Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 1233

^ Release date for the 3D upgrade isn't even nailed down in the US yet.

It's unlikely the D2v will have height speaker support added as there are no outputs for the extra speakers. I.e., it would involve a pretty significant hardware change. If it is going to happen at all, it would be more likely to happen in a new model, and there are no hints yet as to when that might happen.
--Bob

Could it not use the second centre output and second sub output, and use those as either the front height, or front width - I appreciate there aren't enough to achieve both at the same time without sacrificing the rears in a 7.1 set-up. That said I guess there are enough outputs for someone with 5.1 to have front height and width channels at the same time?

Sure, but I'd doubt a "partial" solution like that would have much market value. Anyway, there's no suggestion this is in the works for the D2v.
--Bob

Bob,
I searched this forum for Oppo settings for an Oppo 83.
I just sold my D2 and got a D2v. I've read your posts about calibrating the display device 1st (projector), which I've done. Now I'd like to know what settings to use for the 83 as well as a sd dvd player (Oppo 983) so that the D2v does the audio/video processing. The 983 doesn't have 480i so what else could I use?
I also have a Samsung tv tuner. Do I set this to 480i also?
I'll set the Anthem when I set the dvd players menu's. If you can point me to a previous post (if one exists) I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
Ken

Ken,

Obviously I'm not Bob, But I have a question about your question.
If you are using an Oppo 83 why would you need the 983?
The 83 does everything the 983 does and more. To me using both seems redundant. Sell the 983 and buy some Blurays with the profit.

The 83 can be set to 'source direct' which will send s-dvd's at 480i and bluray at 1080p.
Bob used to suggest setting the Oppo83 to 1080p (rather than 'source direct')and letting the 83 do the heavy lifting with video conversion. That was for the D2; I'm not sure if he changed his mind with the D2v, but the video chip in the 83 was the equal of the gennum VXP chip in the D2.
By setting it to 1080p it will also allow you to enjoy the full impact of DVD-A's and SACD's. If I remember correctly, 'source direct' doesn't allow the full bandwith to be sent from the 83. I may be confusing this with the oppo 980 I used to own before I got my oppo83 (I now use the 93), but I seem to remember there being problems with DVD-A's and SACD's if the oppo83 was set to source direct.

If your projector can accept 1080p/24, the 83 can be set to '24p- auto'. This is probably the only setting in the 83 that should be set to auto. If your projector can't handle 24p, then set that to 'off'.

If you have calibrated the projector then all of the 'picture adjustment' settings in the oppo should remain at default of '0'. Any minor tweaks can be made in the D2v video setup if needed to suit your taste and adjust for different sources.

Color space is more of a trial and error process, but should be set to a specific setting, not auto. If you plan to use the D2v for scaling, then set the oppo to 4:2:2--I believe this will send the purest, unaltered signal to the D2v. What you set the D2v to send to your projector will be trial and error. Others with your make and model of projector may be able to help you which setting between RGB, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4, is best.

Tom

Tom
When I had the D2 the switching between the 983 and the 83 took quite awhile so I just used the 2 players and set them up as dvd1 & dvd2. Shortened the time and less syncing by the D2.
With the D2v I will try the 83 with both settings and see how it switches.
I have a JVC RS20 proj. which does 1080p/24. I'm using 4:4:4 in the 1. Video config., but on the Video adj. screen of the D2v under "info" it says 1080p RGB?

Ken

My RS 50 only works with RGB in the 83, D2v and pj. Otherwise I get magenta hue over everything.
John

Sorry Bob only just read your post. I'm at work now so can't answer your question completely but yes it's when Odin slams his staff down during the ceremony. The issue is not scene specific it's just more obvious with a large bass bit so I just picked one, otherwise the sound difference is across the board.

I'm not sure I understand.
Are you saying that you are using Video config 1 for the oppo83 source, and video conf 1 is set to send 4:4:4, but the video adjustment screen (the screen that pops up when you press/hold #7) says you are sending out RGB??

The video info screen(#7) shows what 'color space' the D2v is receiving from the source, but not what it is sending out. At least thats how it looks on the D2.
The D2v may show both.
The 1-4 video configuration setups will allow you to choose what color space is sent out from the D2v to your display.

It may be that the oppo is sending out RGB, and that is what the video info screen is showing. If video configuration 1 is set to send out 4:4:4, then that is what it will send out.
If video config 1 is set to 'auto' it will check with the display and may be choosing to send out RGB.

If your projector is like jayray's then you should set the video config 1 to output RGB, not 'auto'. It should shorten the handshake when switching to that source.

Tom

Hi,
Another setting I can recommend for you is DVD 24p in the Oppo BDP-83 for film-based DVDs. You will need to explicitly set output to 1080p24 (not Source Direct) for this item to be available.

This is something the D2v won't do on its own (produce 24p from 480i) but it will happily pass 1080p24 from the player to your PJ as if you are watching a blu-ray.

Source Direct is only recommended for video processors that can do this "inverse telecine" process. Fortunately the BDP-83 does this internally (maybe not as well as an external VP like a Lumagen, but I've yet to discover the downside).

This will also render the other DVD player in your system redundant.

For the 83:

1) I recommend you use explicit 1080p output all the time. For SD-DVDs in particular, the 83 is a remarkable player for de-interlacing and upscaling.

2) Leave 1080p/24 set to AUTO whether or not your display handles /24 input. The Anthem will convert that to /60 output for your display (a trivial process).

3) Assuming 1080p output, use 16:9 Wide/Auto in the 83, and use "Anamorphic" scaling in the Anthem for that input (Video Source Adjust > Scaling while the OPPO input is selected). This will give you the best results for 4:3 SD-DVDs.

4) The choice of Color Space and Deep Color settings in the OPPO has no pat answer. It depends how your Display interacts with the Anthem. In the setup for my Display for example, it works better if I turn on Dithering in the OPPO. I use YCbCr 4:4:4 and Deep Color OFF (Dithered). See my post on "Ratatouille", Blu-ray, in the BDP-93 sticky thread in the Blu-ray players forum for one way to check which combo of Color Space and Deep Color choices works best through the Anthem for YOUR display. NOTE: Do *NOT* use RGB PC Level in the OPPO for HDMI to the Anthem.

5) Use TV System Multi. The Anthem will convert Pal (/50) to /60 for output to your Display.

6) Very Important: In the 83, set Secondary Audio OFF, regardless of whether you are using HDMI LPCM or HDMI Bitstream output, unless you intend to play a disc feature that requires Secondary Audio (e.g., a Picture in Picture Commentary track that has its audio implemented as Secondary Audio). With Secondary Audio ON in the 83 the player will not decode a TrueHD or DTS-HD MA track you have selected. You'll get the lossy, compatibility track instead. (NOTE: The 93 and 95 handle this differently.)

7) I use HDMI Audio LPCM most of the time.

8) Set HDMI CEC OFF

9) In the 83, I recommend you set BD-Live OFF unless you want to use a BD-Live feature on some disc.

--Bob

Video Source Adjust > Info reports the data format of the Video INPUT.

What you have set in Setup > Video Output Configuration is the data format of the Video OUTPUT.

They need not be the same.
--Bob

On the "info" it said RGB, but I wasn't playing a disc. Once I put a blu ray in it said 4:4:4. I played 3 movies and they all said 4:4:4. In the video adjust both 4:4:4 and RGB were checked (default). Should I take the check mark off the RGB?
Thanks for the help.
Ken

No, leave those both checked -- the Auto position for YCbCr and the Studio position for RGB. That menu does dual duty selecting what to do if the input format is YCbCr and also what to do if it is RGB.

When you are not playing a disc, the player is still sending video (its splash screen or menus) so long as it is powered on.

You should have the 83's output HDMI Color Space set to an explicit choice, e.g., YCbCr 4:4:4, and not Auto. Then it should send whichever you have selected even when you are not playing a disc.

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

Additional to my notes above:

1) Set SACD Output PCM when playing SACD discs over HDMI audio to the Anthem -- the normal way to do it with the 83.

2) Set HDCD Decoding ON.

3) Pick an explicit choice (LPCM or Bitstream) for HDMI Audio. Do not use Auto. Similarly, set 1080p output resolution in the 83. Do not use Auto.
--Bob

Got it now, and from what I see the problem is that if Last Used is set in Mode Presets (v2.14d), it's acting like it's set to None, for example after reselecting the source. Does that sum it up on your end?

Thanks Bob,
One more question. In the Video conf. on the D2v what's the recommended setting for the Output Bits, 8, 10, or 12?

On a side note. What's up with the Spears & Munsil test disc. The contrast & brightness are always off with everything I've tried it with.

Ken

Yes, but I did not try reselecting a source. Here's what I did:

1. Set mode preset for DTS to "NONE".
2. Play a DTS source and observe mode changes from PCM to DTS 5.1 NONE.
3. Change mode to PLIIx.
4. Pause source and observe mode changes back to PCM.
5. Play source and observe mode is recalled as DTS 5.1 PLIIx (good).
6. Now change DTS mode preset to "LAST USED".
7. Observe DTS 5.1 PLIIx still displayed and then pause source.
8. Restart AVM by setting MAIN to Standby and then back on.
9. Wait for mode to indicate PCM.
10. Play the source and mode changes to DTS 5.1 NONE (not good).

My home is a High ranch and I currently have my temporary theater room (waiting to move a load bearing wall) downstairs that houses my D2v and other equipment. Upstairs in my living room I have another "smaller system". On many occasions I run both systems off my D2v. Basicly I utilize the second HDMI of the D2v and have that going into my upstairs Yamaha AV reciver as an HDMI source. Since the the D2v's HDMI output only supports 2 channel audio I also utilize the coax out of my blue ray player and feed the Yamaha multi channel audio. (or in a case of HDCP lossy audio)

Is there a way I could connect the coax from the player to the D2v and then have the D2v send the audio via coax? (while still utilizing the HDMI for Vidio) I have tried a few ways and I can't figure out how to do it (blu ray or DVD). I would like to use the D2v to send the audio because of its ability to up sample the bit rate. Just as the HDMI into the Yamaha feeds it the improved video of the D2v.

Obviously not as important as faulty units or firmware issues but challenging non the less.

On a side note I have installed the latest Firmware (2.14d) and the unit is working flawlessly. It took 6 try's though where the process timed out due to the loader not responding in the right baud rate. But once in I reloaded and ran ARC. Very happy with the results

^ No setup required besides adding the coax cables to Coax-DVD input and either DIGITAL REC coax output. The data will be passed through with default settings, and 2.0 PCM downmix if REC is set to copy mode (don't do it in this case).

DIGITAL2 coax output has additional setup options in menu 9 in case they're needed some day.

Again, that's something you need to check against your particular Display. Even Displays that claim to accept 10 or 12 sometimes only treat it as 8, or have peculiarities (i.e., bugs) in the way they display it. The test scene in "Ratatouille", Blu-ray, I alluded to can help in figuring this out.

But before you can even attempt to see such subtle differences, you need to get your calibration levels correct. Which brings us to your Spears & Munsil issue.

The gray scale charts on Spears & Munsil, Blu-ray are ACCURATE. If you are having trouble getting Contrast and Brightness correct then something is wrong in your setup.

The OPPO 83 you are using puts out "reference" signals on the HDMI cable when set to its default value (0) Picture Adjustment settings. Set everything in Picture Adjustment on the 83 to 0.

Similarly, in the Anthem, leave the Video Source Adjust > Picture > Brightness/Contrast, etc., settings at their default values for that input from the OPPO.

Make all of your level adjustments using the controls IN YOUR DISPLAY.

In the first post of this thread you will find links to tutorial posts that may give you a leg up on getting things set up correctly. In particular, you need to start by picking the correct "Picture Mode" in your TV. See the Setup related posts included in that long list of tutorial post links.

There's also a whole forum here devoted to Display calibration, where you'll find sticky threads with tutorial information, and folks with helpful advice.

Also check the owner's thread for your model of Display for advice on any preliminary settings you need to make to make it POSSIBLE to adjust the Display properly. Things like turning off Automatic Gain or Contrast adjustments, or Flesh Tone "enhancement".

But trust me on this, the Spears & Munsil gray scale charts are correct, and the 83 renders those charts correctly, and the Anthem passes that along correctly.

By the way, there's a thread here at AVS run by the people who authored that disc, where they answer questions on how to use that disc. A Search should find it.

When people say they are having trouble getting Contrast and Brightness right, often there are one of two common problems. First, they've got the wrong Picture Mode set in their Display -- a mode that makes it impossible to calibrate the display correctly. Second, at some point in the video chain they are sending video in the RGB data format, and there is a mismatch between the two devices at either end of that cable as to which flavor of RGB is in use.

In the OPPO, these are RGB Video Level (the one you want) or RGB PC Level. In the Anthem, the one that matches with RGB Video Level is called Studio RGB. In your Display it could be called anything, but the setting will have only two choices. The one you want is where Black is given the value of 16 instead of 0. If you use YCbCr data format you won't have to worry about this.

This choice as to which flavor of RGB data will be sent and which flavor the receiving device expects has to be made MANUALLY in both devices. The HDMI handshake can determine automatically that RGB data format is in use, but it can NOT tell which flavor of RGB is in us. If there is a mismatch in the choices set in the two devices at either end of a cable, and if RGB data format is in use on that cable, then gray scale will be messed up.
--Bob

i noticed a question about 4k support for anthem dv2 3d. i am sure it will pass-trough any video within hdmi 1.4a specifications. the problem is that hdmi 1.4a only allows for 24hz at 3840*2160, for 60hz a higher bitrate connection like displayport 1.2, 120hz requires 2 displayport cables.

my next monitor will be have a resulotion of 2560*1440 so i would like to see a prepro doing video processing for good resolution and not only 1080p. i would like to have a 3840*2160(or 2400) monitor for my next pc, it's for computer monitors it's really needed. i really hopes displayport 1.2 will replace hdmi for several reasons but it might only become standard for pc monitors, this is much dependent by the next gen gaming consoles.

Hey Bob. Oppo did get back to me and they want me to test the disc using Analog instead of HDMI but I don't have 5 spare cables to test this so can't do it. Also I got Underworld-Awakening which is DTS-HD MA 7.1 and I tested both Bitstream and LPCM and there was no huge difference that I could tell (I think Bitstream was a little louder but I may be wrong). Not like the difference I'm hearing with Thor. I'm lending the Thor disc to my mate who owns the 50v and he will test it tonight.

I tested Underworld too and found no diff b/t PCM and bitstreaming. The surround effects were the best I have heard in a 7.1 track.
John

If it's for a monitor why does it need to go through the D2v? Just go direct to the display from your computer.

Nick,
I just tried it and the mode is not remembered across source selections either (no power cycle involved this time). The LAST USED mode preset is truly behaving the same as the NONE mode preset.

Nick

I didn't do a good job on explaining what I was trying to achieve. I was looking to utilize hdmi for both audio and video on the D2v. Then route the video to my second system via coax. I was acheving this by using the coax out of my blu ray. I would rather route the coax through the D2v. When I try this by conecting the coax out of the blu ray to the digital input for dvd I do not get a signal from the D2v 's coax out

Look forward to you input

I meant route the video to the second system via hdmi and audio via coax

Without going off topic, but yes one of the best sounding BD's I've yet heard (only watched about 15mins) and some of the best use of surrounds. Incredible sound design so far.

And the LFE is insane.

+10