Q&A # 242 - August 5, 2001

Staff

Q I Just bought a Sony DVP-S9000ES and CD-R, and I am wondering why the music CD I created in my PC won't play. Those CDs play in my car CD player and everywhere else. Can you help me please?

A Sony dropped CD-R support with the DVPS9000ES. I have heard people say they have been able to get certain brands of CD-Rs to work, but this is not supported by Sony.

Q I've been hearing about 720p/1080i DVD players coming up on the horizon. But I'm really unclear as to how exactly they get the increased resolution. I thought the max number of lines of resolution on current DVDs was around 540 or something. How do they then get 720 or even 1080 lines from that? Does the player up-convert?

A The higher resolution players are under development, but the DVDs themselves are also higher resolution. It is just a matter of putting the 720p or 1080i lines on the discs to begin with. They will have to spin faster or otherwise pack more data into the same space. The player then just reads that increased amount of data and feeds it to the projector. We will see more fighting with the movie manufacturers about copyright protection for those discs and players.

Q  If I buy equipment off the internet from an "unauthorized dealer", can the manufacturer not honor the warranty? The cost savings from the internet compared to the local electronic superstore are so inviting.

A The website selling these gray market goods is not going to tell you that they are gray market. You have to ask them if they are an authorized dealer. If they are not an authorized dealer, the chances are that the manufacturer will not honor the warranty. In that case, the unauthorized dealer has to provide a warranty, and it should be in writing. They may very well have a repair warranty, but you need to have it clear exactly what it is, and how long it is in effect. There are situations where the product is made for sale in some other country, and gets sold in North America as gray market goods, and is not exactly the same product as the one you would buy from an authorized North American dealer. Ask lots and lots of questions before you buy.

Q I need to upgrade my Harmon PT2500. I have NAD 2400THX -front, NAD 2150 bridged-center, and NAD 912-rears. I have a budget of $1,500-$2,000 to replace the PT2500. I was considering the Marantz AV9000, but it does not offer ES or EX capabilities. The B&K Ref 30/Parasound 2500 is out of my budget. Will a mass market receiver such as a Denon AVR-4800 sound as good as an AV processor using my older amps?  If so, is the NAD2400 THX compatible to run the center rear from the THX "Ultra" Denon AVR 4800? If not, can you recommend a AV processor in my budget?

A In the $2,000 range, you should be considering something that can be upgraded via user installer means, such as connecting it to your computer with a RS232 port, USB, or CD-ROM. It may mean waiting and buying a last-year's model. There is lot happening with the upgradeable receiver-processor, and for two thousand dollars, you should be getting that feature. So, just save your money a while longer and shop with that feature in mind. There is just too many things changing to ignore it any longer.

Q After researching prices and studying many opinions, I decided that I might just go ahead and purchase one of the larger Theaterwide Toshiba RPTVs. Either the 56H80 or 65H80 or perhaps this years newer versions? So I went out to try and find them to actually see them in person. I hit a store where the owner spent over an hour explaining HDTV to me. The big question I walked away with was why I hadn't read anything about what he was telling me. Basically he told me that the designation of HDTV was deceptive, and that all televisions (even analog TVs) are HDTV compatible. He further explained that to realize the fullest offerings of HDTV, one would have to have a TV capable of 1080 lines of resolution. In other words it's not just shape, but what resolution the set is capable of that differentiates it from the next "HDTV capable" set. He pointed out that the Toshibas didn't have the 1080i capability. He then pointed out that some Pioneer and Pioneer Elite models by contrast do have the capability making them the truest HDTV capable sets available. He pointed to their quality and to the days in the future when they would be able (unlike the Toshibas) to take advantage of the higher lines (vertical I believe?) of resolution the HDTV signal will be able to provide. Hopefully I'm not as confused as I feel. Anyway his further opinion was that the market would provide consumers with sticker shock like they've never seen in the electronics marketplace before in the years to come as many manufacturers will simply go away and many new ones would come forward. His contention was that building the newer sets in mass and cheap will be a mistake the industry isn't in a hurry to repeat. Supply will go down and quality and price will be a more dominant part of the market place. Anyway, this made me want to walk away from purchasing anything right now as I stepped up to the brink of buying the Toshiba and am sweating over the Pioneer Elite's price tag. What do you think of the advice I've received? Is it true that many consumers will feel duped when they realize their set converts the HDTV signal but doesn't give them the best resolution possible?

A Well, it sounds to me like a mixture of truth and fiction, and a desire to have you purchase something that day in his store. There are a number of things that make an HDTV work. One is improved phosphors in the CRT, or larger CRTs, or more pixels in the projector LCD or DLP chips. Secondly, the circuitry that does the scanning has to be able to work at higher frequencies. For 1080i, it is higher, and for 720p, it is even higher. So, the most demanding format is 720p, not 1080i, for the scanning, while the most demanding format for the phosphors is 1080i. Some manufacturers will come and go, as with any new technology, but the big players, like Sony, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi, will always be there. HDTV has not taken off like everyone had hoped, and if they start trying to have all the products be those with sticker shock, they would drive themselves into bankruptcy shock. We will see prices come down for the average consumer model, but there will be some high-performance products for the brave and well heeled consumers to shell out for. But, never buy in a panic or on impulse. That is OK for cereal and soda pop, but not for something that costs thousands of dollars. If the dealer pressures you to buy right there and then, that is exactly the time to step back and wait until another day.

Q My wife and I are thoroughly confused about how to view a DVD because we recently purchased a DVD player and a few movies. We have a 35" Mitsubishi TV (CS-35403) and Samsung M101 DVD player. A couple of the movies are only in the widescreen format ("Perfect Storm", "Scarface SE", and "Seven SE"), and when we view them in the widescreen format, the people are tall and thin and there is about 3" of black bars on both the top and bottom of the TV. We then discovered we can change the screen to letterbox, but when we do this, the picture is clear, but we now have about 6" of black bars on both top and bottom. What can we do? Is it our DVD player or TV (besides buying a 16:9 TV)? Is this normal? My friends they have no idea what I'm talking about.

A The problem of widescreen (letterbox) vs. non-widescreen is compounded by the release of many (most now) DVDs in anamorphic format. This means you have to set your menu to anamorphic if you have a 16:9 TV, or non-anamorphic if you have a standard 4:3 TV. This is done in the player menu. The tall and thin image is due to your player menu being set for a 16:9 TV when you actually have a 4:3 TV. So, set it for the way it looks properly, which is letterbox mode on a standard TV. Once you upgrade to a 16:9 HDTV, then you will have to go into the player menu and set it for 16:9 output. When your friends get their players, they will be coming to you for the same problems.

Q I want to set up a system for music and Home Theater. This system would be used mostly for music with just a little HT use. I am trying to decide whether to go with a just a two channel system of separates or a multi-channel system for music and HT. My main interest is music, but with all the multi-channel sources coming on the market like SACD and DVD-A, I can't decide. If I go the multi-channel route, I will have to get a receiver. I cannot afford HT separates. If I go the two-channel route, I can get decent separates but I lose the other channels. I have be told that separates are far superior to A/V receivers for reproducing music in two channel. Are separates for music much better than a good receiver?

A I have heard SACD and DVD-A, and they are fabulous. I like two-channel audio, but multi-channel audio is going to be a big success. The soundstage is just incredible. So, I would suggest that you go with HT separates, but just don't get everything at one time. Get a processor and two channels of amplification to start with, along with two speakers. Surround sound processors these days are really excellent as two-channel preamplifiers. For some of the processors, like Meridian and Theta, you can get the basic processor without all the HT features, and just add the processing cards as you go along.

Q I have a B&K ST1400 power amp. Will I damage the amp if I use two sets of speakers without using a speaker selector box?

A No, you should have no problem if the amplifier is rated into 4 Ohms and your speakers are 8 Ohms nominal. If either is not the case, you would need to wire the two sets of speakers in series rather than in parallel. Otherwise, just don't turn it up very loud. The kind of damage I believe you are thinking about is if you connected two amplifiers to the same set of speakers without a selector box. Such selector boxes must also be something called Break before Make, meaning that amplifier A is disconnected from the speakers altogether before amplifier B is connected to them.

� Copyright 2001 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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