The "Official" Denon AVR-4311CI/AVR-A100 thread [NO PRICE TALK] - Page 646

I put the HTPC with a PCI HDMI capture card between my cable box and the TV, connected with HDMI cables. The goal was to record and archive interesting programs on the PC which had 2 x 2TB drives. Did not work.



Don't understand the content protection issue unless you want to do more then just record and play??? I have been using MC for six years with no content protection issues beyond those inherent with DHCP on any equipment and going through 2 different Denon AVRs. BTW MC has Tivo type ability to watch and pause live TV.[/quote]

It may not be what you want but with the correct tuner card and video card it Does work and is used by millions. As I said I have used it six plus years, both XP and Win7 through HDMI and 2 different Denon AVRs (2308 & 4311). There is plenty of info on the net for you to investigate if you wish to persue it.

Get rid of the cable box and replace it with a Ceton InfiniTV 4 card + a CableCard from your cable company. You'll then be able to record / watch 4 channels at a time with Windows Media Center.
There's no way that I'm aware of to assign any of the 4311's amps to the subwoofer channels, so what you want to do isn't possible. You'll need to get amps for your subwoofers.

I am aware of the Cable Card/TV Tuner card option but wanted to keep the cable DVR for ease of family use.

BTW, web scuttlebutt says that files recorded on a Media Center PC can only be viewed on one screen Can you comment?

I am interested in transferring recordings to a NAS for storage where they can be viewed on any TV or network connected PC.

What a shame.

I guess I'll have to use pre outs for all 5.2 channels then.

You need to go to Media Center threads for further study. Quick answer to your question is any MC recordings can be played by any other PC with MC, or Windows Media player, on the network with the proper sharing rights and with whatever TV/monitor(s) are connected to the PC(s). Actually there are a few other programs that can play the MC files also.

That's no exactly accurate:

Recordings can be played on any PC with Media Center or other software of your choice if they are NOT encrypted (what programs/channels are encrypted varies with the cable provider, but premium channels like HBO are almost always encrypted).

Recordings can also be played on extenders (such as an XBOX or the forthcoming Ceton Echo) that are paired with the PC that's doing the recording. In this case, there are no restrictions related to encryption.

But yes, further discussion of this belongs elsewhere.

 

Ian, whether you recalibrate or not depends on how precise you want to be.  I always recalibrate when a change is made, regardless of how small the change.  In your case, the difference is likely to be small, but in my opinion, any difference warrants a re-calibration.  After all, it doesn't take that much time.

My bad. I only have OTA and forgot about all of the cable crap problems. In my location and a dual tuner card I am able to record far more then I have time to watch. End of discussion.

nope, sorry, the xover in the denon isn't going to do you any good...

a) when you cross in the denon, it will apply the cross to the pre-out as well...
b) only the high passed frequencies are sent to the speaker posts/pre-out...
c) the only way to get the low-passed frequencies out of the avr is from the sub pre-outs...

to do what you want, you'd need to take the speaker posts output "full range" (defeating bass management in the avr), combine them, and low pass that output to the sub... imo, this would also cause some "interesting" audyssey anomalies...

if all you need is 100wpc, 100wpc amps are cheap...

Yes, it looks like I will have to use the 4311 as a per-processor after all since the internal amps cannot be assigned to the .2 LFE channels The 4311 is cheaper than any fully featured per-processor on the market so I am not too concerned.

Too bad modern HT receivers do not have rear panel pre-out and main-in connectors wired with jumpers. Early HT receivers had this input-output arrangement and it was very useful.

Yes, 100W power amps are freely available, in fact I have a couple sitting in my closet.

Hey guys, how do you 4311 owners connect your p.c.'s for lossless playback of high res music? can someone point me in the right direction?

I'm using HDMI.

There was discussion about HDMI handshake issues a few posts back.
Any of you 4311 and/or 4310 owners ever tried to use a Sony KDL-32XBR9 as a monitor?
Intermittent flashing, occasional grey/white snow, picture drop out, green screen, etc. as issues/symptoms?
Have tried both AVRs with the Sony, 4310 does not "play well" and the 4311 is better but still glitchy...
Both AVRs work fine with my other 2 LCDs (Sony KDL-40XBR4, Samsung UN26BC4000)
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've already tried numerous things...
Maybe someone out there has tried mating their Denon AVR with this particular Sony model...
Thanks!

Hi Bill. I cannot think of why the level of bass alone would be different off a Stereo DSD layer depending on where it's processed. After all, the bass management in your tests is all being done at the PCM level in the AVR regardless of whether the PCM is created in the player or the AVR.

When I did A/B comparisons of sending bitstream vs PCM with Oppo players to Denon AVRs I immediately noticed an overall SPL difference. I used my SPL meter to tell me how much to shift the MV for A vs B for the purpose of determining if there was any SQ diff. I considered that the SPL difference was due to the way the PCM was processed and presented to the DAC.

In light of our MC DSD LFE discussion, I now consider the possibility that for MC part of the difference might be due to how the LFE is treated in the player vs the AVR- but this remains unclear. I don't have the test discs or the freq spectrum analyzer to do the tests.
This topic remains daunting and complex. Maybe we should revive or start a thread on it in order to get more gear, minds and experience involved.

SoM,

I think starting a dedicated thread for the DSD issue I'm finding is an excellent idea. That way the discussion in this thread does not go OT. Also as you mention the more minds on this discussion the better .

Bill

If a new thread is started, please post the link here.

Jerry,

Here is a link to the DSD issues thread I just started.

Bill

Is there a way to set the sub level for specific audio modes? I looked in the manual as well as the menu and did not see any setting to do this. I ask as I like the sub level a bit lower when listening to music. So if I could set my sub level in the 4311 lower for the stereo mode and keep all other audio modes the same that would be great. Otherwise I have been lowering the level when listening to music then raising it back to the level that Audyssey set it (+ 2-3dB).

Bill

Hello,

It depends what budget you have to make PC as audio playback source . My favorite "tool" for this would be AYRE QB-9, but t is a little bit on expensive side for me right now. I recently asked similar question to yours and I tried in my system:
- M2tech "Hiface Two"
- SOTM dX-USB HD converter
- Hegel HD20 DAC.
With each step I heard improvement in sound quality during audio bitsreaming from my PC with the help of Foobar2000 and KS/WASAPI output. Even "Hiface Two" improved sound quality, I had feeling that it likes to add something/to color the sound. SOTM was much better - sound stage expanded horizontaly and in depth, provided more details and for me it was neutral in comparison to "Hiface Two". Hegel HD20 just upgraded/lifted up to another level again, what SOTM was able to extract from computer. I think, I will buy mentioned SOTM converter due to money and sound value it provided to me during "testing".

Seems that AVR-4311 is very capable receiver from point of high quality source aceptence .

For 2 ch, I use the separate custom settings for Bass Management. under Menu->Manual->Audio->2chDirect/stereo including Sub level. For MC, under Audio/Vid adjust->Audio->Surround Parameters there is an LFE trim-down (not up) function.

Of course, when in Amp mode, pressing the Ch level button on the OEM remote makes adjusting any level fast and easy. That fnctn can also be programmed into learning/univ remotes.

Hi all
I only have 1 sub and have ran audessey.
How can I use the 2nd sub output and set the cross over at 50 or 40hz for my buttkickers with no cuts or gains for them (If possible)?
Without wrecking the audessey.

^Bill, you are correct. I misremembered. The sub(s) vol cannot be turned down in that custom Stereo window-but I believe the solution is actually still right there. One could instead trim UP the FR/L to achieve the same relative bass level.

... or manually trim DOWN the SW knob though...

In the past with a desktop P.C., I used digital coaxial cable for audio from the computer. From my laptop, I use HDMI and mostly I use ethernet to connect my nas server to the 4311. Unfortunately, I have found that the 4311 will apparently not handle hi-rez hd audio tracks via eithernet(it will handle lossles flac's at 16/44.1), so now I am forced to use either the hdmi or direct input through the usb port with a large, high speed thumb drive for all my hd music files. Hope this helps.

only if you want to hose your audyssey cal...

Maybe for that matter, is the best workaround, though. In my specific case ( 2809 AVR / SVS PB -10 SW ), when listening to music on a 2.1 setup, I normally have to trim down the volume knob at SW, as the bass gets sometimes way too emphasized. Anyway, the 4311 is a totally different beast, so who knows??

that overemphasis is likely a result of Dynamic EQ, as the 2809 predates the introduction of the "Reference Level Offset" setting that lets you trim down the aggressiveness of the bass boost.

the problem with adjusting the knob on the sub itself is that it's hard to get back to "reference" when you are done (unless your knob has defined click stops or something, although I've never seen that on a sub).

if your music sources is used for music only, the workaround is to trim the Source Level down for that input by 10dB. This will cause you to turn the volume up by 10dB to achieve the same SPL, which will in turn cause Dynamic EQ to be less agressive (because it is "tricked" into thinking you are at a volume closer to reference level).

this is an excellent suggestion that I have used/suggested many times in the past. You can't adjust the SW volume, but you can trim UP the FR/FL for 2CH modes which will change the relative balance of the sub with 2ch music.