Q&A # 36 - November 5, 1997
Staff
Q I have a quirk with our Sony Trintron. Bright objects on a dark
background
"streak" to the right (classic example is ending credits of a film).
The
only way to get rid of this is to deviate significantly away from
Video
Essentials values to a lot less black level and more white level to
compensate. It has been suggested that this problem may be a result
of
"Scan Velocity Modulation".
My question is, does SVM go by any other name? I'm looking at a list of
service adjustments, and I'm wondering if any might be related. If not, is
there any other setting that would be worth toying with to address this
problem. Gamma? Anything?
Your experience is much apprieciated.
A It could be the SVM (It might also go by SMV, but it is the same), but to
disconnect this might require a hardware fix. You would have to remove a
wire inside your TV, which could void the warranty. This is where a service manual comes in handy.
It sounds more like it is your TV's ability, or lack thereof, to hold
black at black. This is called poor DC restoration. If you have VE, you can
look at two frames and switch between them, which will let you know if your
TV does have this problem. Look at frames 17618 and 17619. First set up
your black level based on 17618 then switch to 17619. If you can't see the
gray bar anymore, you will have to turn up the black level until you do.
When you switch back to 17618 you will see the blacker-than-black bar again.
If this is the case, you will need to keep your black level set here.
After you have done this, check for your streaking problem again.
Q Can I use conventional but high quality 75-ohm video cable, say
Monster Cable's M1000 or MV2 & 3, for each of the input/output at length of up to
8 feet? I haven't seen any dedicated component cables here yet. I guess RGB cables also work, except that the Sync cable is not used.
A Yes you can. I use three (4 meters each) Monster M1000V from my DVD
player to my TV. Monster also makes a DVD component cable, though their
M1000V is a better cable. The Monster Video 3 or M1000V would be perfect
for DVD.
Q I am in the market for a top performing rear projection TV. I am
looking for a 57" to 62" and am seriously considering a 16:9. So far, I
have narrowed the search down to The Poineer Elite PRO-1009W, the Pioneer SD-P62A5K, the Sony 60" XBR, and the new Hitachi 60SBX72B. The problem is,
I am unable to compare them side by side or with any confidence that each
set is configured for its best performance. I am not an expert or
experienced videophile, but have tried to research the field. Still, I
have had no luck coming up with any meaningful comparative information.
My considerations are overall video performance (including color
temperature accuracy, resolution, etc.), price, and features (component
video inputs, etc.), in that order. What's new, huh? Salesmen keep telling
me, "This one is clearly ranked number one by the industry!" Well, I sure
wish I had access to these unequivocal industry rankings and criteria.
Can you make a recommendation based on your experience with these or any
other sets out there? Are there other sets that I should consider?
A Sony and Pioneer are the top two performers after an ISF
calibration. Some models of the Sony (usually their XBR45 series) have the
ability to get their color decoder touched up and brought to near broadcast
reference quality through the service menus by an ISF tech. Some Pioneers
can also have their color decoder modified, but only a couple of ISF techs
can do it because it requires actual solder work on the board. The Pro
1009W cannot have the decoder modified, so you would have to live with it.
Currently Pioneer does not have any models with component video connections.
Perhaps next years models will, but we will have to wait until CES to find out.
Both Sony and Pioneer are on the upper end of the cost scale.
The Toshiba TW56F80 has been discontinued, though you can still
find them in the stores. The new 65" model has progressive scan capability.
Both of these sets have component video inputs and can also be calibrated to
track a good gray scale. The TW56F80's street price is actually quite low, and in fact, a bargain! I have no experience with the Hitachi sets.
Q Do I really need this "high-end" audiophile stuff to enjoy excellent
sound? Why spend 2,000 dollars for a pair of speakers that give you a
marginal increase in sound quality over 400 dollar each speakers??? Why do I need a preamplifier, multi-channel amplifier, A/V receiver, etc, for good sound? Why can't I just get one amplifier for good sound?
A Actually, price is not necessarily coincident with high performance (I prefer this term over high-end), although it is true in a general sense . There are several factors that make the high performance equipment generally more expensive. One is the parts quality. Second is the fact that many of them are hand-made. Third, much smaller numbers of the components are manufactured. Separates perform (in general) better than most integrated components because power supplies are serving only the one component in the chassis (e.g., preamp, power amp, tuner, decoder, etc.), and the wiring for each component is not so close together as to interfere with one another. The performance of individual components increases approximately in a linear fashion up to about $1,000/component, and then begins to level off (in my opinion). So, for example, a $1,000 A/V receiver would have a good value-performance ratio, but not every $1,000 receiver would be better than every $800 receiver. It would be a general rule of thumb, but not absolute. In any case, you can get some very nice equipment without spending a lot of money. Listen to equipment within your budget, and don't pay attention to anyone pressuring you to purchase something because it is "high-end". You don't owe anybody an apology or a justification for buying what you like.
Q I have three (3) Design Accoustics Speakers. I am currently using two of
them for my front speakers. Can I use the third as a center channel speaker? I'm sure it is not shielded as they are pretty old but still produce adequate sound for my taste and budget. How far above my 50 inch Mitsubishi
Projection TV can I place this speaker without it causing distortion of the
picture? Is there some material that can be placed between the speaker and
the TV to allow it to rest on the top of the TV?
A If you use an unshielded speaker for center channel and place it on top of the TV, and play a movie through the surround sound system, the top third or so of the picture will begin to turn blue or purple if the speaker is causing a problem. To get rid of the faulty color, turn the TV off and then back on again. You can try stacking the speaker on something to separate the speaker from the TV by about 12 inches or so, but the larger the speaker drivers, the farther away it would have to be. Placing a piece of steel sheet metal (about 1/16" thick) under the speaker can help. Let us know what worked best for your particular situation. Using three identical speakers for the front left/center/right could be a nice idea if it can be made to work easily.
Q Why is it that with all the different types of A/V equipment out there, there are hardly any TRULY GOOD REMOTE CONTROLS for them? I am looking for
ONE remote control that will control it ALL, a learning remote that can do
Macros with any or every button I choose, a remote that lights up so I am not
turning on the lights in the middle of a movie to adjust the volume.
UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROLS ARE NOT UNIVERSAL!!!! I have yet to see a
remote
that allows you to throw away all your other remotes. You still have to use your
original remotes for setups on your A/V equip, whether it be to access the
TV menus or Surrond Sound setups. I would think that in today's age, MANY companies would produce this, but I am unable to find one that will
respond to me after I tell them what I want. It is not a hard thing to do. Even a HP 48GX CALCULATOR can be programmed to control any device. It
can read the pulsewidth of an IR signal and DUPLICATE it!! If a CALCULATOR
can do this simple act, why can't they apply it to a device DEDICATED to
controlling A/V equipment? Is that TOO much to ask?
A You have hit on something that is a real problem for most of us. Ergonomics in remote controls is sort of like documentation for software. Terrible in most cases. The difficulty is arranging the many features so that they can be controlled from a small hand-held panel, the remote. It is not easy, or it would have been done properly by now. Each year, the remotes seem to change drastically. I have yet to find a single programmable remote that will do it all, just as you have said. To me, the ideal remote would be a back-illuminated (yellow-green light, not red) LCD panel that allows you to write the macros from scratch, with no prearranged data, and name them, just like in a word processor. So, for example, you type in the words, "TV Power On/Off", and store the remote command from your old TV remote. Then you type, "Receiver Power On/Off" and store the remote command from your receiver remote. Commands like "TV Volume Up/Down", "DVD Chapter Forward", Laserdisc Scan Forward", etc., could be named for your own convenience and understanding, as well as placed in any menu or sub-menu you want. There are some remotes out there that are very programmable, but they are also incredibly expensive. When they make one that is programmable from scratch, priced at $100 or less, I'll buy one.
Q I recently purchased a Toshiba 2107 DVD player with the intent that it would double as my CD player. I do not listen to CDs very often since
my system's primary use is home theater. Therefore, in my old system, I was
content with plugging in an old Toshiba first generation portable CD player
with miniplug output to my Denon two channel receiver. In my new system, I
have an AC-3 Pioneer DSX V606s receiver. When I play a CD in the DVD player,
the sound seems muddy, less bright, and it seems as though there is less
dynamic range. I reused my front speakers from the old system so it's not
the speakers. I have a quality Audioquest 75 ohm digital interconnect from
the DVD. I even upgraded my speaker wire so my question is . . . does a DVD
player, in general, have less CD audio capability than specific CD players?
If not, what gives? Was my Denon receiver that good and the Pioneer
receiver that bad? I'm extremely pleased with the Pioneer AC-3 audio
quality, but for CDs I'm ready to reuse that 10 year old portable CD! Thank
you for your comments.
A Yes, in general, DVD players do not have as good a quality when playing CDs as would be found in a regular CD player. The reason is that DVD players use a smaller laser beam than dedicated CD players use. This is so the beam will fit into the narrower tracks on DVDs. It does not work very well on CDs, so the sound from CDs is compromised. Sony's 7000 model DVD player has two laser beams, one for DVD and one for CD, but from what I understand, the CD audio is still not all that great. Laserdisc players don't play CDs very well either, but for different reasons (mediocre DACs). I use a dedicated CD player, a DVD player, and a laserdisc player. For economy, you can even get a single player that will handle laserdiscs, DVDs, and CDs, but in the long run, you should get players specifically designed for the discs you are using.
� Copyright 1997
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue.
