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Q I
need some help! I'm starting to see 3rd generation DVD players
with 10 bit video D/A conversion and 24/96 kHz circuitry on the
market. With the format war in full swing please prognosticate
[sorry for the overkill word!]: will the CD capabilities
of these players "help" with
HDCD, with the DVD audio format (DAD), and with SACD? Also, these
3rd generation players have discrete laser pickups. Will they
do justice to CD reproduction? A number of times in your Q&A
series you have stated that a dedicated CD player is the only
way to go for music. Does that still hold? Your info is so exact
all of the time that I make all of my buying decisions based on
your replies. Finally, these players say "DTS 5.1 Ready."
What does "ready" mean? I thought a DTS decoder with
the A/V receiver was necessary for DTS reproduction for both audio
and video. Is this marketing hype?
A The
10 bit video will give more gray levels (luminance or brightness),
and colors are superimposed on top of these brightness assigned
values. DADs use the 24/96 format right now, but Sony's upcoming
format uses 192 kHz. My DVD player has a 24/96 capable DAC, yet
CDs don't sound very good through it. There are some new 24/96
capable dedicated CD players that have hit the market, and the
24 bit resolution seems to provide better sound from 16 bit CDs,
probably because 24 bit resolution will let the DAC do a better
job with 16 bits than a 16 bit resolution DAC that is pushing
its limits. HDCD is a separate process from simply resolving 20
bits, but the 24 bit CD player will probably sound better with
HDCDs as they will with regular CDs. My opinion is that a dedicated
CD player will still handle CDs better than DVD players, but over
the next couple of years, that may change. DVD players that are
DTS capable (they have a sticker on the front that says "DTS
digital out") recognize DVDs with a DTS soundtrack (recognize
the DTS "flag") and output the DTS bitstream just as
they would output the DD bitstream on other DVDs. Older DVD players
cannot recognize the flag, so you can't get the DTS bitstream
to come out of the digital jack on the rear panel. The DTS bitstream
and DD bitstream go to your receiver where they are decoded into
analog 5.1 channel audio. Some DVD players have 5.1 analog audio
output jacks, but they only handle DD, not DTS. For DTS decoding,
you must connect the digital output jack on the DTS capable DVD
player to a digital input jack on a receiver or outboard decoder
that decodes DTS. MCA Universal Studios is going to release some
DTS DVDs on January 12, so we will test some of them and report
here in the magazine.
Q The
preamp/processor and DVD player that I have are all THX certified,
however my amplifier and speakers are not. Will this present a
problem when attempting to implement the THX equalization standard
when I set up my home theater system?
A No
it will not be a problem. THX in your processor will allow you
to have an enhanced experience when in Pro Logic mode, and that
will have no real impact on your amplifier or speakers, just your
senses.
Q I've
seen DVD-ROMs come out with 5-speed "3rd Generation"
drives. But when I look at stand-alone Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer
DVD players, they don't specify the speed of the reader. Does
this mean that the stand-alones are 2x "2nd Generation"
players? Are there going to be stand-alone "3rd Generation"
players? Even their web sites don't provide any useful info.
A CD
ROM and DVD ROM drives for computers will read the discs at varying
speeds depending on the need, but DVD players that are for movies
in your home theater only need to read the disc at a predetermined
speed. So, don't worry about the speed of the drive when selecting
one for home theater. If you are planning on having DTS in your
system though, get a DVD player that specifies DTS Digital Out,
which is a logo that is usually on the front of the player. Some
of the latest DVD players also have component video outputs, and
progressive scan video outputs. If you are buying a TV with any
of these capabilities, then get the player that has the respective
outputs.
Q I
was wondering if there's a good book out there that has speaker
plans that really work with the information I need to fine tune
the crossover and such. I've never built my own speaker so I'm
trying to keep it simple as possible. I really want to build a
center channel for my surround system.
A A
number of websites should be able to help you with this, but building
a center channel speaker is tricky if you want to put it on top
of the TV. Internal shielding (usually a steel cup around the
magnet) affects the magnetic field of the driver and changes its
performance. Go onto one of the search engines and type in speaker
building DIY. I found plenty of links there (using Lycos search
engine).
Q I
would like to know when and if Sony has plans for a DVD player
capable of DTS playback. I have held out of purchasing a DVD player
until I know.
A All
the DVD player manufacturers will be making them, and many are
available right now, so by mid-1999, probably all the new players
will have DTS digital out. But, make sure the one you buy does
have it. Don't assume that it does.
Q Regarding
the Sony 30ES and Yamaha RX-V795, could you provide me with some
objective comparisons of the overall performance of these two
receivers? Many people seem to think that the Yamaha is a better
choice, mostly in a home theater setup. But what about stereo
music? Which handles 4 Ohm speakers better? I noticed that the
damping factor of this new Yamaha, called a home theater receiver
instead of an A/V receiver, is substantially (numbers wise) lower
than its predecessor, the 793 (80 vs 200!). The 30ES, with a 280w
power consumption, is some 3 pounds heavier than the 795. What's
the Yamaha 795's power consumption? I know power consumption doesn't
necessarily translate into clean power output, but it may help
compare the two receivers in some ways.
A Yamaha
tends to put most of the money into the processing capability,
while some manufacturers put it into the power amplifiers. We
have not had much chance to test many Sony units yet. Three pounds
is quite significant however, and I am glad you are looking at
the right kind of specifications. I could not find the power consumption
spec on the 795, but we will be testing this unit in 1999. The
damping factor could go down when using less negative feedback,
and less negative feedback is used when the amplifier design is
better. Also, less negative feedback is a marketing
item these days. In any case, a damping factor of 80 is still
fine with 4 Ohm loads. They probably both perform in a similar
way when in the two channel stereo mode.
Q I
am looking at the Sony STR-DE 925 and the Sony STR-DA 30ES. The
925 is $200 less than the 30ES but doesn't have S-Video inputs.
How important are the S-Video imputs? Will not having them make
a big difference? I am waiting to get a DVD player with progressive
scan which I understand will be out soon. Will I be "penny
wise, pound foolish" by saving the $200 bucks?
A I
would suggest going from your source (DVD) directly to the TV
rather than through the receiver. Just as with audio, everytime
you go through a connector or switch, there is signal degradation.
Also, the bandwidth of the video connections in the receiver may
not pass the full resolution through. If you have DVD and DSS
as sources, then get a TV with at least two S-Video input jacks.
My TV has three sets of S-Video inputs, and although it is a little
less convenient to have to push one extra button (to change the
input on the TV), I am sure about getting full bandwidth images
from my sources. So, if you do it this way, you can also save
the $200.
Q All
of my gear (Yamaha RX-V 2095 Receiver - just ordered, Toshiba
2108 DVD player, RCA 5451 AC-3 DSS, VCR) is located approximately
35' from my 50" Hitachi UltraVision RPTV. Will a 35' run
of S-Video cable degrade the signal to my TV? Does the Yamaha
effectively switch from the differing video inputs without diluting
the quality of video output to my projector? I've read the DSP-A1
effectively handles the switching without any degradation of signal
output. Is the 2095 similar? Or am I better off running multiple
source inputs into my Hitachi?
A We
are testing the 2095 right now. It appears to be a very nice unit.
If you were closer to the TV, I would suggest going direct from
each source (DVD player and DSS receiver) to the TV using a separate
S-Video cable for the two (see the preceding question and answer).
However, in your case, and with using a high quality receiver,
it is more prudent to use S-Video cables from each source to the
receiver and one S-Video cable from the receiver to the TV. Even
though there will be a little signal degradation in the receiver
switching (no matter how well built it is), an extra 35 foot S-Video
cable is expensive. However, if you want the very best image,
use separate cables from the sources to the TV. You might want
to price out the three S-Video cables (two short ones and one
long one) vs. two long ones, just to see what the difference in
cost is. Then decide.