Letters to the Editor - June 2002
Anthem AVM 20
June 26, 2002
Editor,
Great
review of the Anthem AVM 20 in Home Theater & Sound!
In it you say, "An update is scheduled soon, which
will include Motorola's newest chip -- one that incorporates Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS
24/96, DTS Neo6, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, THX Ultra2, Dolby Headphone and, possibly, a
surprise or two."
Can you tell me if this has been done? I want to order a
unit this week and I want to make sure these protocols are present. After auditioning
components this week, it is obvious that these new surround standards are must-have
options.
Also, you list FireWire as a feature on your list. Does
that mean that the new DVD players such as the Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai will receive its
surround info through the FireWire connection handling all the information in digital
form?
If the answers are yes, then I am running to buy one. Thank
you for your answer in advance.
Cesar Deschamps
As far as I know, the new version of the Anthem AVM 20
is not shipping yet. I would expect this to happen any day, though, and would check with
your dealer for availability. And although FireWire was mentioned as a potential option
for the AVM 20, the link from the Pioneer DVD-A player is expressly meant for their
upcoming FireWire-equipped receiver. Whether there is a work-around for other components
is a good question. I certainly have not heard that a digital output for anything but
like-branded products is available. if I'm wrong, though, I'm right behind you in rushing
to buy one!...Jeff Fritz
Progressive-scan DVD players
June 24, 2002
Editor,
My question may sound dumb, but I'm very interested in
replacing my DVD player and I have found that there is, in the market, DVD players and
progressive-scan DVD players. I want to know the difference between these two kinds of DVD
players, and I also want to know which parameters I should follow in order to get a good
player.
Juan Tirado
A good place to start your research is with our Video
Noise column. Doug Blackburn explains in his September
2001 column all you need to know about progressive scan as a technology. He then goes
on the following month to explain what to look for in a progressive-scan player. It's a
great primer....Jeff Fritz
Image burn-in
June 20, 2002
To Doug Blackburn,
I am interested in purchasing a rear-projection TV (like
the Sony 65" KP65X), but I am concerned about image burn-in -- particularly since so
many networks now display channel logos or stock tickers. Should I be concerned about
these images getting imprinted on the screen, or is that just an urban legend?
Steve
Be concerned, be very concerned. We had someone leave a
message in our reader forum about having a nine-month-old Sony rear-projection set that
already had the Disney logo permanently burned into the tubes.
This comes from running the tubes in the RPTV too bright
for too long. Most of these sets come from the factory with the tubes set to supernova
brightness levels. You may be able to see the picture in a sunlit room, but your tubes
will get used up faster than you can find somebody to replace them for you. And by the
way, a rule of thumb for the cost of replacing all three tubes in an RPTV is 50% of the
retail price of the set.
You cannot expect to watch an RPTV in a day-lit room and
have the tubes last very long. The brightness levels required will be about all the tubes
can put out. When you view the set in a dark room as you always should, you can turn down
the contrast control (contrast really controls how bright the tubes are run) to a
comfortable level and have far longer tube life than would be possible at the factory
setting. There are a number of DVDs available that will help you set the contrast level
and the other controls to get the best possible picture. It would be a miracle for a
person to select the right settings by accident. The Ovation/Sound & Vision setup
DVD is the least-expensive setup disc ($20). It guides you through the whole process.
So if you keep the room dark and use one of the setup discs
(turn the contrast control way down the minute you turn the set on! Know where the
contrast control is and how to set it even before you power up the set).
Never buy a demo RPTV from an store. It will have been on
for hours a day at brightness levels way above where they should be. Demo RPTVs are shot
before they even get into your house.
Even if you keep the contrast setting low and watch in a
darkened room, the RPTV tubes will still not last as long as conventional TV tubes. You
can expect to have a visibly degraded image by four years out and somewhere in the
five-to-nine-year range people start to think the set looks bad enough to consider
replacing the tubes. But this is rarely a reasonable thing to do since new sets are
probably about the same cost as your replacement tubes and will have all the latest
capabilities like high definition....Doug Blackburn
More video switching
June 11, 2002
To Roger Kanno,
I'd like to know if component video connected via a
component-video switching mechanism will be noticeably worse than a direct connection from
the DVD player to the TV. My first choice for a television is a Philips, which has only
one component-video input. If a direct connection is preferred because it provides a
noticeable difference, then I would consider a television with two component-video inputs.
Michael Cook
I guess it all depends on your point of view. Every
additional connection is a potential degradation to an audio or video signal, so
theoretically a direct connection from the DVD player to the TV would be best. But most
new processors and receivers do a pretty good job of video switching. So the difference
may not be objectionable or even noticeable to you. I use a direct component-video
connection to my monitor in one system and S-video switched through a receiver in
another....Roger Kanno
Aragon?
June 9, 2002
Editor,
How do the Aragon 2007 amplifier and Stage One processor
rate amongst the competition? I can't find any reviews on them. Thanks.
John Mellberg
I've not heard the new range from Aragon. Klipsch
acquired Aragon last year, and since that time, the entire product line has been updated
with new models. Although I can tell you the cosmetics are stunning, a definite
improvement over those of the previous generation, I simply don't know how they sound. We
will inquire about review samples, though. My interest is piqued now too....Jeff Fritz
Dealer woes
June 6, 2002
Editor,
Regarding your editorial, I had a bad experience with a
dealer; it had nothing to do with home theater but everything to do with audio in general.
I was ready to purchase a very expensive CD player. I had spoken to a salesman here
locally (I kept in touch with this guy for two years; I didn't have the funds to purchase
a full system at first) and wanted to borrow the CD player for a weekend to see if it fit
my needs. He gave me the runaround, saying that his manager has been burned before by
people wanting to borrow gear and not actually buying it. Fair enough. I asked him to come
to my house so I could demo the unit in front of him for an afternoon. He gave me an
excuse that the player needed to be burned in and that he would speak to his manager about
borrowing the gear. It has been two months and no phone call.
He did this to me before when I was ready to buy an amp. I
never heard from the guy. What is wrong with dealers today? I have the cash. I guess I
sound too young and look too young (I'm 33). Because of the amp experience, I went to his
competitor and not only did I upgrade my amp, but two months later I upgraded speakers.
The stalling on the source was the last straw. I will go to his competitor from now on.
Bob Woodard
There's no excuse for not returning your phone call.
Sounds like the competing dealer deserves your business....Jeff Fritz
Video switching
June 3, 2002
To Wes Marshall,
I'd like to know if component video connected via a
component-video switching mechanism (in the Anthem AVM 20, to be specific) will be
noticeably worse than a direct connection from the DVD player to the TV. My first choice
for a television is the Philips 32PT8419, which has only one component-video input. If a
direct connection is preferred because it provides a noticeable difference (i.e.,
more than just "splitting hairs"), then I would consider a television with two
component-video inputs (one for DVD and one for satellite). Thanks for your feedback.
Michael
It's impossible to say. The Anthem AVM 20 is a very fine
piece of equipment and I would guess that the degradation would be slight. A lot also
depends on where you want your switching to occur. Using the Anthem simplifies dubbing or
recording, for example. Also, does the Anthem pass a progressive-scan signal? I don't know
the Philips 32PT8419, but several of the televisions I've tested actually deal with the
DVD signal better than the internal progressive-scan circuitry in the DVD player. It also
appears that the Philips has four inputs. If you are using HD satellite, you could run it
into the component inputs and use the composite from your DVD player and allow the Philips
to do the work. That way your highest-definition source would go straight in.
Given all that, my first choice would be to run the whole
shebang through the Anthem. It is an excellent piece. If your HD signal degrades, I would
run that into the Philips component inputs and everything else through the Anthem....Wes
Marshall |
