Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems HDfury Vertex2 vs Vrroom in HD621

Does anybody operate the Vrroom from HDfury with HD621 and 861/G68?

Any problems like with Vertex2?

My system is 4K HDR, so no 8k. Are there any advantages for using the Vrroom vs the Vertex2?

I have been using a VRRoom for a few weeks now with G65/HD621

Its still an early version of the firmware so I would be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride until it really stabilises. The main issue Ive found is the selected config doesnt 'stick' very well. So I have to keep my iPad on hand to make sure all is well.

The previous advice of connecting the HD621 to TX1 to grab the audio config then store it to a custom EDID still applies. But then the VRRomm randomly switches to a different EDID setting.

I bought the VRRoom because I have an XBox 1 X Series X or whatever theyre called and so to extract the PCM 5.1 is pretty cool and works.

I still havent managed to get the eARC out of my LG C9. Not sure if thats a HD621 issue, but eARC is horrendous anyway. Other people have been able to get eARC working with soundbars but thats not my use case.

In general, VRRoom 'works' but HDMI is horrible and only getting worse, so the options out there arent exactly great. I dont regret buying the VRRoom, but I wouldnt say its rock solid just yet

Cheers
Greg

Not that many devices actually need VRR/FRL/HDMI 2.1, so you may want to mention what sources will be routed through the HDFury.

The new Apple TV supports HDMI 2.1 and VRR so that makes sense and obviously PS5 and XBox Series 1X

Depending on your use case, Vertex2 may be fine and I suspect is more stable, but I never bought the Vertex2 so dont have any actual experience to relate

Cheers
Greg

The HD621 doesn't know it's getting eARC in the Vertex/Vroom scenario. They both do eARC with the TV and pass it out of TXAudio as a standard HDMI interleaved signal, so it's unlikely to be the HD621 that's directly the problem.

What is most likely is 1) the CDS (which is like EDID for eARC) asking for something the Meridian combo can't handle, or 2)asking only for things that the TV can't or won't (licensing....) provide.

I've heard that HDMI don't allow multi - channel LPCM in eARC, so stereo or DD/DTS core may be the best you can get before it goes into versions of the HD formats we can't decode. You can get those on the TVs optical out with much less fuss....
I hope I heard wrong, or that any such restriction isn't actually enforced in all TVs. I frankly decided that life's too short to be messing around with eARC so I've no actual evidence either way.

There's an NDA for HDMI licensees in respect of the CDS settings, but HDFury did offer to construct a custom one for me. Tell them the exact capabilities of the TV and Meridian system and they'll probably do one for you. It's a shame they don't auto - create a good one from the EDID settings.

Best regards,

Julian

How are things on the Vrroom stability front nowadays?

Trying to decide it + my existing HD621 vs UHD722.

Its a mature product by tech standards, I haven't seen anything in the Discord or forums that suggests there are any bleeding edge issues.

But it's really only worth getting this over the Vertex2/Diva if have VRR/HDMI2.1 sources that your panel supports. For most people, this would be a console.

Otherwise just check out prices and availability; its obviously more future proof but it depends how much more you will need to pay. I decided to buy a second hand vertex for my second system and so the price gap between that and the VRRoom made it a no brainer. I am sure I will upgrade at some point.

If you're use case is "just" a 4K UHD player, or streaming 4k content from apple TV, the 722 from a "just works" perspective cant be beaten. So it works albeit at a premium price point.

Once you get into the HDMI 2.1 space, then the 722 aint gonna help. And Ill ignore ARC vs eARC since life is too short.

So the answer is, it depends. The VRRoom is currently running .61 version of firmware. Using Infuse for playing media from a Plex server, I still have to periodically reset the VRRoom, the issue is audio dropouts, sound just quite often just stops. Luckily, VRRoom supports tcpip control and I use iOS shortcuts to do a soft reboot of the hardware, but its very annoying. I want to love the VRRoom, but it doesnt make it easy on itself. The audio dropouts also occur on my XBox Series X, again very annoying.

Im hopeful things will improve further, 0.61 is way better than the the version from say 3 months ago. But 0.61 has been the latest for quite a while now.

If you are happy to be a beta tester, try the VRRoom. If the 722 does what you need, buy that.

Honestly, my worry is HDMI is such a b*ll*che, that a lot of these companies will do what Oppo did and just give up as a lost cause and get out of the business. HDMI 2.1 problems are across the board not just the VRRoom.

Cheers
Greg

Mr_Gimlet,

Vertex 2 is possibly mature but it doesnt do HDMI 2.1, VRRoom is not mature beyond the fact it’s been out for over a year. Vertex 2 has only 2 inputs so, if that works for you, go for it, but if you don't need HDMI 2.1 and can afford it, UHD722 is probably better. Except it only supports ARC not eARC.

HDMI basically sucks.

Cheers
Greg

Thanks. Very helpful!