Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian UHD722 Trade-up promotion announced

This could have been mega product if it had Atmos and DTSX processing with extraction of height channels as well as 7.1.

License fees can be substantial. Especially when those fees are major factors when considering whether or not to put an optical port on a component.

1. DOES THE UHD722 HANDLE “4K” AND “UHD” VIDEO MATERIAL?
The terminology surrounding higher resolution video can cause confusion. There is a plethora of standards and specifications relating to the subject and “4K” and “UHD” are often used as generic terms to denote higher resolution video material. Technically speaking, the UHD722 handles video within the specification of HDMI 2.0b. In practice this means that the UHD722 is compatible with most consumer products which are designated as “4K” or “UHD”.

2. DOES THE UHD722 SUPPORT HDR10?
Yes.

3. WHAT SPECIFICATION OF HDMI DO THE HDMI INPUTS SUPPORT?
All seven inputs support HDMI 2.0b.

4. WHAT SPECIFICATION OF HDMI DOES "HDMI OUT 1" SUPPORT?
It supports HDMI 2.0b.

5. WHAT SPECIFICATION OF HDMI DOES "HDMI OUT 2"SUPPORT?
It supports HDMI 1.4 rather than HDMI 2.0b, so it cannot output UHD material.

6. WHEN UHD MATERIAL IS PLAYED THROUGH THE UHD722, WHAT VIDEO IS SENT OUT OF "HDMI OUT 1" AND "HDMI OUT 2"?
The behaviour of the outputs is determined by the design and behaviour of all the products in the chain from source to display. Signals sent over HDMI are encrypted and the UHD722 takes part in a sequence of “handshaking” between all the products in the chain and this will determine which video signal is displayed. In practice, this means some product combinations will result in UHD video being output from "HDMI Out 1" while "HDMI Out 2" will go blank while other combinations will result in 1080p (2K) video being sent out of both HDMI outputs.

7. CAN I FEED TWO DISPLAY DEVICES SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH UHD VIDEO?
The UHD722 does not feature the connectivity to does this. One method for achieving it would be to use an external HDMI “splitter”. This device, which would need to be HDCP 2.2 compliant, could be fed from the output "HDMI Out 1".

8. DOES THE UHD722 HANDLE 3D VIDEO?
Yes. 3D video was part of the HDMI 1.4 specification and the UHD722 complies with HDMI 2.0b which encompasses HDMI 1.4.

9. IS THE UHD722 COMPLIANT WITH HDMI 1.4?
Yes. The UHD722 complies with HDMI 2.0b which encompasses HDMI 1.4.

10. CAN THE UHD722 SEND UHD VIDEO TO TWO DISPLAYS SIMULTANEOUSLY?
No. Only the “HDMI Out 1” output is capable of passing UHD video.

11. CAN THE UHD722 DECODE 5.1 AUDIO STREAMS SUCH AS DOLBY DIGITAL OR DTS?
No. These streams can be handled by the product, but they are passed to the audio outputs without being decoding, so the device “downstream” of the UHD722 would need to be capable of decoding them.

12. CAN THE UHD722 DECODE DOLBY TRUEHD OR DTS MASTER AUDIO?
The UHD722 cannot decode these streams itself, but its inclusion in a system can allow these lossless streams to be played in an optimal way.

13. WHEN USING A SOURCE WHICH CAN PLAY DOLBY TRUEHD OR DTS MASTER AUDIO, HOW SHOULD I SET THE SOURCE’S OUTPUT TO BEST FEED THE UHD722?
The source should be set to output PCM. The terminology used in the set-up menus can vary, but the vast majority of such sources feature the ability to do this.

14. ONE OR MORE OF THE SOURCE PRODUCTS IN MY SYSTEM IS RELATIVELY CHEAP. CAN I BE SURE THAT THE WAY IT CONVERTS LOSSLESS FORMATS INTO PCM IS UP TO THE JOB IN THE CONTEXT OF MY HIGH-END AV SYSTEM?
Yes. The methods used by source products to access and decode lossless streams can be compared to the way a compressed file is extracted and read by a computer. Sources do not vary in this regard, so the purchase price has no direct bearing on this aspect of the source’s performance. There is understandable scepticism to this fact in some quarters due to the residual knowledge that the quality of decoding earlier formats, such as those from DVD-Video, could vary according to the design of the source product.

15. WHAT IS THE “SPEAKERLINK OUT” SOCKET FOR?
This connection provides a Meridian comms connection to allow the UHD722 to be integrated within a Meridian system. The connection can be carried out in two ways:

i) The UHD722 can be directly connected to an otherwise unused SpeakerLink input on another product using a network-type cable.

ii) The UHD722 can be connected to a DIN-type Meridian comms socket on another product in the rack using the Meridian Comms Adapter – supplied with the product. The adapter has an RJ45 socket which accepts a SpeakerLink cable and 5-pin DIN socket for a Meridian 5C lead.

16. CAN I CONNECT THE SPEAKERLINK OUTPUT TO THE SPEAKERLINK INPUT ON MY MERIDIAN DSP LOUDSPEAKERS?
Although the Speakerlink output of the UHD722 carries digital audio, this audio is not optimised for the highest possible sound quality. If the UHD722 is to be used to provide a two-channel signal, best results are achieved by using a single digital interconnect fed from the “1/2” phono (RCA) socket. If feeding a pair of Meridian loudspeakers which have only Speakerlink inputs, then a Meridian AC12 adapter can be used to convert the connection type. In such an arrangement, the AC12 also provides a suitable connection for Meridian comms to be fed from the UHD722 via the Meridian Comms Adapter - supplied with the product.

17. CAN I CONNECT THE MMHR OUTPUT TO THE SPEAKERLINK INPUT ON MY MERIDIAN DSP LOUDSPEAKERS?
No. Although the two sockets mentioned are the same physical type, the signals they carry are not compatible. The MMHR Output socket on the UHD722 is intended to be connected to a suitably-equipped Meridian surround controller, rather than a DSP loudspeaker.

18. MY MERIDIAN SURROUND CONTROLLER HAS A MULTI-CHANNEL DIGITAL INPUT IN THE FORM OF THREE PHONO (RCA) SOCKETS BUT NOT THE RJ45 TYPE OF SOCKET USED ON NEWER PRODUCTS. HOW DO I CONFIGURE AND CONNECT THE UHD722 TO USE THIS INPUT?
On the set-up program, under the “Audio” tab within “Properties” of the UHD722, the setting “Linear PCM” should be set to “6 Ch. Three digital interconnect leads should be connected between the two units. On the UHD722, the outputs labelled “1/2”, “3/4” and “7/8” should be connected to the “L/R”, “C/LFE” and “SURR” input sockets respectively on the surround controller.

19. I’VE INSERTED AN UHD722 BETWEEN A SOURCE AND A DISPLAY-DEVICE WHICH PREVIOUSLY WORKED JUST FINE, BUT NOW I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PICTURE. WHY IS THIS?
The addition of any device to an HDMI set-up can introduce the possibility of a compatibility issue. The handshaking and encryption used by HDMI is particular prone to vagaries with various cable types. If any cables are over the maximum seven metres laid out by the HDMI specification, then they may work in one combination, but not another. If problems arise, alternative cables should be tried. Further to that, it may be necessary to substitute any conventional HDMI cable over seven metres in length with one of the proven installation solutions which send HDMI over alternative connection methods, such as network cables.

20. DOES THE UHD722 SIMPLY PASS EDID INFORMATION UNCHANGED FROM THE DISPLAY DEVICE TO THE SOURCE PRODUCT?
No. The UHD722 takes the EDID information relating to video capabilities from the display device and combines it with EDID information determined by the audio configuration of the UHD722. The audio capabilities of the display are ignored. This causes the source product to send video appropriate for the display along with audio appropriate for the audio product being used with the UHD722. The UHD722 separates the audio and video signals and outputs them from the relevant sockets.

21. DOES THE UHD722 SUPPORT ARC?
Yes. "HDMI Out 1" supports ARC.

22. DOES AUDIO DERIVED FROM ARC BENEFIT FROM THE FULL RANGE OF AUDIO ENHANCEMENTS THE UHD722 OFFERS?
No. Audio fed to the UHD722 via ARC is routed directly to the product’s Speakerlink output bypassing the DSP processing used to enhance sound-quality on other audio outputs.