AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 486

post #14551 of 40876
6/28/08 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

Try this:

Make a copy of your current ARC measurements file (so you don't risk screwing it up).

Run ARC in Advanced mode. Open the copy file (File menu). Go to the Targets window. Is your Room Gain now showing as 0?

In the Targets window, do an Auto Detect.

Is you Room Gain still 0?

The "Room Gain" is detected by the ARC application as a preliminary processing step after you take the Measurements and before you do the Calculation. It shows up in the Targets window after you complete the Measurements. An Auto Detect causes the ARC application to re-evaluate the currently opened Measurements file and reset the Targets (to the values ARC thinks are best) according to what it sees in there. I.e., you can use Auto Detect to undo any manual Targets changes you might have made.

A Room Gain of 0 strikes me as very unusual. I don't think we've seen any other reports of it here. You may want to email your ARC measurements file to Anthem tech support and ask them to take a look at it.
--Bob

Bob,

This is the same thing with me, a room gain of 0.000 most of the time. It went up to .17 and maxed out at .34 with some other measurement cycle.If I don't force a room gain of 3 or 4 dB, the Bass sounds thin but still tight. I will also send my ARC results to Anthem for further analysis.
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #14552 of 40876
6/28/08 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by abc999 View Post

Bob,

This is the same thing with me, a room gain of 0.000 most of the time. It went up to .17 and maxed out at .34 with some other measurement cycle.If I don't force a room gain of 3 or 4 dB, the Bass sounds thin but still tight. I will also send my ARC results to Anthem for further analysis.

Is there any chance you folks with low or 0 "room gain" aren't following the instructions for mic positioning during your ARC measurements?

The mic positions must be separated from each other by at least 24 inches. The #1 position must be dead center and subsequent positions must alternate either side of center.

If you put the mic positions too close together, ARC will have trouble distinguishing room response from the inherent performance of your speakers and thus, I would presume, would have trouble detecting the correct "room gain".

ETA: NOTE that this means no pair of mic positions can be closer together than 24" even if they aren't measured one right after the other. I.e., like this:

mic #4 <---24"---> mic #2 <---24"---> mic #1 <---24"---> mic #3 <---24"---> mic #5
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14553 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:06pm
By the way, I've now switched to doing even my D2 firmware installs using my Apple MacBook / BootCamp / Windows XP / Keyspan USB-Serial Adapter setup. It's working fine! I may be able to retire my older Windows 2000 laptop with the real serial port.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14554 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

Is there any chance you folks with low or 0 "room gain" aren't following the instructions for mic positioning during your ARC measurements?

The mic positions must be separated from each other by at least 24 inches. The #1 position must be dead center and subsequent positions must alternate either side of center.

If you put the mic positions too close together, ARC will have trouble distinguishing room response from the inherent performance of your speakers and thus, I would presume, would have trouble detecting the correct "room gain".

ETA: NOTE that this means no pair of mic positions can be closer together than 24" even if they aren't measured one right after the other. I.e., like this:

mic #4 <---24"---> mic #2 <---24"---> mic #1 <---24"---> mic #3 <---24"---> mic #5
--Bob

Well, in my situation I have 2 rows of theatre seats. The 2nd row is elevated by around 8 inches relative to the front seats. Yes, mic measurements are done no closer than 24 inches and alternate from each side in relation to mic position 1. With respect to position 4 and 5, they are measured from the rear seats,40 inches away from the front seats and separated 36 inches(mic4 and 5)

Alvin
Reply
Reply
post #14555 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ASW View Post

I understand that AVM50 owners may be able to Add ARC which would involve adding a dual DSP card (not a full D2 upgrade). Expect cost to be about 2x D23 ARC upgrade.


I'm not familiar with the price of the D2 ARC upgrade. What would that be? Given I live 5 minutes from Anthem, guess this would be a no brainer.

John
Reply
Reply
post #14556 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

Is there any chance you folks with low or 0 "room gain" aren't following the instructions for mic positioning during your ARC measurements?

The mic positions must be separated from each other by at least 24 inches. The #1 position must be dead center and subsequent positions must alternate either side of center.

If you put the mic positions too close together, ARC will have trouble distinguishing room response from the inherent performance of your speakers and thus, I would presume, would have trouble detecting the correct "room gain".

ETA: NOTE that this means no pair of mic positions can be closer together than 24" even if they aren't measured one right after the other. I.e., like this:

mic #4 <---24"---> mic #2 <---24"---> mic #1 <---24"---> mic #3 <---24"---> mic #5
--Bob

I'm definitely over 24". My measurements are like 3 and a half feet apart.
Reply
Reply
post #14557 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post

I'm not familiar with the price of the D2 ARC upgrade. What would that be? Given I live 5 minutes from Anthem, guess this would be a no brainer.

John

The D2 ARC Upgrade kit is the individually calibrated mic, mic stand, USB mic cable, and ARC application software (including the license/mic-calibration files specific to your order). It has been shipping since April. You already have everything you need in your D2 once you install the D2 V1.33 firmware. NOTE: Newly purchased D2s include ARC in the price and packaged with the D2. No upgrade kit is necessary.

The D2 ARC Upgrade kit for owners of prior D2s is $399. Be aware that the kit you get will only work on the D2 whose serial # you submit as part of the ARC upgrade kit order, so be sure you give them the correct D2 serial #.

What people are talking about is that if Anthem now has ARC for the AVM-40 and AVM-50, then there is probably a hardware upgrade required for those which adds the second DSP processor required for the ARC stuff to run during normal listening. Stay tuned -- news expected on Monday.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14558 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja12 View Post

I'm definitely over 24". My measurements are like 3 and a half feet apart.

Well keep us informed what Anthem says. Should be an interesting conversation!
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14559 of 40876
6/28/08 at 5:59pm
Bob,

I have an AVM50 and for the past several months have ignored all ARC posts since I couldn't do it. If AVM 50 can get ARC, I now have to read all the posts, what a pain

John
Reply
Reply
post #14560 of 40876
6/28/08 at 6:03pm
Poor baby! (grin!)

Well this may all turn out to be a false rumor anyway. Even if Anthem has now found a way to make new AVM-40s and AVM-50s that support ARC, there may not actually be an upgrade kit offered for older unit owners.

Again, stay tuned....
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14561 of 40876
6/28/08 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

Poor baby! (grin!)

Well this may all turn out to be a false rumor anyway. Even if Anthem has now found a way to make new AVM-40s and AVM-50s that support ARC, there may not actually be an upgrade kit offered for older unit owners.

Again, stay tuned....
--Bob

I sure hope this upgrade is available for the AVM 30; if at all. I will be anxiously waiting for this news.

--Don
Reply
Reply
post #14562 of 40876
6/28/08 at 6:47pm
bob: RE:macbook/bootcamp, etc
my new mbp15" came in, i upgraded to the latest revisions, and proceeded to load XP home, SP2.
this is truly too long a story to relate in full, but, the install failed.(six times)
what rev levels are you operating at on the mac?[o/s and bootcamp]
[ as a bye the bye, my arc arrived at the dealer yesterday, i went in today to pay, and found that anthem sent the wrong serial #box! - a thanks to you for reminding us all to verify serial#'s b/4 installing] it is on its way back to sunny canada.
walt
Reply
Reply
post #14563 of 40876
6/28/08 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

The new D2 V1.32c test software (June 26 version) is not significantly better than the prior D2 V1.32c version. I.e., it is still broken.

I can't get LPCM audio out of my PS3 at all with it.

And the auto-detect in the PS3 still thinks HDMI 1080i is the best the Anthem can do -- although you can still set 1080p manually and it works.

I think this one needs more time in the oven.
--Bob

I tried it also hoping that it would allow me to use the HDMI connection on my SA4240 cable box. No luck, and also no audio through my HD-DVD player and PS3.
Reply
Reply
post #14564 of 40876
6/28/08 at 7:53pm
mr fitz

how did you go about adjusting your gamma up to the right number? did you lower your gamma curves in the d2, which increases the brightness right? is there a huge difference in the setting before and after, i mean is it worth the time and effort? I can do it and I have some time to, but if it really wouldnt matter that much...you know? I do notice thought that my picture seems like it has less detail in darker scenes and where there is darkness in a scene, would adjusting that up and then fixing the brightness and contrast improve those images? My guess is yes. I have a sony lcd flat panel 52" xbr2, if anyone out there with this set has a d2 and has played around with the tv's gamma correction let me know, I would like to correct it there if possible.
Reply
Reply
post #14565 of 40876
6/28/08 at 9:02pm
How much does the ARC kit cost in Canada? Haven't seen any published prices. Will probably order soon through the dealer, I just assume it's the same $399 but in Cdn dollars - plus the #%@^@@^ taxes!
Reply
Reply
post #14566 of 40876
6/29/08 at 1:32am
Hello,

Does anybody know if the beta of version 1.34 is available somehow?
I am sick of having to reboot my HTPC every time I wanna watch a movie.
The HDMI switching feature is supposed to be solved by then.
Or maybe does somebody have an alternate solution in the meantime?
Such as something I could run on the HTPC to make it reset the HDMI/DVI connections?

Thanks
Reply
Reply
post #14567 of 40876
6/29/08 at 4:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtrips View Post

Hello,

Does anybody know if the beta of version 1.34 is available somehow?
I am sick of having to reboot my HTPC every time I wanna watch a movie.
The HDMI switching feature is supposed to be solved by then.
Or maybe does somebody have an alternate solution in the meantime?
Such as something I could run on the HTPC to make it reset the HDMI/DVI connections?

Thanks

I was having the same problem as you, even bypassing the D2 and going directly to my tv I would sometimes have to reset the PC. Needless to say it was extremely annoying. My video cards came witha DVI to component adapter and that works perfectly. I now have it hooked up to the D2 via component w/no problems.
Reply
Reply
post #14568 of 40876
6/29/08 at 5:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bool View Post

I was having the same problem as you, even bypassing the D2 and going directly to my tv I would sometimes have to reset the PC. Needless to say it was extremely annoying. My video cards came witha DVI to component adapter and that works perfectly. I now have it hooked up to the D2 via component w/no problems.

Well, I never had/have this problem if connected directly to my projector. Only through the D2. I don't like the idea of converting to analog and back to digital again.
There must be a utility or something that resets the DVI *whatever* on an HTPC without having to reset the whole machine.
Reply
Reply
post #14569 of 40876
6/29/08 at 5:09am
Originally Posted by dschamis
For the first time I lost my OSD. Everything else seems to be working fine. I recently upgraded to 1.33, but I'm pretty sure that it had been working. Last night I did another ARC-1 set of measurements w/ 1.2.2. Could that cause me to lose the OSD?

Very weird.

Are there any solutions other than reloading 1.33?

I had to re-load v1.33

I had a similar problem. I installed v1.33 last week. The install went fine. I ran ARC two different days and uploaded each one and it went fine. I wasn't satisfied that I had good microphone placement so I decided to run ARC again with everything perfect. I ran ARC in advanced mode and carefully performed each step. After uploading, I lost my OSD. I uploaded the latest ARC results a second time and again no OSD. Panic was starting to set in so I re-installed v1.33. Everything worked fine. Well, re-loading v1.33 worked for me
By the way, I used my photo tri-pod and duct taped the Anthem stand (not the base) to the tri-pod head allowing me to manipulate the microphone to any position and keep the exact height.
L/R front 45
Center 50
L/R surr 115
Sub 115
Room Gain 3.94
Eq 5000
Reply
Reply
post #14570 of 40876
6/29/08 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ensmarcum View Post

mr fitz

how did you go about adjusting your gamma up to the right number? did you lower your gamma curves in the d2, which increases the brightness right? is there a huge difference in the setting before and after, i mean is it worth the time and effort? I can do it and I have some time to, but if it really wouldnt matter that much...you know? I do notice thought that my picture seems like it has less detail in darker scenes and where there is darkness in a scene, would adjusting that up and then fixing the brightness and contrast improve those images? My guess is yes. I have a sony lcd flat panel 52" xbr2, if anyone out there with this set has a d2 and has played around with the tv's gamma correction let me know, I would like to correct it there if possible.

With my jvc rs-1 projector my gamma curve was around 1.8. I downloaded colorHCFR for free with which you can read and save you measurements. I bought the x-rite eye-one display lt colorimeter to take the measurements.

To get the right number for my gamma, I took measurements from 10 to 100 IRE window patterns. Then guessed how much I should raise or lower each point from 10 to 100 IRE in the D2 live settings editor. Then I remeasured to see how much it had changed from the original values and continued step by step until all points were right.

I would do it again. It took me about 8-10 hrs to figure it out and to have everything done.

John
Reply
Reply
post #14571 of 40876
6/29/08 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtrips View Post

Hello,

Does anybody know if the beta of version 1.34 is available somehow?
I am sick of having to reboot my HTPC every time I wanna watch a movie.
The HDMI switching feature is supposed to be solved by then.
Or maybe does somebody have an alternate solution in the meantime?
Such as something I could run on the HTPC to make it reset the HDMI/DVI connections?

Thanks

Anthem is working on the version with new HDMI code, but there's no test version of this new software worth trying yet.

Many people with an HTPC setup reporting in this thread have found use of a Gefen DVI Detective between the HTPC and the Anthem very helpful. Give it a look. It is particularly helpful where the problem appears to be incorrect communication of the EDID block (the exchange of what the devices are capable of doing), and for cases where the handshake gets screwed up because the HTPC is changing resolutions too fast during its boot up.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14572 of 40876
6/29/08 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

Anthem is working on the version with new HDMI code, but there's no test version of this new software worth trying yet.

Many people with an HTPC setup reporting in this thread have found use of a Gefen DVI Detective between the HTPC and the Anthem very helpful. Give it a look. It is particularly helpful where the problem appears to be incorrect communication of the EDID block (the exchange of what the devices are capable of doing), and for cases where the handshake gets screwed up because the HTPC is changing resolutions too fast during its boot up.
--Bob


It's very interesting. Thanks.
The thing is it's a hardware solution.
I mean, to add another step on the video path? Like, the D2 is not enough?
I think I'll wait for Anthem and their new firmware, hoping it will solve the problem.
Reply
Reply
post #14573 of 40876
6/29/08 at 9:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtrips View Post

It's very interesting. Thanks.
The thing is it's a hardware solution.
I mean, to add another step on the video path? Like, the D2 is not enough?
I think I'll wait for Anthem and their new firmware, hoping it will solve the problem.

If it makes the handshake work at the resolution you want, the fact that there is another device in the HDMI path won't make any difference in image quality.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14574 of 40876
6/29/08 at 10:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by yacht422 View Post

bob: RE:macbook/bootcamp, etc
my new mbp15" came in, i upgraded to the latest revisions, and proceeded to load XP home, SP2.
this is truly too long a story to relate in full, but, the install failed.(six times)
what rev levels are you operating at on the mac?[o/s and bootcamp]
[ as a bye the bye, my arc arrived at the dealer yesterday, i went in today to pay, and found that anthem sent the wrong serial #box! - a thanks to you for reminding us all to verify serial#'s b/4 installing] it is on its way back to sunny canada.
walt

Walt, sorry about taking so long to respond. The BootCamp on this MacBook was set up by someone else and I needed to verify what was done.

Unfortunately I don't have any good tricks to offer you. The MAC OS X on this MacBook is the current version (10.5.3). BootCamp is also the "latest version". The default partitioning and driver stuff offered by the BootCamp install were what was used. Windows XP Home Edition (SP2) was what was installed -- using its normal install process. There were no tricks necessary to make it work.

There is a Knowledge Base article at the Apple Support site that discusses what you need to do to make the recently released XP SP3 work. Basically you need to be sure you have upgraded to the latest BootCamp *FIRST* to make sure you have the updated drivers SP3 will require.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14575 of 40876
6/29/08 at 11:31am
Is there a negative issue with always leaving the serial cable connected to the serial port of the D2? I would only connect the other end to my PC when I do a firmware update or run the ARC-1. Once done, I would disconnect it from my PC and leave it connect to my D2. Is this ok?
Reply
Reply
post #14576 of 40876
6/29/08 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja12 View Post

Is there a negative issue with always leaving the serial cable connected to the serial port of the D2? I would only connect the other end to my PC when I do a firmware update or run the ARC-1. Once done, I would disconnect it from my PC and leave it connect to my D2. Is this ok?

No problem at all. That's what I do as well.

In my case, when I disconnect the cable from the PC, I fold it and lay it down beside the D2 (left side when facing the unit -- i.e, away from the heat of the power supply). The "wing" on the standard D2 faceplate does a neat job of concealing it there.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14577 of 40876
6/29/08 at 2:13pm
Can anyone tell me what the 30 sec on step in the upgrade process is designed to accomplish?
Reply
Reply
post #14578 of 40876
6/29/08 at 2:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by netroamer View Post

Can anyone tell me what the 30 sec on step in the upgrade process is designed to accomplish?

I'm not sure, but I *THINK* it only applies when you are upgrading from V1.29j or older to V1.30 or newer. The internal format of some of the settings changed between those and I believe the 30 second step has to do with giving the software time to adjust the old settings to the new format.

Again, I'm not sure of this.
--Bob
Reply
Reply
post #14579 of 40876
6/29/08 at 2:48pm
bob: thx for the response. i used the same software as you, but on a mbp, (vs: a macbook). can't say the choice of laptops is the issue, however, apple has so-o-o-o many issues with the mbp, and this appears to be yet another. (shoulda' bought a dell)
yes, i've been on the apple support line, etc, all to no avail.[ remember the perils of pauline??] --- gad, could be me!
regards,
walt
Reply
Reply
post #14580 of 40876
6/29/08 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post

I'm not sure, but I *THINK* it only applies when you are upgrading from V1.29j or older to V1.30 or newer. The internal format of some of the settings changed between those and I believe the 30 second step has to do with giving the software time to adjust the old settings to the new format.

Again, I'm not sure of this.
--Bob

Do you mean adjusting to the new firmware or the user settings?
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Receivers, Amps, and Processors

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide