Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Can the 500 series manage a 7.1 system and how to handle 4k video HDMI sources

Hey everyone.

I have a system based around a Valerion VisonMaster2 Pro projector and a 7.1 speaker set-up. I have been running an Arcam AVR31 receiver for the past month but I've just returned the second one I've had as faulty and as it's within a month I'm taking a refund and re-thinking my approach. I have a Meridian set up in my study, built around my old floorstanders (Dali Helicon 800s and C200 Mk2 centre) running Trifield off a 568.2mm and into a 557 and 505 power amps. Thanks to Duncan for some of that kit.

So I'm thinking, what options exist to strip the audio out of my HDMI sources to send to a processor, such that the 4k video feed can go to my PJ and monitor (I'm running 2 screens, one nightime and one daytime). Is there a way I could build a legacy AV system out of Meridian kit? Wondered if anyone had any ideas? I mostly use a Bluray player and a Roku 4k Streaming Stick as sources. It would be good to keep the native resolutions.

AI suggestions are to pair an HDFury Vertex 2 with a Meridian set-up and that the 568.2mm can matrix the rears and surrounds (which would be fine I think). What does everyone think? Would I be able to get as good a sound quality this way? (Maybe better) than an Arcam AVR.

Cheers in advance.

What you want is the UHD722 HDMI Processor for the ultimate integrated solution for your 568.2mm. For the rears, yes, the Meridian channel remapping is outstanding unless you require "reference" 7.1 playback. It's not just a dumb copying of the sides with gain/delay but actually extracts real mid/side information. I love it for 5.1 sources not having to use an overt DSP mode to get rear surround fill, i.e. Meridian's stock passthru "Cinema" mode. Only the Harman models from ML, Lexicon and JBL Synthesis were comparable in that regard.

The UHD722 was the 4K HDMI source box solution Meridian made (just recently discontinued) which was an update to the previous HD621 Processor made during the 1080HD Blu-ray era.

Both units integrate beautifully with any Meridian pre-pro, from the 568.2mm onwards. It's what you absolutely want for the most headache free, seamless integrated Meridian solution with full A/V source control as if it's one unit. I don't recommend the HDFury route, and you'll need a further box to get multi-channel PCM from HDMI via 3x SPDIF to RS232 into the 568.2mm. That'll be a cumbersome setup and cost a lot more unless you don't mind lossy, which in that case, just use your TV as an HDMI switcher and feed the 568.2mm Toslink for DD/DTS 5.1.

As for the UHD722, there are 2 versions :

The original 2018-2021 "v1" spec, and the unadvertised revised model called the "UHD722R" (2022-2024), which we all call the UHD722v2 around here. That updated the UHD722 to the latest 4K video standards, HDMI 2.0b, HDCP 2.3, full HDR10+/Dolby Vision passthru on all inputs, UHD/60Hz and ARC. The v1 model does 4K HDR10 reliably for all, no HDR10+ and Dolby Vision or HLG can be hit or miss. No ARC either. On the v2 none of this is an issue with the 6th Generation MDS HSR-82T board.

If you only need 1 HDMI source, you can get an HD621 for real cheap, and feed it the audio only output from a BD player. A UHD722v2 will likely cost you $1500-$2000 Used/NOS, but makes any Meridian pre-pro video future proofed for all physical media and 4K.

I'd also bet a 568.2mm with a HD621 or UHD722 will sound better than your Arcam AVR31 with its off-the shelf components. Arcam has fallen off a lot in recent years IMO and reliability as you experienced is very poor. The 568 will certainly be far better for music and I'd bet even for Blu-ray 5.1 (assuming equal amplification) if you have good passive room treatment, especially with MHR link and upsampling.

Decoded PCM on a good BD player generally sounds much better than bitstream in my experience (shootouts with $10,000+ pre-pros). Afterall, this is how theatrical 5.1/7.1 screen DCP does it, AES Encrypted PCM, same as Meridian. So if you have any FOMO over it not being bitstream, you are losing nothing there, but actually gaining over the crappy Cirrus or TI chips companies use to decode the bitstream with "low" res 32-bit chips. The old Motorola/Freescale and AD SHARC stuff sounded the best until 64-bit float precision Trinnov came along. Theta Digital and Meridian always used Motorola/Freescale (~56-bit), hence why they had the best raw SQ, and modular architecture.

The Apple TV 3rd Gen automatically decodes streaming VOD DD+ 5.1 to LPCM and is the defacto go-to streamer for all us Meridian guys for that reason, among others like the class leading picture quality and UI. The ATV also has a player called Infuse, and with a paid update, can also be used to play ripped Blu-rays etc. if you have any, played back with lossless audio quality. Altho the new DuneHD and Zidoo 8K players with the Amlogic chipset can also now decode to LPCM like a good BD player does.

TLDR = Meridian UHD722 box if you can swing it. It's THE official integration method and brings your 568.2mm up to the latest 4K video standards, with DIGITAL lossless 5.1 audio. Unprecedented for a circa 2003 processor.

Will,

See this Using the 568.2MM's multi-channel digital input with the HD621 or non-Meridian equipment in the Wiki.

When I used the 568.2mm with the HD621, I used a generic HD15 VGA to 3x Coax Component Breakout with Red/Green/Blue Male RCAs.

I used to Startech one which looks to be now discontinued but this will do fine.

Try to get a higher quality one if you can, with the gold plated RCA component leads and 15pin like one of those for the best results. The 15Pin connects to the MHR input on the 568.2mm, the RCAs to the mch SPDIF outs of the Meridian HDMI processor.

On the UHD722 however, to get native comms into the 568.2mm so both devices talk to each other, you'll need to buy a Meridian distributor adapter, which converts the SpeakerLink output and provides a legacy DIN comms connector to hook up to the 568, that will allow the 568.2mm and UHD722 to communicate for source control/switching with the remote. The HD621 still had legacy Din connectors, but for the UHD722 it was done away with in-favor of SpeakerLink.

Hope that helps and finds you well, good luck!

Get an HD621.
HD722 is a complete waste of money-it’s just as out of production as the HD621, just as unsupported as the HD621 and the next HDMI version will leave it just as obsolete. HD621 will accept the audio HDMI from a disk spinner just as well as a 722 can, and there are plenty of matrix switches available which will split the HDMI from an Apple TV to an audio and video feed. The Vertex works well and is dead easy to integrate if you have a harmony remote and pretty straightforward to integrate using the IP interface if you don’t. Or just use CEC and make your TV trigger the switching. Literally all you need to do is make it switch source if you’ve got more than one plugged into it. You can buy a vertex and a HD621 for less than half of what people are asking for 722s, and if you want 8k video just get the newer version instead. When HDMI gets upgraded next you can just sell the vertex to a much larger market than a Meridian item can command and get whatever upgrade HDFury will have put on the market within months….

That’s my tuppence anyway. It’s been working for me for over 4 years without a hitch. Before the vertex I had individual splitters in each HDMI line, and just switched on the HD621 and TV for audio and video. Ran out of sockets on the TV.
Oh and the vertex can do eARC, which the 722 will not. Not important for me, but might be for you.

Or you could go for a Nuprime H16 and some AES to SPDIF transformers and buy neither a HD621 nor 722, skip the vertex and still have change from the asking price of a 722 on the bay…

I think it all comes down to a value judgement to each individual person. Everyone is different here.

For me personally, not dealing with all those aftermarket switchers, remotes, splitters and misc. just to get system harmony is not worth the trouble when Meridian provides a native solution for their ecosystem.
It's not cheap, but really it's pennies on the dollar for what M gear goes for. It comes with the territory.

Also, M specific features like MPEG/AAC functionality, HDCP for MHR link, "priming" HDMI audio by dejittering/reclocking and upsampling it - plus, properly synchronized A/V without additional latency from add'l. upstream/downstream devices.
It all just works so much nicer in one native ecosystem IMHO. But everyone has different priorities/value judgements.

For example, I happily used a HD621 for a couple years feeding it the Audio only output of my Oppo 205 when I had the 568.2mm. But I found changing the TV input manually after awhile got annoying, and tolerated it until I got an 861 and 722 to handle all source control.

Lastly, on the UHD722R, short of 8K of which there is zero practical content for, Is now future proofed for all intents and purposes... certainly for all physical disc content, and all current streaming UHD content.

They also added ARC to the 722v2. Which is simultaneously passed on to a G65/861 etc. with comms over SL. Works very well if one uses their SmartTV OS for watching things like YouTube. No DD+, but one is better off using an ATV for that anyway to get that via PCM.

Indeed it does, which is why I thought a bit of balance would be appropriate in this thread.


How do you control the blu-ray and TV? Is the learning function of an MSR+ adequate for your needs? There's a "one remote" rule in our house, so I've been a harmony user for many years and generations.
I'm also the only person in my house who even knows of the existence of an HD621 and a Vertex. The rest just pick up the one remote and press "watch Apple TV" or similar. My daughter has been using it since she was about 4.


HD621 goes for about 150GBP. HD722 asking prices are over 1000GBP. It's not a small difference, particularly in the current state of Meridian and the trajectory of those prices both tending towards zero in pretty much the same time frame.

Decoding these is a processor function, not an extractor function. The tick boxes to pass them to the processor are equally available on both extractors. Ever seen either of these come down the pipe? This is not an advantage. It is, however common between HD621 and 722. All of which functionality is imediately replicated in all Meridian processors younger than a 561, and again is equally present in either a HD621 or 722. This is what the lipsync setting is for.

Before I went 4k I just used the HD621. Apart from the better picture quality, no-one in my household noticed.

Your first system is considerably closer to the theme of this thread than your current system...

Yep, I forgot that in my original post. In HDMI terms the 722 is exactly as obsolete as a HD621.

ARC. The acronym is appropriate. eARC has been a thing for a lot longer than the HD722 has even existed. eARC can represent an advantage in that it can pass multiple lpcm to the processor if tht's a feasible output from your TV. ARC is nothing better than AC3 or stereo. This is the single most pointed example of the 722 being already obsolete at launch.

I'm not meaning to demean Meridian here, just pinting out that the HD621 was the actual groundbreaking enabler, the 722 is really an underwhelming increment at a rather distorted price.

Really helpful. Thank you.

There have been some super useful contributions on this thread. Thank you all.

Yes, in my G65 system, I press my ATV source button on my MSR2 and the whole system and TV turns on with ATV on and ATV control using arrow keys and select. On the 861, exact same except I keep the Apple remote or just use my iPad since the arrow buttons control 861 functions, but play/pause/rewind etc. all from MSR+. A no-go for you, but 1 extra tiny remote is okay in my home. I can appreciate 1 remote w/ children and WAF, but 1 remote MSR+/MSR2 ops is doable with non-800 models using an HD621/UHD722. It works great.

I just take issue with saying UHD722v2 in particular is obsolete because it's not eARC capable. That's a bit over the top. Meridian left it out because they want you connecting sources direct, literally the entire point of the box. Afterall, ARC/CEC is merely a convenience function with the mass-market soundbar and lifestyle user in mind. No TV/Projectors HDMI matrix is ideal because many manufacturers don't support native bitstream pass-thru for DTS formats. For M this matters less because it needs pre-decoded LPCM for high-res lossy/lossless sources, but still relevant to the greater point of ARCs importance in a high-end system. Beyond latency issues (from the TV doing more work), ARC and HDMI frequently suffer from handshaking and reliability issues. All one needs to do is read endless threads online. M's approach when they were active in the high-end hardware game was correct. I've killed them when called for, but HDMI was something they got 100% right IMHO.

So the de-jittering/HDMI audio priming functionality in both the UHD722 and HD621 is strictly for HDMI audio and different from additional Meridian filtering and DSP that occurs on the pre-pro side. They're complimentary, not redundant.

Both boxes provide a downstream M pre-pro the highest quality HDMI audio path - certainly better than any HDFury product of which I have owned and used. They're great for tunnelling LLDV into Samsung TVs/Projectors, EDID tools or modernizing an old AVR, what they're made for. Regarding the AAC config tho it's actually not just an EDID checkbox. In the case of the 861 or 568.2mm where its left unchecked, the HD621/UHD722 will actually decode the AAC bitstream for them. I know this because I've compared how a 568.2mm and 861v8 handle AAC mch bitstreams (not pre-decoded to PCM) vs a G65 fed by either a HD621 or UHD722 in tests I've done. M put a full MPEG/AAC decoder in their HDMI Processors with the JPN/Euro market in mind which have a lot of AAC broadcast and program material. I've even thrown legacy MPEG Multichannel at them. An old 2ch back-compatible type of MPEG 2.0 bitstream PAL DVDs used early on. The HD621/UHD722 detects the hidden mch flag and decodes it - and MHR Movie6 arrives to the pre-pro. Very neat Easter egg indeed.
Glad that found you well, Will.

With more than 2 or 3 sources and if you plan on using your 568.2mm for a while, then the UHD722 may be a good value for you. If it's just 1 source, then an HD621, with a 1in-2out HDMI splitter is much more cost effective. As you'll never have to worry about changing the HD621 source, it'll always be on the correct input to feed a 568.2mm. That's how I used mine. Just that as I added more 4K sources, I found the UHD722 to be the far superior solution for automation and sync reasons among others. YMMW.

I also forgot to mention the UHD722 actually includes a simple Meridian SpeakerLink to DIN coupler that allows one to hook up a legacy comms DIN cable to a short Cat5e cable without having to use the full passive Meridian distributor box. So you can connect a 568.2mm to a UHD722 directly using the included coupling adapter for comms

The HD621 has fancier case and is noticeably heavier. Meridian used a more utilitarian case like that of the 200 series for the UHD722. They likely concluded it's being hidden away or rack mounted for most installs anyway. Making the fancier casework and glass unnecessary.
Both are universal 100-240V switching power supply like the 200 series as well.

Enjoy that 568.2mm! It's a wonderful piece! The latest 2.5 firmware gave it the updated MovieX/MusicX signal convention for improved automation like G-series and 861

Just another tip for the UHD722, most new tv boxes have good working HDMI CEC which enables them to turn on the UHD722, the processor through Din cable and tv on at the same time by using one button on the tv box remote.
Next to that they are often programable so they can change the volume on the processor. This makes it easy for my wife and kids to use the system without using the Meridian remote.

Meridian have absolutely nothing to do with the HDMI functionality of the UHD722. It's an off - the - shelf OEM board from Taiwan that's supposed to go in an AVR (Trinnov used the exact same board). Meridian make the logic and comms board around it. Justifying the lack of eARC based on some Meridian design concept makes no sense whatever - the board they bought simply doesn't have the ability to self - select the return channel and send it into the main HDMI output. It presupposes that the AVR it's contained in has a source button labelled ARC and sends it as a separate output for AVR selection. Even if it were true that Meridian had influenced this behaviour, it makes no sense to do ARC when eARC is already part of the standard, since either is just as convenient and one allows for TV-hosted apps to put out better than DD while the other does not, while ARC already breaches that design "principle". To top it off ARC requires that CEC is active, whereas eARC does not, which then complicates any integration scenarios whether by learning remote or something more advanced.
My point is that the UHD722 was not even up to date with the then-current standards, let alone allowing for future ones, which Meridian post-justified using a specious architectural argument. M's friends in Taiwan have put out at least one pin-compatible upgrade to this board, which M sold as UHD722V2, they will almost certainly do another, but M won't be doing anything about that.

It makes no functional difference whatsoever if the upsampling to 96K and the consequent reclocking of the stream occurs one side or the other of the MMHR connection. At the entry to the DAC the bitstream is either 96k or it's not and the clock is either stable or it's not. Those conditions are set by whatever re-samples and re-clocks last.

Modernising old AVRs is exactly what we're doing here.... We just have a different arrangement of boxes from others, so we do it in bits rather than all in one go. I have absolutely no complaints about the performance of the Vertex - it splits multichannel LPCM to the audio output exactly as well as my Blu-ray player does and sends DV to my TV untainted.

You learn something new every day! Both processors do the same though, so not a deciding factor really. It makes it more of a shame that if it can do that, the 722 can't unpack MLP and send LPCM from an HDMaster bitstream. That capability would have made me go and buy one full retail on launch day.

The adaptor for the UHD722 is quite likely not to make it into a second-hand sale, but you could be lucky and it's a trivial soldering job to make one anyway. The HD621 has both din and BNC comms firmly attached to the panel. M could easily have got a BNC onto the back panel of the UHD722, but they chose not to.

Either will do you well in integrating a 568 into a more modern environment. Each has its pros and cons.

If I was in current possession of neither, I'd buy a Nuprime H16, connect it to to the MMHR input and not worry ever again about Dolby format compatibility (well at least until they come out with "super Atmos plus extended edition"). The fact that I could do this for less than the supposed market value of an UHD722 is quite telling. Needless to say this is where any upgrade money on my part will be going. Probably when NuPrime do the planned upgrade to 96k outputs this year.

Yup can confirm. Volume control using OEM TV remote controls Meridian system volume perfectly with the UHD722s CEC functionality.
They never have to worry about the "mode" either, it's always in the right mode for each source and format.
That's as friendly as it gets for the whole family

To save all the cost you could buy one of these and split the feed into an HD621 and then to any other sources.

Gefen GTB-HDFST-144-BLK (discontinued but sometimes available on eBay)
1 to 4 splitter, cost me £30 some years ago off eBay.
It claims only HDMI 1.4, but runs 4k content off Youtube.
Forgot to add there is a newer version for 4k, same again 1 into 4 outputs, looks like the same unit rebadged.
More than enough outputs for monitor, projector and an input into the HD621 for the sound.


Or perhaps buy one of these
Crestron HD-MD4X2, info says it will run 4k.
Have also just bought one as a back up for £35 off eBay, silly money brand new, there are loads for sale on eBay for around the same price.
4 into 2 splitter, Google AI says it will run any input to both outputs at the same time, haven't received mine yet so can't confirm.

https://www.crestron.com/Products/Catalog/Inactive/Discontinued/H/HD-MD4X2-4K-E