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Q I am using a generic brand DVD player as CD/DVD player and only use
digital cable to pass the signal to the receiver. I know the analog output of
this DVD player is not good. My question is, if I use digital cable to pass CD
signal to the receiver, then the sound quality (D/A convert quality and S/N
ratio) will be decided by the receiver? Or will the DVD player still convert CD
data into analog and pass to receiver through digital cable?
A With the digital cable, only the digital bitstream is passed to the
receiver, where it does the digital-to-analog conversion.
T
Q Does the Panasonic DVD-RP62 (replacement model
for the DVD-RP56) also contain the Sage/Faroudja deinterlacing chip (FLI2200)
noted in your DVD Benchmark article of August, 2001? If not, can you tell me
which model chip is being used?
A Yes, the RP62 has the
FLI2200, as does their RP82, which includes DVD-A. Neither have the chroma bug.
T
Q I have a Bose Life Style30
Series 2, a 36" Sony Wega XBR TV, a Panasonic RP56 DVD player, a digital cable
box, and an Xbox game system. Would it be wise for me to get a good receiver to
plug all my audio and video connections into it? I was at Best Buy and the sales
man there said "Yes". If that is the case, then would I still need my Bose
receiver? What would give me the best sound and picture?
A The Bose systems are fine
if you want mucho space saving, but if you want a lot of power for action
movies, then you will need to get a nice big receiver. Give the Bose system to a
family member. It really won't be useful with a new receiver. Get some new
speakers while you are at it, along with as big a subwoofer as you can afford.
T
Q What is 540p for on HDTVs,
compared to 480p?
A 540p requires the same
scanning frequency as 1080i, so HDTVs have it in order to provide a slightly
higher resolution than 480p.
T
Q I have a Toshiba 42H81 rear projection TV (IDSCpro
1080i/540p HD compatible display) and am looking for a DVD player. As this TV
already has 3:2 pulldown detection and compensation, are there still good
reasons for going with a progressive scan DVD player?
A Yes, get a progressive scan
DVD player because the player does its thing in the digital domain, whereas if
you send an interlaced signal (which will be analog) out of your DVD player to the TV, the TV has to convert it back to
digital before deinterlacing, and then back to analog for display. All this
converting back and forth results in at least a little bit of image quality
degradation.
T
Q Please could you tell me if
the quality of the signal is reduced if I take an S-Video out from my receiver
to my TV which has RCA (S-Video to RCA)? Should I just use RCA from my
receiver to my TV? Which method would you recommend?
A It probably does not make any difference where
the down-conversion occurs, since it is an on-purpose degradation. When you get
a new TV with S-Video and component video inputs, you are going to see a huge
improvement in your picture quality from your DVD player.
T
Q Is it my imagination or do my Polk RT800is sound
better with the top half grilles off? I have listened with the grilles on and
off, and they seem to sound more open, clear, and dynamic with the grilles off.
I would like to leave them off permanently, my only concern is shielding the
cones from damage.
A It is not your imagination. Grilles, being a
physical object, impede part of the sound from the drivers. Sometimes this is
taken into account when the speakers are designed, but in general, they sound
more open without the grilles. If you don't have any young children, you can
leave them off without worry. You might want to put them back on if you have
guests over for a dinner party. There is a human tendency to touch speaker
drivers.
T
Q I have a Marantz CD player that has two methods
of connecting to the amplifier, one being the conventional way "analog" and the
other one is a single digital connection. Now Marantz and its infinite wisdom
used in writing the manuals does not say anything about what is needed to make
the connection, wire or otherwise. Should I be looking for a digital input on my
receiver? Further, will this connection truly provide better sound?
A We get this question a lot, and I like to
reiterate now and then because it is so important. For digital connections from
DVD players to receivers, there are two types. One is a coaxial RCA that looks
like all the analog input jacks. However, you must use a coaxial cable that is
made specifically for digital connections, which means it has 75 Ohm impedance.
If you use just a regular audio cable, which could have an impedance as low as
25 Ohms, the sound will be poor quality. The second type is Toslink optical.
This type does not suffer from impedance issues. If you are in doubt, get a
Toslink cable, assuming your player and receiver have the Toslink jacks. Whether
the sound is better using digital connections or not, depends on the quality of
the DACs in your player vs. your receiver. For DD and DTS though, you will only
need one digital cable, vs. six cables if you use analog outputs from the DVD
player to your receiver.
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