Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 568

I still am experiencing the humming issue that occurs before the video track kicks in on my PS3 and dvd. I've contacted Anthem on it, but it seems as though it is not a priority for them. This has only started since I had ARC installed on my AVM50. I've taken a audio/video of it, but I don't think I can post a video here so I've uploaded it onto Youtube. This is a video/audio of me switching from my SAT to PS3. Once the video starts, all is fine, but I get this annoying hum until the video and/or audio track kicks in. And I never had this before having ARC installed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FglzO4F303k

That is EXACTLY what I get even without switching sources. Seems that when the signal is lost to the pj(hdmi related???) this is what happens. Since my flash erase and reinstall the sound is sometimes quieter but it is still there. I've also noticed the display on the AVM50 loses the audio sync and that is when it happens. You should email Nick the video link. That video says it all. Pressing mute does prevent the sound but I agree that it shouldn't happen. Mine has been like this for most of it's one year of operation.
John

John:

I e-mailed Nick quite some time ago on this and it was put on the back burner. I did send him the link this morning. Perhaps I will get better results when he sees how severe it is on the video. Somewhat embarrasing having a system that costs this much and makes this type of noise. What do you mean by pj?

Bob, I downloaded the Live Video Settings Editor from Anthem and was able to uploaded the settings from referenced post. It resulted in an image but was over scanned and not 1:1. The closest I can get is by selecting 1024x768p/60 in the video output menu. There is no horizontal or vertical over scan but the first column of pixels are junk. According to the manual that came with the DVI blade, the horizontal and vertical scan frequencies should be 48.36 kHz and 60 Hz respectively with a dot (pixel?) clock frequency of 87.44 MHz to get 1366x768. Interestingly enough 1024x768 has the same horizontal and vertical frequency requirements but a lower dot clock rate of 65 MHz. Is there some methodology used to determine the appropriate parameters for the custom output resolution given this information?

Now I have a new problem, it appears like I am no longer able to upload new settings. If I choose a standard setting that's known to work like 720p60 and upload that into the custom setting I get no video signal on the display when I select custom in the video output menu, yet when I choose the equivalent preset in the video output menu it works just fine. Any ideas?

Mine does the same thing. Anthem had my AVM in their shop for over a month earlier this summer trying to diagnose ... ultimately determining it was a software issue and put in the cue to get resolved. I wrote detailed test scripts and we were able to duplicate it using my AVM and their up/downstream gear.

The more AVM owners that voice this issue to Anthem the better IMO, as it would put a higher priority.

Bluemark81,
PJ means my projector. I just got a Toshiba XDE 500 for SD, and the sound here even happens when fast forwarding. This is getting very irritating. I have emailed Nick and talked to him about this. It is a priority issue and not enough of us have it. I was assured it would be addresed. I do not get this when input is component, only with hdmi.
John

John:

Mine is only on hdmi also

and


I asked you a little about other.

1. How many bits per component on an exit are available at Pioneer DV-59 AVi and how many bits per component are available on input Pioneer PRO-151FD? It is necessary that D2 performed less works on recalculation.

2. What mode - HDMI YCbCr 4:4:4 or HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 promotes more to the best display of shades of the grey. How much I have understood, in HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 the brightness signal is transferred in 2 times more often. Or I am mistaken?

Give the advanced answer.

I have mentioned this to Nick before so I believe they are aware of it. A reminder from others would help. I never experience a loss of signal as indicated on the panel of the AVM50 while inputting with component, s-video or analog cables. Just HDMI. Pain in the butt.
John

I agree. It is a real annoyance. Nick did tell me they are aware of it, but their priority right now is with the new AVM and D2 V2 models. Unfortunately, it now seems that owners of the older units are now being put on the back burner.

igb5,
The dv-59avi player outputs 8 bits per component, 24 bits per pixel RGB.

I don't know what your display accepts as input. Regardless of what it accepts, it likely converts that internally to 10 bits per component when lighting up the pixels.

Both forms of YCbCr send luminance as often as the stated resolution. 4:2:2 sends color only half as often horizontally.

It is not obvious which will work better with a given panel. Try it both ways and see.
-Bob

Ron Alcasid,
There is a document in the downloaded V1.33 install folder that diagrams the video signal timings. That may help. Also there is a video processor forum here where folks discuss custom video timings.

You may have a problem where your custom values are not being uploaded correctly. Try uploading them again. If the problem persists when uploading timings that should work such as standard timings, give Anthem tech support a call.
--Bob

Help Please: Check for possible HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 input black levels bug.

I need help checking something that I can't check with my equipment (and I'm traveling now anyway). To help test this you will need a DVD player (or Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player) that is able to output HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 (not 4:4:4) at BOTH 480i and 480p, and which can pass Blacker than Black output while doing so. You will also need an HDMI or DVI display that can accept Studio RGB input and display Blacker than Black data while doing so. And you will need a calibration DVD that displays Blacker than Black data (e.g., DVE or Avia Pro). If this paragraph is Greek to you, it would probably be best to let someone else help with this test so we don't get tied up in explaining the details.

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Temporarily set Setup > Video Output > Data Format to Studio RGB.

Using Video Source Adjust > Patterns, verify that the black level settings in your display are adjusted properly for this Studio RGB input. If you don't normally use Studio RGB to your display, then you may need to check the display is set to accept Studio RGB (black=16) instead of Extended RGB (black=0) for example. Temporarily make any necessary changes in the settings/levels in your display to properly display the Anthem's test patterns, paying particular attention to black levels for this Studio RGB input.

Now play a test chart that includes Blacker than Black data off your calibration DVD. For example, the "3 black bars" black levels setting chart in DVE.

Temporarily set your player to output HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 at 480i to the Anthem.

For that Anthem input, confirm that Video Source Adjust > Picture > Input Color Space has YCbCr Auto and Studio RGB both checked. If necessary, temporarily change to those.

Next, using only Video Source Adjust > Picture > Bright/Contrast/Color, carefully adjust the Anthem's input black levels (you do this mainly with the Brightness control in this menu). Do this in a darkened room. Raise the Brightness control in this menu (not the one in your display) until the Blacker than Black bar becomes visible, then carefully lower it until the Blacker than Black bar just barely vanishes into the uniform black background and is, thus, no longer visible.

Now temporarily change you player to output HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 AT 480p to the Anthem.

What SHOULD happen is that black levels do not change. The Blacker than Black bar will still be just barely invisible -- merged into the black background. If the bug exists, however, this 480p input will show black levels just a little bit higher. The amount is small -- the equivalent of about 3 steps of Video Source Adjust > Picture > Brightness adjustment. But even that small an amount will be enough to make the Blacker than Black bar rise into visibility if the bug exists. (Again, check this in a darkened room so you can see such a small change.)

Please report your model of player, your model of display, the particular calibration disc you used, and your results.

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Additional info: HDMI YCbCr 4:4:4 input definitely does not exhibit this bug (I've already checked). Black levels are the same for all input resolutions into the Anthem. YCbCr 4:2:2 480i input will likely exhibit the same input black level as any input resolution of YCbCr 4:4:4 (which suggests that the 480i 4:2:2 input black levels are "correct"). YCbCr 4:2:2 480p and all higher 4:2:2 input resolutions will likely exhibit the same amount of higher input black levels if the bug exists. So to test this it is critical that your player is able to output YCbCr 4:2:2 at *480i* as well as at a higher resolution like 480p so you can see the difference (i.e., testing 480p vs. say 1080i won't help). Again, if there is no bug, there will be no difference.

It is not obvious that sending Studio RGB to the display (instead of YCbCr) is actually necessary to test for this bug, but please do test it that way so I can eliminate another possible difference here. You must use Studio RGB output from the Anthem and not Extended RGB to test this.

Thanks!
--Bob

I figured out what I was doing wrong. I completely missed the option to upload custom resolutions which is not enabled by default. Once I checked that option I was able to upload my settings.

My latest acr measurements with the latest arc.

I just went from ARC 1.1 to 1.2.5 and really enjoyed the difference. I'd love to hear the 1.2.1.0 But since I don't have a laptop I have to get the Custom installer to do so.(which costs money) Best to wait till the 1.2.1.0 is official and finalized. I wonder when that will be? It's impressive Anthem keeps trying to perfect the ARC.

Anyone like to suggest Blue ray discs to test the HD low loss Dolby and DTS sound codecs.

Master and Commander

Cloverfield

Hellboy 2

The Incredible Hulk

U-571

Ratatouille

My D2 just froze up again after running ARC. This is the third time I've had this happen (almost every time I run ARC) and when it does the only fix that works is to run the flash eraser and reload the system software. I have not been disconnecting my HDMI cables while running ARC, as I thought that was only necessary when upgrading the main system software. BTW, I'm running the latest software v. 1.33, and ARC 1.2.5. I also should mention that I have a good laptop running Windows XP, with a good serial port, and have had no problems at all doing system upgrades and taking ARC measurements. It's only after I run ARC and it loads all the new settings that I have issues getting the D2 to respond. Is anyone else having this issue, is there a fix, or something I'm doing wrong? Should I try a new beta version of ARC?

I just purchased the Oppo 983. I just wanted to confirm what Kal has written previously, that 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0 SACDs (not just 5.1 SACDs) will play the correct number of channels when connected to a D2 via HDMI. Kind of annoying that the less expensive 980 won't do it correctly. But if you want to play multichannel SACD converted to 96/24 PCM for use with the D2/ARC, there is an alternative to the 60G/80G PS3.

I suspect there will a more up to date version soon
John

All the same works 4:2:2 is better.

And what colour space is better for using with Pioneer PRO-151FD?
Now at me such options.
INPUT:
- Input - 480/576i (with DVD and SAT);
- Colour space - SDTV (with DVD and SAT);
OUTPUT:
- Output - 1980x1080p x 50 Hz;
- Colour space - SDTV.
It is correct?

I have noticed the following unpleasant moment. At inclusion FrameLock if frequency of a target signal mismatches frequency of an entrance signal connection HDMI is broken. On display D2 there is an inscription: "NEED HDCP-MONITOR". Why it occurs? Firmware - version 1.33

I was looking at the D2 on Anthems site and couldn't help but to notice Anthem has a sale on the D2.

http://statement.anthemav.com/HTML/Products/D2/D2.html

Does anyone here at AVS know the particulars of the sale? This is the first time I've ever noticed an Anthem processor on sale!

The current D2 has been discounted to account for the about-to-be-released D2 v.2.

Basically the idea is to make it more reasonable to buy a D2 now and then pay separately for the upgrade to the D2 v.2 instead of waiting to purchase until the v.2 product ships. Dealers must have told them that everyone was just waiting. [Keep in mind that doing a 2 stage purchase like this will likely require shipping the unit back to the factory for the v.2 upgrade installation.]

This is a heck of a deal for folks who want just a D2 (no plan to upgrade to the v.2 product).
--Bob

There was info in this forum already somewhere.

There is a price reduction on existing D2's because of the
upcoming D2v2 Release.

The "Auto" setting is almost always best for Color Space for both input and output. It uses SDTV when the resolution is 480i/576i, or 480p/576p. Otherwise it uses HDTV. So when playing SDTV content on an HDTV display at HDTV resolutions you will get SDTV color space on input and HDTV color space on output (the Anthem does the conversion) all automatically.

In Video Source Adjust > Picture > Input Color Space, the recommended settings are Auto YCbCr (for when the current input video happens to be in YCbCr data format) and also Studio RGB (for when it is in RGB format). These are the factory default settings. Remember that these settings are remembered separately for each input.

For Setup > Video Output > Color Space, the recommended setting is Auto.

There is no point in changing these settings unless you are trying to fix some problem.

[Technical Note: SDTV and HDTV "color space" refer to the math used when converting between YCbCr and RGB data formats. Broadcast and on-disc video is in YCbCr, but the physical display needs RGB data before it can light up the pixels. SD and HD video use slightly different math. If you get this wrong the error will be most noticeable in greens -- greens will be 15% hot or dull depending on which way you have made the error.]

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When FrameLock is set to Auto, a new HDMI "handshake" happens every time the input frame rate changes, just as also happens every time the input resolution happens. The "handshake" sets up the HDMI connection for the new input format.

The complaint about HDCP means that the HDCP "copy protection" protocol is not happy. Often this just means you have to use better quality HDMI cables for input and output, but sometimes it means you are trying to send something to your TV that it is not willing to handle. The Pioneer displays have some settings which disable their /24 input for example. I don't know which settings these are, but they have been discussed numerous times in the Blu-Ray Players forum and perhaps someone else here will know the answer. It may be you have one of those settings turned on in your Pioneer so that it is not able to accept the new frame rate that FrameLock is trying to send it.
--Bob

Bob, I admit I don't know much about the D2v2. I have a Denon 3808ci that I'm very happy with. Would you be able to throw out the top two or three differences or advantages the v2 is expected to have over the D2? Ballpark what type of savings could one expect to see on a D2.

I'm thinking of just going with the D2 as is.

There have been reports here that running ARC in the automatic mode (as opposed to Custom/Advanced) can apparently result in corrupted uploads. The workaround is to use the Advanced mode.

It is surprising that you are seeing this every time, as it is supposed to be a rare occurrence.

You should give Anthem tech support a call, as your setup may help them diagnose and fix this.
--Bob

HDMI V1.3c (including Deep Color for what that's worth) vs. V1.1
HDMI LPCM 7.1 192KHz/24-bit input vs. 5.1 96KHz/24-bit
8 HDMI inputs/2 outputs vs. 4 inputs/1 output
Next generation VXP video processor chip -- 12 bit video processing.
Adds decoding for new Blu-Ray audio formats ("lossless" bitstreams) -- TrueHD and DTS-HD MA

The price of the new v.2 is not finalized but is expected to be within $500 of the old D2 price. The D2 discount -- and expected upgrade price from a D2 to a D2 v.2 -- is apparently around $2000.

Both the D2 and the D2 v.2 are bundled with ARC at that pricing.
--Bob

Thanks Bob!

I did some reading and I believe the D2 would mesh well with my PS3 and my 58-inch Panasonic 1080p display!

Of course me believing is one thing... the wife believing is another!~