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The "Official" Denon AVR-3808CI Thread - Page 504

post #15091 of 19878
6/13/09 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blairy View Post

Glad you got it sorted and hey, you learnt stuff along the way too

vTuner and internet radio is a real neat feature...although can be distracting for many hours if you're not careful.

The PC interface is great for tweaking settings and provides an option to save your settings too. This can be useful if you ever need to reset the procesor as rather than go thru the pain of redsoing your settings you can simply upload them.

Also handy when teh kids are using teh avr...I can turn it down from the PC...or in the case of my wife turn it suddenly and give her a scare

blairy

Blairy, can you please provide the steps or procedure on how to access the gui via pc or mac. Really would appreciate it. Thanks.
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post #15092 of 19878
6/13/09 at 2:46pm
I know I used my GUI when I set up my 3808 more than a year ago. Today when I went in, hitting the MENU button merely keeps a gray screen. I know that I am connected as the screen turns blue when I turn off the receiver or change inputs on the receiver.

Any ideas?
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post #15093 of 19878
6/13/09 at 6:54pm
PC GUI control.

On the Denon go to menu>manual setup>network.

Turn DHCP on, wait about a minute for it to get an IP address. Connect to your router with a network cable (make sure you use the network port on the 3808, not the denon link port).

Open your web browser and type in the ip address.

Hakka.
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post #15094 of 19878
6/13/09 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elstonhill View Post

I know I used my GUI when I set up my 3808 more than a year ago. Today when I went in, hitting the MENU button merely keeps a gray screen. I know that I am connected as the screen turns blue when I turn off the receiver or change inputs on the receiver.

Any ideas?

Power cycle the receiver using the small power button.

Hakka.
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post #15095 of 19878
6/13/09 at 8:41pm
Still getting used to this unit.

What are people doing when the watch Blu Ray's (Sony BDP-BX1) and the surround mode?

I have a 5.1 setup currently and have found that picking the 7 channel mode sounds pretty good even though I know it is only 5 channel. Which is what shows on the screen when I select.

Besides the obvious it is personnel preference, what are folks using?

I watched X-Men final stand tonight and it had a 6.1 dts lossless option that I picked, but still watched in 7 (5 channel mode). Sounds good, but am I missing out on a better sound quality option with my setup?

Thoughts, comments?
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post #15096 of 19878
6/13/09 at 9:19pm
I helped a friend set this up today. We could not get the date-hack to work to get the free upgrade.

His unit is a 904 (April) build. It came with 1.97 firmware. When trying to apply for the update online, I put in the MAC address and serial number. It would not let me proceed with an < April 30, 09 purchase date. We did not register the unit prior. Once I put in something after May 1, it let me enter the Serial ID, but then of course wanted to charge us $100 for the update.

Any ideas?
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post #15097 of 19878
6/13/09 at 9:29pm
^pay the $100
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post #15098 of 19878
6/13/09 at 9:33pm
Regarding the no GUI on the 3803, turning the receiver off and back on with the small button solved the problem.
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post #15099 of 19878
6/14/09 at 12:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdnbum88 View Post

Still getting used to this unit.

What are people doing when the watch Blu Ray's (Sony BDP-BX1) and the surround mode?

I have a 5.1 setup currently and have found that picking the 7 channel mode sounds pretty good even though I know it is only 5 channel. Which is what shows on the screen when I select.

Besides the obvious it is personnel preference, what are folks using?

I watched X-Men final stand tonight and it had a 6.1 dts lossless option that I picked, but still watched in 7 (5 channel mode). Sounds good, but am I missing out on a better sound quality option with my setup?

Thoughts, comments?

That is downmixing the 5.1 track to 2 channel and then sending it to all speakers, your front left and surround left will be playing the same thing.

It can be ok for music but generally a bad idea for multichannel movies.

Try pressing the 'standard' button on your remote, that should show trueHD/DTS-MA/Multi in depending on the disc and player.

Hakka.
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post #15100 of 19878
6/14/09 at 5:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirquack View Post

'I have 3 subs: 1 Axiom EP600 DSP controlled sub, and 2 Axiom EP350v3 non-DSP chip subs. My 350's are up front spread out about 13ft from the main seat between my Axiom m80 mains. My EP600 currently is to the left of the seating area, "nearfield", about 6-7ft away from the main seat.'

Indeed, it seems to make sense: if your sub is DSP-driven, then the processing in the sub itself takes a certain amount of time. Maybe that time equals a distance of about 2.5'.
So all Audyssey does then is apply appropriate time compensation.
Of course, this is just a guess. But you might prove that theory in re-running audyssey without the DSP-driven sub.
On the other hand, I'd think it would be best to apply only one DSP-system to your sound at all. I guess that the interaction of different DSPs will do more harm than benefit to sound quality.
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post #15101 of 19878
6/14/09 at 5:58am
I just got my 3808 from Amazon. It came with 1.97 firmware installed. The upgrade form on Denon's site tells me "Our records indicate that this unit is already activated with the feature package". I tried both 3/31 and 6/11 as dates and got the same result. Add New Features in the GUI is telling me Not Registered.

The page also had a link "Please feel free to join the Denon Owner's Club" so I registered with that and there is a link to another page to get the upgrade (http://usa.denon.com/ProductUpdatesUpgrades.asp) when I submitted that form it came back with "Invalid serial number or does not apply to this unit".

Anyway I guess I'm going to have to call them, just wondering if anyone else experienced this or has any other suggestions.
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post #15102 of 19878
6/14/09 at 6:06am
[/quote]Try pressing the 'standard' button on your remote, that should show trueHD/DTS-MA/Multi in depending on the disc and player.

Hakka.[/quote]

Thanks Hakka. I will give that a try. Could not remember where to find those options, did not see those names under the surround options.

No when people write that they want to hear it in its native sound from the DVD player, I thought people turn something off or on to get the intended sound from the movie. What is that?
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post #15103 of 19878
6/14/09 at 6:11am
Try pressing the 'standard' button on your remote, that should show trueHD/DTS-MA/Multi in depending on the disc and player.

Hakka.[/quote]

Thanks Hakka. I will give that a try. Could not remember where to find those options, did not see those names under the surround options.

No when people write that they want to hear it in its native sound from the DVD player, I thought people turn something off or on to get the intended sound from the movie. What is that?[/quote]

when you use standard the avr will see what kind of signal is coming in. Then for example if it sees True HD it will play that format as is unless you have selected a surround mode on top of it which (this is a guess) most people don't. The exception would be PLIIx which matrixes 5.1 (or fewer) to 7.1.
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post #15104 of 19878
6/14/09 at 6:24am
I use PLIIx cinema for everything except music(I use DTS neo music for music). Although occassionaly I'll use widescreen mode when playing a game.
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post #15105 of 19878
6/14/09 at 6:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdnbum88 View Post

Still getting used to this unit.

What are people doing when the watch Blu Ray's (Sony BDP-BX1) and the surround mode?

I have a 5.1 setup currently and have found that picking the 7 channel mode sounds pretty good even though I know it is only 5 channel. Which is what shows on the screen when I select.

Besides the obvious it is personnel preference, what are folks using?

I watched X-Men final stand tonight and it had a 6.1 dts lossless option that I picked, but still watched in 7 (5 channel mode). Sounds good, but am I missing out on a better sound quality option with my setup?

Thoughts, comments?

Those modes are for expanding 2 channel music. No sense in overlaying those DSP modes over the genuine discrete multichannel soundtracks on bluray and dvd's. ALWAYS use the standard processing when watching movies on media (dvd,bluray,etc.)

Steve
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post #15106 of 19878
6/14/09 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blairy View Post

Glad you got it sorted and hey, you learnt stuff along the way too [IMG]http://www.*****************/trafficreport/img/3721/k08t1221bbuq/gdsmile.gif[/IMG]

vTuner and internet radio is a real neat feature...although can be distracting for many hours if you're not careful.

The PC interface is great for tweaking settings and provides an option to save your settings too. This can be useful if you ever need to reset the procesor as rather than go thru the pain of redsoing your settings you can simply upload them.

Also handy when teh kids are using teh avr...I can turn it down from the PC...or in the case of my wife turn it suddenly and give her a scare

blairy

Lol, I'll prefer uploading for the settings.
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post #15107 of 19878
6/14/09 at 8:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blairy View Post

Volito, by web interface I meant using the denon gui on your pc. From your PC start an internet browser, type the address of your avr (mine is 10.1.1.5 and can be found in the avr settings). From here you can do pretty much anything including select or change inputs.

Do you know if this works with with Vista 64bit PCs?
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post #15108 of 19878
6/14/09 at 9:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirquack View Post

I know this is more of an Audyssey question, but I'm really not getting much feedback on that thread, seems to many posts fly by and Chris and others don't read my posts. So, since I have a 3808, has anyone had issues where Audyssey sets the Subwoofer distance "shorter" than actual. Most people experience a setting "longer" than physical distance, which is normal as most subs have internal circuitry delay.

I have 3 subs: 1 Axiom EP600 DSP controlled sub, and 2 Axiom EP350v3 non-DSP chip subs. My 350's are up front spread out about 13ft from the main seat between my Axiom m80 mains. My EP600 currently is to the left of the seating area, "nearfield", about 6-7ft away from the main seat.

I've experimented with various placement/distance settings in the room. I've even tried running Audyssey with just 1, 2, and all 3 subs in the mix. Still, Audyssey always comes back with a sub distance of around 9.2 to 9.7 ft for a distance.

It does sound good, but according to Chris (Audyssey) and the Audyssey setup guide on the main thread, this should not happen and something is wrong. Many other people have posted that they have the same issue with other brand subs.

My room is very large, 30ft x 31ft x 9ft, so maybe that has something to do with it...Any ideas or feedback would be appreciated. Oh yeah, I am running all 8 mic positions and have tried various arrangements for the mic as well, many weekends of testing.

thanks....Randy

With a room that size, I'm sure this is a front projection system. Is your projector on during Audyssey calibarion? If so, is the mic under the projecttor? Try running Audyssey with the projector off to see if thatimproves the readings.
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post #15109 of 19878
6/14/09 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xandra View Post

Do you know if this works with with Vista 64bit PCs?

It's just a Web page so I am guessing yes, though I don't use Vista.
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post #15110 of 19878
6/14/09 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elstonhill View Post

I know I used my GUI when I set up my 3808 more than a year ago. Today when I went in, hitting the MENU button merely keeps a gray screen. I know that I am connected as the screen turns blue when I turn off the receiver or change inputs on the receiver.

Any ideas?


Was there any chance you were in Pure Direct Mode? This disables the GUI as far as I can tell.
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post #15111 of 19878
6/14/09 at 2:30pm
Hi Randy, since I moved from the apartment to the larger room in the house I've had a couple times where the auto setup on my Denon 2807 has set my EP500 closer than the actual disitance. Not sure why because as you mention in the other room it always set the distance much farther usually adding about 18-20 feet.

When I demoed Master and Commander for a friend who is an audio engineer (who's hobby is sound effects especially cannons) he said my subwoofer delay was way off. After playing with it he decided that adding about 10-12 feet to the actual distance sounded best. It does sound much better so now I just go with adding 10-12 feet and not what the auto setup comes up with.

Since the Audyssey on my 2807 also kills the upper bass and lower midrange (-6dB to -9dB) making the speakers sound hollow and tinny in 3 different rooms I've concluded that either the mic or something in the Denon is faulty. I've been planning on upgrading to a 3808 but have been putting it off as long as I can.

So as HDTVChallenged suggested I would just go with what you think sounds the best.

Dean
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post #15112 of 19878
6/14/09 at 3:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by grunt11 View Post

Hi Randy, since I moved from the apartment to the larger room in the house I’ve had a couple times where the auto setup on my Denon 2807 has set my EP500 closer than the actual disitance. Not sure why because as you mention in the other room it always set the distance much farther usually adding about 18-20 feet.

When I demoed “Master and Commander” for a friend who is an audio engineer (who’s hobby is sound effects especially cannons) he said my subwoofer delay was way off. After playing with it he decided that adding about 10-12 feet to the actual distance sounded best. It does sound much better so now I just go with adding 10-12 feet and not what the auto setup comes up with.

Since the Audyssey on my 2807 also kills the upper bass and lower midrange (-6dB to -9dB) making the speakers sound hollow and tinny in 3 different rooms I’ve concluded that either the mic or something in the Denon is faulty. I’ve been planning on upgrading to a 3808 but have been putting it off as long as I can.

So as HDTVChallenged suggested I would just go with what you think sounds the best.

Dean

I wonder how sensitive that little calibration mic really is to bass frequencies?
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post #15113 of 19878
6/14/09 at 3:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by porieux View Post

I just got my 3808 from Amazon. It came with 1.97 firmware installed. The upgrade form on Denon's site tells me "Our records indicate that this unit is already activated with the feature package". I tried both 3/31 and 6/11 as dates and got the same result. Add New Features in the GUI is telling me Not Registered.

The page also had a link "Please feel free to join the Denon Owner's Club" so I registered with that and there is a link to another page to get the upgrade (http://usa.denon.com/ProductUpdatesUpgrades.asp) when I submitted that form it came back with "Invalid serial number or does not apply to this unit".

Anyway I guess I'm going to have to call them, just wondering if anyone else experienced this or has any other suggestions.

Porieux, its quite possible your 3808 did indeed come factory installed with the feature package upgrade, as did mine. go into your GUI, go to Parameters --> Audio --> Audyssey Settings, and you will see if all the features are available or not. It will also say on the menu overlay at the top of the screen. There should be a rectangular Audyssey icon listing MultiEQ XT, Dynamic EQ, and Dynamic Volume. Good luck, and keep us informed. I am curious to see if many more units came with this pre-loaded at the factory.
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post #15114 of 19878
6/14/09 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffLab View Post

Porieux, its quite possible your 3808 did indeed come factory installed with the feature package upgrade, as did mine. go into your GUI, go to Parameters --> Audio --> Audyssey Settings, and you will see if all the features are available or not. It will also say on the menu overlay at the top of the screen. There should be a rectangular Audyssey icon listing MultiEQ XT, Dynamic EQ, and Dynamic Volume. Good luck, and keep us informed. I am curious to see if many more units came with this pre-loaded at the factory.


Feature pack upgraded units would start with "A" in the version number, i.e. A2.02. My friend's was also 1.97 with an April build date. Date hack didn't work, and there was no menu setting as you described above.
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post #15115 of 19878
6/14/09 at 7:19pm
I just purchased a floor model 3808 and have a couple questions. I did try and search this forum but could not quite find my answers. The manual wasn't much help. Somebody had mentioned that there was a FAQ for the 3808 but I couldn't find it. If you could point me in the right direction; I would greatly appreciate it!

1) How do I determine if I have the latest firmware? How do I find out what the build date was?

2) I'm trying to utilize the internet radio, I'm hooked up via a Netgear Ethernet Bridge wall plug. It worked when I initially installed it but today the screen just freezes. Anyone else experience this? How do I correct this? I know that I am connected because I can view and control the receiver via the website.

3) I also purchased a PS3 to run my blue ray, any suggestions on a universal remote? I noticed that people have recommended the Harmony; I purchased this 2 years ago and it seemed to run quite slow. Do the newer models still have this issue? How are you connecting the harmony with the PS3? Isn't that on Bluetooth?

I'm sorry for all the novice questions; this is the first A/V receiver that I have purchased in a decade.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!
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post #15116 of 19878
6/14/09 at 8:00pm
the setup guide and FAQ is in my signature.

can't answer the other questions, but the Harmony should NOT run slow. I've owned or setup multiple models for myself, friends, and family (520, 550, 670, 720, 880, and now the One) and none of them have been "slow". Perhaps you need to work on adjusting your delays? If the system was not responding quickly you maybe would want to read this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=623320

In terms of Harmony + PS3, the cheapest solution (what I use) is the Nyko Blu-Wave USB device:
http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-3-.../dp/B000R5H7KE

plug the USB stick into one of the PS3's USB ports and you have IR control over everything but power on/off function.

a little more expensive, but they just introduced a new Harmony extender specifically for PS3 which will give you complete control (and won't take up a USB port):
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/re.../5732&cl=us,en
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post #15117 of 19878
6/14/09 at 9:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam S View Post

Feature pack upgraded units would start with "A" in the version number, i.e. A2.02. My friend's was also 1.97 with an April build date. Date hack didn't work, and there was no menu setting as you described above.

Yeah my firmware is 1.97 so no feature pack. Guess I'm going to have to call them....I can't really see having to pay $100 for an update to a brand new unit though.

On another note, my plasma is an EDTV and has no HDMI port. I have the Denon connected to the TV via component cables. I hooked up my Xbox 360 to the Denon via HDMI and got no picture or sound....are you not able to use the HDMI ports at all over component?
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post #15118 of 19878
6/14/09 at 9:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nepod90 View Post

2) I'm trying to utilize the internet radio, I'm hooked up via a Netgear Ethernet Bridge wall plug. It worked when I initially installed it but today the screen just freezes. Anyone else experience this? How do I correct this? I know that I am connected because I can view and control the receiver via the website.


I had a similar problem today, very annoying. Yesterday the 3808 worked fine on the network but today it couldn't get an IP address and wouldn't even work when I set static info. I finally had to unplug the switch and plug in the Denon directly to the wall, it got an IP address, and then I switched the cable back to the switch and it is working. I couldn't even connect to the unit over the web though so I'm not sure whether it's the same problem or not. I'm not sure what's going to happen next time it needs to get an IP, since I still have no idea what the problem was. It's streaming radio right now though...
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post #15119 of 19878
6/14/09 at 9:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam S View Post

I helped a friend set this up today. We could not get the date-hack to work to get the free upgrade.

His unit is a 904 (April) build. It came with 1.97 firmware. When trying to apply for the update online, I put in the MAC address and serial number. It would not let me proceed with an < April 30, 09 purchase date. We did not register the unit prior. Once I put in something after May 1, it let me enter the Serial ID, but then of course wanted to charge us $100 for the update.

Any ideas?

I experienced the same exact thing. The website says if you continue getting the same message to call Denon over the phone. I had a Denon representative override the online application. You must make sure you let them know you purchased before April 30, 2009. They may ask you to submit paper work verifying the purchase date. I got lucky and he said it should take 15-24 hours before the update is available. I asked if he needed my proof of purchase and UPC serial number cut out of the box. He said, "NO." I guess I got lucky. If not you will have to pay $100 for the update. It is definitely a better receiver with the Dynamic EQ/Dynamic Volume features.
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post #15120 of 19878
6/14/09 at 9:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by porieux View Post

Yeah my firmware is 1.97 so no feature pack. Guess I'm going to have to call them....I can't really see having to pay $100 for an update to a brand new unit though.

Looks like Denon axed our beloved date hack

Try arguing that the Denon's website includes "Audyssey Dynamic Volume" in the 3808's specs and that the web page for the feature package upgrade states "Buy a new Denon Receiver...today and receive a free feature package...." (Yeah, elsewhere on the page and in smaller font it does say that the offer ends on April 30th, but to me the first thing you see is the "buy it today" come-on...).
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › The "Official" Denon AVR-3808CI Thread