Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 100

SPECTACULAR - is hardly enough to describe the Picture Quality.

I just hooked up my Pioneer BDP-H1 Blu Ray Player to my Anthem
D2. It is outputting 1080p/24 to the D2 and then to a Ruby @ 1080p
onto a 12 ft. Screen.

SPECTACULAR - is hardly enough to describe the Picture Quality.

I was hoping 1080p/24 would be BETTER than the 1080i coming
off my HD DVD and then Converted to 1080p via the D2.

I can SAY with 100% - It is Awesome. Looks like I'll have to be
upgrading my HD DVD to 1080p/24 - When it is Available.

Don't hold back, tell us what you really think. (grin!)

I presume in both cases you are sending 1080p/48Hz to the Ruby, which is displaying it at 48hz right?

It's interesting that you see that kind of difference. 1080i/60Hz from the HD-DVD, converted to 1080p/48Hz by the Anthem, should be equivalent to 1080p/24Hz input from an HD-DVD disc converted the same way by the Anthem.

My guess is that the Pioneer player is doing something else right compared to your HD-DVD player.

A couple things you might want to try:

1) Try 1080i/60Hz output from the Pioneer converted to 1080p/48Hz by the Anthem (i.e., Frame Lock = OFF). Does it appear different from 1080p/24Hz from the Pioneer converted to 1080p/48Hz by the Anthem? It shouldn't.

2) Try 1080i/60Hz from the Pioneer converted to 1080p/60Hz by the Anthem (i.e., Frame Lock = AUTO). Do you see "judder" compared to the /48Hz output? I.e., is this judder-free setup really working for you in a visible way?
--Bob

Bob
I think you are on the right track.I mentioned a few channels work and some don't when setting the output to 1080i. At times when I have a channel displaying ok and switch channels the picture is scrambled. Then sometimes if I power off and on the scrambled channel is ok until I change channels again. Most of my ota channels that are in 720p work better than other resolutions. When I purchased my D2 I tried 1080i output and it did not work so I assumed it was my display and set the D2 to 720p. It wasn't till 2 weeks ago that I tried 1080i again after reading many post on this forum. It is an amazing piece of equipment so we have to be patient with the bugs.

Hi Bob:

Again - Theory is always great - But I am one of the TWO Inventors
of this whole Raster Scan - now called Pixel Mapping Display Technology.
We first did this for CAD [Computer Aided Design] Displays in 1972.

No matter how great your VIDEO Processing Horsepower is - native
1:1 Pixel Mapping with No Processing of the original content always
wins. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!

I be a HAPPY CAMPER - Santa has Arrived EARLY [GRIN]!

Time to go watch some Blu-Ray Movies.

BTW
House of Flying Daggers blows the screen away with DETAIL & COLOR.

drhankz - I know you are excited but are you outputting at 48hz? Just curious as I thought the Ruby only took 48hz or am I confused with the Pearl? If you are outputting 48hz aren't you still processing it?

So has anyone tried downgrading the firmware?
Probably true but I've talked to a couple of guys using 480i and HDMI and they claim it works although I'm not convinced. It worked before the updates.
I've developed a really bad allergy to S/PDIF cables.


I was thinking the same thing as I went through that with my Pioneer and DVD-A.


Already did it doesn't. Needs to be 1080i or 720P.


Unfortunately all my displays are DVI only. I still think it is the 8300 too. I actually have two of them but no one locally seems to have the issue. Maybe after the holiday I'l downgrade the Anthem just to make sure.
Thanks Bob.

If it is 48 Hz there is no processing - just sending
the EXACT same frame twice as often.

Just teasing drhankz but you are still touching that video coming off the disc.

obie,
We've not yet had a report from anyone with any of this rash of problems who has done a re-install of V1.11. Nor has there been any report that Anthem is suggesting this as a possible fix yet.

See my post a few posts back about a suggested way of doing the re-install that maximizes, as best as I can figure it, the possibility that the resulting power on state for the D2 will most closely match what Anthem likely used for testing purposes. I.e., if a re-install is able to conceal this bug (rather than fix it), that's the most likely way to make it happen.
--Bob

Not a word. Being Christms weekend, I doubt I will hear anything. Please check with your contact Nick at Anthem and see if he knows the release date for the fix. I have to believe that this is a MAJOR problem for them and that they want it fixed ASAP
I appreciate your guidance

Tom - I have a SA 8300HD DVR that feeds my D2 via HDMI and the audio works fine. I'm running v1.06 firmware however. Let me know if I can help.

I have v1.10 installed on my D2,
I don't have the 8300HD
but I do have many 1080i sources
HD-DVD
HD Sat (set to native)
HD-VCR
I've even tried the OPPO set to 1080i

I haven't had any issues.
I'm I missing something or just lucky.......

dc

DC,
If you had the problem it would, from all accounts, be obvious: Scrambled images with 1080i input into the Anthem, and problems with other input sources that are NOT set to 1080i just because another source, not currently selected, IS set to 1080i.

Anthem's going to have egg on their face with this one.
--Bob

Today I tried to upgrade to 1.11 from 1.10. I tried 4 times with 2 different computers. Each time the computer could find the D2but after afew minutes there was an error message (can not connect to OKI boot loader). So I will remain at 1.1 until there is another fix. Also when the installer starts it supposed to turn the D2 off, however it turns mine on.

Does anyone have a copy of 1.1 or 1.06 they could email to me. I have one of the faulty 1.11 units (received yesterday) and have had terrible luck trying to reinstall it. I am also getting the OKI boot loader error most of the time, but after reducing baud rate to 300 it works some of the time. Problem is after reinstalling 1.11 I am getting worse results. Not even the setup menu is showing on screen and none of my video sources are showing.

I am really disinfranchised with Anthem right now. I'll be really grateful if any of you could pm me if you know where i can get the older upgraqdes.

Thanks!!

Oh and I guess I should mention that I have an AVM50.

Folks,
If you are having trouble doing the software install, re-read the instructions carefully.

Note for example, that you must make sure there is no live connection to any HDMI or DVI devices (inputs or display). Some devices keep their HDMI or DVI sockets live even if they are "powered off" unless you actually remove them from wall power. I.e., they are only in a sort of stand-by mode even though they appear off.

If at all possible, use a Windows computer with an actual Serial port instead of a USB to Serial adapter.

Lowering your baud rate is not likely to be the answer here. If Setup Editor (as opposed to Live Video Settings Editor) can both find the Anthem and load the settings to save to a file on your PC, then your Serial connection is likely OK for the software install.

The software install turns off the Anthem at some points in the process and turns it on at other points in the process. This is normal. Do not interfere with this. The installer is able to tell whether the Anthem is on or off at any given point.

If things are working smoothly, the install and verification should take about 15 minutes total. If things don't work, it is OK to re-install on top of the partially installed stuff.

VCS_Wharvey, I'm afraid I don't have any of the AVM-50 stuff.
--Bob

sorry for interrupting this forum but i just came across it and now i'm freaking out. i'm just about to order the d2 to go in my new ht, thinking it would be a awesome machine to go with the anthem p5 and p2, along wth the new panny 1080p projector . i am a amature compared to everyone on this forum, i was just looking to buy it, plug it in, set it up and enjoy. is there major problems ahead for me with the d2? i will continue to read everything i can about the d2 but any help or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
Happy Holidays

Well add another AVM50 owner to the list! What a Merry Christmas! Dealer called and told me mine had come in. I am absolutely floored at the difference between the sound coming out of my Denon 3805 and this unit. Holy cow. I haven't even gotten to the video portion. I am just still in awe of the music coming from it. More info tomorrow.

P.S. Wasn't expecting this thing till late January so really a bonus!

As somebody who "won" the right to buy a PS3 from Amazon, and just received it based on recent reviews, I'm still very jealous.

I didn't know the Pio was out (assuming there will be other player specific threads), but interested (here) about any more Pio H1 + Anthem observations, e.g., 480i STD def impressions etc.

Thanks,
Tim

Congrats, that does make the holidays very merry.

Don't Panic! (grin!)

The D2 is a serious machine with a lot of flexibility. And that means that there are lots of folks playing with the more complex stuff it offers, and of course they post here. However, it's really not that tough to set up for "normal" use compared to *ANY* other receiver or pre/pro. Its setup menus are pretty straightforward, and the factory defaults are intelligently designed.

The user's manual is MUCH better than average. It is available for download from the Anthem site.

HDMI connections can be a bit of a nuisance with ANY receiver or pre/pro, but they offer so much that it's worth the effort. And figuring out how to survive some of the gyrations going on in the market right now -- HD-DVD, Blue Ray, new audio formats, etc. -- is daunting to be sure. But the D2's got you covered when you want to do that stuff, and there's no need to get into that stuff RIGHT NOW if you want to take it more slowly.

----------------------------------------------------------------

At the moment, Anthem seems to have a software problem that's tripping up a bunch of people taking delivery of new machines. Anthem is, by all accounts, on the case and we are awaiting a fix. I've no doubt they will provide a fix in short order as the stuff that's broken now worked just fine in the prior software release.

It's just Murphey's Law at work. This had to happen just as the holiday vacation period comes up.

So get the owner's manual and look through it. Ask some questions here. By the time you've done that, Anthem will probably have the fix out for this current fiasco and you'll have met a number of the folks here who can hardly manage to control themselves long enough to tell how much they like their D2s or AVM-50s.

Silly grins on the lot of them, and all that hopping about in glee....
--Bob

I have a laptop with only USB ports, will this cable work to update an AVM-50?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110263657278

Its amazing how I at one point thought this video coming from my Denon 3910 was really good. Doesn't hold a candle to the detail I am getting through the AVM50 now. I will be ordering a Oppo 970 to watch the regular DVD's so I can get the native 480i. The only options this player has is 480p/576p. Going to have to go back through this thread and pick up and hints and tricks I missed. My display only does 1080i so I won't be able to understand the hoopla with 1080p, but within time. That Pioneer Elite 60" sure is a beauty

Never heard of Dynex stuff.

If I had to buy a Windows USB to Serial adapter right now, the only two brands I'd even consider would be Keyspan and Belkin. Drivers are everything with these, and those are two companies that have been around for ever and know how to do it.

One problem is making sure you're buying one with the latest drivers since these things can sit on the peg for a while.

Here's a link to a Keyspan:

http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/de...pno~313519.asp

However, I'm afraid there are no guarantees with any of these adapters.
--Bob

Darell,
I don't know if you've followed the panic about 1080i input problems here over the past day. If you have a 1080i source device, in particular an HDTV satellite or cable set top box, I'd appreciate it if you could verify whether or not it is working through your AVM-50 when set to send 1080i to the Anthem over either HDMI or Component.

Whether or not this works, we'll also need to know what software version came with your AVM-50. Press the Select key on the Anthem remote and the software version will display at the end of the first line of info that comes up.

------------------------------------------------

By the way, until you get your Oppo, you can send 480i from your Denon 3910 to the Anthem over Component cables.
--Bob

Darrell,

Congrats on getting your AVM50 before Christmas ... I too am totally floored at the difference in sound quality from the 3805. I've noticed the biggest difference with music, but movies sound incredible too. Unfortunately, my dealer needs to order me another AVM50 because HDMI Input 1 appears to be dead. Luckily, I don't need all 4 inputs, so I can still enjoy it. What speakers are you using, I've got the Energy Reference Connoisseur line (RC30, RCLCR, RC-R), and they sound spectacular.

Bob,
My AVM50 came pre-installed with v1.11 and my motorola cable box (6416) appears to be working when set for 1080I output through the Anthem. However, I haven't used it very much yet through the Anthem. My toshiba HD-A1 is also working fine with 1080I output. Currently, I've got the Anthem setup for 1080p/60 output, I'm about to go try 1080p/24 with a film source.

Thanks for the report. This is more evidence that it's not the software itself which is broken, even for recently manufactured units delivered with V1.11 pre-installed.

Right now I'm betting it's an iniitialization problem, which means it could be random which machines exhibit the problem.

Perhaps we'll get some good news from the folks with failing units who are trying a software re-install.
--Bob

I've been experimenting with a custom resolution with new timing values for 24p playback with the Toshiba HD-A1, D2 and the Sony Pearl (1080i -> 1080p@24). Two things:

1. Setting the custom resolution to the D2 builtin 1080p48 resolution template is still jerky, but not as jerky as the builtin 1080p24 setting.

2. My new custom resolution values appear to be much improved over anything else. The end credits in MI:3 playback entirely with no jerkiness. The entire bridge attack scene in MI:3 (chapter 11) plays back with no jerkiness. Bottom line: no jerkiness observed so far. I have only done this very limited testing so-far.

Here are my custom timing values below, use the instructions posted elsewhere in this thread for setting these via the Live Video settings editor.

Others having problems with 24p playback with the Sony Pearl should try this and comment on their results.


2200 total horizontal size
1920 active horizontal size
96 horiz start sync
144 horiz end sync

1123 total vertical size
1080 active vertical size
4 start sync veritical
13 end sync vertical

1080 field active size
43 black size
0 offset
59235106 pixel clock rate.

Bob,
I just tried 1080p/24 output. I need do more tests, but to my eye, I think 1080p/60 looks smoother. It's not continuous, but on 1080p/24, the motion occasionally looks choppy (I think this is referred to as motion judder). Interestingly, when the FHD1 is receiving a 1080p signal, the PureCinema setting can not be adjusted, so I'm guessing it only applies if the signal needs to be scaled and/or de-interlaced.
Ryan