The "Official" Denon AVR-3808CI Thread - Page 9

Right, or perhaps it can be loaded to a USB memory stick and just plugged into the AVR for updating!

Since I have the Toshiba HD-XA2, and have updated firmware on it via the Ethernet and I still prefer that method.

Or get the 905...another option.

I have the 905 manual and unfortunately, there is nothing about a firmware update via Ethernet.....that I recall anyway?

That will be a primary concern for me, as I watch a fair amount of SD. It will be coming from my DCT 3416 cable box / DVR, which has some adjustable settings, I think I have it set on 480 override, which sends SD out as untouched 480i. Obviously the HQV disk will not be able to do anything with that, it will be my eyeballs, and I am not an expert. One thing that looks particularly bad is the background stills for the cable music channels, it will be interesting to see if it cleans these up.

Besides the HD-A2 and DCT 3416, I will also be using an HTPC with nVidia 8800 GTS, DVI->HDMI, Purevideo codecs. I have a ReplayTV, but I no longer have a seperate cable box to drive it, and the recordings are at the medium 4Mhz mode. I could connect the DCT 3416 to it and record at high res mode, might be worthwhile. Seems redundant for testing purposes.

Agreed that the HQV disk won't do anything, BUT the test result scores on DVD deinterlacing will be very telling on how it will handle sd tv from a motorola stb/dvr (which, incidentally, is the same type I have - i have the 3412.

Ryan

I might try this avr instead of waiting for the Sony 5300, if I don't like it I can always return it.

Didn't you have the Sony on order rizzxx7?

That is not fair. Call in sick or something. We'll cover for you.

That only becomes important if they actually give you firmware to update on a regular basis. If they only issue 1 or 2 firmware upgrades over the next year, then it is no big deal.

Does anyone know exactly which Faroudja chipset is being used in the 3808ci? Is it's performance comparable to the Reon VX50 used in the Onkyo 875? Several users of the 875 have complained of the Reon "stretching" a 480i SD picture that the Reon processes to 1080p and they cannot re-shape it to 4:3 with side bars.

FLI-2310.

Consensus is that it is not comparable to the Reon, but as these chips evolve, I'm not so fast to agree with that until we see the data showing one is superior. There is no objective data at this point to compare the VP of the two receiver lines. There are a lot of "it does a great job" posts, but noone that has actually gone through any in depth objective review.

What you want, a 5.1 setup, PLUS a another entirely separate pair of bi-amped speakers for 2 channel in another setup. Would actually require 9 amp channels, and not 7. Yes to do 5.1 with the fronts bi-amped, only requires 7. But to do a 5.1 with separate pair of bi-amped speakers for a additional/different 2 channel setup, would require 9. And no, a 4308 won't do it either. You still would either need to swap wires whenever you want to switch from one setup to the other, or add a external amp.

The fact that there may be a available amount of speaker connections to hook up more than 7 speakers, is in no way a indication of what or how things can actually be done.

One thing that really disappoints me about this receiver (and indeed most receivers) is the limited number of selectable sources that can be programmed. If I want to plug different video sources into HDMI 1 (DVD), Component 1 (DVD), and Video 1 (DVD), I should be able to program each of those as separate sources I can select discretely, or link several of them to a single source. Why don't I have this choice?

I have a total of nine video sources I want to connect to this receiver, yet in spite of a total of 13 different video inputs on the rear, I'm limited to DVD, HDP, TV/CBL, SAT, VCR, DVR, and V.AUX. Why can't they design such an expensive device to be as versatile as the needs of the people buying it?

yea, but I just hate to wait and I'll still be under my 30 days when the 5300 comes out

Anyone heard when J&R will be shipping these out?

Can anyone confirm if the HDMI monitor out and Component monitor out both work at the same time? Thanks

Well at last, my search has come to an end. 9 months ago I decided to get a new AVR to replace an old....very old Yamaha AR that had performed well for me. But with a new HDTV, and HD DVD, the time had come to make an upgrade in the receiver/processor area. My search could not have been completed without the many people that post to these forums, and much thanks to all.

This AVR appears to be an excellent update of the award winning, top rated Denon AVR from last year.

After looking at the functionality of all the various new AVRs that are coming to the market this year, I believe that the new Denons meet my expectations for the abilities that I am looking for in a strong, reliable, and top rated AVR.

I will be purchasing the Denon 3808CI, as the extras in the 4308CI are not needed in my system.

Denon authorized etailer J&R gave me an outstanding price with no shipping and I am trilled to finally be getting my 3808CI in the near future.

Good luck to all in their own search.

On page 30 of the 3808 manual, HDMI option 4, Aspect, it can be set to Normal or Full, sounds like full is the stretch mode. I am unclear about the i/p scalar fuction that someone else mentioned - "A to H" or "A to H & H to H" Since it is related to deep color I probably don't care at the moment

The explanations in the manual are somewhat lacking.

I'm guessing it's:

Analog to HDMI

or

Analog to HDMI & HDMI to HDMI

Analog being (composite, s-video and component). Basically it just being a setting whether to do any scaling on HDMI sources.

But again that's a guess.

Will any of the new recievers do vertical stretch internal scaling for 2.35:1 projection with an auxillary lens?

So if you want to just do HDMI switching and bypass the other VP functions, setting it to the second setting would do this? That was something I was wondering about, if you wanted to do the VP elsewhere than the AVR.

I think you have the OFF option also if I remember correctly.

A big do'h here - you are right, I wasn't even looking at that. That has to be the passthrough option - thanks. I'm just trying to absorb all the info I need from the manual before I start setting up this puppy. I also want to run through the HQV test again and write it down, before I swap, for a baseline.

Local dealer just called. He got his shipment. I'm going to pick mine up now, so I know what I'll be doing tonight and this weekend!!

I just thought of something. This receiver has a USB input. Couldn't one use a converter to convert an I-link signal into USB via a cheap adaptor and then plug it into this receiver? I'm trying to find a way to still use my Elite SACD/DVD-A player via I-link in one of these new denons.

Johnla, thanks for the reply. The 4308 WILL do it. There is a diagram on page 71 of the 4308 manual (Setting 1) that shows a setup whereby you can switch between 7.1 and two separate speakers bi-amped. This particular way would require 11 speaker connections, which the 4308 has. I want to do 5.1 and two separate speakers bi-amped which would require 9 speaker connections, which the 3808 has.

The potential difference is that the 4308 has two pairs of connections labeled "Amp assign" but the 3808 only has one. I think I would need the ability to assign "Surround B" AND "Surr. Back/Amp Assign" so that they both push the front l/r signal. This would not require more than 7 channels driven at a time, so the amplification is there, but maybe not the switching ability.

I can't see if this is possible by reading the 3808 manual and am hoping that someone who can poke around in the UI will be able to tell me.

I see two pairs of amp assign / surround back connections on the 3808.

I just picked up my 3808ci from Magnolia minutes ago. No more speculation about delivery dates for me! I'll be posting my setup experiences once everything is up and running. For now, though, it's back to work.

Congrats!

From which store did you get it from??
____
Axel

Thanks.


The store is in Bellevue, Washington on 20th Street between 140th and 148th. They've been great about communicating throughout the process and I've had nothing but good experiences with them in the past.