The official "Theta" thread - Page 165

Originally Posted by stevekale 

OK I gave it a go via a borrowed laptop running Windows 7 Pro. I am having the same problem as SierraAlphaHotel. I tried every single COM available. Do I really have to buy a cable to upgrade this thing? It should be able to upgrade off a USB flash card!

(I only have 2x Xtreme DACs. No other DACs. I do have the older digital out card but I do not use it.)

Originally Posted by k_lewis 

Yup you need a good USB<>RS232 converter with a chipset / device driver that works with Win7. Just the way it is, the issue is with Win7. If you had an XP laptop you'd be good to go. You'll also need a straight-through RS232 cable. one end goes to the USB<>RS232 converter, one end goes to the CBIIIHD.

After you get the cable and converter, use the same method I did to upgrade to 4.30.

Originally Posted by k_lewis 

If you had an XP laptop you'd be good to go.

Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky 

I have used a Keyspan USB to RS232 converter for years and with Windows 7 it works fine with the Theta CB3 HD (and its worked with my Lumagen video processors for many years with various itinerations of Windows).

Originally Posted by stevekale 

I also want to come back to this Matrix (with only sub and front L/R on) versus Stereo mode discussion. I've been doing some work with REW looking at the impulse responsive behaviour of my system and room. Some of the results have been surprising. For example, I get better results running the Andras full range rather than crossed over to my Rel Stentor II.

But as I burn in a set of new Cardas interconnect cable (thanks Craig!) with my main amp switched off I noticed something I think is odd with the Matrix setup. Even with the front L/R set to Full and the Centre and Rear channels turned off there is a signal being sent to the Sub. Quite what it is I don't know. I wonder if it is the LF that is peeled off the Centre and Rear L/R channels according to their cross-over settings even though they are set to Off?

Any ideas? All sounds fishy to me.

Originally Posted by sierraalphahotel 

Used the serial to USB converter and the software upgrade was smooth! Casablanca III HD now running v.430. Tried on a total of 3 difference machines to get the upgrade done through USB only, but could never get the Windows 7 OS to see the CBIII HD. Perhaps I have a bad USB cable but no matter!

While I have no high expectations, I am interested to see if anything in the upgrade has helped the CBIII HD play better with my Xbox 360. I only ever get 2 channel audio over HDMI or optical from the Xbox.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Sean

Originally Posted by ANRE 

The best would be if Theta / Oppo implemented Direc IP control. That's the way the world are going.

Originally Posted by k_lewis 

^^ and there you have it

It's all about using the right tool for the job, or in this case, the right OS.

Originally Posted by k_lewis 

On a completely separate note.. I have been running two Channel Islands Audio D200 monoblock amps for my L/R BGRadia 800's for the past few months. I got the amps cheap and couldn't pass em up, figured they would end up in my office system, they are so small and slick looking.. damn these things ROCK. Even at full retail price, they really represent an excellent value.

Originally Posted by stevekale 

Windows XP? I had almost forgotten what that is. End of life in just over a year. One of the worst OS ever. (Not that Windows 7 or 8 are much better.) Anyone tried using Windows 8 - it may be easier to find than a cable or XP?

EDIT: your mention of a RS232 straight-through cable jogged my memory. I used one of these to ISF calibrate my plasma TVs and low and behold it has an RS232 to USB converter on it. Unfortunately the cable is female to female but a quick modification to the converter itself with a hacksaw to remove female connecting screw nuts (duplicated on the Theta) and I was in business. Now running v4.30.

Thanks!

Now, am I right that this firmware only affects situations where the input is HDMI? At the moment I am running my modified Oppo for CD use via coax.

Originally Posted by Bulldogger 

While I like all of the Iphone and smart phone dedicated apps, I do not think I will be using them for control. With RS232, I can still program one button to turn all electronics on or off or program a macro. With the apps, I have to switch from one app to the next for control. I use Irule and have a master power on and master power off button. I am sure you can do the same with IP control but I do not yet know how to do IP commands. If Theta had Ip control and an app, I still would not use it for those reasons. Theta's RS232 feedback is the most extensive I have seen.

Originally Posted by ANRE 

BD. If you have been able to build your own interface to control the Compli Blu 3D by using iRule, that is just fantastic news. But that is not what you are saying, or ? I suspected that the RS232 feedback is not complete, looking at Roomie compatibility list where Oppo is listed. But maybe Theta has updated Oppo's RS232. I have not compared the documentation between Theta and Oppo yet. Only confirmed that Compli & Compli 3D share the same RS232 parameters.
Are you really able to use all the Compli Blu 3D's menus direct on an iPad by using RS232 and the iRule Builder ? And bypass the need of using HMDI interface ?
And how advanced is your interface with the CB3HD ? All menus incorporated by a customized user interface ? If so you are close to replace the Crystal SW.

I assume you are using a TCP/IP to RS232 converter ?
It seems that iRule and Roomie are using the same hardware.

Maybe you can post pic's of your user interface on the iPad, if yoou have made a "Theta User interface" ?

I my self was more investigating to use the second HMDI as a transmitter of pics by using this device.
Of cause, if it works, you still has to use the remote, so it's not realistic option.

Originally Posted by edorr 

I am using iRule to control on Oppo (presumably same as Compli). This is very simple - you just map the Oppo commands (available in iRule database) to a standard template for a remote control of a universal player. However, this will not get you the on screen menus on your iPad. You just turn the iPad into a remote control allowing you to navigate the menus on the display.

Originally Posted by ANRE 

So it equals the Oppo app ?
No live feedback ?

Originally Posted by stevekale 

So what, under Matrix mode, is being sent to the sub when the settings for Xover are to run the fronts Full and the other speakers are Off? The DSP should not be peeling anything off the front channels when they're set to Full and all the others are Off. Makes no sense that something is being sent to Sub.

Originally Posted by Bulldogger 

Jriver is incredible and I like it but Windows is a hassle. They are porting to Mac OS right now. Some months back they asked whether there was interest in Mac and Linux. Those guys never cease to amaze me. It would not surprise me to see Linux at some future date. Bob Katz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Katz had some suggestions as to how to improve the sound when going from Jriver's 64 bit to 24 bit external dacs. Jriver accepted the suggestions for dither and implemented them, just like that! http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=76912.0 Now I if that's not audiophile approved , I do not know what is. Do you have any experience with Mac OS? Porting to Mac is going to be a big job for Jriver so I don't know when or if we might see a Linux version. Porting to Mac however will make a LInux version easier. I may send you some PM's to keep this thread from getting to off track to get some more details on what your thoughts on this are.

Originally Posted by k_lewis 

I would say call Theta and talk to John B, he can explain how it works to you if you need to know the nuts-n-bolts of it. If anyone here (not from Theta) tries to answer that question in detail they'll just be speculating. There is some basic info on this mode in the Theta manual, but I did not find it to be entirely accurate. I would also think that if you set L/R to 'Full' you would not get sub because technically there is no crossover to Matrix from, but again that is a John question. In my case, I like this feature because I run L/R at Full and use subs to correct for some room cancellation modes in the 30-50hz region. BTW if your sub1, sub2 etc are set to "off", you won't get any sub.

Originally Posted by stevekale 

It's just a shame an interface like JRiver isn't available for Linux, AP Linux or its various stripped-down forms.

Originally Posted by Bulldogger 

Jriver is incredible and I like it but Windows is a hassle. They are porting to Mac OS right now. Some months back they asked whether there was interest in Mac and Linux. Those guys never cease to amaze me. It would not surprise me to see Linux at some future date.

Originally Posted by stevekale 

Yeah I think I may send him a note. I presume that if you switch your front speakers to Full you too get a signal going to your sub... For now I've gone back to using Stereo.

It's also interesting to note that REW detects no difference between the Full and Full/LP settings (phase perfect, 40Hz, slope 12, +). (There is a very clear - and, in my case, bad - difference between Full and XOVER with the same crossover settings.)

Originally Posted by stevekale 

My main issue is just want to get normal stereo from 2 speakers and to understand what happens in Stereo versus Matrix mode. I've sent a note to John.

Originally Posted by stevekale 

Yes we covered some of this before but I don't think we ever got a full explanation and the appearance of LFE at the sub when everything was FULL range was a surprise for me. In short, k_lewis (Ken?) is right to recommend Matrix over Stereo (as counter-intuitive as it may be) but I will post a fuller explanation after my last couple of questions have been answered by John.

Originally Posted by stevekale 

Okay I don't have all the answers to my questions on this yet but here's an update. First, John has been awesome in responding. He replied within less than an hour to my original email and is even going so far as to help me with a challenge I am facing in my system's SPL response (speaker, sub placement, crossover settings)! Absolutely awesome and well beyond normal product support!

Here's an excerpt from my conversation with John (I trust he won't mind me posting it here):

"Stereo Mode was designed to route all channels of a multi channel recording to front left and front right speakers. Think circa early 90’s when the Casablanca was going into production and many audiophiles were just starting to play multi channel laser discs on their Stereo system. The Matrix Mode does not send the additional surround channels to the front left and front right channels, therefore with less digital processing on the front left and front right channels the Matrix Mode, will produce a cleaner sound."

What's not clear to me is (1) in Stereo Mode, processing 2 channel input, just what is there to send to the front L/R and complicate the processing of those two channels, and (2) why, in Matrix Mode, when the crossovers for front L/R are set to FULL there is a signal being sent to the sub and that is in no way subtractive from what is sent to the front L/R - I think it must be. For now I will follow instructions and not use Stereo Mode although I really think this stuff needs a good scrubbing by Theta; things have moved on from the early '90s. Re (2), this is where I have asked John a few more questions. Recall that Matrix Mode was designed to play 2-channel sources on multichannel systems. I suspect that, as k_lewis suggests, that if you don't want the DSP to peel off anything or to augment anything in a two-channel source you have to tell the DSP that you only have front L/R speakers, i.e. turn all others OFF and set number of subs to 0.

(Note that with Stereo Mode and speakers set to FULL, nothing is sent to the sub.)