Sticky: Zenith DVB318 FAQs

[Q of BanditZ]

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/exper..._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-b...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/attac...240&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!



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/showt...ghlight=DVB318

Firmware wishlist thread for DVB318
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ghlight=DVB318

The FAQs thread (This thread):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=400480

Connection poll thread (DVI or component?):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=404830

Fascinating probably explanation to known green undersaturation issues:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=411532

HDCP issues/relations/compatibility
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=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.ph...&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/showt...ghlight=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!

[wmallory]

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.

[greeno]

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

Best,
jeff

[eyedoc]

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

[rwestley]

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

[pww118]

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.

[galvin]

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

--Galvin

[Joxer]

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

--Galvin

No.

[wmallory]

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.

[Sam S]

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?

[wmallory]

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

[Joxer]

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.

[Sam S]

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).

[IMO]

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.

[Joxer]

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.

[Sam S]

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?

[IMO]

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

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

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

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

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

[Sam S]

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

[ride525]

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?

[eyedoc]

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.

[Tup]

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.

[eyedoc]

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.

[nobear]

good work! Q of BanditZ, very useful info!

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

[Robert Clark]

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...

[cmm0325]

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

[Robert Clark]

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

[cmm0325]

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.

[Robert Clark]

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...

[Hi Deaf]

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."

[Bluescale]

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...