fine for me. even on the cheapest crumiest cdr's ...

What's the build date of yours? Because mine won't play SVCDs. It will play plain VCD's far better than any other player I've got (three Panasonic's, a JVC and an APEX) though! :)

Thanks,
pat----

What's the build date of yours? Because mine won't play SVCDs. It will play plain VCD's far better than any other player I've got (three Panasonic's, a JVC and an APEX) though!



mines the FEB 2004 build and its the LG DV7832(same thing as the zenith). I believe there's a firmware update after jan 20.

Originally posted by psklenar
What's the build date of yours? Because mine won't play SVCDs. It will play plain VCD's far better than any other player I've got (three Panasonic's, a JVC and an APEX) though! :)

Thanks,
pat----
It can play SVCD if you change EEPROM values, I didn't try it myself since I don't have any SVCD. If you do a search on the main 318 thread, you will find the info you need.

Originally posted by C.Y.
It can play SVCD if you change EEPROM values, ...

ah! i'd completely forgotten about that. will have to go searching the mega thread when i have some time this weekend.

thanks for the pointer!
pat----

I'll have my player by Monday.:)

I really like the ease of making this a Region Free player. Will it play all discs, or will there be a problem with those that use the PAL system?

Reports are that it does a very nice job of playing PAL discs. It of course still outputs an NTSC (or HD) signal when playing a PAL disc, but this is what most people (though not all) want when using it to play a PAL disc.

We are now at 116 posts for a FAQ!!!

Q made a suggestion on day 1: If you have posted here and it's now in the FAQ, go and delete your post PLEASE.

If you have to reply about a Q FAQ here, please PM Q... don't post here!

This is not a sticky if someone (i.e. Q?) has to keep bumping it up.

Sir Q: you are doing a great job, but can we help to get this fixed? ... this whole 318 is getting waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of hand. Talk to a mod... work out if it really s.b. a sticky, or lock this and perhaps consolidate it into one.

My 10 bucks... Thanks... :)

Originally posted by psklenar
ah! i'd completely forgotten about that. will have to go searching the mega thread when i have some time this weekend.

thanks for the pointer!
pat----
Just do a search thread with keyword "EEPROM", you will get that post with the info you need easily. Maybe Q can put that info into FAQ?

You could always post a "new and improved" 318 FAQ thread. :D

I see from the FAQ that the 318 will do a PAL > NTSC conversion internally, but can it also play PAL natively without the conversion?

TIA,

Ross.

Originally posted by RBT
I see from the FAQ that the 318 will do a PAL > NTSC conversion internally, but can it also play PAL natively without the conversion?

TIA,

Ross.

No. It is preset for NTSC or 60HZ HD output. Conversion though is nearly flawless.

My projector (dell 2100mp) doesn't have a stellar onboard scaler and therefore I have been sending it a progressive signal (I have a Panasonic RP62). With that in mind, would I still see much benefit from using this player at 1080i? (via component) Thanks.

John

Dell 2100mp = SVGA DLP front projector

For those interested, a complete Pronto TSU3000 PCF file for the DVB318 has been posted at Remote Central. You can download the file HERE (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=prontong&db=devices&br=zenith&dv=dvdplayer&fc=) . It contains all sorts of undocumented goodies, including the remote code for changing upconversion resolutions. Enjoy!

Originally posted by dpippel
For those interested, a complete Pronto TSU3000 PCF file for the DVB318 has been posted at Remote Central. You can download the file HERE (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=prontong&db=devices&br=zenith&dv=dvdplayer&fc=) . It contains all sorts of undocumented goodies, including the remote code for changing upconversion resolutions. Enjoy!

Is there a way to convert that to MX-500?

The Pronto pcf file is nice but would be better if it was a ccf file for me anyways since I have a MX-700 and I can convert ccf files but not the pcf file for use. Can anyone convert the pcf file into a ccf file or a mxf file? I have a Zenith DVB318 in route looking forward to hooking it up to my new Sony KV-40XBR800.

I haven't read all 7 pages, but wanted to say my remote is getting flaky. It will no longer power on or off the unit. Also, yesterday I noticed it would not let be navigate up or down in the DVD menu options of a DVD. I could only hit select. All other functions work correctly so I doubt it's bad batteries. Unfortunately, I did not program my universal remote with the power or navigate functions before this started.

I emailed Gochnauers so we'll see how they handle my issue. Anyone else have a flaky remote?

Somewhere in this or the FAQ thread I've read that if the Zenith's response to the remote or on-panel buttons gets sluggish it can be returned to normal by unplugging the player for a minute or so?

I haven't noticed the remote being sluggish, but mine is more directional than my other remotes. Sometimes I tend to aim the remote at the screen instead of the player and it doen't respond. Reaiming it has fixed the problem thus far.

noob here, please be gentle ;)

If I were to hook this DVD player up to my Kenwood VR6070 (component switching) will I still be able to use the upconvert feature via component cables?

This depends entirely on the bandwidth of the component section of your kenwoood receiver... Most agree that 50MHz is enough. Some manufacturers do not list it though - check your owners manual. Anything lower and you *may* have issues with 1080i. Cheers,

Anyone have issued with Burned DVD with Label attached when playing in this DVD player. After playing for awhile, the picture is freezing, then it stop.

Without the label, then it seems to be OK. Is it the weight issue?

thanks in advance. and btw, this dvd player is a piece of art. 1080 upconvert is so real.

Originally posted by dragonbud0
I could not find the player in this site http://www.nfm.com/ , so I can send them an email to find out more.

Lenny

Hi Q, I just bought one at Nebraska Furniture Mart (www.nfm.com). I live in Omaha so I just drove down and got one. I called first to make sure. I'm sure if someone called them, they could order one to be shipped. I bought it for $187 + tax, but no shipping. Great thread. I can't wait to set it up and try it out.

EDIT: Their phone number is 402-397-6100. (I do not have any affiliation with nfm, just trying to help out)

Originally posted by jbird04
This depends entirely on the bandwidth of the component section of your kenwoood receiver... Most agree that 50MHz is enough. Some manufacturers do not list it though - check your owners manual. Anything lower and you *may* have issues with 1080i. Cheers,


Well, after speaking with Kenwood Level 2 Tech Support, they informed me that the component bandwith on my VR6070 is only 10MHz :(

Oh well. I hooked the player directly up to my TV (via Component) and the picture looks great. No more video switching through the Receiver though.

Originally posted by jbird04
This depends entirely on the bandwidth of the component section of your kenwoood receiver... Most agree that 50MHz is enough. Some manufacturers do not list it though - check your owners manual. Anything lower and you *may* have issues with 1080i. Cheers,


I can tell you that even my Sovereign 5900 av receiver does not have enough bandwidth to pass 1080i. As soon as I turned my rptv on, the picture would not lock into place, so it looks like I'm no longer using it for video.

Once I got it hooked up directly with the component inputs, even without recalibration (I'll get my ISF guy, Kevin Miller back in to do a recalibration since its been about 3 years since it was first done) it looks very good. And I really like the variable zoom for making 2.35:1 fill the screen decently.

OK, I just received a new DVB318. Build date is March 2004. I got it to possibly replace my Bravo D1, which is a year old... it has been working fine and has an extremely sharp and detailed picture through the DVI on my Samsung 46" DLP. No complaints at all... just thought it might be time for something newer and supposedly better.

So, I hook up the Zenith... DVI at 720p. It looks pretty good (but not better than the Bravo, at least from first impression). I almost immediately notice the black "ghosting" latent image artifacting. WTF?

Then I discover full frame 4:3 DVD's are "stretched" and can't be displayed properly no matter what settings I select. Letterbox widescreen 4:3 DVD's can be corrected with the vertical incremental zoom, but this introduces all kinds of bizarre scaling artifacts (distorted images, smearing, yuck!).

After using this player for a few hours, I can't see how all of you have come to the conclusion that this is a better DVI enabled player than the Bravo. I know some have had their problems with the Bravo loaders and such, but this Zenith looks like crap on my DLP compared to the D1. Am I missing something? At this point, I'm sure glad I haven't sold my Bravo yet...

Also, the instructions clearly state that upscaling to 720p or 1080i through the component outs is automatically reduced to 480p when playing copy protected DVD's - regardless of what the player is set at. Hell, that's really no different than the Bravo... the D1 will also allow upscaling through it's component outs if the DVD you are playing is not copy protected (like a ripped DVD-R copy of a commercial DVD, for example). Are you all sure this machine is really upscaling copy protected DVD's? How can you be sure it's not your HDTV actually doing the upscaling from 480p?

Perhaps I am doing something wrong - ? Or is my assesment about right?

Maybe it has to do with the fact that the Zentih doesn't have custom resolution settings like the Bravo. I have the D2 and the 318 and I am liking both for PQ, but I am slightly on the side of the 318 for most DVDs, but sometimes films look beter on the D2. The DLP supports 720 and the 318 looks best at 1080i as noted by most reviews.

Like I said, the Zenith looks OK at 720p playing back anamorphic widescreen DVD's (except for the black "ghosting" thing). It's all the other issues I mentioned that are a disappointing surprise.

Originally posted by gshelley61
Also, the instructions clearly state that upscaling to 720p or 1080i through the component outs is automatically reduced to 480p when playing copy protected DVD's - regardless of what the player is set at. Hell, that's really no different than the Bravo... the D1 will also allow upscaling through it's component outs if the DVD you are playing is not copy protected (like a ripped DVD-R copy of a commercial DVD, for example). Are you all sure this machine is really upscaling copy protected DVD's? How can you be sure it's not your HDTV actually doing the upscaling from 480p?

I think those instructions are ********. I'm getting 1080i from 480p through component no problem. I tried upscaling from 480p to 1080i just using my projector before I hooked up the Zenith and the results were pretty bad - for one thing, the proportions were all off and I got a big blue band at the bottom of the screen ...
With the Zenith, everything looks great at 1080i. I know it is putting out a 1080i signal rather than reverting back to a 480p signal, because if I tell it to upconvert to 1080i, then select 480p on my projector, the image is all screwed up, wrong proportions, etc. But if I select 1080i on the projector, I'm good to go ...
From reading your post it sounds like you are only using DVI? The consensus on this DVD player is that 1080i upconversion through component is the way to go, not DVI.
I will say that the picture offers a nice improvement, but not THAT much better than 480p. It's not like going from VHS to DVD, for instance. And it very much depends on the picture quality of the individual DVD ... on some it may even make things look worse, if they look bad to begin with.

Thanks for the clarification, Gray. It sounds like the Zenith does what it says it does. I guess my problem is I've been watching crystal clear images from that Bravo D1 with the DVI out for over a year... I mean I know how good an upscaled DVD can look on a nice display like the Samsung DLP. So the Zenith is turning out to be a bit of a letdown in my case. I'll hook it up using the component outs and see how it looks.

Thanks again for the comments... I appreciate it.

Just got new Z1 and DVB318. I had to change the service menu setting#326 in the Z1 to 26 to solve right side banding. When I switched to my other HD cable source there was no change. looks great.

Well, after five or six hours of testing last night, and unfortunately for the Zenith DVB318, there is simply no doubt that my Bravo D1 has a much clearer, more detailed and less artifact-ridden picture. I tried the Zenith at 720p (native screen resolution of may Samsung DLP) and at 1080i using the component outputs. It did look better than using the Zenith's DVI out (which I find really odd... DVI is supposed to bypass all the analog processing and therefore be a higher quality, more accurate signal).

But no matter... there is still the black smearing/ghosting problem (although it was less noticeable) and what I can only describe as very slight image "wandering"... it appeared to move around a bit (not a rock solid, stable playback). And, of course, there is the annoying fact that the Zenith stretches 4:3 DVD content (with kid's stuff, older movies, etc. this is a real pain in the a**). You have to reset the TV from "wide" to "normal" for the aspect ratio to be correct. And if the DVD is a widescreen letterbox (non-anamorphic) 4:3, the zoom function on the Zenith introduces some very weird scaling artifacts when you zoom vertically with the incremental adjustment to correct the aspect ratio. Also, it appears the Zenith overscans (crops) the borders of the image too much... you definitely can't see the entire frame.

I hooked my Bravo back up to the DVI and left the Zenith connected to the component ins to do an A/B... there is no comparison. At least with the Samsung DLP rear projection display, the picture quality of the Bravo is much more detailed, clear, stable, and has no scaling problems or other artifacts (unless they are on the DVD itself - i.e. compression grain, blocks, color banding, etc.)

I have to conclude that the Zenith DVB318 does have a pretty impressive picture over the analog component outputs. If you do not have a DVI input on your HDTV or it is a more forgiving display type than DLP (like direct view CRT, plasma, etc.), then the Zenith should be fine, as long as the 4:3 stretch thing doesn't bother you.

As for me, I will stick with my D1 for now. I haven't had any loading problems or other issues with mine and it is over a year old now. Maybe I'll have a look at the D2...

FWIW, IMHO, YMMV

wow! thats one person out of how many I have heard having problems with the D1. good for you! If I was confident I would have got a good one like you I would have tried the D1.

I think your the only one with a good D1. :)

Yeah, I understand the D1's haven't been all that reliable for some folks. Mine has worked like a champ for well over a year, and my family uses it probably 3 or 4 times every day (we have small children... lots of family/educational DVD's). I suggested a D1 a few months ago to a friend of mine who also bought a Samsung DLP, and his works OK, too.

One thing about my setup is when we shut down our system, AC power is cut to the Bravo and several other components... so it does not have a continuous source of electricity. Perhaps this causes my Bravo to reset itself over and over and that's why I haven't run into loading problems, etc. Just a possibility.

The build quality of the Bravo D1 is pretty cheesy and the remote sucks, but the picture quality, sharpness and detail using the DVI is really hard to beat. The superbit Fifth Element looks stunning on the DLP using the Bravo at 720p. Lord of the Rings... awesome! The only drawback is when you encounter badly encoded DVD's (there are more than a few out there). You really notice if there are compression artifacts (blockiness, color banding, mosquito noise, etc.) - the combination of the Bravo D1 and the Samsung DLP is not very forgiving if the source is mediocre or poor.

makes you think. maybe your right about resetting all the time.

Well, either way, I am considering myself lucky...:p

And no hard feelings about the Zenith.

gshelley61 - did you compare bravo to the zenith with both using component? Can the bravo upconvert through component?
My LCD Z1 doesn't have DVI, so component is my best option. If the Bravo picture through component beats Zenith through component I might be tempted to switch ...

some of you guys should read the manual and 2 inserts the Zenith came with. it clearly states in the manual and on 2 Attention slips(one yellow and one white) that this player does 1080i on both DVI and Component outs.

I don't know why some people are saying the things they are saying but Zenith has made it very clear what it does over component and yes that includes 1080i and 720p.

my instruction's don't say anywhere that it is reduced to 480p if 720p or 1080i is selected. it says just the opposite.

also anyone can tell just by looking at the picture and selecting through the settings what 480p and 1080i looks like. there is no mistake.

hdtv
You said "Anyone have issued with Burned DVD with Label attached when playing in this DVD player. After playing for awhile, the picture is freezing, then it stop.

Without the label, then it seems to be OK. Is it the weight issue?

You should never attach a label to a DVD, it's not like a CD, they are far more sensitive for the amount of data they contain.
Look at page 5, 2nd paragraph of your operators manual. It states, "Do not attach any seal or label to either side (the labeled side or recorded side) of a disc.

You can remove the labels from the DVD by soaking in warm water then peeling it off. If you have any glue residue you can remove it with Goo Gone available at Home Depot. Then buy yourself a sharpie pen and you can write on it without any problems. Unlike a CD the DVD is layered and the data is sandwiched in between the layers, therefore the pen has no adverse effects on the disk. With a label attached your talking about potential weight imbalance, which has the capability to ruin your player.

Make a nice cover instead of using the labels, you can download em free at
http://www.cdcovers.cc/covers.php

Originally posted by Gray Davis
gshelley61 - did you compare bravo to the zenith with both using component? Can the bravo upconvert through component?
My LCD Z1 doesn't have DVI, so component is my best option. If the Bravo picture through component beats Zenith through component I might be tempted to switch ...

The analog (component out) section of the Bravo D1 is not very good quality, and definitely can't compete with the Zenith DVB318 in that area. I believe the new D2 addresses this and has much improved component video output, though I personally have not seen a D2 in action. My D1 will pass upscaled signals (720p, 1080i) through it's component outputs if the DVD it is playing is not copy protected (for example, a ripped DVD-R backup)... I've tried it and it does work. It doesn't come at all close to the DVI signal, though.

If you don't have a DVI input, the Zenith (for the money) is probably the best bet at this point since it will pass through upscaled signals whether the DVD is copy protected or not. Plus, the picture quality is pretty impressive, for sure. Just not as good as the D1 using DVI. IMHO

Originally posted by bruman
some of you guys should read the manual and 2 inserts the Zenith came with. it clearly states in the manual and on 2 Attention slips(one yellow and one white) that this player does 1080i on both DVI and Component outs.

I don't know why some people are saying the things they are saying but Zenith has made it very clear what it does over component and yes that includes 1080i and 720p.

my instruction's don't say anywhere that it is reduced to 480p if 720p or 1080i is selected. it says just the opposite.

also anyone can tell just by looking at the picture and selecting through the settings what 480p and 1080i looks like. there is no mistake.

Page 10 of the instructions, lower right hand corner box titled "Notes for DVI and Component video output". Fourth bullet point says "The selected resolution and output resolution may be different during playing back a DVD which copy protection signals are recorded. e.g., The output resolution is changed to 480p automatically even though the selected resolution is 1080i"

That's where I got that idea from. The two inserts regarding upscaled output connections contradict that, and of course actual use does, too. I don't know why that is in the instructions, but it is in there.

Originally posted by tiptaz
Just got new Z1 and DVB318. I had to change the service menu setting#326 in the Z1 to 26 to solve right side banding. When I switched to my other HD cable source there was no change. looks great.

tiptaz,

I've been trying to do the same on my Z1 but I'm new at this and can't seem to get into the service menu. I've tried holding down the menu and input buttons on the projector - but to no avail. Am I doing something wrong?

thanks

I've been meaning to mention this - but I don't think changing that service menu value is a good idea at all. I tried it and you AREN'T getting back the mixing pixels - you're just stretching the image to take up the slack. Which means you're also stretching the proportions out of whack. Try it with the image of a circle and you'll see what I mean ...

Originally posted by Gray Davis
I've been meaning to mention this - but I don't think changing that service menu value is a good idea at all. I tried it and you AREN'T getting back the mixing pixels - you're just stretching the image to take up the slack. Which means you're also stretching the proportions out of whack. Try it with the image of a circle and you'll see what I mean ...

If that's true, then I am going to say that I am really not impressed with the 318 and it's marriage with the Z1. I have done side by side comparisons between it (1080i over component) and my old Toshiba (not progressive scan) and I honestly can't tell much difference. The only thing I got with the Zenith was an additional black band on the right side and remote that just flat out won't work. I'm more of an audiophile myself and am not much on being able to discern picture quality but haven't really noticed much improvement. It certainly doesn't compare to the HD signal that I know the Z1 is capable of producing. Anyway, I'll chock this one up to falling for the hype. I really thought the Faroudja in the Zenith was going to outshine what is in the Z1 - technically, perhaps it does but on the final eyeball analysis, I still see the same traces of screendoor that I saw before. Looks okay, but not what I expected.

Originally posted by gshelley61
Page 10 of the instructions, lower right hand corner box titled "Notes for DVI and Component video output". Fourth bullet point says "The selected resolution and output resolution may be different during playing back a DVD which copy protection signals are recorded. e.g., The output resolution is changed to 480p automatically even though the selected resolution is 1080i"

That's where I got that idea from. The two inserts regarding upscaled output connections contradict that, and of course actual use does, too. I don't know why that is in the instructions, but it is in there.
It's there in order to meet the obligations of the DVD "industry" and allows them to meet Rule X -- the CYA rule. :D

they are just covering but cause the manual says it does both over component and also 2 inserts say it too.

its just a butt cover. :)

Originally posted by mbaker12
If that's true, then I am going to say that I am really not impressed with the 318 and it's marriage with the Z1. I have done side by side comparisons between it (1080i over component) and my old Toshiba (not progressive scan) and I honestly can't tell much difference. The only thing I got with the Zenith was an additional black band on the right side and remote that just flat out won't work. I'm more of an audiophile myself and am not much on being able to discern picture quality but haven't really noticed much improvement. It certainly doesn't compare to the HD signal that I know the Z1 is capable of producing. Anyway, I'll chock this one up to falling for the hype. I really thought the Faroudja in the Zenith was going to outshine what is in the Z1 - technically, perhaps it does but on the final eyeball analysis, I still see the same traces of screendoor that I saw before. Looks okay, but not what I expected.

If the Z1 already has a decent scaler built-in, perhaps feeding it an upscaled analog DVD image over the component inputs is not going to matter that much. My Samsung DLP has an excellent Faroudja scaler already, so I see almost no difference when I send a 480p, 720p or 1080i upscaled signal. HD format signals (1920x1080i or 1280x720p to start with) of course look much better than upscaled DVD's.

Originally posted by bruman
they are just covering but cause the manual says it does both over component and also 2 inserts say it too.

its just a butt cover. :)

I think the operative word in that little blurb is "may". It "may" change resolution. It doesn't say it will for sure... like you said, it's apparently a CYA to appease the DVD consortium.

Gshelley.Of course it looks like crap using dvi.The dvi on the Zenith has some problems.White crush is the worst.This is thru the dvi connection only.Also the player has problems with y/c delay over all resolutions but 1080i thru component is the best.The Zenith also has minor pixel cropping and hot video levels but these are minor problems.
I read that michael tlv is testing some firmware to fix the dvi white crush problem.If you have to have a dvi player try the momitsu ,outstanding picture thru dvi.

I will say with 99% certainty that zenith/lg is NOT going to disable upconversion over component. Reasoning is this... If everyone is keeping up with the monster thread, you've heard that there is a firmware update in beta - and that they are testing all modes of operation! So why would zenith/lg waste the time and energy (= MONEY) to test all outputs and resolutions just to disable the component connection??? IMHO.

Hello all !

I connectedd my LG DV7832NXC DVD player (DVB318) on my BenQ PE8700+ on DVI and the function of upscaling does not seem to work correctly via DVI outpout. I connected the LG on my Sony 32XBR450 on component and the upscaling work fine. My BenQ display: "DVI-D (525p)" at the time of the detection of the signal and the image was very confuse over the image I have on my XBR.

Help !!!

Sorry for my bad english guys...

Originally posted by steviec
Gshelley.Of course it looks like crap using dvi.The dvi on the Zenith has some problems.White crush is the worst.This is thru the dvi connection only.Also the player has problems with y/c delay over all resolutions but 1080i thru component is the best.The Zenith also has minor pixel cropping and hot video levels but these are minor problems.
I read that michael tlv is testing some firmware to fix the dvi white crush problem.If you have to have a dvi player try the momitsu ,outstanding picture thru dvi.

Thanks... yes, the Momitsu is tempting. But since my Bravo D1 is still working OK, I think I will just wait a while longer for some new DVI equipped DVD players to appear on the market.

thats true it does say it "may"

the law must be hard to uphold when it comes to this. I don't understand it anyway , its not like you can record anything. who would want to ? it would cost more than a reg dvd.

Well I bet you could record a dvd upscaled to 1080i to a dvhs machine if you wanted to.

I just got this player and have it hooked up to a Toshiba HDX Model. I have a couple of questions I was hoping someone could help with:

1. The users manual says that when playing over components or DVI, any copyrighted films will display at 480p only, even if set for 1080i. I am hooked up through Component and I imagine most DVDs are copyrighted? They seem to be playing over 1080i but I want to make sure I understand which DVDs will and will not upconvert on this player?

2. I had heard that people did not like this player for 4:3 material since when displaying over 1080i their TV cannot change Pic Size setting and they get 1 4:3 with bars. My player is automatically stretching 4:3 material for some reason so I do not see it with bars - why is this? Which setting makes this happen on the DVD player and how can I shut it off? I want to make sure the DVD player is not stretching from OAR on its own as I would prefer to handle this with my TV if at all.

Thanks to anyone who has thoughts or ideas on this...

lirong

1 manual says "MAY NOT" with the current firmware the player does upconvert all DVD's copy protected included however in future firmware updates they may disable the upconversion.

Hmmm thought I checked that and it said WILL NOT but I may have overlooked it. I will check again - thanks.

Anyone have any thoughts on item #2 above?

Well I know from personal experience and reading on the main threads about the 318 that it currently does upscale over component on copy protected DVD's. On my TV it does not show the current resolution mode however when switching the resolution on Starwars II ATOC from 480p and watching a scene then switching to 720p and watching the same scene and then switching to 10801 and watching the same scene again that all 3 resolutions over the same component cables into my Sony
KV-40XBR800 that there was a noticable picture improvement as the resolution was increased not much difference from 480p to 720p on my set but the 1080i was a very nice improvment over the 480p

As to number 2, I'm afraid you have it backwards. The DVB318 does *not* put "pillar box" bars on the sides of 4:3 material. No matter what... Ever. Which is a problem for those of us who have TVs that lock into "full" mode when presented with a 1080i (or 720p or sometimes even 480p) signal.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me how to get rid of the labels the player plasters over each pic in a jpeg slide show. This completely ruins this otherwise great feature

wmallory-

Thanks for clearing that up. But I still dont quite understand - what type of stretching DOES the player do? Which material gets stretched and which doesnt? And if your TV locks into Full Mode, whats the problem with the fact that 4:3 gets stretched for you automatically?

Im getting really confused on this point so if anyone can give me an explanation of the stretching at work here it would be great!

Thanks.

For those of us who play back 4:3 material regularly (kid's stuff, older movies, letterboxed widescreen DVD's) it is a problem if you don't like or need it stretched out like that. I have a DLP so there is no reason to stretch 4:3 stuff to avoid burn-in, and I can't stand watching things that are not in their correct aspect ratio... the stretched look bugs me.

I just bought a 318 & am using it on a new WD-52525 Mitsubishi DLP.

The 318 would not work at all using a DVI->HDMI cable to the tv. It would power on & then be completely unresponsive to all inputs, via remote or face panel. There was no video output at all, no splash screen. I had to pull the power plug just to turn it off.

When I hooked it up with component cables, it worked fine.

I'm using the DVI cable with my Motorola 6200 cable box to the tv & that connection works fine. Not sure what the issue is. Anyone else using this player with the DVI->HDMI cable or just a DVI->DVI?

I'm happy with my setup as is. Doubt I'd be able to see a PQ difference between the two myself, just like the less cables idea. Thought I'd mention it just the same in case someone else might be considering the same DVD/TV setup.

From what I can tell the player does not do any stretching at all it just passes the signal to the TV in the same format as on the DVD it seems that seveal TV's my Sony is one that thinks all 1080i and 720p signals are widescreen format so it stretches the 4x3 format into a 16x9 format. Check your TV's there may be a setting in the user menu or service menu that will control this function. I am able to turn this function on and off at will from the service menu on my 40XBR800 however I really do not like having to go into the service menu all the time to do this so I just watch 4x3 format in 480p since for me my 4x3 DVD's are TV series and are not usally as clean and sharp to start with as a DVD movie.

Originally posted by Reynard
I just bought a 318 & am using it on a new WD-52525 Mitsubishi DLP.

The 318 would not work at all using a DVI->HDMI cable to the tv. It would power on & then be completely unresponsive to all inputs, via remote or face panel. There was no video output at all, no splash screen. I had to pull the power plug just to turn it off.

When I hooked it up with component cables, it worked fine.

I'm using the DVI cable with my Motorola 6200 cable box to the tv & that connection works fine. Not sure what the issue is. Anyone else using this player with the DVI->HDMI cable or just a DVI->DVI?

I'm happy with my setup as is. Doubt I'd be able to see a PQ difference between the two myself, just like the less cables idea. Thought I'd mention it just the same in case someone else might be considering the same DVD/TV setup.

Despite the logical assumption that the DVI out should always look better than component, it does not with the Zenith player. Component out scaled to 1080i (even if downconverted to 720p by your TV) looks best with the DVB318.

IM still having trouble understanding something here...

As we all have been discussing, 4:3 material and 16:9 non-anamorph material are both stretched by this player - and not particularly well.

The explanation I received is that its not actually the player doing the stretching, but my TV which probably automatically stretched any 1080i input.

I can verify I think that this is not the case- when I set my Hughes HD Receiver to 1080i mode, meaning it upconverts everything to 1080i and then sends it to the TV, my TV still shows things with grey bars if its 4:3 without any stretching.

Im pretty sure the player itself is doing the stretching here not my TV(by the way my TV also does not lock into Full Mode - its a Toshiba HDX and it defaults for 1080i to Natural and then lets me switch stretch modes to anything other than FULL mode).

Assuming its the player - does anyone disagree with that? - the next question is whether we can find a way to disable the player's stretching of material or whether its worth mentioning to Zenith for a future firmware release?

deja vu

Ok here is what I think is going on lirong your hughes HD box is taking the 4x3 signal upconverting it to 1080i then adding gray bars to the signal making it into a widescreen signal which your TV sees and therefore since the signal is the correct aspect ratio your TV displays it correctly. If possible check your Hughes box and see if it has a setting telling it that you have a 4x3 TV if it does try switching it to that instead of 16x9 that should remove the grey bars from the signal leaving it in 4x3 format at 1080i and see if your TV also stretches that as it is doing with your DVD output my guess is it will stretch the output to fill the screen giving you the same problem. In other words your Hughes box is adding the bars to the side of the picture to format the 1080i signal into a 16x9 format prior to sending it to your TV so your TV is seeing a signal that will completely fill its screen so it does not need to stretch it to fit the screen.

I wasn't referring to the repeated subjects and complaints. I was referring to people who copy and paste the exact same post in both threads.

peters62-

Thats an interesting suggestion on whats going on.

I tried what you suggested but didnt find any setting on my Hughes box for 4:3 or 16:9. I will keep looking.

I guess its still possible that the Hughes is doing this though...hmmm very puzzling!

You Hughes box may be assuming that everyone is using a 16x9 TV and so it adds the bars to all 4x3 content to get the correct aspect ratio for 1080i and 720p. It would be intersting to find someone with a Hughes HD box and a 4x3 HD TV and see if they can display 4x3 content at 1080i without the gray bars on the side of it there TV just adds additional bars on the top and bottom since it thinks the content is 16x9 ie bars on all 4 sides that would be ugly.

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
I have been feeling deja vu in the all the 318 threads for weeks on end. I feel like it's the same subjects and complaints over and over again, and since the main thread is so damned big, it's just forgotten and repeated after a point. That's why I basically have given up on it for the most part.

At some point, all that can be said about this player will have been said. We may have reached that point.

The 318 works as advertised, is inexpensive, and is flexible in it's upconverted output choices. The PQ produced is a significant gain over most any 480 player, and it seems to load and unload discs when asked.

Most of the other issues seem to be focused on how this particular player works with different tv brands and types.

This thread has gotten very repetitive, all the complaining about what this player does or does'nt do is a waste of time. Before it's release all anybody wanted was a dvd player that upconverted to an HD rez that was less problematic than what was on the market, and for my money the 318 is the player to beat! White crush? turn your briteness down! 4x3 issues, what the hell does 4x3 have to do with anything HD? If you want to watch tv based content on dvd you don't need a DVI upconverting HD DVD player!
You could've kept your pro scan player. With my sony 51" this player comes damn close to HBO or Showtime HD. Quality does not equal PERFECTION

Originally posted by kelo
This thread has gotten very repetitive, all the complaining about what this player does or does'nt do is a waste of time. Before it's release all anybody wanted was a dvd player that upconverted to an HD rez that was less problematic than what was on the market, and for my money the 318 is the player to beat! White crush? turn your briteness down! 4x3 issues, what the hell does 4x3 have to do with anything HD? If you want to watch tv based content on dvd you don't need a DVI upconverting HD DVD player!
You could've kept your pro scan player. With my sony 51" this player comes damn close to HBO or Showtime HD. Quality does not equal PERFECTION

Not all movies are widescreen, especially the classics. This has nothing to do with TV based content.... although now that I think about it, many TV series were/are shot on film and the DVD transfers made from them probably look great, too. Animation, like the Looney Tunes DVD's, are also 4:3 but benefit from full digital restoration and a state-of-the-art transfer. We're not just talking about playing my kids' Blues Clues DVD's here.

Upscaling to 720p or 1080i does not make a DVD (or any other source image) HD resolution. The original image resolution is never actually increased... that is impossible. Upscaling resizes and creates additional lines by interpolation, that's all. Whether you are watching Lord of the Rings, Citizen Kane, SpongeBob or an old Star Trek episode on DVD, you are starting out with 720x480 pixels.

Look, if you don't mind your 4:3 material stretched, more power to you.

BTW, turning the brightness down does not fix white crush. A professional broadcast video processor might be able to correct that problem.

I understand the source resolution is not changed, it's about perception to the naked eye and how well the upconversion process is done. BTW according to test results done by the tech's of this forum white crush was minimal with either of the 318's outputs and a slight calibration would reduce it to an undetectable level. Unless of course you know of another DVD player with a built in "professional broadcast video processor". There are very few MOVIES that aren't now released in widescreen, classic or otherwise. I can only speak for myself but 98% of my DVD's are movies, and that is what I got the 318 to play, in 16x9.

I'm glad you are happy with the Zenith. It is an impressive player, for sure. Not flawless, but none of them are. :)

Can you set TV's aspect ratio in this player? I am using SONY GWIII and its 16:9. Zenith is outputting 16:9 material in 4:3 format and Pacino looks really really skinny in Godfather part III. TV and player are connected directly via component at 480p. Please help.

In the setup menu you can tell it what kind of TV you have there are 3 options 1 is widescreen for 16x9 the other 2 are for 4x3 either pan and scan or letterbox.

Originally posted by PJO1966
I wasn't referring to the repeated subjects and complaints. I was referring to people who copy and paste the exact same post in both threads.


I see nothing wrong with posting the same question in a related thread if you got no response when you posted it in another thread. Why would this be a problem?

Originally posted by rexian
Can you set TV's aspect ratio in this player? I am using SONY GWIII and its 16:9. Zenith is outputting 16:9 material in 4:3 format and Pacino looks really really skinny in Godfather part III. TV and player are connected directly via component at 480p. Please help.

Change the Display Type in the Zenith to 16:9 (setup screen). Set the upscaling resolution to 1080i (button on the front of the player).

Originally posted by Gray Davis
I see nothing wrong with posting the same question in a related thread if you got no response when you posted it in another thread. Why would this be a problem?

All I said was "deja vu" and then clarified what I was referring to. I wasn't complaining about it.

For the record, the post in the second thread was done immediately after the first, so the same question was basically posted in two threads at the same time... not after the question wasn't answered in another. It also wasn't just one question. It was several. (that sounds a little like complaining ;) but I was just making an observation)

How do I go to setup screen of 318? Looks like we have a lot of hidden menus. Please help in this possibly dumb question.

Found it. Button placement on this remote is just favulous! Looks like Sunday Puzzle to find hidden things on a picture.

Originally posted by Gray Davis
I see nothing wrong with posting the same question in a related thread if you got no response when you posted it in another thread. Why would this be a problem?

Why not create a new thread? That way:
- it wouldn't add to the gazillion page thread (which makes it a PITA to search for useful info)
- it would be in/under a thread topic that's actually relevant to the post
- it is more likely to be answered since more than a handful of people would actually read it
- one would be able to have a converstation directly related to the topic at hand (instead of post 100 being "Can someone help me with problem x?", post 101 being "Yipee, I just got my new blahblah", post 102 "Hey, me too, yipee", post 103 "Me too! The yadayada feature [as described ad nauseum previously] is great!"....etc etc)

I thought I had replied to this but I guess I didn't enter it. I wasn't complaining about the duplicate posts. I simply said "deja vu" and then clarified when someone mininterpreted what I was referring to. Just to clarify, the person wasn't waiting for a reply. They were copying and pasting the same post immediately in both threads. This was done several times in the course of the day. Again... I wasn't complaining, just pointing out that the redundancy was not necessary.

Originally posted by BSOD2.7
Why not create a new thread? That way:
- it wouldn't add to the gazillion page thread (which makes it a PITA to search for useful info)
- it would be in/under a thread topic that's actually relevant to the post
- it is more likely to be answered since more than a handful of people would actually read it
- one would be able to have a converstation directly related to the topic at hand (instead of post 100 being "Can someone help me with problem x?", post 101 being "Yipee, I just got my new blahblah", post 102 "Hey, me too, yipee", post 103 "Me too! The yadayada feature [as described ad nauseum previously] is great!"....etc etc)


You make some good points. I agree with you, particularly since the existing threads are so long.


"All I said was "deja vu" and then clarified what I was referring to. I wasn't complaining about it."

Fair enough.


In addition to starting some new threads, at the very least the FAQ thread really SHOULD be made into a sticky...I know the thread's creater asked some mod about it but nothing was done. We should repeat his request.

Originally posted by rexian
Found it. Button placement on this remote is just favulous! Looks like Sunday Puzzle to find hidden things on a picture.

Lol, good analogy. Thank god my sattelite remote had a code that worked with it. The layout is horrid. It is now retired to a life of drawerdom, to be used in the rare occasion I need to use a "unique" button.

The Zenith DVB318 DVD Player will not play DVD's anymore. Unit continues to not load dvd. Have tried 15 different DVD's Done a reset, turned off autoplay. Will however play music cd just fine. Have let unit sit for a day still same results. Have watched about 40 movies with this unit (Brand New). Any thoughts? Playing through Component, Original Firmware.

TREV

One note on the DVB318 FAQ... the section that repeats the manuals instructions about the Video Mode Setting: Auto-Video-Film. The manual is wrong - it has nothing to do with the players de-interlacing. It's just a still-frame selection setting, like Panasonic players have in their set-up menu. As far as I can tell, the Zenith has no way to manually force the de-interlacing between video or film recognition mode. The Faroudja/Genesis chip in the 318 is set up for auto recognition of film or video/DCDI mode. Not that I mind, as I haven't played any discs where I have wanted to override the players choice of processing.

One other thing - does anyone know which features of the Faroudja/Genesis chip the 318 uses? i.e. True-Life, Bandwidth-Expansion, etc...? The amazing 1080i image sure looks to me like some other picture-improving processing besides up-conversion is going on. Faroudja's SuperNTSC is alive and well.

Cheers!
Ty C. :-)

Originally posted by Disclord
One note on the DVB318 FAQ... the section that repeats the manuals instructions about the Video Mode Setting: Auto-Video-Film. The manual is wrong - it has nothing to do with the players de-interlacing. It's just a still-frame selection setting, like Panasonic players have in their set-up menu. As far as I can tell, the Zenith has no way to manually force the de-interlacing between video or film recognition mode. The Faroudja/Genesis chip in the 318 is set up for auto recognition of film or video/DCDI mode. Not that I mind, as I haven't played any discs where I have wanted to override the players choice of processing.

One other thing - does anyone know which features of the Faroudja/Genesis chip the 318 uses? i.e. True-Life, Bandwidth-Expansion, etc...? The amazing 1080i image sure looks to me like some other picture-improving processing besides up-conversion is going on. Faroudja's SuperNTSC is alive and well.

Cheers!
Ty C. :-)

I agree. It appears to have some enhancement circuitry.

Disclord-

What does it being a "still-frame selection setting" mean? Whats the proper use of this function?

Thanks.

>>What does it being a "still-frame selection setting" mean? Whats the proper use of this function?<<

It's for when you pause or freeze-frame and controls the bob/weave the player does to the frame. In the "video" mode you won't get double/flickering images on still frames from film, but only 1 field is used to make up the image.

Cheers!
Ty C. :-)

So this has no use for playback? It only affects display of paused images?

Originally posted by Disclord
One note on the DVB318 FAQ... the section that repeats the manuals instructions about the Video Mode Setting: Auto-Video-Film. The manual is wrong - it has nothing to do with the players de-interlacing. It's just a still-frame selection setting, like Panasonic players have in their set-up menu. As far as I can tell, the Zenith has no way to manually force the de-interlacing between video or film recognition mode. The Faroudja/Genesis chip in the 318 is set up for auto recognition of film or video/DCDI mode. Not that I mind, as I haven't played any discs where I have wanted to override the players choice of processing.

One other thing - does anyone know which features of the Faroudja/Genesis chip the 318 uses? i.e. True-Life, Bandwidth-Expansion, etc...? The amazing 1080i image sure looks to me like some other picture-improving processing besides up-conversion is going on. Faroudja's SuperNTSC is alive and well.

Cheers!
Ty C. :-)

Hmmmm, are you sure? When I switch the video mode setting from Auto to Video while watching a DVD, I definitely start seeing poor de-interlacing. Have you tried this?

I agree though, I haven't actually needed to switch from Auto. I was just playing around.

Yes, I've tried it - on regular titles and on the Faroudja test patterns. No change. Pause a film image and then use it - you can see the change as you still frame though it, just like the auto-still-frame menu setting on Panasonic players.

Originally posted by Disclord
Yes, I've tried it - on regular titles and on the Faroudja test patterns. No change. Pause a film image and then use it - you can see the change as you still frame though it, just like the auto-still-frame menu setting on Panasonic players.

I have to disagree. I too see a difference between the two modes. For example on the 5th Element I tried changing modes in a few of the space scenes and you can clearly see jagged edges between the ships against the stars and one of the ships against the planet when in video mode. These "jaggies" are not present when in film mode. And this is while the movie is playing.

jc3

I've started to notice a slight dark/black level with the zenith 318. I'm comparing to my Panasonic rp62, and after comparing 3 dvds in a row I'm very sure that my older Panasonic rp62 produces better blacks dark levels. I could first tell this by watching a few simple scenes, the dark levels where just more "black". The way I could really tell is by watching a 2.35 formatted movie, where the black bars above the image on the Panasonic are pitch black, when you goto dark scenes with the zenith if you look the black bars above and below the image are visible in a faint way. Hopefully others have noticed this?

((3. Doing a factory reset will set region zone back to ))

Q where can I find this RESET?

ok this has probably been asked a milion times but i cant find it anywhere... a link or explination would be awesome!

I have a Toshiba 42H83 and using component out from the 318 i see that i am cropping off the top of the screen. you can tell just by looking at the player menu screen. when i cycle through 480p looks normal but as soon as i switch it to 720p or 1080i it cuts it off.... also the image appears to be shifted to the left a little... so basily i think the image is "zoomed" in a little... i am definatly missing some of the top and a little of the left side (off screen)

ohh and the 1080i component is superb.

Thanks In Advance!

ElevatorHappyFun,

I use the screen alignment pattern on DVE as the last thing I calibrate and through 720p DVI the 318 was almost dead on for vertical and horizontal. I recently reconnected the 318 with only component (which looks great) at 720p and the vertical and horizontal both needed to be moved around a bit. For my set, Panny 50LC13, I believe I remember moving it up and to the right but I could be recalling that incorrectly (it may have been down and to the right?).

PS Fortunately the Vertical / Horizontal position controls for my set are within the normal user setup menu. I remember on the Sammy HLN I had for a few weeks those controls were in the Service Menu.

Q, you may want to add to the FAQ the list of movies that hang up the 318 when autoplay is turned on: (besides DVE and AVIA calibration discs)

Hellboy

Originally posted by NorthJersey
Q, you may want to add to the FAQ the list of movies that hang up the 318 when autoplay is turned on: (besides DVE and AVIA calibration discs)

Hellboy

Where can I get this information? Is there a link to a thread I can post?

stonepran:

"The way I could really tell is by watching a 2.35 formatted movie, where the black bars above the image on the Panasonic are pitch black, when you goto dark scenes with the zenith if you look the black bars above and below the image are visible in a faint way."

Stonepran, did you recalibrate your brightness and contrast with DVE or Avia or some other setup disk when you got the 318? You will need to do this when ever you get a new player to set the levels properly. All manufacturer's video output levels vary. The 318 is definitely on the hot side. I had to reduce my brightness quite a bit on my X1.

Randy

Originally posted by zoro
((3. Doing a factory reset will set region zone back to ))

Q where can I find this RESET? Q asked me to answer this question. Factory reset is in FAQ already (display firmware info), not sure it is the one you want or not.

I was writing to Q to update the following statement "It has yet to be determined if this process negates the region free hack or any other user updates. " The answer is doing factory reset will set back region zone back to 1.

I was also hoping Q can mention zoom feature (and how to use it) in FAQ since a lot of people ask how to deal with 4:3 content with fixed 1080i display format TV.

Originally posted by C.Y.
I was also hoping Q can mention zoom feature (and how to use it) in FAQ since a lot of people ask how to deal with 4:3 content with fixed 1080i display format TV.
You cannot fix 4:3 content with fixed 1080i displays using the 318 zoom feature (well, not without cropping the picture). You *can* correct non-anamorphic widescreen content though.

How can u fix letter box, non anamorphic with no loss of PQ?

Never said no loss of PQ? :)

But you can correct by using the vertical zoom in x1 mode and the DVB-318 does a cleaner job of correcting than my TV's Zoom mode ever did with a 480p signal (the TV Zoom mode on my TV is disabled with a 1080i input so I can't do a direct compare).

Is it as good as RP-91 does in 480P?

Don't know. Never owned an RP-91. It's better than the RP-82 at 480p and using the TV to correct. That's about the closest comparison I can personally give.

Originally posted by wmallory
You cannot fix 4:3 content with fixed 1080i displays using the 318 zoom feature (well, not without cropping the picture). You *can* correct non-anamorphic widescreen content though. I don't think I ever said "fix 4:3 content with zoom feature", I did say zoom feature as a workaround.

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
Where can I get this information? Is there a link to a thread I can post?

I posted this in the thread re: AVIA disc locking up as well as the main 318 thread. Myself and many others have experienced the problem with Hellboy, and someone posted they've had the same problem with Gladiator.

As many of you talked about the Saturation and Hue, I'm just wondering if there is any detailed instruction for Saturation & Hue adjustment? I'm using NEC LT240K front projector and just got my DVB318 (to see if it can replace my current Denon DVD-910), I tried to use Avia Guide's filters to adjust Saturation & Hue, but it seems that it's very difficult to do the adjustment.

With Autoplay on "Finding Nemo" started with a bonus feature video footage but with the audio track from the main movie. I had to turn Autoplay off and then things worked normally. I have left autoplay off sense then.

Originally posted by C.Y.
I don't think I ever said "fix 4:3 content with zoom feature", I did say zoom feature as a workaround. No offence meant. I didn't consider cropping the 4:3 material as a workaround. Guess it is technically. Apols.

Since we seem to have a lot of repeat arguments and material about this player, I am going to add here, in concrete, about one issue so there's no missing it:

YES, THE ZENITH DVB318 MOST CERTAINLY DOES HAVE A DCDI CHIP IN IT. NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS ABOUT IT! YES!!!!!!!!!!

FYI: Amazon is offering the 318 for $159.99. Estimated shipping time is 1- 2 weeks.

Originally posted by tonyab
FYI: Amazon is offering the 318 for $159.99. Estimated shipping time is 1- 2 weeks.

Wow! Excellent price.

I just can't get over how much repeating about this player that has been done around here. I realize the main thread is too huge to be of any use, but even at that...the repetition of the same arguments, same questions, same everything leaves me speechless.

I added this quickly to the top of the FAQs so there's no mistaking it. Maybe it'll buy a couple of weeks before someone posts another thread trying to contest these FACTS:

YES, THIS PLAYER REALLY HAS A DCDI CHIP! DETAILS BELOW!

The DVB318 DOES incorporate DVI with HDCP.

I love the people that write in and say, "Yeah, it's says so on the box that it has it but maybe it doesn't." :rolleyes:

I guess I am going to have to make a point of bumping this thread several times a day since the mods never saw fit to make it a sticky like I had asked. I did everything they asked me to to try and make sticky status and I simply can't get it done.

Maybe someone else can ask them to do it. I give up.

ahhh I can't make up my mind if I want it! I only have 2 component inputs which are being used by Dish 6000 and HD cable box.

DVI?

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
I guess I am going to have to make a point of bumping this thread several times a day since the mods never saw fit to make it a sticky like I had asked. I did everything they asked me to to try and make sticky status and I simply can't get it done.

Maybe someone else can ask them to do it. I give up.
Well whatever you or someone else did, it worked!!! It's now a sticky!

And there was much rejoicing.

Originally posted by wmallory
And there was much rejoicing.


yaaay. ;)

Thanks mods! :D

Couple of Ben Franklin handshakes always get it done right. :p

Just wanted to state that my 318 came with SVCD support out of the box. I popped in an SVCD last night and the player recognized it as SVCD. I had to hit the play button in order for it to start though. Perhaps if I had Autoplay turned on, it would start automatically.

I checked my eeprom settings to see if it was already hacked, but the values were the pre-hacked values. I proceeded to set the values to the hacked values anyway to see if there would be any difference, but there were none.

BTW, I have a March 2004 build of the player.

I just got my 318 today as well. It was a March build and unhacked.

Originally posted by billt1111
I just got my 318 today as well. It was a March build and unhacked.

Are you able to play SVCD's without hacking?

for the SVCD hack for the EEPROM, how do I get to post 2104? Thanks.

Originally posted by sau2004
for the SVCD hack for the EEPROM, how do I get to post 2104? Thanks.

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

Zenith Service Was Great DVB318
12 days ago my DVB318 Broke. Would not play DVD's just CD's. I posted this back awhile. Nobody had any sugestions. Called Zenith, they sent me a DHL Paid Pickup Slip. DHL picked up the unit last Monday, recieved swapped unit yesterday. Interestingly enough it was a December date model. Anyways, Cheers to Zenith. Glad to be watching movies again. I also AB'd it with my DreamX 1080 Sigma Design Chipset player. What a difference. Like night and day, I can't watch my DreamX anymore.

TREV

Glad to hear good news like this.

ok i am going to repeat my post kinda....

I have my 318 hooked up via component. When i bump up the scale of my dvd's from 480p to 1080i the image IS moving up around 1.5 inches... i also believe it is moving to the left a slight bit.

i am sorry if this has been mention/asked a million times... and yes Q i have searched :) ...

mine is "striahgt-out-of-the-box" new... no hax... nothing... except new cables...

ohh and for some reason when i use DVI it doesnt move... only when i use Component... and NO i dont wanna use DVI on my screen it doesnt look at good. BTW i have a Toshiba 42H83 HDTV....

...

Any firmware of any kind of that TV? This problem rings a bell with me. I suspect help shall be forthcoming for you very shortly... :)

It's some tweak that has to happen either in a service menu or if you have DVE or Avia or something like that I think you can do it.

When I play DVDs (most recently on LOTR: ROTK) one thing I am noticing is that the background tends to look pretty "pixely" - it almost looks as if the background is moving...

I tried setting it to FIlm mode from Auto but still has that effect where the pixels in the background are almost twinkling or something.

Anyone else seeing something similar? Any ideas how to adjust?

What TV are you using and is this DVI or component?

Toshiba 50HDX82.
Component.

Have you tried calibrating it with DVE, Avia, etc. etc. ? Might want to try reducing your sharpness and/or contrast and/or brightness and see what that does.

Also keep in mind that LOTR:ROTK is not the best DVD in terms of background picture quality. It's an almost 3 1/2 hour movie jammed onto a single DVD and it shows in the background of various scenes. The Extended Edition should be better since it will be split across two discs.

I have a Mitsubishi RPTV and my 318 will not upconvert using the component video in. I seem to remember that my TV is locked in at 480P at the component in. If I use S-Video, can I upconvert to 720P? By the way, the other component in to my TV is for the HiDef receiver, and I prefer to keep that like it is. So far, my 5 year old Toshiba 5108 blows away the 318, using the component in to the TV. Lots of Jaggies I've never seen before. Thanks.

S-Video can only support 480i. Period.

So, I was able to place an order for this player after Amazon recently dropped their price to $159. I placed the order last week and was given an estimated ship time of 1-2 weeks. In an effort to speed up delivery of the player, I opted for the 2-day shipping (@$15 extra), eagerly anticipating getting the player as soon as possible. Well, to my pleasant surprise, I got an email today saying that the player had already shipped. I soon noticed that under the shipping method listed in the email, it was UPS Ground! After calling Amazon to find out if this was a mistake in the email or if it really was shipped ground instead of 2-day, I was told that because they received their stock earlier than expected and could hit the estimated delivery date using ground, that's what they did!!! So the fact that I paid $15 extra for second day to get the player to me sooner didn't matter at all. After basically telling the guy that I wasn't about to let that stand as is, he reluctantly refunded the difference in shipping charges, but I'm not sure that I'm totally content with how they handled this. So as a reminder to all of you who preordered the Samsung 941 with an estimated arrival date of mid to late July, make sure that they upgrade your shipping to overnight, free of charge, in order to hit the estimated arrival date as closely as possible as that seems to be their policy. (I'm pretty sure it doesn't work in reverse!)

Anyway, I'm not sure if this is old terrain or not with Amazon, but I figured that with so many people ordering this player from them at their new price, be on the lookout for what shipping arrangements you made with them and how they ultimately deliver it to you.

Cliff

Cliff,

When did you place your order?

I placed one on Friday and delivery is scheduled between 8/24 and 9/2. Used the free shipping since I don't need it right away.

Funny little anecdote about Amazon. If you choose super saver shipping, the estimates on when it ships out and delivery are simply atrocious when you first see them. Even for "Item ships in 24 hours" they'll sometimes sit on that order for a week, just for laughs.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. If you use that and order something substanital, like this player, for instance, by goodness, even though their estimates say otherwise, they will ship it within 24 hours or whatever the advertised time actually is.

Go figure.

Do the newest revisions of the 318 still upconvert over component? I'm considering purchasing one of these from amazon, but don't want to be screwed. Thanks,
Ryan

if it does not perform as delievred, u can return! mine arriving today!

I just received my 318 last Friday from Dynadirect. It was a March build but the firmware versions were the same as everyone else was posting on this thread. It definitely upconverts on component and DVI connected directly to my PHD6UY. However I tried connecting it via component through my D* Samsung 360 component input and it did not upconvert. Apparently the 360 does not allow that for some reason.

Originally posted by hardwired
Cliff,

When did you place your order?

I placed one on Friday and delivery is scheduled between 8/24 and 9/2. Used the free shipping since I don't need it right away.

I placed it on Saturday but I got an estimated delivery schedule of 8/16 to 8/23. I guess the thing that really bothers me is that Amazon is taking money for expedited shipping and then shipping it cheaper and keeping the extra cash using what are, quite obviously, questionable scheduling skills and a loophole that they have created.

Cliff

Mine for free shipping got shipped here overnight from RENO NV!

Does anyone know when the firmware for the DVI white crush fix will be available?

remotepc (and others),

Check out the:
"Firmware Downloads for Zenith DVB318? Where? "
thread (in this DVD forum):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423381

I just resurrected it from a week long slumber and got a reply that they are still working on it. It is a good thread to read through and I hope it will be one of the first places to find out about when and how (snail mail update CDs/DVDs or download ISOs) Zenith will distribute an updated firmware.

BTW I believe they are working on more than just the white crush over DVI in the firmware that is in the works.... check out that thread it will have the info you are looking for.

Very nice thread. Thanks for the info.

Really could be anytime, at this rate...

Originally posted by Cliff Stephenson
So, I was able to place an order for this player after Amazon recently dropped their price to $159. I placed the order last week and was given an estimated ship time of 1-2 weeks. In an effort to speed up delivery of the player, I opted for the 2-day shipping (@$15 extra), eagerly anticipating getting the player as soon as possible. Well, to my pleasant surprise, I got an email today saying that the player had already shipped. I soon noticed that under the shipping method listed in the email, it was UPS Ground! After calling Amazon to find out if this was a mistake in the email or if it really was shipped ground instead of 2-day, I was told that because they received their stock earlier than expected and could hit the estimated delivery date using ground, that's what they did!!! So the fact that I paid $15 extra for second day to get the player to me sooner didn't matter at all. After basically telling the guy that I wasn't about to let that stand as is, he reluctantly refunded the difference in shipping charges, but I'm not sure that I'm totally content with how they handled this. So as a reminder to all of you who preordered the Samsung 941 with an estimated arrival date of mid to late July, make sure that they upgrade your shipping to overnight, free of charge, in order to hit the estimated arrival date as closely as possible as that seems to be their policy. (I'm pretty sure it doesn't work in reverse!)

Anyway, I'm not sure if this is old terrain or not with Amazon, but I figured that with so many people ordering this player from them at their new price, be on the lookout for what shipping arrangements you made with them and how they ultimately deliver it to you.

Cliff

I've had the opposite experience with them. I order all my DVDs from them - no tax & free shipping (with super saver) - and I usually get them in 1 to 2 days.

Go figure...

jc3

Crazy experience with Amazon. I ordered Monday morning, and asked for standard shipping. Arrival date was August 18-25th.

I recieved it yesterday! They must have shipped it overnight.

Weird.

yup, thats what they did! I expect 941 to be delievred same way too

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.

I just wanted to add a post to help move this FAQ Thread closer to 500 posts, instead of the 1-2 pages it set it out to be... :p

I guess everyone gave up on the 318 thread.

Q: When will you plant to start 318 FAQ, Part Deux??

It depends on how close you are to one of their warehouses. Also, it's funny: The value of your order tends to give it priority. If you order the minimum amount for super saver shipping, you'll be amazed how slow it may take for that order to process.

I must be close to one of their warehouses, because I ordered some DVD's Sunday afternoon and had them in my hands yesterday, super saver shipping. And their website was giving two week's estimate for shipping and delivery.

My rule with a place like Amazon is this: If the item says "ships in 24 hours" that's what I expect to see. If 48 hours goes by, I cancel the order. It's that simple.

Q, there is an amazon warehouse in kentucky i think. I also get stuff relatively quick, even with the save shipping.

That must explain it, then. Great! :D

I ordered Monday afternoon and was given a ship date of August 23-30!

Zorro, was the status updated on Amazon's website, prior to you receiving the unit?

Jim

Hmmm, might be out or low on stock again. These units seem to sell like hotcakes when they hit the shelves.

8-13-04

Here is an actual picture from page 83 or so of the super huge 318 thread, that someone actually took of the Faroudjia chip. Here's the concrete proof, once and forevermore that, yes, this player has it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3766240&fullpage=1

Thanks to razorweb for that heads up. It is now officially added to the main FAQs body.

ordered mine last thursday (before it was posted here/fatwallet and pandemonium ensued) and ship date is still August 18-25...why are all you guys getting yours so much faster? :( not fair!

Originally posted by Q of BanditZ
Hmmm, might be out or low on stock again. These units seem to sell like hotcakes when they hit the shelves.
I'm also glad that the skeptics are now addressed with the chip photo. I, for one, didn't need the photo.

I think I'm going to look into buying mine elsewhere. It's not worth the 3 week wait to me to save a few bucks. I have to pay tax at Amazon, so I might be able to purchase elsewhere for close to if not the same $.

Jim

I ordered elsewhere. Got the same deal as Amazon with 5 day shipping. The items in stock.

Jim

No one here cares how long it took you to get your player, how much you paid, or how it was shipped. Please keep discussion on track - i.e. discussion of features and issues with the player itself, etc. blathering about shipping and so forth is what killed the last thread.

If you havent already done so, I suggest you delete your own posts on these subjects.

This has become just like the big thread. Too far gone now, razor. Not what I envisioned at all for a FAQs thread. I'd love for a mod to sweep through here and clean it up a bit.

One of the reasons that main thread got so ungainly was the overabundance of endless repeat posts about shipping, availability, who got angry at what for the post office, etc?

Please help, mods!

I have not yet seem any codes for this unit at Remote Central. I'd like to program my Marantz 9200 remote. I have an IR setup already for everything else in the HT.

Any ideas?

Someone mentioned that it shares most of its codes with a past LG model although Im not sure which one...

Why not see if the Mods can merge this with the other discussion thread, then pull out the important posts that FAQ-like??

^^ It's already way too far gone. I've given up...

Originally posted by HDTVFAN0001
I have not yet seem any codes for this unit at Remote Central. I'd like to program my Marantz 9200 remote. I have an IR setup already for everything else in the HT.

Any ideas?
I don't know if this will help you or not, but Pronto TSU3000 codes for the DVB318, including undocumented stuff such as upconversion resolution changes, have been available on Remote Central since May. You can download the ZIP file HERE (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/dl.cgi?file=prontong/devices/dvd/zen-dvd-dvb318.zip&area=prontong). Maybe you can download also ProntoEdit NG and use it to cut and paste the codes into whatever app you use for programming your Marantz.

Originally posted by dpippel
I don't know if this will help you or not, but Pronto TSU3000 codes for the DVB318, including undocumented stuff such as upconversion resolution changes, have been available on Remote Central since May. You can download the ZIP file HERE (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/dl.cgi?file=prontong/devices/dvd/zen-dvd-dvb318.zip&area=prontong). Maybe you can download also ProntoEdit NG and use it to cut and paste the codes into whatever app you use for programming your Marantz.
I'll give it a shot...thanks so much for your help!

dpip-

Have you come across similar codes for the Home Theater Master 500 remote?

There are codes over at Remote Central for use with the Home Theater Master 700 but I don't think they can be used with MX-500 if you are using the IRClone setup with your MX-500 maybe someone might be able to convert the MX-700 file into something you could use with the MX-500 other wise you will need to find someone with a MX-700 locally that can use the file to learn to your MX-500.

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

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I orderd the Zenith from Amazon

"Shipping estimate for these items:

September 21, 2004

Delivery estimate:September 23, 2004 - October 11, 2004

1 "Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan DVD Player"
Electronics; $159.99"

Great, looks like this will probably be the updated version.

Is there anywhere else on the web I can buy that has a good return policy?

Best Buy has a good return policy although last time I checked their price was quite high. Maybe they will match Amazon...

Originally posted by lirong
Best Buy has a good return policy although last time I checked their price was quite high. Maybe they will match Amazon...

Only available through BB online and it is like $259 or something.

The BB stores by me dont have the Zenith, online only for me.

Originally posted by julkruk
I orderd the Zenith from Amazon

"Shipping estimate for these items:

September 21, 2004

Delivery estimate:September 23, 2004 - October 11, 2004

1 "Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan DVD Player"
Electronics; $159.99"

Great, looks like this will probably be the updated version.

Is there anywhere else on the web I can buy that has a good return policy?
YOU CAN SPEED UP THE SHIP DATE IF YOU'RE WILLING TO ACCEPT SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE "FREE" SHIPPING.

I Took the "standard shipping", and it saved a week in shipping time - coming tomorrow. If you take the 2-day air, it will cost more, but you'll get it much faster.

Shipping and availability is becoming a "FAQ" item, look like...