Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 391

This is not a bad idea, but I suspect it could be made simpler than complete control via the editor, as the issue is usually only with simpler devices such as set top boxes. So you could have a per HDMI input setting in the Setup menu that allows either BASIC 60Hz, BASIC 50Hz, or ADVANCED with the advice to use one of the basic settings if your source device uses only 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i at /60 or 576i, 576p, 720p or 1080i at /50 and is having trouble making the connection happen reliably.

However I doubt it would speed up the connection times, as those are more a factor of the built-in delays in the handshake spec and the need to do retries if the timing is off regarding when a delay begins/ends, or if the source has miss-implemented its delays.

The problem with doing this control is that the EDID stuff is probably kept at a fairly low level in the hardware (in the HDMI controller chip set) so it may not be easy to modify without reflashing that programmable device.

And of course it wouldn't help with source devices that just have issues with the whole concept of an AVR between the source and display.

And the other problem is that a new source handshake requires a new display side handshake as well and the Anthem also has a more complex set of options to deal with on the display side than most AVRs.
--Bob

Lots of information here to digest (I've been reading this thread for the last 6 or so months). I realize some of this has been covered, but I only want verification of my understanding as stated below in (1).

I'm working with my CI on my home theater proposal. I originally wanted to go with the D2, but after adding all the numbers up, it's going over my pain threshold.

(1) My room is pretty dead and requires minimal room treatment. My understanding is that one of the largest differences between the AVM50 and D2 is the extra processor for ARC in the D2, which it appears I won't need. What else would I give up if I downgrade to the AVM50? I know there was a comparison chart of features on the Anthem site at one time, but now I can't find it.

(2) To further shave a few dollars, we are looking at the NAD M25 7 channel amp instead of the Anthem A5/A2. This amp would be driving Klipsch THX Ultra II speakers. Does anyone see any issues with the amp or speaker choice, paired with the AVM50?

Sorry if I'm dredging up the past or if this belongs in another thread. Thanks in advance.

The AVM-50 has an identical video solution to the D2.

The D2 has a more "exotic" audio solution, including internal upsampling of audio to 192KHz before processing (and 192KHz DACs in the analog output stage), and including spare DSP processing power which is used for the ARC (room EQ) system. The D2 also has a better power supply.

The audio solution in the D2 is the same as the D1 (plus HDMI audio input). The audio solution in the AVM-50 is the same as the AVM-30 (again, plus HDMI audio input).

In addition, there are a scant few feature differences between the AVM-50 and the D2. Here's the comparison chart detailing them:

http://www.anthemAV.com/NewSitev2.0/...CompChart.html

I'm sorry but I have nothing to offer on your amp/speakers question.
--Bob

Bob's just being polite...we all know Klipsch sucks!

Just kidding. The truth is that when it comes to speakers, it is a VERY personal matter. My brother in law has a pretty nice HT with 110" screen etc. He recently bought new equipment, including receiver and speakers. He went with Klipsch speakers despite my personal opinion telling him I thought they were on the bright side...but I gave the same caveat I am here: it is a personal choice. He absolutely loves his Klipsch speakers, and has no regrets whatsoever.

The best advice is to demo as many speakers as you can.

Re the NAD amp, I am one of those people who don't think that the amp makes a huge difference in sound quality. NAD is a pretty good company. I would probably do a search or start a new thread asking about this amp, and whether people consider it bright, neutral, or warm. I would think that you do not want a bright amp combined with your Klipsch speakers.

My 2 cents.

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!

Yeah everything you are saying jives with what I have seen. I think I have the same version of the forceware (except running on XP ATM). I haven't tries that menu to reduce the image to remove the overscan through the D2, but since I plan on using the PC connected directly via HDMI 1 it's not a big issues.

I am of course a curious little critter and will play around with it eventually. Maybe when I try connecting my laptop I will get into the settings in more detail.

As for the Harmony I have it working quite well after some very strange issues with the D2 inputs. After trying every troubleshooting option available through the software (even updated to latest 7.4 SW and Firmware just to be sure) I simply could not get the remote to work the input selections of the D2. What was even stranger was that a couple worked while most did not hahaa.

Eventually I simply recreated the device and like magic this new on worked fine right of the bat. I then had to redo all my activities and swap in the new D2 Device, but at least it works now.

The only remaining items to complete the full integration is to create and integrate the macros (or try out the listed TV2-4 etc the new software shows to complete that setup. The only other issue is that for some reason when I select the Sirius SAT Radio activity it does not leave the Sirius SAT Radio device as the active remote device

I.E.: It correctly activates it and does all the switching (even puts the Cable box and TV on like Bob has set up as it often will watch sports like hockey with music in the background etc), but when everything is done there is no active device being controlled by the remote let alone the correct SAT radio one. I am sure this is a quick tweak through the activity setup which I will try in a bit. Note: Selecting the Serius SAT Radio device at this point works fine and I can fully control it. It's just not left as the controlling device at the end of the activity cycle for some reason.

Where do I go to setup the Macros / assign a macro to a button/activity? I looked around in the software a bit and while I am sure its painfully obvious, I must have missed it. Trying to "Learn" the macro simply assigns the first button pressed as you would expect. I now have several custom commands that all turn THX ON or OFF hahaa. I kill me. Life is an adventure, you can either enjoy it, or have it enjoy you ;-)

Cheers,

Richard

Thanks for the link Bob - that's what I was looking for. Since I'm not using this for music at all (BD, HD, and cable tv/movie watching), I'm probably headed the AVM50 route. However, my dealer is a nice guy and has said I can upgrade within a "reasonable" time (to be defined in paperwork) to the D2 if I feel like the AVM50 is not up to the task (i.e., he'll give me full credit on the 50).

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the amp really made a difference. I've been a receiver guy all my life, so first journey into separates. Dealer has demo room setup with Ultra II's and the A2/A5--I liked this combo very much. He originally proposed very $$$ Martin Logans because he thought I would do critical music listening in the room as well. I'll be lucky to have time to watch a movie 2x a week. I'll see if he can connect the NAD in his demo so I can see if there's any difference. I'll do a search elsewhere on the amp as well.

Thanks again to both! I'll let you know when I've pulled the trigger so I can get my bouncies!!!

Sorry if this is something totally obvious, but I can't seem to figure it out... How do you have your TV display the setup menus? I have only been able to directly access them on the D2. And when I do, the external display goes black. Thanks!

I presume normal video sources are working OK through the D2 for you, correct?

You may have a hardware fault in the S-video circuit in your D2 that is used to display those Setup menus.

First, go to Setup / Displays & Timeout and make sure the settings in there match the defaults (see the menu picture in Section 3.12 of the manual).

If you still can't get the Setup menu to show, try changing Setup / Displays & Timeout / Main OS Color to something other than blue just in case your display is having trouble syncing with a blue background.

If that doesn't help, you should contact Anthem tech support. If you have an S-video source device that you can try as input into the Anthem, it will help them to know if video from that source gets through to your display OK through the Anthem since that would use the same S-video circuit in the D2. Watch the S-video source for, say, 20 minutes to see if it stays stable or if the D2 loses it and mutes the video output.
--Bob

I recently loaded v1.29 from 1.21b. Made sure no HDMI inputs/outputs were connected to supply an active data stream while upgrading. All went well until I was making some changes to the setup. After I saved it and went back to video, I tried to return to setup to get only a blank screen. I tried anything I could think of including loading factory defaults with no change. I contacted Nick, but after exchanging emails with answers to his questions, I had no final reply.
Being impatient, I decided to reload 1.29k. That fixed the setup menu problem. HOWEVER, I now go to a snow image upon each input change. The mute, appears not to be working. Come to think about it, the data I saved just before I lost the setup menu was changing the display to mute to gray as per the suggestion in the upgrade remarks.

I looking at others' comments and notes from Anthem, it appears that all D2's are not accepting upgrades in the same way, causing them to act up differently. I wonder if it would be wise to have the software flush the system prior to an upgrade or at least saving your setting with the Live view software and setting the unit to the installer and factory defaults before the upgrade.

netroamer,
I haven't seen the instructions that come with V1.29k, but recent instructions have, I believe, included the following:

* Save User Settings

* Reload Factory Defaults

* Do the firmware upgrade install

* Reload Factory Defaults again (insures the new factory defaults are in place)

* Restore User Settings
--Bob

Bob,

You're right about loading the factory defaults before the upgrade, I missed that. Loading them again after upgrade is not included, but not a bad idea.

Thanks,

John

Thanks Bob, but none of that seemed to work for me. I do see the Anthem logo when the D2 boots up, as well as the overlays when I change volume or something else. Video does work fine with all sources. It would appear that the D2 is on VIDEO MUTE because when I change that color in the setup, the screen responds to that.

Is there anything else I may be missing here?

One other question: If I am using the ARC-1, do I need to setup any of the stuff in the Speaker area, or will that all be done automatically?

Not that I can think of.

We've had about 6 reports in this thread of D2's and AVM-50's losing the functionality of the S-video circuit into the scaler, which is also used by the portion of the system that generates the On-screen Setup display. Typically this is accompanied by inability to get stable video from any S-video source device as well.

The character generator that produces the On-Screen volume and status displays is a different circuit from the one that produces the On-Screen Setup menu. And the circuit that produces the On-Screen Video Source Adjust menu (under the "7" key) is yet another circuit.

You should give Anthem tech support a call. It is likely your D2 needs factory service to fix this, but MAYBE they've come up with a software fix by now (we've had no reports of such here though).
--Bob

I don't have my ARC yet, but the reports here are that you *DO* have to do some of the audio setup stuff manually even if you are using ARC. Check the manual and look for text added under the picture of the menu for each of the Setup menus dealing with audio. For example, apparently you *DO* have to manually enter the Listener Position (speaker distance) information manually.

Whether or not you HAVE TO do such manual Setup steps, if I were doing this anew, I think I would do a full Setup without ARC and then run the ARC stuff. That makes it easier to turn ARC on and off for each source and hear the difference.
--Bob

I have 1.29k loaded too, and I am having the same problem. I have exchanged several e-mails with Anthem Tech Support without a direct answer to fix the problem. I just received another e-mail from them yesterday, and they want me to send my D2 back in. I'm really heistant to do that because I just got it in January, and I am not ready to part with it. I am trying to wait until 1.3 is available, with the ARC, and hope that will fix the problem.

ninja12,
Since your unit is so new, maybe you can talk them into swapping it for a replacement D2, or at least a loner.
--Bob

That's a good idea. I will send them another e-mail and see what they say. Thanks for the good idea. I will let you know what they say.

I loaded 1.29k today, for the third time, after Bob's comment about missing the resetting to factory default. So far, all is working properly.

For what it's worth, here is the sequence I used.

1.) Shut off the D2 using the rear power switch.

2.) Removed all HDMI inputs and output.

3.) Plugged-in the RS-232 connector.

4.) Powered up unit from rear.

5.) Used Live View to turn on unit, get current settings and save.

6.) Used remote to save current settings via setup menu.

7.) Restored Factory Defaults.

8.) Shut off unit via Front Panel.

9.) Cycled on/off rear power switch.

10.) Uploaded 129.k

11.) Turned on unit via Front Panel and after 30 sec. shut down.

12.) Turned on unit via Front Panel and loaded Factory Defaults, then loaded my saved settings.

13.) Opened Live View and loaded my saved settings and uploaded to D2.

14.) Turned of unit via Front Panel and shut down rear power.

15.) Removed Rs-232 connector and plugged-in HDMI Inputs and output.

16.) Turned on Rear Switch and powered up D2.

Maybe this will work for others.

Wow

Did you pack a lunch for that? Glad it worked, but that is quite the process. I am wondering how much it would cost to simply trade in my FW 1.2 model for a newer one with the latest FW already installed hahaa.

Cheers,

Richard

Ten minutes, but you have to be on a sugar high!

I reported the same problem several pages back. Let me know what the resolution is because I really DONT want to send in my unit unless I have to.
FREAK!

I'm having the OSD problem as well. It was working fine even with my custom resolution until I porked the config (my own fault) and had reset to factory defaults to revcover. Now that I've got my config back up and running the OSD is toast. Now for the really weird part, if I even look at the config for video 2-4 the D2 mutes HDMI video and asks for an HDCP compliant monitor (which of course I have). The only way to get video back is to go back to reset to factory again. Still no OSD.

My dealer said he had seen similar problems and they have been fixed by re-installing the software as noted above. I've not yet taken that step as my family's patience is wearing thin on this rainy weekend :-)

There may be a separate OSD issue, but the s-video "death" has been fixed by unit or video board replacement unless something has changed in the last couple weeks. It would be nice (for Anthem, too) if the s-video issue is software problems.

larry

I followed the steps above, and I still get the black screen.

What is the wait time on a new D2? I am thinking of just getting a new one with ARC vs waiting and having problems with installing the new sofware that some are experiencing.

FYI I am still on v1.2 that came with my D2 in August 2007. Should I upgrde the firmware?

Here is the list of items upgraded from 1.20 to 1.30. Judge for yourself.

CHANGE LIST

v1.30:

1. (Statement D2 only) Added room correction - enabling this feature requires ARC-1 microphone kit.

2. More HDMI, HDCP, and Macrovision related changes to make largest possible number of sources compatible.

3. Number of video-out configurations is increased to four.

4. The video muted background color can now be set independently of the setup menu background color. Recommended: Set video mute to gray to prevent blue screen when switching input and/or resolution changes from native-output cable box.

5. Fixed crackling problem exhibited in some units when multichannel PCM input was played.

6. 2-line display shows input resolution in upper line and volume in lower line.

7. Menus 6 and 7 show renamed source names beside factory source names.

8. Enabled HDMI audio-in when no HDMI display is connected.

9. Fixed Component2 passthrough mode.

10. Improvements to installer stability with various PC and hardware combinations.

Where do I get it? Statementdotanthemdotcom only shows v1.11
Freak!

send an email to anthem and ask them for the latest firmware 129k
it should nave been 4