Q You guys ROCK! Thanks for all the great info contained on your web site. It's fantastic!

Anyway, I have a question for you experts:

I own a Samsung HDTV (model LTM 1755), which is a 17-inch LCD TV, and I currently watch my DVD movies on my Xbox videogame system (I bought the DVD kit). The problem I have is that whenever watching movies, I see some combing effects, and while they aren't as bad as the example presented in your DVD Benchmark - Part 5 of October 2000, I'd still love to get rid of them if possible. It's not that big a deal since they appear irregularly, but eliminating these would be great (by the way, I get no combing whatsoever whenever playing videogames, so I doubt this had to do with my TV). Since I believe this problem stems from DVD playback, I have decided to get myself a dedicated DVD player (no more DVD watching on my Xbox), so I was wondering which one I should get that would maybe solve this problem. Any ideas? Should I get a progressive-scan DVD or not? Considering my TV (it has component), which DVD player should I purchase? I have a budget of about $300-400 USD.

A Do you have your Xbox set up to output 480p into your display? If so, this would explain why you see no combing on video games. The Xbox is progressive in nature, and combing will not happen if you use the 480p output.

If the answer to the above is yes about 480p, then I would recommend you get a good progressive scan DVD player. We at Secrets like the Panasonic RP82 and the Denon 1600. Both of these have great MPEG decoders and great deinterlacing. They also have DVD-A, which we strongly believe is the best high resolution format available, and these two players are fairly inexpensive compared to the competition.

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Q I have a chance to get a brand new Yamaha Rx-V1200 (last year's model) for $500. After closely comparing it to the RX-V1300 (this year's model), I've concluded that the only improvements are a higher sampling DAC, a slight facelift, and actual "Dolby Digital EX" as opposed to "Matrix 6.1". Do you know if the decoding schemes are different? Was Yamaha, up until now, using some sort of proprietary decoding scheme? And will I notice a difference with 80w (1200) compared to 100w (1300)? I had my heart set on the 1200 for some time, but hemmed and hawed and just as I was ready to buy, here came the 1300. So I'm hemming and hawing again.

Also, Yamaha's instruction manuals show all surround speakers in a 6.1 setup along a back wall, while other manufacturers (Denon, Pioneer) have the "traditional" surrounds more to the sides of the listener and the center surround(s) behind the listener. Is there a recommended placement?

A In general, we like to see people get the "real" thing when it comes it EX:  Either THX Surround EX or Dolby Digital EX.  The reason is that otherwise you just don't know what you are getting.  EX decoding is based on putting the two surround channels through a matrix decoder and coming out with three channels.  Matrix decoders like Pro Logic include a 4th channel though (what is normally the surround).  When a matrix decoder is used as part of an EX system, it MUST be run in three-channel mode (in the case of Pro Logic, this is called Stereo 3).  Otherwise, any out of phase material in the source channels will literally be discarded.  I'm not saying this is necessarily the case with the older Yamaha, but it is something that has to be verified in anything other than the the actual Dolby or THX licensed products.

As for surround placement, the Yamaha line has for years included various permutations of their Yamaha DSP/Cinema DSP processes which attempt (sometime with success, sometime not) to simulate various acoustical environments.  For those modes, generally speaking, direct radiating surrounds placed behind you are best.  More conventional home theater setup advice is for surrounds, if they are direct radiators, to be placed to the sides and a little behind the listener, or, if they are dipoles, directly to the left and right of the listener.  Rear or center surrounds should be behind the listener, somewhat apart from each other (except for a THX Ultra2 setup, where it is preferred they be adjacent to each other).

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Q I have a Toshiba 34" HD TV (34HF81) and a Sony DVP-NS300 non progressive DVD player. I would like to upgrade my DVD player to one of the following:

1.Panasonic RP82 ($500 CAN) 54 MHz/10-bit
2.Panasonic RP91 ($900)54 MHz/12-Bit Video D/A Converter
3.Denon 1600 ($900) 10-bit 54 MHz
4.Sony DVP-NS715 ($500)10-bit 27 MHz
5.Sony DVP NS900($900)10-bit 54 MHz
6.new Sony DVP-NS905 12-bit 108 MHz

Picture quality and sound are very important to me, What would you recommend?

Second question:

How do the bits and MHz affect picture quality?

A From the list above, we can easily recommend items 1, 2, and 3. All of them are able to recreate the image from DVD without introducing artifacts that are not part of the original image, like the chroma upsampling error. They all also offer DVD-A, which is a superb high resolution audio format.

DVD video is an 8-bit format. The goal is to reproduce all 8-bits. It often requires at least a 10-bit DAC to reproduce the 8-bits on DVD. In theory, an 11-bit, 12-bit, or 14-bit DAC could offer a lower noise floor, but we are not always seeing this in the field.

The higher MHz DACs, in theory, can produce a cleaner more accurate image, but the 108 MHz DAC-based products we have seen are not always doing this. The Denon 9000 is using the latest AD7304 video encoder, and is 14-bit with 108 MHz DACs. However, we see a lot of ringing in this DVD player. We have compared it directly to a Meridian 598 DVD player that is using an 11-bit / 54 MHz DAC. There is much less ringing on the Meridian player. We suspect this is because of different digital filters used inside the Denon DAC and the analog section after the DAC.

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Q I recently bought, but did not open a Yamaha RX-V1 receiver that was on closeout for $1,500. It was a impulse buy with only minor research. My  question is whether or not this receiver is worth the $1,500, or am I  buying 2 year old technology? Would it be better to spend that $1,500  on a 2002/2003 model with the newest features (i.e., Pro Logic 2/ DTS-ES etc)? My system consists of a Sony XBR 40" TV, KEF front towers/center channel, rear Omnisat, Velodyne sub, Sony progressive scan DVD, HD-Hughes receiver for Direct TV. What I am looking for is good dynamic range for two-channel listening, ability to play DVD-A and SACD well, and good decoding for movies, without being obsolete in 1 year.

A Since you mention two-channel (music), you really should give a listen to Pro Logic II.  Its strength lies in its ability to present two-channel music over the 5.1 speaker layout of surround sound systems.  That alone may prompt you to consider going with something newer than the RX-V1, excellent as that piece is.

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Q I have a PC turned HTPC. It works beautifully with DVDs, and thanks to the DScaler deinterlacer recommended in your HTPC articles, it also works wonders with a VHS video source. It is connected to a Denon 1802 receiver and B&W 600 series speakers. By the way, DPL-II is great with my sci-fi videotape library. But coming to the point, I watch all this on a 17" computer monitor, with an 85 Hz refresh rate. It has low contrast in comparison with conventional TVs, but picture and colors are rock solid. The problem is, of course, the pitiful size of the monitor. Now the question is, no way I would be able to afford a projector or a HDTV (that any way I wouldn't find it this side of the Atlantic), so my options to keep the refresh rate would be a bigger computer monitor (probably on the order of 21"), or sacrifice refresh for size buying a 28" conventional panoramic CRT TV. Both will probably have similar costs: $1,100. What is your opinion?

A We presume you are running at the higher refresh rate to avoid flicker, but you must understand that in the US, video runs at 59.94 Hz. This means that if you are running at 85 Hz, you are introducing duplicate frames that are not supposed to be there. This may cause judder in the image.

As far as larger displays, the only consumer display we can really recommend is the now discontinued Princeton AF.30H 16:9 monitor. It is the only display that actually adheres to known video standards and can produce an accurate image. Too many displays today simply do the wrong thing, and we therefore cannot recommend any of them.

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Q I’m just getting started building my home theatre, and I’m starting to buy all the cables. It’s a big room and I’m doing all in-wall wiring, and it looks like I’ll need at least 100 feet of speaker cable. I’m putting in high-quality speakers and a pretty good amp also, so I want to buy good wiring. However, the prices for decent cables are astounding, even from on-line stores like BetterCables. How can I install decent cable without blowing my budget?

A If you are going to run cable in side of your walls, you need cable that is UL approved for that situation. We know Monster makes some fairly affordable in-wall cable for this. You might also try Home Depot for some decent in-wall cable. Good cable does not have to be expensive.

Revel Speakers publishes recommended Gauge vs. Length in all of their manuals. This mirrors what THX recommends on the cable front. This method is chosen based on science and we agree with them. The following chart was taken from page 12 of the F50 manual that Revel provides.
http://www.revelspeakers.com/manuals/F50_OM.pdf

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Q  I can't tell you how much I learned in 6 hours of reading your website tonight. I am a computer junkie who just graduated college and wants to realize that little dream I had while I was in school to have a good home theater. I was under a crazy assumption that I could buy the best of the best for under $5,000. I was way off.

Here is my goal. I just bought a Pioneer 643HD5 HDTV. I want to equip this with a suitable home theater which will also double for playing music. I am aiming at spending $1,500 - $2,000 for all the components, and I have no idea how much I need to spend on speakers. Roughly I just want a quality all in one system like the Denon 4802, Onkyo DS797, with a good progressive carousel DVD player.

Is there a great advantage in having THX? It appears to me that this feature is a great investment, considering most DVDs don't utilize THX.

A huge fan.

A THX is not a playback mode and is not tied to a DVD title being THX mastered.  THX in terms of equipment is a collection of design parameters, performance specs, and special processing which all work together for a goal of correct, predictable movie sound playback.  The THX DVD, Laserdisc, and VHS mastering program ensure that a title has been mastered under correct standards and is the best it can be within the confines of existing film and sound elements and the directors creative intent.

While some THX equipment is quite pricey, a THX processor, in our opinion the most important THX piece, can be purchased for under $1,000.   The Onkyo TX-SR800 THX Select Receiver has all the THX Post Processes and includes pre-outs for all channels, so you can add outboard power amplifiers later.

Given your budget, I would look at getting something like the Onkyo and the Atlantic Technology speaker set recently featured in our 5.1 speaker roundup.

For solid Progressive DVD performance, we can recommend the very affordable Denon 1600 or Panasonic RP-82 (both include DVD-Audio playback).

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