Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 119

OK, so it is not the triggers.

Get a flashlight and carefully examine both ends of every cable (and socket) to and from the Anthem. What you are looking for is even just one hair of loose wire that might be shorting things -- perhaps when it is blown by a breeze or vibrated. The wiggle test is good here as well. While the D2 is on properly, grab each end of each cable in turn and give it a little wiggle to see if that causes the D2 to shut down. You could have a faulty cable that is shorted internally. Typically this will happen near the plug at either end.

Also consider carefully how the D2 is being ventilated. You might have an over-heating problem. An external fan can help. Others have found simply raising the D2 half an inch by putting a riser under each of its feet also helps. Ideally, the D2 should not "see" additional heat from any other devices, either.

Get one of those infrared, point-to measure, remote heat thermometers as sold in cooking stores -- they type that looks like a gun and often comes with a little laser light as a pointer. You can use that to accurately track the temperature of the surfaces around the D2 and of the D2 itself. The D2 will, normally, get quite warm on the side where the power cord enters (the power supply), but that's OK as long as the ambient temperature around it is still cool enough for it to radiate heat.

Another possiblity here is if you are doing any "unusual" cabling -- for example if you have Y-splitters on any inputs or outputs. If that's set up wrong you may have D2 outputs connected to each other, which will also put a strain on them, or something else unusual like that.

One last thought, make sure you have your timers turned off in the D2. If they've been mistakenly turned on, that alone might explain it's shutdowns.
--Bob

Bob,

I have checked the cables but I will do it again to be sure. As for space around it, I have nothing on top (not even another shelf) so there is much for air restriction and I have put my hands around it after a movie and it runs alot cooler then the VP30 I had. I never did anything with the timers but I will recheck to be sure.

Thanks again for the support, I wish it were like this in all of the forums!

Since we share so much similarity in equipment I would like to reinforce Bob's advice which I discovered by accident but I 'KNEW' I had done something right when I switched to 1080i for SACD. You just have to remember to switch back to 480i for SD DVD's for movies. One of the awesome experiences was playing a SACD source disk at reference level. As the volume crept up I couldn't believe the clarity and the M&K's just sparkled! The sound doesn't get 'louder' it just gets more three dimensional. I have to keep reminding myself how unbelievably rare that acoustical experience is........we few are sooooo fortunate. Glad to hear everything is coming together for you.

Peter

You are welcome.

By the way, also make sure the D2's power cable is fully inserted, and of course that it is not plugged into some kind of "switched" outlet that might be turning on and off itself.

Now if none of this leads to a solution then you probably have to take the extreme measure of doing a Reload Factory Defaults (to get all its settings into a known state), then disconnect everything from the D2, move it to a different room (so that it is even on a different power circuit), and with just the power cord connected to it, try to power cycle it repeatedly using just the front panel buttons.

If it shuts down during that, then there's nothing for it but to contact Anthem about Warranty replacement.

If you have a PC, you can use the Setup Editor program from Anthem to make a copy of your settings to a file on the PC. That will make it easier to restore everything if you get this unit working or get a replacement from Anthem. Use the Setup Editor that came with the install kit for your current D2 software, or download the latest install kit from Anthem and use the Setup Editor in that one if you don't have the one for your current firmware. I would NOT suggest you update your D2 firmware at this point. Just use the Setup Editor from the kit to save and restore settings between the D2 and a PC file.

If you can't make the unit fail this way, then start restoring things one by one to see when failures start returning.

I'd start by trying it in the same (new room) location, still with nothing connected, but this time using whatever set of remote controls you normally use. Try to replicate the button pushes you normally do when trying to watch something using that screen. This will help eliminate the possibility that a remote control code for some other device is ALSO turning off the D2.

Next, still in the new room, restore your desired set of settings -- either manually using the front panel, or of course much more conveniently using the PC program. Test again.

If there's still no failure, then bring it back into the main listening room and start connecting things up with the OUTPUTS first. Remember to turn off all devices before changing connections. First the connections to the amps (test), then to the display (test), then the screen trigger (test). If things are still woking withhout failure, then start with the input connections one at a time, testing after each.

This is time consuming of course, but the D2 is a complicated switching device and if you don't approach this in a logical fashion you'll have difficulties.
--Bob

Do you think that 480i from the oppo looks better than 480i from the toshiba hd-dvd? just wondering...i am getting to test it for myself tomorrw (hopefully!).

So I just got an AVM-50. I had everything working perfectly and all of a sudden in the middle of a movie there was no video. I didn't change any settings. I didn't make any adjustments. Please help.

It is posts like this that scare me from jumping into the D2/AVM50 game until these issues are resolved!...

The AVM50/D2 is a complex piece of gear... In my day job, I design electronics for missile applications..Once the entire bird is built, we go through 3-6 months of AUR(All-Up-Round) testing before we ship to the customer.........I have the Anthem MCA50 amp, much simpler robust design, Anthem has it nailed down..........

Once you step up to $4K-6.5K zone for a pre/pro, that's a lot of cash, Anthem needs to step up testing to the "missile-level" before shipping........I doubt that happened..........

The results when it all comes together as many have posted, look impressive, 480i HDMI to 1080P..I'll probably jump in when the issues are resolved..........

my 2 cents,
Vince

Vince - If Anthem did test to the "missile level" you would be paying a lot more then $4K-6.5K. I work in the same industry so I have some idea what you mean. I'd also point out that you get a skewed view by reading here because you are likely to read about the issues rather then all the people with successful setups. I've been running a D2 for close to six months and have experienced very few problems. Most of the latest problems seem to stem from a recent firmware upgrade which I did implement on my system without incident. It does appear that this latest update could have been tested a little better before release.

obie_fl,

I agree real in-depth testing costs serious $$$$$$$$....Have for the few guys that have issues, Anthem Customer Service is supposed to be excellent...

I clicked on your link, nice HT setup you have...I did not know you could get a basement in FL?.......No basements here in Orlando that I know of....

Vince

Has anybdy heard how soon we will have the new software which fixes the 1080i bug?
Have not heard from Nick in weeks
Thanks

As I posted earlier - I've been working with Anthem tech suport getting my Mac HTPC to talk through the D2.

I am now running a version of firmware Nick sent me that resolves the EDID handshake issue, and my HTPC now sees the D2 as a supported DVI device. This is not a complete fix, just a test fix to see if they understood the bug, and I'm happy to say, yes, they now understand it.

There is still some work to do, for example the D2 does not have any EDID entries for interlaced support, so that would force the PC to perform the de-interlacing of 480i content (better in the D2), and they turn off the handshake whenever an HDMI input other than the PC input is selected (causing the PC to detect loss of DVI output device).

For me this is fine for now, as I only intend to have 1080p content come from my Mac HTPC, and the Mac handles DVI disconnect/reconnect in an OK manner. I expect now that they understand how to get it to work at all, they will clean this up in a future release.

Gregg

Funny, when I spoke with the Anthem guys at CES they claimed "no knowledge" of any 1080i problem.

I only talked to one person there on Tuesday Afternoon and HE
Knew about it. I guess it is random luck.

Not funny, just the usual left hand vs. right hand stuff. The demo droids at the shows are trained to explain features, not deal with engineering issues.
--Bob

The most common reason for this is that one of your plugs came loose -- possibly under the weight of the cable itself. HDMI plugs are only a friction fit and it takes only a tiny bit of looseness to lose the signal.

The next most common reason is that you had a power glitch and one or the other of your devices in the video chain didn't ride it out.

First of all, do you have video again? Do you have audio? If not, power cycle each device, double check which inputs/outputs are selected for each device, and see if it comes back.

If not, double check your cables at each end. Grasp each video cable in turn near its socket and press it firmly STRAIGHT IN to the socket and see if the picture comes back. If that gets you a signal again then you may need to support the cable in some fashion near that socket.

Another common problem, since the AVM-50 is new to you, is that you accidentally hit the remote button to change either the selected input on the AVM-50 or the selected input on the TV itself. It happens. If you've got video again, and no other cause suggests itself, this may be all that it was.
--Bob

Just spoke with Nick and he is testing 1.11b as I write this. If you have sent him an email about this problem,he should be sending you this version in a few days
If you want this fix,send him an email

I'm delighted to see they are taking your problem seriously. This is an area that Anthem has been working on since this past Fall. It would have been easy for them to just ignore the HTPC market, since there are workarounds like DVI Detective. But the fact that they are on the way to a proper solution means to me that they are truly committed to making their video board work completely correctly.

Thanks for the update! By the way, what version number did that test software have?
--Bob

Sooo true!!!

Bob and or Levesque........

I am getting a Tosh XA2 (soon I hope). To date I have been extremely satisfied with the 480i HDMI stream from the Oppo to the D2. Although terrific the Tosh XA1 in my setup is not as 'pristine', for want of a better descriptor, for upconversion as the Oppo.

My question is will this continue to be true with the XA2? Are the silicon improvements I am hearing about for the XA2 reviews likely a better result for SD DVD's than the oppo? Does the upconversion to 1080P in the Tosh XA2 trump the 480I from the oppo and subsequent conversion to 1080P?

Does any of this make sense?

Peter

OK this is getting ridiculous. Almost every time I start up the Anthem I have to shut down and recycle to get sound.

The EXTRA problem is that devices like the XA2 will start at the beginning because it looses it's HDMI connection on the recycle and starts from the beginning of the disc, which is a royal pain to wait, go through the Copyright screen, wait for the HD DVD feature promotional fingers crossed I have sound, Next chapter, then popup menu to get back where I was. This is BS big time.

ok, first grade question, what are the material differences between D2 and AVM50? which does one get for best value? also, is this an AVS product line?

Peter,
It makes lots of sense. There are a number of ways the Toshiba players can screw up standard DVD playback.

Now with your XA1, I expect you are sending HDMI 480p instead of 480i, right? I didn't think the XA1 knew how to generate HDMI 480i output. If so, then what you are seeing is the Toshiba's idea of how to de-interlace the standard DVD content. The de-interlacing in the D2 is being bypassed! This alone could explain the difference.

Other ways that players can screw up HDMI 480i or 480p (beyond de-interlacing problems in production of the 480p) are:

1) Clipping Blacker than Black or Peak White data, or reducing the number of steps of it that are presented.

2) Crushing near Black or near Reference White data.

3) Y/C delay errors (color timing not quite aligned with gray scale timing).

4) MPEG2 decoder errors including the infamous Color Upsampling Error (CUE).

5) Missing or duplicated steps in the gray scale or color ramps.

6) Temporary improper signal when given a "bad edit" or chapter change on the disc.

7) Incorrect or overly aggressive "filtering" of the signal in a misguided effort to do noise reduction of various sorts, or in the belief that the destination device can't handle the full horizontal or vertical resolution coming off the disc.

There are more, but that should be enough to give you an idea.

The thing is, when folks claim these new players handle standard DVD discs just fine, there are *LOTS* of details they are glossing over without proper testing.

Early reports are that the XA2 is better than the XA1, but I've not yet seen test results (as regards standard DVD playback) from folks I trust to test this properly.
--Bob

The Statement D2 has a better power supply and a more "exotic" audio solution than the AVM-50. Their video solution is identical.

The D2 also has spare DSP processing power that is expected to be used soon to implement a Room EQ upgrade.

Check out the AVM section of the Anthem web site and you will find a comparison chart that lists specific feature differences between the D2 and AVM-50 (as well as the lower AVM products). There aren't many.

"Best value" is a difficult thing to assess. There are many happy AVM-50 owners on this thread who are perfectly happy saving the money by having bought it instead of the Statement D2. On the other hand, the average Sony receiver owner would likely look at the AVM-50 and consider it ridiculously over priced.
--Bob

Have you updated Nick at Anthem on what you are going through? It sounds like it is getting worse.
--Bob

You don't deserve this and it is not right! Something is terribly wrong and there is a no compromise position that Anthem should take in resolving this once and for all.

I say this as an enthusiastic owner of the D2. The behaviour of the Tosh MAY and I say MAY be in part due to the software implimentation on the disk with respect to the goofy restart procedure. Thats a bridge for the studio's and player hardware to be fixed.

The loss of sound and I suspect the catalyst HDMI handshake failure is too common an error condition to be passed off as just living in a complex world. The Toshiba XA2 and Anthem D2 should be rock solid by now with virtually no margin for error.....especially the one you are describing. The only config test I can suggest would be to either turn on or off the HDMI repeater function in the D2 options and try to see if the behaviour stops.

The behaviour you are describing was happening to me very intermittently with the original version 1.0 of the software. When I finally upgraded to Ver 1.1 virtually all of the HDMI handshake issues disappeared.

I have to admit that it bothers me to hear stuff like this when I know just how phenomenal the experience can be when everything works........Its too bad that Nick has to take the brunt of this as it is clear that the resolution is an engineering challenge and not a support issue.

Anthem I believe you have the best support attitude and response in the industry, you need to accept the need to focus on the engineering sooner rather than later. I can say this because I wouldn't sell my D2 back to you at DOUBLE the price! When it works well you have no peers.....

To ask an end user to recycle the device as normal operating procedure is just wrong. PERIOD!

Peter

ps.....not even triple the price....its mine and you can't have it back.

Bob you are right (again). The Xa1 does not know 480I over HDMI for output because to Toshiba it wouldn't make any sense.....why would anyone want to take a machine the size, weight and cost of the XA1 and use it to send 480i over HDMI as output??????? unless of course you happen to own an external AV pre/processor!

Although I will obviously a/b the two machines when the XA2 arrives I suspect that it will an interesting test to measure the results. Either way we (the consumer) win. I just can't imagine the SD upconversion getting any better but I certainly won't fight it either way.

Also would the best test be to take the current SD Digital Video Essentials and play it in both machines for the best reference material?

Peter

Well it is tough to see the sort of errors I'm talking about unless you already know what you are looking for. But in terms of subjective tests sure, the sample video sequences on the DVE disc are good, as are the de-interlacing and noise tests on the HQV test disc.
--Bob

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT tell me what I should be looking for! I have heard too many stories on this thread how the whole home theater experience has been ruined by a more informed perspective on things like artifacts etc. Ignorance is bliss Bob.......I have a staff member who will watch a video reflected in a toaster!!!!! We just haven't had the heart to explain the physics involved and it sure is an economical morale booster and yes we have him plug it in as it keeps him in the kitchen so we know where he is at all times.

Peter

OK I must be really dumb, but all of a sudden, all three DVD players(OPPO, A2, and DMP-BD10) play my CDs in surround sound not 2 channel. I am using the 2 channel preset via HDMI. I have checked and double checked my menus in the source and D2. What am I doing wrong?

Odds are you have selected an audio "Mode" in the Anthem that is generating the surround sound for you from those stereo inputs. It does that by doing math on the incoming stereo audio.

If you have turned on THX post processing (perhaps by accident) then the only Modes you will be offered are the surround sound Modes.

So play a CD. Then press the THX button on the Anthem remote and use the Up or Down arrow keys as necessary to turn off THX post processing.

Then press the Mode button on the Anthem remote and use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through the available choices. What you likely want is "Stereo".

Personally, when I'm seated in my primary listening position and not moving around the room a lot, I prefer "Anthem Logic Music" (AL Music) mode over "Stereo". It is a non-aggressive surround sound mode -- i.e., it doesn't create much audio for the surround speakers -- and it turns off the Center speaker to keep from messing up the front sound stage.

Whichever Mode you like you can set as the default mode for 2-channel audio input when you select that device. For the modes that pair up with THX post processing, you can also set the default to have THX either on or off. Do this in the Anthem's Setup / Source Select page.

For example, I have my CD input's default settings for 2-channel to be "AL Music", i.e., non-aggressive "invented" surround sound, and without THX.

The default you specify will be activated each time you switch to that input. You can then change it manually, as you desire, while listening. If you would prefer that the Anthem *NOT* change things on the fly each time you change inputs, just set the default for each type of incoming audio format to be "last used", and the Anthem will just maintain whatever you last set manually.

For example I have my TV settings for 2-channel and 5.1 defaulting to no THX. When the program I'm watching happens to be a movie, I will manually turn on THX. Meanwhile the default settings for my DVD have THX on, and I turn it OFF manually if the DVD I'm watching happens to be of a TV series or other non-movie content.

I will also manually switch to "Academy-MONO" mode when watching old black and white movies.

The combination of defaults and manual adjustments works pretty well. The most common confusion is people forgetting that turning on THX post processing also means switching to the more limited set of available Modes.
--Bob

Well I tried all of these suggestions: a new cable, reseating the cable, power cycling each device, reconfiguring the video outputs, cycling through the TV inputs. In fact I had already tried them but I gave it another shot. I still have nothing except sound. I don't even get the onscreen setup. I'm super stressed, because I purchased off audiogon.