Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 1108

Connect using component and a digital coaxial for sound. TWC boxes and Anthem D2 and D2v hooked up with HDMI do not get along well. I now have a D2V and gave up on the HDMI. My previous D2 was even worse.

Mike

Make sure you have Audio In: set to Dig HDMI under 6f Source Setup. Also make sure HDMI audio is enabled on the Cable box too.

I use HDMI on my Explorer 8300 DVR box and it is actually quite stable now days. It is mostly a factor of what firmware/software your provider is running. It is against my religion to convert a digital signal to analog and then back to digital. It is why I bought into HDMI.

Sounds like you do not have the audio input for your source set up correctly

Basically on your remote hold down the Set up button until the menu appears and scroll down until you can select Set up Sources.
On the identify the source name TV1, TV2 etc you are using for the DVR.
Go to the audio input line and select the correct HDMI input you are using 1,2,3 or 4.
Back out of the menu until you can save the settings to Saved user Files
or
Go to page 31 of the D2 software version 1.3X manual.
If you do not have the manual you can download it from The Anthem Archive page on their web site for the D2

Thanks!!!

How are people doing with connecting to Scientific Atlanta cable boxes and Anthem D2Vs with the latest firmware? Is it still a matter of the boxes going into endless rebooting when the Anthem is in standby? Or has this been fixed?

Mine keeps cycling the HDD in the PVR.
Anthem says they understand the issue and are working on a fix.

edit: Mine is a 50V running 2.10 software. I have not been offered 2.11 so I would assume the problem still exists in 2.11.

I realize this is a D2 thread, not a Tivo Series 3 thread, but for quite a while I wasn't sure which device was causing my reception problem. Since I found nothing via Google searches about this, I'm posting the following both here and on Tivo threads to hopefully help someone else down the road with a similar experience. I've subscribed to this thread since Page 1 and the D1 equivalent threads prior to D2.

I've had a D1 since 2004, upgraded to D2 in 2006 and a Tivo Series 3 ever since it first came out, which I've always had cabled to the D2 via component cables instead of via HDMI in order to avoid the "handshake dance". Picture quality was always superb until a few months ago when I noticed some faint horizontal waves in some recordings and live TV.

Thinking it was a Comcast issue maybe with line deterioration at entry into my home due to winter weather, I had them roll a truck. The Comcast tech proved that the problem was not their's via cable switching that reception was perfect via HDMI, instead of via component cables. So I left the Tivo Series 3 cabled to my D2 via HDMI, albeit at the trade-off of multiple irritating handshakes nearly every channel change. A couple weeks into this, my Tivo 3 failed completely. I ordered and installed a new 2 TB hard drive, but the Tivo would not boot. So I ordered and installed a $99 replacement Tivo 3 power supply from Weaknees and voila, it solved ALL my previous problems with reception via component cables. Picture is now perfect again via component cables = to picture quality via HDMI cabling.
Another benefit is the Tivo Series 3 is much more responsive = faster between Tivo menu changes + it departs Tivo recording confirmation windows much, much faster.

I now am sure that it was deterioration of the Tivo Series 3 power supply module that caused the picture deterioration via only component cables. A simple to install $99 swap-out procedure.

Chris

Thanks for the info. I guess I'm going to stick with component for a while. The good thing is that supposedly my cableco is switching to Samsung boxes so maybe I'll be able to ditch my component cables then.

Hate Hate HATE RCA.

this may be a silly question but here it goes... for some reason my default setting for when the anthem has no video signal has changed to a blue screen from the original black or clear screen it used to be... i.e. when it powers up and the logo comes up it is against a blue background... any idea how i changed that and how to change it back?

I don't know if affects the power up screen but try in the setup under displays / timeout - main OS color.

I purchased a Velodyne SMS-1 Sub EQ and it only has a composite out for video. I have plugged this into several composite inputs on my D2v and cannot get a picture, I have gone into source set up and changed the "composite in" to the composite input that I am connected to and am still without video. I brought a Plasma down and hooked the composite video directly into it from the EQ and I get video. Any idea, am I missing something simple?

John

Anthem does not digitize composite only passes it through. You will need a composite to S-Vid or component convertor as it will digitize those.

OK, here are the ARC results. I'm not sure why the correction didn't take effect on the Left Front channel. I see some peaks on the Mains between 5 and 10k, and am not sure how to smooth those over either. Thoughts?

Mike

 

Arc.doc 238k . file

Your front left looks like it's broke. Check the driver or of there is a jumper for biwiring make sure it is tight.

Mike looks like your left speaker's woofer isn't working. This is what is know as Richard's Syndrome around here.

They are bi-wired but that doesn't appear to be the issue. According to the graph, it looks like it could be a problem with the woofer. My speakers weigh 275 lbs each and they are not easy to maneuver. I will try and get into the cabinet and take a look at it and report back.

Mike

I disconnected the woofer connection on the network and put a voltmeter (set to Ohm) on the disconnected left and right wire, and it registered 3.8 ohms, so the woofer appears to be good to me. When I follow the woofer connection on the back side the positive goes to a big red copper inductor, and the negative is bridged to the negative on the low input just like it is on the right speaker, so I'm not sure what the problem is but there is definitely nothing coming out of the woofer in that speaker.

Any ideas?

What is "the network?"


It seems to me that you are still measuring the parallel input resistance of both the high and low terminals of your speaker. It would be best to remove one of those strapping bars so you can be sure to measure only the woofer's posts.

Compare all readings with the other speaker to see if that shows anything.

Are you sure it's your woofer that is the problem.
Don't I recall you have DIY Sub so do you have some kind of EQ or crossover or jut the D2 and Arc ?
You could send an audio signal to the RF speaker via the D2 check the driver for output and then switch with the LF to compare.

The Crossover network.


No, I was only measuring the wire coming directly from the woofer and was getting 3.8 ohms.

It appears I wasn't looking closely enough at the fuse on the crossover. It only protects the woofer and looks like it's the culprit. I'll pick up a new one today and then remeasure.

Mike

I use this EQ unit to help me set the phase between the Sub and the Fronts. Beats using your ears or the SPL meter.

There is a choice of S-video out apart from Composite from the EQ unit. It should give you a better signal. Well, mine did. Composite gives you the poorest video quality. Then set the D2v Source Setup as follows -

c. Scaler Input : S-video
e. S-video In : (your choice of S-video input)
g. Audo In : AnalgDir
i. Anlg Aud : (your choice of analog input)
m. ARC Room EQ : Off
n. Dolby Volume : Off

Remember NOT to select Analog DSP for g. because you do not want the D2v to process anything other than the output volume.

The setting on the other menu items are irrelevant.

Have fun.
Ben

I think between the 2 replies you received lies the answer. Seems you need to use your scaler in order to output an analog source out the Anthem's HDMI output.

So try changing your scaler input from 'none' to DVD Composite and it should work if the theory is correct. It could also work right now the way you have it if you had connected a composite video cable from the Anthem to your PJ, but then you'd have to change the PJ input every time you want to see the EQ. You could also use S-Video, but unless there is a limitation on what the D2v digitizes, I don't see it as an absolute requirement. It is the same signal as an RCA, but it is spit into separate conductors which isolates better. I am not sure if that would fully apply an an adapter cable.

Advantage Anthem for being flexible here.

Thanks.

Bolding mine. Svideo splits out the luma (Y) and chroma (C) signals while Composite has it combined. (To be more precise Composite actually combines Y/C). You need a comb filter to separate the Y/C in composite. The Anthem does not have a comb filter thus it can not digitize composite for use with the scaler. There are cheap convertors available. Svideo and Component (3 RCAs) can both be input to the scaler (Digitized).

I also seem to recall that there was something about the SVideo on the SMS-1 that the Anthem had trouble with (weak signal?).

You cannot upscale Composite video signals. You need to convert it to S-Video in order to upscale it.

Unfortunately, the D2v doesn't have a built-in converter.

So like I said earlier, use the S-Video output from the SMS-1 if you wish to use the D2v for display of the realtime frequency graph.

Ben

OK, round 2 after getting the woofer straightened out. I have the filter set at 5K and have that bump between 5K and 10K. Should I play with the filter to see if I can even that out a bit?

Mike

 

Arc2.doc 243.5k . file

Your charts look pretty good. Post your Target's View. Now, it's time to sit back and listen for a while and let your ears tell you if you should agree with your charts.

Edit: If anything, you could play with the positioning of your sub some. If you could reduce the null from 40 Hz to 60 Hz so that it's closer to about 75db, that would help out ARC some.

Here you go...

And as for the sound, I like it a lot. I just finished playing Toto's Falling In Between Live Blu-Ray, and it sounds fantastic! What a great recording!

Mike

 

Arc3.doc 151.5k . file

I think your are looking pretty darn good Mike. I personally don't mess with anything above 5Khz as it is too directional and you can easily do more harm than good. Like the Ninja says set back and listen for a while.

ETA: After seeing your targets you might want to try raising your fronts a bit to 70 or 80 just to see what it does. It might get rid of that little hump on the right speaker at 40hz.

If you are liking the sound a lot, then I would say that you are done. So, sit back and continue enjoying what you are hearing.