SDI dvd players - Page 3  

Ooops, I forgot that part! I've actually recommended the Digital Connections site for the PMS SDI board and their modable players list to several people in the past.

The arcam mod is a bt601 type mod I believe

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Not sure if anybody would be interested, but we have an SDI board with a CPLD that can be used for both bt656 or bt601 (it does the EAV/SAV insert for bt601), and reclocks, etc. If some brave soul wants to contact me about taking this design and running with it as a side-business I'd be happy to discuss an arrangement.

We're out of the SDI mod business but still have a good/flexible board should someone want to make use of it. I'm not keen on selling it as self-install kits though.

This is all pretty interesting, but from a practical I-want-a-good-SDI-player-today-that-is-not-alot-of-money kind of approach, it seems that Panasonic rp82's and 91's are pretty good, as are Denon 2200's and 2900's - Right?
So for me, I still like the 2900 - It is a fairly high quality machine to begin with, is modifiable, does not appear to have the CUE problem, has an RS232 control port (nice touch for my AMX control system), seems to have very good audio output, and is a universal player. I also have located a source for B stock on both 2200's and 2900's, which will save some $ (no point in buying A stock when an SDI mod is going to void the warranty anyway). The only unresolved question I have at this point is around the quality of the 2900's MPEG decoder -- does anyone know if it is poor, mediocre, or pretty good? I just hope to find a couple of corroborating opinions as I'm trying to get the planets to align here with all the right player features checked off -- thanks!

Any word on SDI modding new SONY players?

schlitzie

DVD2900 information:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...#DenonDVD-2900

hanks Joe, I have seen that before. In fact, it was that report that originally led me to the 2900 due to its high score. I got hammered with analysis paralysis when Kris Deering, who authored that article, wrote in another thread "The drawbacks of the 2900 stem from its MPEG decoder, which is still in the chain if you go SDI out unfortunately". I guess he is referring to the test or two it failed, but I have not been able to get clarification. I can't really tell if those are fatal flaws or just minor annoyances. So, at this point I think I'm just going to say the hell with it and mod the 2900 in preparation for the soon-to-arrive lumagen scaler. If anyone has any suggestions before I send it out next week, please speak up (stop me before I mod!)

Schlitzie,
Ive just gone through the same eval you are doing currently. I have recently purchased the 2900 and have fitted the SDI output board. Currently it is off to Exemplar audio for the tube output stage and some other mds to be fitted to improve the audio capabilities. I didnt have the chance to put it up against my current rp82 SDI player but from what I understand, and please somebody chip in if this is wrong, the holo3dgraph card I am using to scale the SDI feed will mask the problem areas with the MPEG decoder. I think the same is true of other scalers too but I cant give specifics as I dont own the other products. Maybe someone knows about the lumagen specifically can comment. Once the unit is back I'll do some captures of RP82 SDI vs 2900 SDI and post them for other interested parties info. I'm hoping the MPEG issues will be less than noticeable and allow me to remove the rp82 from my system.

and am very interested in your findings, Vikingboy!
keep us posted, please.
Thanks

schlitzie

I don't think there's anything wrong with saying "to hell with it" and modding the DVD2900. The ICP issue will be masked by the Lumagen and the Chroma 3-2 Alt problem will possibly be corrected/lessened to some extent by the Lumagen as well.

Unless you are very sensitive to this specific decoder error, I think that the benefits of an SDI mod for this DVD player used with the Lumagen far outweigh any drawbacks.

I modded three players utilizing the PMS kit,
- Pana RA82 (European version of Pana RP82)
-Denon 2900
-Denon A11 (European version of the 5900).
Sold the first two and kept the latter.
Video quality :Pana and 2900 +- the same.
A11 a step up and on top beautiful Audio.
Mauro

Mauro,

I'm very close to getting a 5900 and modding it. Do you have any detailed diagrams/pictures/instructions of the pin assignments or how you did it? Sharing any info you have would be a huge help.

John

Hi John,
I don't have pics but the mod is quite straight forward.
Looking from rear to front:
Video board with 2 DAC ADV7310.
You'll see a ribbon cable with 33 pins :
D0 = second pin from right
D1 = third
and so on up to D9 (remember to connect all 10 from D0 to D9)

Clock: pin 32(CLKIN-A) of the DAC on the left side of the board
(always looking from the rear)

Power (+5V and ground) on the connector on the right side near to rear.

Remember to twist carefully CLK and Ground
and +5V and ground !!!

The mod is rock steady.

Mauro

Well I got the PMS guy to agree to look into the issue, then I contacted KD to see if they would loan him a HDL to work on the problem with, and that was an even far worse encounter. Those guys wouldn't know customer relations if it fell out of the sky and hit them in the head. Nothing but pissy, petulant responses and finger pointing and seemingly a desire to do whatever is necessary to not figure the problem out. I was told to get a non-SDI player. I tried to explain to them that this was bad customer relations and that we don't care whose problem it is, and that their refusal to even try to work it out was costing them, not to mention their confrontational style of dealing with customers, but I don't think it even sunk in a bit. They can't seem to understand that if you have a choice between similar product A and B, and that company A is always nice to you and company B acts like a child, the choice isn't too hard to make.

Anyway, I did what I could to set the stage for them, and gave the PMS guy the correct e-mails to try to get them to loan an HDL for testing. I'm kind of doubting, with that kind of attitude, that they will do it.

Dean,

KD doesn't seem to be that enthusiastic in finding solutions for the problems (and there are some).

Regarding SDI this is what I can add :

I have two SDI players : a RA82 with PMS board and my Denon DVD5000 that was modded by Spatz in Germany. I don't know the manufacturer of the mod.

The RA82 won't work with the HDL, but the DVD5000 does work. I also have a Miranda processor that has SDI input and output. It accepts both players happily and it's output is accepted by the HDL as well.

Both players work with the SDI Silk 100 card, the Holo3D1 and Holo3D2 card. That is pretty much all I have tested so far and the only device with a problem is the HD Leeza.

We have never before heard of of any SDI problems with any processor in the past until HDL came and dropped the ball. If they now point at others, I can only 2nd your opinion and say that this is childish.

Regards,
Andreas

I guess I won't be looking at HDHanna as one of the options. Lumagen, here I come.

Mine works great with the Immersive mod. SDI in, 1280x768 native out to plasma 5002 card. What exactly doesn't work?

I understand the attitude thing. I think the HDL was a hard roll out. As an early tester I did NOT like the HDL. Partially because 5002 is non-HDCP, which isn't KD's fault. I now REALLY like it. Time (and improved firmware) fixes a lot of things.

Well I re-read, I have an RP82 & not an RA, that may be the difference, but still interested in what doesn't work.

The PMS SDI kit, which is a reasonably priced kit that you can do yourself, and others have. It doesn't seem to get along with the HDL.

I have nothing against the product, but a product comes with a company that stands behind it. Looks at DVDO's superlative and polite support on AVS as a point of comparison.

"various reasons" = what's that mean?

Have you got yours done yet? To be honest I'm waiting for the SDI mod for iScan HD to be available first.

StooMonster

Stuart,

i think Adam means because it's rare and relatively expensive unlike Panasonics, denon etc. Also just as UK likes our TAG/Arcam/Meridian/Linn the US guys favour US manufacturers. Nothing wrong with it just how these things are. At least we all agree that Scotland has the best Haggis....

Gordon

Does anybody know of a successful modification of a PC based MPEG decoder card? (A card such as http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/netstream2000.htm) is what I have in mind.

Using a card like this would enable one to use an HTPC as a "dual head" display, the SDI (or for that matter, the VGA output) of the card being one device (the DVD player), the 'normal' display card being another device (the HTPC).

I'd love to be able to put the DVD output of my HTPC as a non-processed digital signal to a Lumagen or DVDO scaler (I would have said Key Digital, but after Dean's experiences to date, I'll pass).

ditto to that. Additionally of course in the UK we have the great benefit that our modder is talking to the manufacturer.... a US modder cant do this

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So have you got yours done yet Buns?

And I will admit that with the current £:$ of nearly two US Dollars to one Pound Sterling some $1000 for an SDI mod is not cheap. :)

StooMonster

I am waiting on mine..... it is def being done, we are just waiting on boards and my reaching the head of the queue...... 2 weeks ago I said it would be 2 weeks, unfortunately im going to have to say the same again I think. No big deal because of course I havent got a processor anyhow

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I noticed Theta is offering SDI mods to their players. The Compli is a universal player with an SDI option. The Carmen II also has the SDI option. The dealer quoted $1,000 for the SDI option. Of course, you have to pay to play, when it comes to Theta.

I wonder if the extra factor of 10 is worth it for a Theta product?

You could buy a player and put in a PMS mod for that, and since we are talking digital video and audio outputs here, the price couldn't remotely be worth it. Nothing that they are going to do is going to make an appreciable difference in either of them. If it's a SACD/DVD-A player as well, then perhaps they use more upscale D/A converters, but other than that, it just wouldn't be worth it if you are going all digital out.

It's a great player and extremely easy and straightforward to add an SDI mod to. I bought the PMS kit and it works without a hitch.

Unless you have a HDL, unfortunately.