Official Pioneer 4360/5060/Elite Experiences, Set-up, Questions & Pictures Thread!!! - Page 186

Anyone have experience relocating the media extender box in another room? About to mount the 5060 above the fireplace and need to find the cheapest extension cables for the media extender box. I've read its a MDR20 and DVI cable is this true? I already have an extension cable for the power, I just need to find the cables for the media box. Please help! If you have done it, notice any degradation in quality?

Hey Seak-er
I also mounted mine above the FP. No mantel.
The bottom edge is sitting about 41" above the floor.
As far as the extended length umbilical to the Media Box, I bought the longest one I could find at the time, I think it's 20', can't really remember, it's been quite a while...
It runs up thru the ceiling and back down to a rack.
You won't see any quality impact from that run.

Thanks Randu, do you know where you got the cable? Or roughly how much it was? What can I buy the two cables seperate? DVI and mdr20? Sorry for the swarm of Q's I would like to get a cable ordered asap so I can get this project rocking.

I don't remember where I bought it. Maybe direct from Pioneer.
I think the longest one that I saw was 10 meter.

There were a couple of aftermarket mfgrs that were making them, maybe they could help you put something together. One was www.keydigital.com

I would test the DVI and mdr20 connections that you are referring to before investing in any length though.

Good luck

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sharp-DVI-Pionee...item2a0c656d34

Here's one on ebay

Thanks Randu, what did you use to extend the signal, suggestions on remotes? My box is going to be in the room upstairs above the room where tv will be hung. I ended up just buying a 25 foot DVI cable and a 25 foot MDR20 cable.

The Plan is to have my Media extender,XBOX , and eventually HTPC in the room directly above the plasma, so probably 13 feet straight up through sub flooring.

I guess I shouldn't be throwing money into old technology...

I don't know much about remotes. I mean, I have a Logitech H1 but nothing weird like trying to go through walls.

BUT guys on the H1 forum are always talking about RF Extenders and IR Blasters and such. I think you'd need an RF remote to send the signals upstairs, and an IR blaster that converts the RF to IR for your devices.

Or (easier) you'd need an IR repeater that runs a wire upstairs and 'repeats' the signal the the upstairs equipment.

If it were me, I'd read a little bit on the Remote Control Sub Forum. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=93

speaking of old technology, I've been using an X-10 Powermid for many years and it works perfectly
http://www.amazon.com/X10-POWERMID-C.../dp/B00023KG40

I recommended it to a friend and he uses one too.

Have not used it with my Pio 5060 but it should do the trick.

btw-- "old" tech or not, I still love my Pio. HDTV is only 720p anyway, and the upscaled standard def movies played on my Oppo look really nice. Many films have a "soft focus" look anyway. Yes--some movies like Avatar would look great in 1080p but is it worth junking a set I paid 5 grand for? Nah!

And congrats on the smart move buying those 2 inexpensive cables! The "proprietary" one from Pio is outrageous! Let us know how it works out.

Thanks I'll check out that sub forum and post if I have further Qs.

Hey all - my PRO1130HD has been in storage now since last spring (2009) because of a move and I'm starting to think I may not be able to use it anytime soon. It was only used for 2.5 years, is ISF calibrated (not ccc), and is currently packed in its original crate, with all components.

If anyone's interested in it, it's in Greenville, SC, and I would be willing to work out a fair deal.

Just got the mdr20 cable and it isn't working. When it's unplugged the blue/red lights flash back and forth showing system cable is unplugged. When I plug it in they both shut off but the Rec Timer light comes on and and I can't do anything. Anyone??????

bummer. But are you sure it's the cable? FIRST: hook up the original cable again and see if that fixes the problem. You may have mistakenly turned on the "TV Guide On Screen System" (I've never used this) and set it to record a program, and that's why nothing else is working. Check the manual under the TV Guide section. Let's hope it's something as simple as hitting the wrong button! Here is the manual
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...structions.pdf

If the TV works with the original cable, I guess the new one is the culprit. Too bad the one on ebay got away. I read this on another forum:

The "control" cable is a DFP (digital flat panel) 20 pin, male to male cable. It is an early type flat panel cable that is being phased out in the PC monitor industry. As far as I can tell, it is used for the control portion of the Pioneer TV/Media Receiver. The "Video" cable is a "DVI-D Dual Link" digital visual interface cable, male to male. This cable, and the type of signal that it carries, is not designed for lengths over 10', according to everything I've researched. It is my understanding that this cable carries the "Video" portion of the Pioneer Plasma/Media Receiver.

So it "could" be the length, although Pio sold a 10 meter one, so that's unlikely. Maybe Sharp (who made the "media receivers" for Pioneer as I understand it) used some kind of proprietary wiring with the standard MDR20 connectors. This page shows the pinouts for the MDR20. Maybe you should check the continuity of each pin on the original cable, then on your MDR20
http://pinouts.ru/connector/20_pin_M...onnector.shtml

If you google Gefen MDR20 Pioneer you'll see this description on many web pages:
Gefen MDR-20 cables are used to extend AV control boxes away from the display. Typically used in conjunction with a DVI cable, these cables allow High resolution digital video up to 50 feet away. This is the standard cable used with Sharp and Pioneer plasma and LCD sets.

I wonder if there is something special about the Gefen cables. Very weird. Here's their catalog, showing the MDR20 and describing use with Sharp & Pio, up to 50'
http://www.gefen.com/pdf/catalogs/catalog.pdf

AND... Getting back to the remotes. Why do you need to "extend the signal"? After recommending the X-10 Powermid, it got me thinking. It doesn't matter where the media receiver box is. You aim the remote at the TV panel, not the box.
Kent

I don't know much about the theory of cable design, but I do know that Pioneer sold the 30' one (10m). I know this because I asked in this thread (probably 4 years ago) and found the cost to be ridiculously high.

I needed to relocate my media center because I put the panel above my fireplace. And there is a door on either side of the fireplace. I just put a shelf above one door for <$10.

Thanks for doing that research. It was definitely the cable, I hook up the original, instant picture, plug in the new one and the monitor on the tv would immediately shut off and receive no signals.

I shot an email to gefen on the off chance that they have a few left in stock but not shown on the site. I've found multiple places that carry the cable the best term to search for is Pioneer media receiver cable. Unfortunately, none of the places carry they anymore and haven't updated their websites. I definitely should have ordered that other cable on ebay as backup, I bid on it the same price I paid for the mdr20 (that didn't work) and then forgot about it since mine was on the way. One good thing is the company that i bought the mdr20 and the adapter from is letting me return it for a refund.

As far as the remote signal thing goes, In case i went back to cable one day I would need to be able to put the cable box in that room and access from down there. Or dvd player or anything else. Thanks for all your info, im still hunting for a mdr20 cable

WOuld be nice the prob is one side is a 8 foot high door that leads to outside and the other side is a super thin wall. Only other option would be to run the cables down the side of the fireplace mantle and buy a mini av rack that would sit next to the fireplace.

Just an update , if anyone is looking for the pioneer media receiver cable (some call it the pioneer plasma system cable)for way cheaper than what pioneer sells it for just PM me. After extensive searching I found a guy that has them but he doesn't have a website. I'll shoot you his email and contact info.

Just got done hooking up a 10 meter run from downstairs to upstairs and works like a charm. Now on to installing OTA antenna and cutting ties with the cable Co.

Topic: Media Receiver PRO-RO6U

Hello everyone. I know this thread is old and lots of us upgraded to Kuro plasmas (including my Pro111), however, here is my question:

I have moved my Pro930 into the bedroom and it is great. I hope to keep this plasma for a long time. As everyone knows this model has the media box. What are the chances of the media box breaking down, what parts could fail, and how much would it cost to fix it? I ask because I have heard reports that owners of the Pro930/1130 media box have had break downs, failure issues with it.

Thanks

Our 1130 is over 6 years old with no problems with the MR (or anything else). As with any significant technology, there is always a chance of a breakdown. But if it's going to "break", most of this kind of stuff will do so early in life. If you keep it well-ventilated (heat is the major contributor to electronics failure), free of dust, and don't physically abuse it, I'd expect you to get lots more life from it. Having said that, if it does break, it probably won't be cheap to fix.

Hey guys,

I know this is an ancient thread. I have a question about my 1130HD.

My ancient pre-HDMI Pre-Pro just died and I am replacing it with a new Pre-Pro which has HDMI 1.4. I understand the HDMI 1.4 spec has an audio return channel. So any audio from the source (in this case the 1130) will return upstream back to the Pre-Pro to process. Since I'll use the HDMI for the first time to the 1130HD from a Pre-Pro, does anyone know if the audio coming from the TV tuner on this TV has the ability to pass audio back via HDMI?

I haven't gotten the new Pre-Pro yet, so I won't know till then, just thought I'd check if you guys know. And currently I only use the HDMI connection from a blu ray player to the 1130HD.

Also, thought I'd check, the only problem I am having with the 1130HD is that OTA broadcast are not automatically setting the aspect ratio anymore. I had it set to auto, but a year ago, whenever I turn on the TV and tune to an HD channel, the TV auto selects 4:3. So I have to manually set it to full. And when I change the channel, I have to reset to full with the remote. I tried everything. I set the aspect ratio settings to auto, to fixed and so on.

The only thing I can guess is the broadcast stations have changed some signal it's broadcasting and the 1130 can't recognize it to set the aspect ratio. Or the tuner is broken. Or I accidentally turned off a setting. Thanks!

Pioner PDP-5060 Monitor wont turn on. Receiver has steady blue or red light depending on if i turn the unit on at the receiver, but monitor wont turn on. Blink sequence is three red. Can someone please help? Or is it time to pony up some coin for a new set?

Near as I can tell from Google is that 3 red blinks means one of your boards is bad. Not sure whether that's on the receiver or not though . . .

My PRO 1130 has a media box that's gone bad. So to give you a sense of repair costs verses buying a new TV, my media box's HDMI inputs both died last November. I called a local authorized Pioneer repair shop that has a boatload of all the parts needed. They told me over the phone the repair for the HDMI is to replace the main board and that cost of the board is a tad over $500. Not including labor costs too, so about $750.00.

Is it worth it? For me, the PRO-1130 still produces a great image. So I'll likely have it done as my set also has an issue with the aspect ratio defaulting to 4:3 every time I change the channel. Plus another odd quandary of shimmering images at times.

In this age of 3D and more energy efficient tech, I'd cut my losses and get something newer. I did a similar thing as you are planning and spent the cost of a modern gas dryer with steam to fix my older 6 yr old dryer. You just don't know if there will be more issues in the VERY near future.

I did get a new VT30 65". So I did go new, bigger and 3D! still breaking it in, it's got about 165 hours on it and needs some calibration to look as good as the Pioneer does.

The Pioneer is still producing a great looking picture. But I agree, to spend money to repair the HDMI inputs may be a waste as something else could go wrong. It's being used in another room now. And repairing it is still an option in the future.

Nelsun, how does the VT30 stack up to the 1130, PQ wise?
I had a similar problem a few years with my 5060 50" and ended up buying an 1130 media box on eBay for ~$400. I'm considering upgrading to a new 60" Panny (ST or GT50 set) but am not sure it will be a jump up enough to justify replacing my 5060. Are you impressed with the PQ over your old Pio or it the difference just, 'meh'? Thanks for any help.

Raia, I have no regrets getting the VT30. It has over 200 hours and the PQ is on par in terms of color and sharpness after I used DNice's settings. I chose not to use the slides to break it in. I had to be patient the first 150 hours or so and used very low contrast and brightness settings while it was breaking in, so it was a nice reward to use the settings that brought out the TV's capability.

But the biggest improvement is you are going from 720 to 1080. So watching blu-rays, especially well mastered ones, look fantastic. I was very impressed with Aliens. There are close-ups of Sigourney Weaver's face that reveals lines and skin detail. The smoke from her cigarette really struck me as looking so film like. I saw this on the 1130 before and it certainly looked good there, but there is an improvement. It may be a small improvement, but i noticed there are blotches on the 1130 now that isn't there on the VT30 because of the increase in resolution.

The size change also contributes a lot. Because of the increase in resolution, going to 65 inches adds to the impressive image quality.

Watching the original Star Trek TV series on blu ray also is impressive. Again, skin detail, fabrics in the costumes, and the materials reveal themselves more on the sets. I watched Ghost Protocol this past weekend and I never saw that theatrically. To me, it looked great and the scenes where Tom Cruise is hanging off the side of the building was impressive because the added size of the screen adds to the immersive experience.

I don't have a 3D capable player yet, so I can't comment on that.

I watch broadcast material over the air and I only watch network TV and local TV. No cable. So high definition is limited to 720 and 1080 as per the station's output. As others have noted, sometimes skin tones tend to look a little orange. But I don't stress over that because I know it's not the TV's fault, it's the stuff it's being fed. I put a more critical eye to how a high def source like a blu ray will be look.

No doubt the next iteration, the VT50, if I have the number right should be as good, if not better. If you need a TV now, the VT30 will certainly satisfy!

How many 4360's still running? Mine is and considering it spent the first year of it's life as a display model at Visions, I'm very pleased!! How much longer can I expect it to run (it;s on about 10 hours/day)

Mine is still our most used TV in the house. I've noticed the media box has gotten a little louder, but otherwise it's still fine. It's nearing end of life as the main TV though. I'll be replacing it with something bigger and newer in a month or two, but I'll still be using it in a secondary room if it's still kicking. I should go into the service menu and see how many hours it has on it.