The "Official" VSX-94TXH Thread...:0) - Page 106

I dont believe there's anything in the updated firmware that will benefit you if all your HMG features are working properly. I'm pretty sure that it primarily resolves the issue with some receivers not able to load the Neural Radio streams.

Regards,

Rich

acid, if I hit the THX button during a BD movie with the PS3 I get PLII THX+Movie, PLII THX+music, THX select2 Cinema and THX music, THX game etc...

What are yor PS3 audio settings. Do you have a 7.1 system and do your PS3 audio settings look like these pics?

No the selections don't look like that on my PS screen, is that under the BD settings?
Also I will set the PS3 to bitstream then set back to PCM again.
When I do cycle with the THX buttion the THX Cinema & Cinema 2 are not even an option. Its like they don't even exist.
I think I may have my PS3 setup wrong and I've been pounding my head thinking its the 94.
I leave work in about 30 mins, so I will try these things when I get home.
Thanks for all the help and responses.
Also this is a 7.1 system. the speakers are Paradigim hooked up to the 94 and everything that is hooked up to the 94 is hooked up via Monster HDMI cables. including the 46" Bravia Sony LCD TV.

OK acid thats the problem I 100% guarantee this will solve your problem or I'm a monkey's uncle.

On the PS3 do the following:

1) go to SOUND SETTINGS
2) select AUDIO OUTPUT SETTING
3) select HDMI
4) select MANUAL
5) check off every box except AAC
6) ignore the warning message from the PS3. The message is for people with receiver's that cannot handle 192kHz frequencies. The 92 & 94 are 192kHz compliant so it doesn't apply to us.

This last part has nothing to do with your problem, but you should aslo hit triangle while a movie is playing and toggle over to "volume". Set volume to +1 on the PS3 (do not go to +2, +2 will cause distortion). This will increase the level of "internally" decoded movies over LPCM. By default the PS3's internally decoded level over LPCM is lower then over bitstream and this evens them out.

I am not sure if it is heat related. After doing a ton of research, I final bought one of this. It arrived, went through the setup routine and all seemed good. I went upstairs to program my Harmony remote to use it, came downstairs and the remote worked fine, except for one button. Went back upstairs to fix my mistake and none of the buttons worked... So I pulled out the Pioneer remote, it didn't work either. None of the buttons of the front of the receiver worked, including the POWER button. The receiver had been on for about 2 hours at this point. Volume was locked at the level I had it set at and the volume know did nothing but turn.

I unplugged it and plugged it back in.. Now the power button didn't work and the device wouldn't turn on... So.. I called the store and while on hold, perhaps 10 minutes total the VSX-94Txh turned itself on and was controllable for around 10-15 minutes before "locking up" again. At this point, it went back into the mfg box along with the accessories and into the double box it was shipped in.

About the install conditions..

The receiver was sitting on top of an audio table by itself, nothing to the sides or above it. The back was about 12 incles to the wall. HDMI out was to a plasma TV. HDMI 1 to an scientific atlantic DVR.. HDMI 2 to an xbox 360. I connected a subwoffer to sub-preamp out. Speakers are on the front channel, 8 ohm impedance. Center channel is 8 ohm as well. No rear or side speakers connected. (I didn't buy enough connectors to change from lugs to bannana's) The volume was always low so it couldn't have been pulling much current (and therefore not generating too much heat.) The top of the receiver was cool the touch, slightly above room ambient ~80F.

Fortunately, the place I bought it from is cross-shipping a new one, while the defective one is on the way back to them.

Really sad that I didn't find this thread until after I had the problem and had another one on the way.. Otherwise, I would have simply just gotten a refund (sans shipping) and bought the Denon.

Most discouraging is that this was an A stock item, with a February 2008 manufacturing date. Even worse is that this is the "Elite" line.

Wish me luck with the replacement..

Steve

Steve, I wonder if it's a problem with the latest firmware. A few members have stated there is a newer version of the firmware and that they are going to ship theirs to have it installed. I know the people with the problems have not sent theirs in, I'm just saying that maybe the units that shipped in 2008 have the new firmware and that's the problem. Mine was manufactured in June 2007 and I have no problems at all.

I agree. It would be good to know the build dates and firmware levels on the problem units. Maybe a pattern could be found.

Whatever happened to the days when you brought something home, plugged it in, and it worked for years with no issues? People just don't know what they are getting into when they come home with HT gear and are all excited that the salesperson told them that this item is all they need.

I agree it seems like us guys who have had ours for a good while aren't having these problems.

OK everybody with the lockup or volume issue, take a look ath the back of your 92 or 94 and post the manufacturer date.

Problem solved

Thank You!!!

I had a Samsung t-165 tuner that had multiple firmware upgrades over the years and they all made improvements through version 125 then they continued with 4 more versions ending at 134 as I recall and every version after 125 just added problems that were not there before so my point is I stopped upgrading at 125 and never had a problem.

Sometimes it is best to just not fix something that isn't broke. The later Samsung tuner production models with the newest firmware were a nightmare and the ones with 132 from the factory could not be flashed and had to have the eprom chip replaced to fix them.

My Pioneer 94 doesn't have the latest firmware but it works perfectly and I have no plans on changing the firmware any time soon.

Could be that there is a newer firmware version on these latest production receivers that is causing the problem. Maybe because Pioneer is keeping the 94 model in the lineup for this coming year they were trying to make some changes that were more in line with the new models and something got messed up. Seems that the people that are having trouble have the most recent build dates.

Hi All,

Just a little background on my receiver...

My first 94TXH was purchased in October last year and had a build date of July '07 and the 16.6650 firmware installed. The receiver worked great with no lockups but after 6 months of not being able to get the Neural Radio to work and dealing with Pioneer support to unsuccessfully resolve the issue, my dealer agreed to swap it out for me.

I picked up the replacement two months ago. This receiver was built in February '08 and also had the 16.6650 firmware. Again, no issues with the receiver except for the Neural Radio not listing/updating the streams. I had been communicating with the guys at Neural Music Direct and after doing some investigating, they informed me of a firmware update that was supposed to resolve the issue and that I should contact Pioneer. Instead, I called my service center and after giving them all the info, they were able to confirm with Pioneer that there was a new firmware (23.6650) to address issues with Neural Radio.

My receiver is currently in the shop for the update and should be back in my hands next week. Dasher just had the update applied as well and he should be picking up his receiver from the shop any day now.


Regards,

Rich

Surprise, surprise...

I picked it up yesterday, spent a couple of hours re-routing new HDMI 1.3 cat 2 cables and nicely tying my system bundles, got everything powered up, and the Neural is not corrected! The repair shop is clueless. I finally got them to let me speak top the tech on the phone who worked on my receiver, and he was not even certain what the updates were that he applied. He says he did the two that Pioneer recomended.

After making another call to Pio service, they verified that mine needs a Home Media Gallery firmware update, and that it was not done based on their records. A month on the bench and I come home still without it working! After another unpleasant call to the repair shop, my receiver is in the box and will be at their door when they open at 8:30 this morning. I am hoping for a standoff where I don't leave until they get to mine. I should mention that the shop is almost an hour drive away, so I am REALLY ticked!!

More news as soon as I am able.

Dash

Hey there Dash..

Geesh. I'm sorry to hear all this. Just out of curiosity, is your receiver showing the 23.6650 firmware when you display the version? In all the conversations with my tech there was no mention of HMG updates... just the receivers 23.6650 firmware (which I thought covered the HMG functions anyway). I guess I should email my service center to ask them to look into any HMG updates... talk about confusing.

Regards,
Rich

Quote:
Originally Posted by Legairre
I'm still not sure how widespread the issue is. Someone correct me if I';m wrong, it seems to be only a handful of users in this thread that have had the issue, which could point to a specific production run(QC on that run perhaps). My unit was manufactured in June of 2007 and I bought it in December of 2007 and have had no problems what so ever.

Well I recvd a replacement 94 from my dealer. Had to reset all of the imputs back to HDMI's and do the whole auto Mac thing. Seems to be working ok after a few hours of Pink Floyd. I do believe that heat my be the culprit. I have my recvr in a wall shelf that is open to the theater and open to the equip room. I had about a 4 inch space on top of the 94 to the next shelve above. The manual recommends 8". They really don't specify open or closed shelving for this 8" space. There is good circulation thru the shelving unit though but the 94 does run a bit warm. I added a dual fan unit mounted right on top of the 94 over the right middle top, just over the right set of internal heat sinks. This seems to keep it a bit cooler to the touch. With the volume control on the right side, I am making an assumption that the volume control electronics are on that side. Thats where I concentrated the cooling.
BTW I emailed Pioneer on this problem and they never even acknowledged my email. I give Pioneer a F for customer service. You would think they would be more responsive to the Elite owners and want to protect the Elite reputation but allas, no ownership of the problem. My old unit that had the instant full volume problem, was manufactured in Dec 07. I think as more of these units hidden away in warehouses start to make it to the customer, these problems are going to rear their ugly heads.

Hey guys how do you display the firmware version?

Thanks
Legairre

Yes, I have the same question as well & what is the latest version?

Hi Legairre,

I'm typing this from memory at work but I believe in order to check the HMG firmware:

go to the Home Media Gallery
Select 'Setup'
Select 'Information'

You can now scroll through the options to see the Hardware address as well as the level of firmware installed.

The latest production HMG firmware should be 3.5.16.6650. The reason I say this is because my second receiver was built after the release of the 23.6650 version but didnt have it installed.

Regards,

Rich

Hi Dash,

I just received an email back from my tech. From what he told me the HMG update is the 23.6650 firmware. You may want to have your service tech check the HMG information screen to confirm that it shows the updated version (and not 16.6650).

Regards,

Rich

My firmware shows on screen as 3.5.15.6534? I got the unit in Nov. 07 and I have had no issues with it. It is on approx. 14 hours per day and I have installed a small computer fan alongside the case to keep it cool.

Bill

I have a couple of quick questions...
I just bought this awesome unit and currently hooking up my DishNetorkHD Rec to the Pio Elite receiver via HDMI.
1. In order to get upscaling, wouldn't I have to hook up the DishNetorkHD Rec to the Pio Elite receiver via component video?
2. I called Pioneer and talked to a tech rep, and he said i could hook up both component and hdmi to the rec (use comp video when watching non hi def, and hdmi when watching hi def)...is it worth it or even possible?
3. I have been looking for an explanation b/w upscaling and upconversion, and which is better and why.

Thanks and sorry for the lengthy question.

Ok, we need to get to the bottom of this HMG problem & I think I can help.
First of all, my 94 reports it has HMG firmware version 16.6650. My build date
is Oct. 2007. I have no problems getting the stream from the 4 stations Neural
Direct has. The thing is that I was sure I updated the firmware for HMG right after
purchasing my unit in January & it said the update was sucessful during the end of the process, but I never checked the receiver at that point to see if it reported 23.6650.
Someone else posted that his tech tried the update but still the receiver reported ver. 16.6650 still. Maybe there is a bug with the receiver showing the correct version?
Furthermore, there are posts from people who have version 15.6650 & they have no problems. This doesn't make sense to me. For the people who are having problems with
Neural Music Direct, please explain the issue you are having again because I just don't have the time to read back thru all the posts. The firmware is supposed to correct & I
quote pioneer"Fixes the symptom: The unit can't update the station list of Neural Music Direct" Update the station list to me means if they add another station beyond the 4 they have now the pioneer doesn't see them? Are there people who can't connect to NMD at all? If so what does the 94 display when you scroll down from "internet radio"?

Hi Stechs01..

My issue is post # 2797. Here's what's happening:

When I select Neural Music Direct on the receiver and press Enter' on the remote I get a screen that displays Internet Radio Not Available. Update?
I press Enter' on the remote and another message appears that reads, Update Now?
I again press Enter' on the remote and Please Wait' is displayed for about 45 seconds.
The receiver then returns to the main HMG menu item screen. If I select Neural Music Direct, it again tells me 'Internet Radio Not Available. Update?' .and just continues in this loop.

Here is what I have done to troubleshoot so far:

• With the help of an engineer at Neural Radio I confirmed that I am able to reach the Neural network through my home network.
• I tried connecting the receiver through a dlink 5-port router as well as directly to my Comcast cable modem and confirmed the network was connected. I then left the receiver turned on and set to Neural Radio for over 24 hrs each time to see if it would update automatically. It didn't.
• I brought the receiver to my parents' house and attempted connection there through Optimum Online cable service. No luck.
• I reset the receiver to factory default settings and tried everything again.

The receiver is still at the service center while they wait for Pioneer to figure out whether the firmware they downloaded and installed is corrupt/mislabeled or if there is an issue with the receiver erroneously reporting a successful upgrade.

Regards,

Rich

Ok Thanks
What HMG firmware does your receiver report and are you able to connect to the internet radio and or pc server like window media 11? Sorry if this info was posted by you earlier.

No worries...

My receiver was built in Feb '08 and has HMG firmware 3.5.16.6650. I am able to play all internet stations, stream files from my PC, and from a USB drive. I initially thought I could live without the Neural Radio but after hearing some of the forum members high praises, I figured I should look into getting it working.

Regards,
Rich

Neural Radio works, but I've only got 4 choices for 'channels'. The 80's Surround, Classic Hits Direct, The Vineyard-Surround and Classical 101-Surround. Is that correct?
Manufactured in Feb 08, the HMG firmware shows 3.5.16.6650.
I've had NO problems with this thing whatsoever, just it's a ***** to figure out all the settings/options.

That sounds right. There are currently four Neural Radio streams with hopefully more to be added in the future from what the guys at Neural Music have said.

Regards,

Rich

I guess I will have to try the upgrade again to see if the receiver will report the most current version that I am upgrading to.ie23.6650. I normally don't
mess with what is not broken like other posts said but I do have a minor issue that could be firmware related reguarding a pop from my speakers under certain circumstances.

Rich. it seems strange to me you only have a problem with Neural Direct since the internet radio works. Both are processed by the same board & chip: it is the HDMI & DNLA pcb. Do we really need a Digital Living Network Alliance
I don't think so.

Thanks Stechs01,

Please let me know if your receiver reports the newest version. I feel the same way about not fixing what aint broke, but in my case I was assured that this was a simple procedure to correct the problem i was experiencing.


Strange to me as well! But at least I can rule out my network or anything else on my end for that matter. I never asked Pioneer what causes identical receivers to act differently where Neural Radio is concerned. All I can say is that the guys at Neural Music Direct and BridgeCo (the network interface designers) were very helpful in alerting me to the updated firmware 'fix'. Once I knew what to ask for, the service tech was able to get the info from Pioneer.

Regards,

Rich

Ok after a few lock ups last week and reading posts about possibly over heating i took the unit out of the shelf and placed it in the open on the floor and last night with out warning it shut itself off and locked up had to unpug it tryed re plugging it in about 3min later nothing! now last week it would lock up and i could not do anything but it would still play and be powered up but this time it shut itself off. i will try again tonight but this thing is going back to the store tomorow!