HD DVD player updates - Page 7

Paul.S · 09-29-2007, 02:22 PM

Well I think it's closer to the mark to say you can't get Dolby Digital Plus, and only because those tracks are transcoded to DTS (and the AVR-3600 does not support DTS, yes?).

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Adam Gregorich · 09-29-2007, 02:51 PM

Wow good call. I looked at Denon's site and they had a AVR-3600DTS model so maybe there were two versions of the 3600. Either way the new Denon receivers are pretty nice. I just hooked up a 3808 to replace my 3805. I'm very happy with it.

Winman42 · 09-29-2007, 03:01 PM

yes I just have the Dolby digital version. I assumed the a2 would at least output a regular DD 5.1 signal like it does for standard DVD's. I have a pioneer elite model with DTs in storage in NYC , which does nada for me in las vegas! So I don't wanna spend a ton for a new unit. However the pioneer doesnt have any hdmi hookups.

Winston

Paul.S · 09-29-2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

I assumed the a2 would at least output a regular DD 5.1 signal like it does for standard DVD's.

It's an interesting/good/ironic point about the messy high rez aud codecs and their disparate implementation on high def disc: HD DVD embraced lossless aud in the form of Dolby TrueHD in a way BD did not (thus all the PCM on Disney and Sony BDs). But, BD players can extract a "core"/"legacy" DTS signal from the DTS-HD MA tracks on all those Fox discs, whereas HD DVD players can't extract a "core" Dolby Digital signal from a DD+ track. Instead (since I think Dolby Digital maxes out at 648Kbps?), a 1.5Kbps DD+ track has to be converted to the higher bandwidth DTS format.

Matt Krapf · 09-29-2007, 03:44 PM

Hi Pat, someone already answered it. yes, just hold down the backlight button for more than 3 seconds, and it'll pop on and continue to work from then on.

It's an interesting feature(?), and I kind of like that it could be left off or activated..

and

RON,

You're absolutely right that it's worth waiting for. the boot time is insignificant compared to the value of the good upconversion I'm getting, and so forth.

I'll admit to being curious what the PS3 boot time is, that Greg pointed out. He said it's very fast. Is there a standard answer fo why PS3 can boot quickly, but a BD or HD player both require so long?

Gregory Pauswinski · 09-29-2007, 04:00 PM

I hooked up my HD-A2 today and like Matt said, the first thing I noticed was just how darn long the things takes to power on. I guess I've been spoiled by the PS3, because that thing is on and ready to go almost instantly.

I'm in the middle of updating the firmware right now, so I wanted to give you guys a head's up on a potential problem. After turning DHCP and DNS on, you have to reboot the machine before it will let you update your firmware. I kept getting "can not find out server" errors. Finally I did a google search and found that I had to power off the machine and power it back on before the network settings would work correctly.

Fun stuff!

Winman42 · 09-29-2007, 05:31 PM

Greg, thanks so much for that heads up. I was having the same problem, and couldnt figure it out. I'm thinking "jeez i cant get ac3 audio, i cant get the firmware update working". You saved me some time this evening, when i'm gonna try it again. thanks. ;-)

Winston

Paul.S · 09-29-2007, 05:38 PM

Glad that worked for you guys. I had FAR more trouble connecting to the Tosh servers with my HD-D1 in the past. Btw a thread about this:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=259844

Also, XA2ers, what firmware version are ya'll finding the piece has out the box? Mine is 1.5. I'm still checking on the iterations of upgrades over the past year or so, but I think this a surprisingly old version.

Adam Gregorich · 09-29-2007, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Finally I did a google search and found that I had to power off the machine and power it back on before the network settings would work correctly.

I got burned on this with my first player. I think I finally powered it off because I gave up and then had second thoughts and figured I would try it one more time. I put 2+2 together when it worked.

The XBOX360 add on seems a lot quicker too. The boot time is actually semi-quick by stand alone HD player times. I think the Panasonic is a hair quicker (can anyone with both time it for us?), the S300 and new Sharp take longer. The Toshibas are essentially a Linux computer with a Intel processor.

Either way the gen 2 players take about half the time the gen 1 players did. Gen three take about as long as the gen two.

Paul.S · 09-29-2007, 06:47 PM

Yeah just finished reading this thread and 1.5 is a woefully old firmware to be shipping on a machine with such a new build date.

HD-A2 upgrade is now available for download. Now version 2.5!

Matt Krapf · 09-29-2007, 07:07 PM

The processor in the XA2 really does seem to be superior.

I've watched Jurassic Park, Ultimate Fifth Element, 40-yo Virgin, and Half Baked.

All were astounding, and uncompromised by blowing up standard DVD to 57 inches of 1080p heaven.

PatWahlquist · 09-29-2007, 09:42 PM

I got the XA2 up and running today only to have a horrible lip sync issue. I'm using the analog outputs to get the Dolby TrueHD track into my Denon 5803. Anyone else running analog outs noticing this? I had no such problems with my A1 or the new Panny BD.