Q&A # 288 - May 15, 2002

Staff

Q Thank you very much for you article on the chroma upsampling error.

I found that it is very easy to see the error by looking at the "WARNING" at the start of every region 1 disc. Below the "WARNING", there is a underscored horizontal line. If the DVD player has the chroma upsampling error, you will find there is a black line (white arrow) between the top red line (green arrow) and the rest of the black. Even if it is an interlaced picture, you still can see it very clearly as the photo shows.

And, as I am one of the group to design DVD+RW/HDD (High Definition Recordable DVD), I found that the bug becomes even worse if there is such error in the DVD+RW/HDD recorder. I record my own videos to DVD+RW discs. Then I copy them, so that I have another DVD player to play it. My DVD player is an Onkyo DV-C503, which has the chroma upsampling error. The connection between DVD player and my DVD+RW is through Y/C. Then it is recorded on another disc. As I play back the new disc, it becomes very ugly.

A Thank you for the info. It is rewarding to know that Secrets may have a part in the quality of future DVD players and recorders, even High Definition. We will be checking on this sort of thing as we make plans to update the archived technical articles.

Q I am putting together a home theater system which will double as my audio system. I have limited funds and space, just a worker bee with a small tract house family room.

I kept my old JBL 4410 Studio Monitors for the fronts, and over time have added the JBL S-Center and JBL PB12 sub. Most recently I added the JBL S38 for the rears. I entered the digital age with my new Pioneer VSX-39TX receiver. I am pleased with the sound for the money.

So off to the store I go to buy a DVD player. Found a Sony. Thankfully the store had a 30 day return policy. I took it back after reading about the chroma bug on your site. Thanks for that, it saved me from adding to the landfill.

Here is my quest. Due to space limitations, I would like to have a progressive scan DVD player (plan to upgrade to digital TV soon) that also has really good sound for playing CDs. I will not tolerate a chroma bug. Is there such a beast? Can you point me in the right direction?

A Since we published that article, manufacturers are making progress in getting rid of the chroma bug in their new players. I am sure that Sony plans to do that too. We are currently testing several new DVD players and will have the results shortly.

Q I read some of your Q&As that discuss hooking a preamp in with a receiver. Why would one want to do that if there is a preamp already in the receiver?

A Some consumers like to have a high-performance two-channel preamp with their mass market surround sound system. By connecting, say, a tube preamplifier in with the mass market solid state receiver, they can get the tube sound when they listen to two-channel audio with CDs.

Q I like the idea of having a big screen for movies, but every salesman I talk to has a different idea about what is best. I am thinking about using a 92" Stewart screen for front projection, but can you give me the pros and cons of front vs. rear projection?

A Rear projection is easier to watch during the day, because the screen is designed not to reflect very much light from the front, where the room lighting comes from. But, they take up a lot of space. Finding a RPTV as big as 92" would not be easy, and could easily run near $10,000. For your situation, the front projection system would be ideal, since you could put the digital projector on your coffee table, and use a motorized Stewart screen mounted on the ceiling. This would not take up very much room space. The only drawback is that you need the room to be as dark as possible when viewing, which will mean getting blackout shades for the windows (several window shade companies sell these). First, get the projector and place it where it will be sitting for movie watching. Project it onto a bed sheet at the spot where you would be hanging the screen. Zoom the projector to the image size that is comfortable for your viewing. Then order the screen at that size.

Q I have a Mitsubishi WS65908 (65" Diamond RPTV) and a 35" Toshiba direct view TV. I get a great picture from satellite on the 35", but only an OK picture on the Mitsu (forget the formatting problems) except when broadcasts are made in HDTV, then everything is great. I was considering a line 2X like the iScan Pro but don't know if my RPTV already has one and how to activate/deactivate it if it does or if it would even be worth it. I sit far enough from the TV that a progressive scan DVD player output looks great.

A Yes, all HDTVs have deinterlacers ("line doubling" is not the vogue term anymore). The problem is that many HDTVs don't have very good deinterlacers. All you have to do to get the Mitsubishi deinterlacer out of the circuit is to feed it a progressive scan signal, such as you are already doing with your DVD player. The iScan Pro will do that for you (deinterlace the signal and send it as progressive scan to your TV) when watching the interlaced satellite signals. However, the artifacts that are in compressed satellite TV transmissions will not be removed, so don't expect miracles.

Q Secrets' review on the SVS subwoofer was fantastic. My Sony receiver has a graphics equalizers on it. How do I use it for equalizing my speakers without having to buy all that test equipment you used to set the EQ in your review?

A I will open a Secrets Utilities Download Page. To start, I am putting in a 16/44.1 sine wave sweep, from 20 Hz - 20 kHz, that lasts 10 seconds. It is recorded at - 20 dB. You can download the file and play it with Windows Media Player or RealOne Player. Run interconnects from your computer to your receiver's CD inputs (or other line-level inputs), make sure the volume control is all the way down, then play the file and slowly turn the volume up a bit. Do not play the file loud. Sine waves are difficult for speakers to handle, and you can damage them. You may also have to lower the output of your sound card so that you don't overload the receiver input. Use a Radio Shack SPL meter to see how the peaks and dips occur in your system, when you hold the SPL meter in your sitting position. You can monitor the signal on your computer using a freeware FFT program, such as AnalFreq (http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/AnalFreq/), so that you can see which frequencies are the peaks and which are the dips. You can also record the file to a CD-R and play it in your DVD player, although this does not work on all players. Let me know if you find the files useful, and I will upload a larger selection of test signals. I have to put in the disclaimer here, saying that use or misuse of any Secrets downloads is the reader's responsibility. Secrets makes no claims as to the quality of the downloads.

Q I seem to be having a problem getting punchy bass out of my system. The sub will push really nice deep bass. But when it comes to punch there just is not any there. Not sure what to do. I have the sub placement in the best place possible that I have found. And the speakers are set to small with the sub crossover at 80 Hz. My system consist of an Integra 7.2 Receiver, Paradigm Mon 3 front, Paradigm 370 Cent, Mini Monitors rear, and a PDR 12 sub. Not sure what I should try next.

A I suspect you just don't have enough power. The solution is to get a more powerful unit. Since you have a Paradigm system, the PW-220 would do the job. You could use your current sub just for the center channel. If even more power is your game, then go to something with a 15" or 18" driver and 1,000 watts of power, such as the Velodyne HGS-15 or HGS-18. For great bass at great price, the SVS CS-Ultra that we just reviewed is also a good choice. You would not have any problems "not having enough punch" using any of those subs.

Q I'm looking for a really good quality interlaced/component DVD player for my Marantz VP-12S1 DLP projector and I'd like your opinion as to which you think is the best. I guess I should really ask you what you think are the top 3 or 4 players, as the best may be out of my price range. My main concern is great interlaced video quality and I prefer a sharp and clean image, as opposed to a warm and soft image. Analog audio quality is not important to me, as I have a separate CD player.

A The Panasonic RP-91 is an excellent choice. It does not have the chroma bug, which is a good selling point.

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