Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 120

Yes, unfortunately the current work pre-release has an issue with failure to program OKI external flash so I'm effectively stuck at the moment.

This happened to me and the only solution was to reset to factory defaults (via front panel) and then reload a more recent software load (suggest stopping at 1.06 given my experiences) then reload settings.

The other common one is RGB vs YCrCb color, this got rid of my green screen early on.

Tim

Peter,

I was much more stable on all releases through .06.

Nick was VERY fast to respond and very helpful but I'm stuck until a release after 11b.

I'll take stability over feature creep, and I'm hoping software types have the same attitude at Anthem (which didn't happen to be my attitude when I was a programmer in the early years...)

Thanks for the words,
Tim

Another thing you might try is pulling the plug on all your HDMI equipment. I was having a problem with the Toshiba A1 and it finally crashed my TV . It was so bad, the other HDMI input failed also (scary moment). Turning the TV off and back on did not help (yet another scary moment). However, removing power for a few minutes to force a reboot of all the processors and chips fixed it.

OK, let's try taking this further.

First, if you have any HDMI source devices -- a scaling DVD player perhaps -- then set it to 480p output and connect it via a short HDMI cable (under 6 feet say) directly to your TV and see if you can get a picture. This will tell you whether the HDMI input of the TV is still working. Use 480p (480 "progressive") because that's the easiest HDMI signal for your TV to deal with.

Next, hook up Component video cables from the Main path output of the Anthem to the TV -- or some other TV if you have one handy -- and see if you can get the Anthem Setup stuff to appear on the TV when you select its Component video input. This will tell you that the video output circuit of the Anthem is not fried.

If you don't get Component video on the first try, then reset the Anthem's output to 480p in the Anthem's Setup / Video Output menu. You can do this with just the front panel display on the Anthem. It will only display one line at a time, but just take your time and scroll through the menu entries using the pictures of the menus in the Anthem owner's manual as your guide.

Presuming you TV's HDMI input as working and you can demonstrate that Component video output is working from the Anthem (at least at 480p) then we've isolated this quite a bit.

Now, tell us what version of the Anthem software is curently loaded on your Anthem. To find this, Back out of the Setup menu and press the Select button on the remote. The software version number will be at the right end of the first line in the Anthem front panel display.

If your software is older than V1.06 you may simply need to upgrade your software. The older software had significant issues with HDMI reliability.

If your software is V1.10 or V1.11, and if the output to your display is 1080i or 1080p, or if *ANY* of your input devices are set to generate 1080i or 1080p output to the Anthem, you may be suffering from the 1080 bug that crept in with those two software versions and affects about 10% of the Anthems out there. The way to test that is to set the output resolution of the Anthem to something other than 1080i or 1080p (using the front panel display), and then to set each and every one of your connected source devices so that they can not send out 1080i or 1080p, and then, finally power cycle the Anthem and see if you can now get video. If that workaround works for you then, be advised that Anthem is working on a fix for this and it should be available shortly.

If you have access to another TV, hooking it up to the Anthem output may also help isolate what's working and what isn't working.

Finally, give us some more info on your source devices, your TV, and the type and lengths of cables between them and the Anthem. This may suggest additional things for you to try.
--Bob

Well, the component and HDMI inputs are definitely working on the TV. The component out is not working on the Anthem. I have reset the device to factory default settings. I have unplugged and replugged the AVM-50. HDMI cables are all less than six feet. Component cables are three feet. TV is a Sharp 52d62U. DVD player is a XA1. The software revision is 1.10.

The things about it is that I don't even get the OSD so it is not the sources. Although it also says no video input even with a video source playing.

I think that the video circuitry is fried.

Yes, I'm afraid that seems the most likely situation at this point. But since you have the V1.10 software, I just want to be sure you don't have the video output set to 1080i or 1080p and you have no connected source device that might have sent a 1080i or 1080p input signal since the last time you power cycled the AVM-50, correct?
--Bob

Hey, Bob:

How exactly does SACD via HDMI work? I am assuming that the D2 decodes the data into multichannel signals.

Thank you again for your expert advice.

What I mean is DVD-Audio will output a multichannel PCM signal via HDMI in the Oppo but will SACD (via HDMI in the Oppo) be in stereo (albeit high resolution PCM) or will it also be multichannel?

The 970 and 981 will output SACD as high resolution (88.1/24) 5.1 PCM via HDMI. I am using the 981HD for SACD and DVD-A via HDMI to the D2 just fine.

As Kris says, the Oppo players do multi-channel just fine for this using an HDMI V1.1 link to the D2.

Not all HDMI V1.1 SACD players will do this!

SACD on the disc is not PCM. It is in a different digital format (the details aren't important). HDMI V1.1 supports players, like the Oppo players, that convert that other format to PCM for output. HDMI V1.2a (which the Anthem does not have) also supports sending the original digital format as found on the SACD disc. Some purists believe that is a better way to listen to SACD but most HDMI V1.2a receivers and pre/pros would just immediately convert that incoming digital stream to PCM *ANYWAY* so it is a moot point.

If you use an SACD player, such as the Oppo players, that will convert the SACD disc format to PCM (which is full quality, high bandwidth, and yes multi-channel) and send that out over HDMI V1.1, then that will work fine with the D2.

Also be aware that to do this you will need to set the output video resolution from the player to 720p or 1080i to get all the channels of full bandwidth audio. This is due to the way HDMI is designed for audio. This is true for DVD-Audio listening as well. Trying to do this at HDMI 480i or 480p will result in only two channels of audio or reduced bandwidth audio depending upon the player.
--Bob

thanks again!

The 970 is suppose to have a sonic advantage over the 981 regarding SACD & DVD-A playback, correct?

dc

Pardon me please, and not to change the subject, but I'm tired of scouring the internet to find remote codes for the Oppo 970 and the Directv H20 mfg600 sat reciever that works with the Anthem AVM-50 remote.
If anybody has found them, Please help, or advise for an alternative would be much appreciated.

I've been using a Harmony 880 with great sucess with the D2 and Oppo and Dish 622 DVr..

The 1080i fix is out. If you need it,email Nick at Anthem. I have not intalled t yet. Can we get people who install it to give us feedback on how it works?Thanks

I am ordering my D2 today and am wondering first, what version number the new 1080i fix is at and secondly, anything I need to specify when ordering the D2. I am also ordering the A5 amp at the same time and have decided to use balanced connections between the amp and the D2. Is this a good move or not required, ($10 more for the balanced versus SE)?

I will be connecting a Arcam DV 137 and a HD PVR with Rogers feed coming in for now with a PC to be connected at a later date.

I am going with the either the Anthony Gallo Reference speakers, (Mains, C and rears), or the Eyis line from Tannoy. Still need to decide between those two and is dependent on Anthony Gallo meeting the price point.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Bob, (Mississauga, Ontario).

Nick said the version is 1.11b
It is not officially released but can be obtained by sending Nick an email

Does anyone have a PS3 running to thier D2 via HDMI? I am tring to figure out the best way to setup the video output to the D2 (1080i or 1080p) and to make sure that linear pcm is the way to go.

Thanks,

Jeremy

I see that Anthem has info on the D1 upgrade to D2 on thier website. I'm about ready to jump on this and upgrade my D1, but wanted to be ceratin that my other HT components will play nice with the D2. Are there any issues with a HD-DVD setup with a Toshiba XA2 and a Sony Pear FP that I should be concerned about? My other soureces are an HD-Tivo, Xbox 360, and a HTPC. I will probably then upgrade my video card in my HTPC to one with HDMI out and the only source using component will be the 360. Any thoughts appreciated.

Very infromative, Bob; thank you. Normally one would setup HDMI to 480i to take advantage of external video processing in D2 or AVM50. So it appears that while watching DVD-V, one would use Oppo's HDMI to 480i, but while listening to hi-rez audio, one would change Oppo's HDMI setting to 1080i or 720p. Perhaps even HDMI 1.2a would require this change in settings...? Not very convenient but a trade-off between cable clutter and settings-fiddling I guess.

Jerry,
I'm having trouble getting the D2's various press-and-hold buttons to work with the Harmony 880. I.e., the "7" key, the "mode key", and the "sub/lfe" key to get to Setup.

Logitech tech support is working on a solution for me, but perhaps you've already figured out a way to do this?
--Bob

$10 more is not a lot for the extra peace of mind, but the XLR connections will not add anything in a typical home theater configuration. The XLR connections are better at rejecting interference, so they are very useful for long cable runs (say over 15 feet) or in environments where there is expected to be a lot of electrical interference. That's why they are used in pro setups.

XLR connections also look cool, which is a factor for folks who like to show off the back of their setup.
--Bob

Any other info on what ELSE might have been fixed in this version?
--Bob

The V1.10 and V1.11 D2 and AVM-50 software have a bug that hits about 10% of the units and makes it impossible to use 1080i or 1080p input or output. Anthem has test software out now that's supposed to fix this problem.

The V1.10 and V1.11 D2 and AVM-50 software have a bug (or possibly bugs) that causes it to not power on in the correct configuration when it has been powered off for "a while". A momentary power cycle fixes most of this -- although one issue (changing the setting of the Scale Output item for the input selected at power on) requires a manual fix each time you power on. Anthem is aware of several symptoms here. So far, no test software has been proposed as a fix to this.

Folks with the Sony Pearl have reported problems finding the corrrect output timings for the D2 when sending 1080p/24Hz video. Anthem is apparently working on adjustments to its /24Hz timings. 1080p/60Hz timings work fine.

Folks with HTPC setups with DVI output have reported problems getting the Anthem's to play nice with their EDID info (used in the handshake that establishes the connections). Gefen's DVI Detective is helpful here. Anthem has test software out now that handles this better without needing the Detective.

I can't recall any specific issues for the XA2, the various HD-Tivo boxes or the Xbox 360.
--Bob

Yes, HDMI 1.2a, and even HDMI 1.3, would require this. Available audio bandwidth in HDMI is a percentage of the currently selected video bandwidth.

It is possible for the source device to do something special at HDMI 480i and 480p (called pixel repetition) to avoid having to do this, but I know of no HDMI source devices -- not one -- that goes this route for DVD-Audio or SACD playback over HDMI. As such, even if some new source device did this, it would probably be discovered that many displays and receivers just get confused by such a signal.

A more probable fix for this would be for players like the Oppo to offer the option of an AUTOMATIC switch to HDMI 1080i output when playing DVD-Audio or SACD discs over HDMI.
--Bob

Depends on your monitor/projector.

My PS3 is connected via HDMI. I configured my PS3 to output Linear PCM. I use auto though. I haven't yet played with individual audio output settings (there's about a dozen or so audio output settings if you want to configure things manually, but I wasn't sure what to select and haven't had time to play with the manual settings). But, you definitely want to select Linear PCM.

For video output, depends on your projector/monitor. Since I have a 720p projector, I configured my PS3 to tell it that I support 480p, 720p, and 1080i. This way, the PS3 outputs 720p for 720p games, 480p for standard DVDs (if I recall, it doesn't do 480i for standard DVDs), and 1080i for 1080p Blu-Ray DVDs (since the PS3 does not properly scale 1080p sources to 720p; it's best to have Anthem do the 1080i to 720p conversion).

There's also a video output settting where you can select automatic, RGB, YCbCr, etc. I used to set mine to automatic, but I changed it to RGB (haven't done enough testing yet, but my PS3 was hanging occassionally while playing Blu-Ray. I changed it to RGB, and no hangs so far, but I haven't watched enough Blu-Ray DVDs lately to claim that changing from automatic to RGB fixed the issue).

The typical default for an HDMI connection would be YCbCr 4:4:4. That should give you slightly better imaging than RGB.
--Bob

I got the Jan 16th update from Nick and tried it last night. I am sorry to say that the fix did not work for me. The firmware installed OK but I still have the 1080i/p problem. I replied to Nick and let him know it didn't fix it for me.

Update

I just got an email from Nick and he suspects something else might be the problem with my particular D2 that we are still trying to track down.

Thanks Bob,

Agree with your comment on the XLR issue and have used it extensively back in the days when I had a Discreet Edit system in my studio.

Don't really need but the cool factor is definitely there!

Cheers

Bob A