Q&A # 208 - November 24, 2000

Staff

Q I would like to add a gain control to my power amplifier. How can I do this?

A Go to Radio Shack and get a 50 kOhm potentiometer and try it out to make sure this is the right range for your particular setup. If it works, then get a better one for actual use, since this item is right in the signal path. Here are some links for several different types of volume controls: http://www.techtronic.org/products/volume_controls.html    http://home.swipnet.se/audiolive/vol.html#kap3    http://www.thlaudio.com/alpsmne.htm   http://www.audio-consulting.ch/sr_pot.htm.

Q I just purchased a JVC S-Video VCR and am trying to incorporate it seamlessly into my system that includes a Sony DBS receiver. To receive the highest quality video signal, I hooked the S-Video out on my DBS receiver to the S-Video input on my VCR. The S-Video output on my VCR goes to the TV. There are features on the VCR that control the DBS receiver. One is a little "controller" that comes out the back of the VCR and is placed in front of the DBS receiver to send signals to the receiver. The second is the ability to control the DBS receiver using the VCR remote. I do not necessarily need this feature as I use a Marantz RC-2000 to control my entire system. But, if I can program the VCR remote to control the DBS receiver, then program the RC-2000 to control the VCR remote, it might be easier to use both the DBS receiver and VCR.  Are there certain changes you would recommend to help optimize performance?

A The RC-2000 should be able to control both your VCR and your DSS.  I believe the little device that comes out of the VCR is used to switch the DBS channels when you program your VCR to record certain channels at certain times. If you program your VCR remote to control your DSS, it just requires you to switch modes on the VCR remote. Your best bet it to just program the RC-2000 to do everything.

Q I am from the Netherlands. Right now I am using a Sony SDP-90-ES Dolby Digital processor. I have an extra Holtmod A/D converter with it to connect my video and Satellite receiver to convert the analogue signals into digital signals, which can then be fed into the fully digital processor. Now I have been offered a Meridian 565 with DTS (7.1).  How can I connect my three analogue sources, i.e., TV, video, and satellite, to get Dolby Pro Logic etc. from these sources? I understood that the Meridian has only one analogue input? An alternative offer was the Citation 5.0 AV preamp/processor. Could you please give me advice?

A Yes, the 565 only has 1 analog input. It was designed to be used with another product called the 562V which has many more analog inputs. I am not sure what your TV and video analog sources are, but the satellite would be a good choice to plug into it. If your video is VHS, then you would need an analog switcher in front of the 565 (like the 562v). You really don't need to plug your TV into the 565 because all of the sources from it should go directly into the 565. Of course, you could plug all of your analog sources into your TV and then your TV into he 565, using your TV as the analog switcher. The 565 is an all around better product than the Citation. If you have the means you might want to look into the Meridian 568 or even 561.

Q Is there a difference between players (or will there be in the future) as to how a progressive DVD player reconstructs the video/film into progressive format? I believe that the film is first converted to interlaced before being turned to progressive (all in the digital domain). Does the Toshiba 5109 recognize 3:2 pull down and perform the proper function in putting the progressive picture together? Similar question for other progressive players?

A Please refer to Part 5 of the DVD Benchmark to understand how films are actually stored on DVD: To go there now, click here. Yes, different DVD players do the de-interlacing differently. Some better and some worse. The newer Toshiba DVD players like the SD-6200 and SD-9200 do a better job than the previous models like the SD-5109 and SD-9100. We looked at the SD-5109, SD-6200, and SD-9100 in our DVD Benchmark. All of those results will be published. We have had some questions as to why we are testing old players. The reason is that we want to build a database library of information that we can use to judge not only the absolute quality of new players, but how they have improved since the first ones were introduced several years ago. What we have seen so far is that, in one case or two, the new models are worse than the older ones. We are also seeing that you can use a relatively inexpensive transport with a good DAC and get very nice results. So, if you want to have a carousel player or a jukebox style player, which are usually on the low end of price and performance (compared to high-performance players, which tend to be single disc players), you can get yourself the carousel or jukebox, and connect it to a good outboard DAC for improved audio performance.

Q I am planning to purchase a Pioneer Elite PRO-510HD TV.  Are there any benefits to using a progressive scan DVD player? I have heard it will produce a better picture, but I have also been told that a progressive scan DVD will not work with a progressive scan type TV.

A Probably what you are referring to is that you don't need a progressive scan DVD player if your TV has progressive scan capabilities. The TV can simply take the interlaced image and create a progressive scan image. The 510 does have a built-in de-interlacer that performs 3-2 pulldown so it is better than average. However a progressive DVD player should still produce a better picture. It is performing the de-interlacing without the signal ever going analog. I have seen a Toshiba SD-6200 hooked up to a Pioneer 510 and it looked better than what the TV's internal de-interlacer was doing. In other words, you send the already de-interlaced image from the DVD player to the TV, and the TV just displays it as is. You have to set the image coming out of the player as progressive, using the menu.

Q I recently purchased a Toshiba TheaterWide TV 40" after reading Stacey Spears' article on it, and I was wondering what an "ISF  technician" is and where I can find one to calibrate the TV as Spears suggests in the article?

BTW, the article was great... one of the best reviews on a TV I have  read -- it really helped me in my decision purchasing a wide-screen TV.

A The ISF has a website with a tech locater built-in. (http://www.imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm). For the main page, go to  www.imagingscience.com.

Once you contact a tech you may wish to talk with them and find out what type of experience they have with your particular set. You also want to be sure they have either a color analyzer or an optical comparator. (The analyzer is preferred). The basic service that an ISF tech will perform is gray scale adjustment and setting your front panel controls (Color, Tint, Sharpness, Brightness, and Contrast). The basic cost on a RP is around $250 for gray scale only. The extra money comes in when they do focus (both electrical and mechanical), geometry, and convergence. These tasks are very time consuming and not all ISF techs are trained to perform them. That is why it is important to ask about their experience with your particular TV.

Q I currently own a Denon 5000 DVD player and have noticed that with newer DVDs, I am getting sporadic skipping every now and again. This isn't a problem on most of my older DVDs. I've tried to do a little homework and have seen people attribute this to the 5000's picture accuracy and 3:2 pulldown problems/errors? I am unclear about 3:2 pulldown issue, but if you have any clues as to what the problem is, please help!

A 3-2 pulldown has to do with progressive DVD and would not cause the skipping problem you are describing. The skipping could be caused by a bad DVD, or the error correction in your DVD player is not as good as it should be. A couple of things to try would be to play one of those DVDs in a second DVD player. Another option is to get a second copy of the disc.

DVDs have very robust error correction. They are much more robust than CDs. The funny thing is that CDs appear to be much more reliable (play without skipping) than DVDs, because I have seen a number of bad DVDs.

Q I have Toshiba 5109 and Toshiba 40X81 connected through the ColourStreamPro outputs. I just bought the "Jurassic Park" DVD package (widescreen). My question is what mode do I watch it in? Is it HomeTheatreMode 2 or Full screen? I am still puzzled about how the picture is actually projected. In full screen I lose a bit of the picture on the corners Left and Right even in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. Why is that?

A You are not the only one who is confused. We still believe that this market is too complicated to use. "Jurassic Park" is an anamorphic DVD (may also be called "Enhanced for 16x9 TVs"). With this type of DVD, you want to use the FULL mode. For non-anamorphic DVDs, you want to use TheaterWide2. The reason that the picture info is still cut off has to do with the amount of overscan your TV has. Some people have gone into the TVs service mode to correct this. I don't recommend this to everyone because it is VERY easy to mess things up. You may consider an ISF calibration where they should be able to make those corrections for you. Also, many DVD players have a "Zoom" control that lets you make the picture larger or smaller. If you make it larger, this approximates the "Pan & Scan" version of movies. If you make it a little smaller, this will bring the right and left sides of the image in, so that you can see the entire picture.

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