Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Theta HDMI FAQ - Impressive...

Great find. When they say the 1.3 chips will be available by 2Q 2007, my own translator says by the end of 07. Whenever anyone gives a time frame I just add more time because inevitably something happens to delay it.

I am sure Meridian has its reasons, but a letter to its customers that is similar in nature would have us all raving about what a wonderful company they are. But then again, they have done the Q&A here- thats something they don't have to do- and they have let us know they are exploring. That's all we want to know- that they are looking into it with the hope to offer something that addresses HDMI.

best regards,
Jerry

Meridian also said that the 1.3 chips were not ready yet.

I can't imagine Meridian not having an HDMI solution eventually. I for one am not in a big hurry either - bleeding on the cutting edge is too pricey for me! haha

I'd rather wait for a solution done properly - than something rushed which is full of bugs.

Kudos to Theta for the FAQ - but I also don't blame Meridian for staying quiet. Just take a look at this to see how quickly the rumor mill spirals out of control.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=732702

Well in some respects Meridian is ahead. They already have a 1.2 switcher (although not a card).

I don't like the way they keep dragging HDMI 1.3 into it. We don't need HDMI 1.3 and probably won't until displays exist that can use it (deep color). I'm sure there will be a HDMI 1.4, 1.5, 2.0 too.

As in this thread :

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994

M are quite right IMO. There's no such thing as a specification anymore , they're all movable feasts designed to incorporate anything from Deep Colour ( not available anywhere at the moment) to Sacd ( must keep Uncle Sony's many mini-formats happy )

When M do get an 861 card out I'm sure they will , as George has implied have to start redevelopment stright away on HDMI 2.0

Really , when you think about it , they 're playing with all our wallets which I suppose was the plan all along anyway ( the industry , that is , not M specifically

~M~

I read that too, but I feel Meridian know exactly what they are doing. Reading the 2007 Q&A I know they are opting for a full solution and not half dressed one.

I think they are in more deeply with HDMI than Theta or other specialist manufacturers.

HDMI 1.1 sound good on paper but how does it sound compared to MHR from a G91?

Think of what technology True HD from Dolby is, it is MLP. The public is fast to talk manufacturers down quickly on forums, because we want everything at our fingertips now! But these things take time. A complete 1.3 reciever practically working with every 1.3 transmitter and TrueHD/Master HD will not come tomorrow.

I want a G80 networked Audio/Video server with Gigabit ethernet for NAS/iSCSI connection perhaps with HD-DVD/Blu-Ray slot. But that will take time, I do hope there is a market for High-End servers with good reliability and performance but time will tell. Kaleidescape is ahead there as of now.

We go from Optical disc to storing everyhing on network connected drives and downloading what we want, but when is it feasible for a HighEnd manufacturer to make that transition?

Question: for the advanced audio signals do you need 1.3 or will 1.1-1.2 work just fine?

I do think 1.3 is needed for marketing, but if 1.1 or 1.2 would carry the audio signals then- you know what- I think we here and the custom installers out there are sophisticated enough to separate the hype out.

best regards,
Jerry

JerryL:

My understanding is that 1.1 and 1.2 will carry the decoded (i.e. LPCM) signal but that 1.3 is required to carry the encoded signal; hence, 1.3 is needed in the 861/G91/G68/G61 to the extent that the decoding is NOT done in the source unit (assuming that an HDMX 421 or other comparable device is being used).

Except that the decoding really belongs in the players.

Cheers,

JK,

Why does decoding really belong in the players? In other words, why are the new formats better served by a different model than we have now?

Firstly, the distributed processing model is logical as it means that players only have to decode what they have to decode and processors only have to receive linear PCM. i.e. it places less burden on audio receivers, most of which aren't updatable(!) So there is an element of future-proofing (I think even the most marketing-driven electronics firms realize that customers will be pretty hacked off if they have to buy something new every six months). However, I guess it's the reduction of engineering effort on the processor/receiver side which makes most sense - have you seen how many different multichannel formats are now out there?!!! Much simpler to just have to deal with LPCM.

Second, as far as HD DVD and BD are concerned, if you send the encoded stream to the processor, you can't mix in the "added-value" overlay audio (e.g. for commentaries). This can only be done in the player once both main audio and overlay audio have been decoded from their respective bitstreams.