Questions you didn`t ask:Meridian appreciates very much the extraordinary effort that John Kotches (and Stacey Spears) have made in facilitating this periodic communication with the Hitchhikers. It takes a lot of time and is tackled diligently. The normal format is that questions are accumulated which we answer. This time there has been a delay because John has changed jobs and we have been unusually busy.
We do feel that some of these questions keep coming up again and again and, whereas in some cases time modifies the answer we give, others are in the nature of ‘fundamental truths`. We hope that (together) some of this content can be made more ‘sticky` in the forum.
This time we decided to break with tradition because there are some questions that didn`t come up, so like any good politician, we are answering our own questions first!
Did Meridian find the Hitchhiker`s open day interesting/useful?Definitely! We thoroughly enjoyed the day and welcomed direct user feedback. We also appreciated the return of our trust in that we were able to pre-announce a product and have a fairly open discussion.
Will you have more open days?Yes. Without promising a routine pattern, we want to do this again and are hoping that the same group can help us co-ordinate. If at all possible we would like to sponsor the attendance of John, Stacey and George, and allow a few more to attend. The date for the next event is not yet set but we are thinking February/March 2008 and we will announce it around the year end.
About our database.We would like to communicate from time to time and learn more about your systems. If you have not yet done so please register your products online at:
https://www.Meridian-register.com/index.html If you don`t yet own any Meridian, register for details at
www.thef80.com.We will not share your details with anyone.
What about your relationship to the Hitchhikers Forum?We applaud the efforts made by the majority in the Forum to be helpful, informative and polite, not to mention in running the systems. Where possible we try to stay out of routine topics because we feel that the commentaries carry more credibility that way.
Meridian is a business and while we are happy to be asked questions about forthcoming products, features or to comment on emerging technologies, we do not always want to discuss certain topics in a public forum. Those who attended the open day - all bona-fide owners - will confirm that we are open to discuss most topics face to face.
However we know that other audio companies not only read this forum to learn, but also make posts designed to create controversy or discord. This creates an environment in which Meridian needs to exercise caution, and on occasion one which causes us considerable grief. This is not a reason to avoid dialogue - we won`t do that - but it does make it difficult, especially where we are criticized for not answering a question where we have a very specific reason not to answer, e.g. because it would affect our competitive position, expose a partner or violate confidentiality.
Meridian has a 30 year tradition of providing great products and backing them with great service. Over the same period we also established a tradition for continuous, often radical technical evolution combined with the courage to innovate product categories and system architectures. This is not letting up, so the reasons that brought the owners among Hitchhikers to us are healthier than ever.
Whilst loyal owners deserve some visibility on roadmaps we simply cannot always give it if it risks our future. To be fair, most of our customers who are/were in business themselves fully appreciate this. So, before berating us for not announcing upgrade plans, or denouncing us for selecting one course over another, consider the response you would get to similar questions from some other companies such as Apple, Sony, etc.
A common response to our ‘no comment` answers tends to be suggesting we are behind the times. We just ask you to remember that in almost all important areas our profile is as an innovator and an industry leader by example, and that throughout we have aimed to keep strict integrity in the pursuit of accurate, natural sound, picture quality and functionality.
F80 Questions:When is the iPod Dock going to be ready for the F80? What features will it incorporate?The i80 iPod dock is scheduled for release by January. It is really neat. F80 powers, controls and charges the iPod and the information is presented in F80`s display. There is an audio link between the F80 and the dock. The i80 can also be used standalone with analog output and USB for synchronization. As you would expect, the sound quality is excellent. Some of the delay has been caused by adapting to the new iPods.
Are there plans to include WiFi into the F80 and/or the iPod Dock for the F80?The F80 is a platform we may well extend over time but specific plans, specifications or timescales cannot be discussed.
Is there the potential of releasing a firmware upgrade for the F80 ……?. The firmware for F80 is being updated all the time. Generally the updates relate to adding Locales and Language support; however we will soon be making this available on our website. There is a specific cable required to connect RS232 to the F80.
…. which would enable DVD-Audio playback?DVD-Audio is not possible on the current F80 platform and it is not high on our list of features to add to it.
How have F80 sales been doing? What about versus expectations? The F80 is enjoying amazing success. It is after all a groundbreaking audio product that appeals to a very wide demographic. F80 sales have gone very well and are exceeding expectations. F80 is not yet available in all markets, but it is progressing well in several European countries as well as parts of the Americas and Russia.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this has been the impact F80 has made on the audio press. Battle-hardened audio journalists love it; smile when they see it, applaud when they hear it, and a good many are becoming owners.
F80 is an ambassador for the Meridian brand, showcasing our technologies and communicating our standards of audio quality to a much wider audience as well as attracting older and younger, male and female customers.
If you are one of the many we hear about who are considering getting an F80 for Christmas you should get on with it because demand is climbing fast and we particularly don`t want existing customers to be disappointed.
DSP Loudspeakers:Meridian question: What about updates to the DSP speakers?Funny you should ask! If you own DSP5500, DSP7000 or DSP8000 head off to the download section of our website. There is a free firmware update which provides a very substantial sound-quality improvement.
http://www.Meridian-audio.com/download/components.html What are the possibilities of a squeezebox / soundbridge integrated into DSP loudspeakers for streaming directly to the speakers?Although there are some exceptions, in general, a loudspeaker is not the perfect place for a streaming client. Generally streaming represents stereo (or multichannel) and more than one loudspeaker is used. If a speaker pair is cross-connected (as we do) then the customer ends up with unused clients. If we try to stream to each speaker individually, the nature of IP connection is such that it requires huge effort to align streams within 1ms - and even that is not enough. Although wireless connection to loudspeakers can be attractive in some very specific circumstances, in general robustness and sound quality are best served with cable whether the connection is made to a loudspeaker or a client.
Another problem is that there are many standards for streaming renderers and building one into the loudspeaker reduces customers` choice. On the other hand any source can be trivially connected to our amazing DSP speakers and they work very well with every one we have tried.
What is the possibility of adding Ethernet to existing or new DSP loudspeakers? JK sez: These are similar requests. PoE is a no go. It`s for low power devices and the loudspeakers draw far too much power.
Meridian is adding Cat5/6 cabling options (with RJ-45 jacks) to loudspeakers to provide more options for installers, but this is not Ethernet. We don`t see a direct need for an internet connection to the loudspeaker. See previous question.
Electronics:Will the G46 for in-wall loudspeakers be released? Will a comparable solution be released for the in-wall subwoofer? JK Sez: A refresher for those who don`t recall… the G46 makes the new 300 series of In/on wall DSP loudspeakers. The digital electronics are integrated into the chassis with the power amplifier while leaving the speaker passive. End JK
We don`t have a specific date about G46 at this time. There are however some excellent “C” series products which combine with the 300 Series to provide outstanding analog active loudspeaker and subwoofer systems.
As an aside, sales of the 300 series and the DSP420 are going very well and reaction from customers and the press has been excellent.
MRC Questions:MRC is fussy and gets inconsistent results; even when taking consecutive measurements back to back with no changes to anything. Is there an update or an MRC2 in the works that will help address some of these issues?Generally low SNR readings can contribute to less consistent results with MRC although specific rooms and microphones can have an influence. MRC is a topic of continuous research and improvement and has had some updates slipstreamed in fairly recently. One of the strongest features of Meridian`s general approach to Room Correction - unlike other less psycho-acoustically-correct solutions - is that it targets the features which are robust throughout the room. This means that it is possible to locate the microphone other than in the listening position to obtain better measurements in large or noisy rooms. We will probably issue a technical note on this at some point.
Audio Processors:Are there plans to increase beyond the current 12 source limit? Some users with modestly complex systems are running out of sources due to the creation of phantom sources to handle stereo / surround individually.
There is a limitation for COMMS of 16 devices, however this ties into the next question.
Would Meridian consider the implementation of manual selection of the pre-defined Music/Movie 2/6 per-source presets for non-SmartLink sources? Perhaps these could be accessed, for instance, via the coloured dot buttons on the MSR+?This is a good suggestion and Meridian is looking into it.
If above was implemented, could one define different physical inputs from the same source? For instance, CD-coax-Music2, SACD-m/c analogue-Music6, BluRay-HDMI-Movie6.Unfortunately this is not possible due to the trickle down effects that go from sources to processors to speakers.
Will 7.1 Analog input be available as part of v6?Very likely to be included in a major upgrade.
HD Audio codecs ..?HD Audio codecs currently only support HD-DVD and BD. We have pointed out several times that, everything else being equal, HD Audio should be decoded in the player and that passing the undecoded stream leads to awkward system architectures, including for the video. Part of the reason is the need for mandatory support for mixing streams (including from the internet).
Whilst we aren`t saying ‘no`, we would be very surprised if this trend gains much traction - and we have already given this answer several times before. Certainly the trend we set of decoding in the player for higher sound quality seems to be vindicated.
Is it possible to allow more customization on a per-source basis? Individual volume presets and display settings would be of value to the owner base.This item is still being worked on.
Is there the possibility of adding a new headphone card for the 861? The TP00 is antiquated and could use updating.The possibility exists.
HDMI plans for 861 (861v5)? Would SmartLink extend to HDMI sources?We are keen to provide good connectivity options. We recently added USB to the G Series processors and continue to work on advanced connections and architectures all the time and will make announcements about this when we are ready.
As an aside, there are still issues with HDMI that create heartache among CE manufacturers and which cause CEDIA installers, by and large, to deprecate it.
This situation is compounded by other factors, including: issues around the blue-laser formats; copy-protection; lack of some metadata (not able to support all Smartlink functions); that combining video with audio contradicts architectures that promise the highest possible quality of sound and picture; the need for higher video bandwidth.
Anyway, watch this space.
Does Meridian plan to enable more than 8 outputs in the future?You always ask this question but forgot it, so we included it again to maintain the tradition …..
No comment. 
Optical Disc Players:Does M have any HD player plans? ……Format wars are really bad for CE manufacturers and consumers and we feel that the content owners have let everyone down again.
Meridian cannot discuss plans, if any, for high definition player(s). We have active current involvement in the DVD and BD forums and are closely coupled to the (incomplete and) evolving standards. We are closely monitoring availability of software, customer feedback and alternative methods of video delivery.
On a more positive note, we should point out that DVD is where 99.99% of the content is and will be for some considerable time. Meridian makes the best players for both DVD and CD and, combined with our video processing, the results are better than superb. Our earnest recommendation is: ‘Don`t wait! Buy a Meridian DVD player.`
… If so, would it be capable of playing red case (HD-DVD) or blue case (Blu-Ray) discs?It is almost guaranteed that performance will be compromised in a player which attempts to play all the red and blue laser formats.
Are there plans to release an 800v5?No comment.
What features would an 800v5 include?Trying to trick us? Still no comment.
G95 and DVD-Audio has some conflicting information available. The product information sheet shows DVD-A capability and the delivered product doesn`t have it. Would it be possible to add DVD-Audio functionality with a firmware upgrade; or is the G95 hardware / electronics not capable of doing so?The G95 platform does not support DVD-Audio and we apologize for the version of the data sheet that was in error. We removed DVD-Audio to enable other more relevant features.
Video processors / projectors:Will Meridian be releasing an anamorphic option for the MF-1 projector?This was showing at CEDIA and is shipping.
Is it possible for the Faroudja video processors to be changed over to similar cosmetics to the G series products? This could become a premium option for those willing to get a matching aesthetic in their racks.This and the C Series cosmetics are under consideration.
Would there be room in the product line up for something like (based on the 581 video switcher) a G81 that would incorporate video switching (all formats including SCART and HDMI), transcoding (including RGB) and a high quality scaler and deinterlacer? And of course, extracting audio from audio/video formats (SCART and HDMI) and providing multi channel digital audio output to connect to a processor. ie. A video centric version of the 562 with high quality scaler. All in a slimline (DVD player height or less) G width and matching case. It is possible but there are no specific announcements to make. By the way, such a product would be extremely complicated from the perspective of content protection.
General questions:Are there plans to develop a music or music/video server? The 880 would have been smashing had it been brought to fruition.Meridian is always looking at the edge of what`s possible and cares a great deal about delivering solutions that meet or exceed customer`s expectations.
Has Meridian considered adding the option of improved power savings on products? The option of power saving mode vs. a “warmed up” mode that is user selectable might go a long way towards power savings.We are highly cognizant of this and our products have been improving steadily in their standby power consumption (as an example, the F80 consumes less than 2W in standby). We are considering offering options for some products to have lower-power standby through firmware updates.
Is DVD-Audio still alive and breathing? There is almost literally nothing in the form of new titles and several of us wonder if the format will continue on. Content providers aren`t providing much that`s new. Welcome to the negative results of a format war.
Is there any comment on a rumored sale of / change in ownership in Meridian Audio?No comment.
Is there any word on availability of Meridian point of sale kit, ie Directors chairs; lighted signs etc? If/when these become available information on how to purchase would be appreciated.It is being seriously considered.
Does Meridian feel that cable upgrades for DSP loudspeakers and power cables are effective enhancements to the products? What about mains/power line conditioners efficacy?Power line conditioners can be very helpful for front end components and processors. Meridian`s experience is that PLCs are detrimental to loudspeaker performance unless the environment is particularly harsh.
Loudspeakers come with a matched cable set - should the customer choose to change the cabling that is their prerogative.
MSR+ noise level is considered high by a few users. Are there considerations for improvements (maybe an MSR++)?Pardon, I didn`t hear the question?
In a time when Meridian's flagship products (specifically the 800 DVD) can be pretty easily surpassed in terms of video quality, and approached in audio quality (for significantly less $$$$)...what does M see as the value proposition for the brand now? Has it changed at all given the trends in the audio/video market in the last 2 years?Meridian has a tough time answering this question when they don`t agree with its premise. Our proposition remains delivering the very best experience, with unrivaled and natural sound and video quality.
Are the 861 / 800 series` software being actively maintained? Is it possible to allow end users to perform 800 player firmware upgrades?The 861/800 is absolutely being maintained - no date is given for a software update.
It is dangerous to offer 800 upgrades. There are four discrete configurations and if the wrong configuration is loaded the player is rendered inoperable. Part of the cost of the upgrade is for the upgrade to be performed by a dealer with proper training and/or for the appropriate Meridian staff to upgrade the player.
What is the possibility of an advanced user`s manual/guide which would cover in greater detail the settings and their impacts? This would give those of us so inclined the ability to fully maximize our equipment.This is being considered - but it may be more effective to be handled by the user community.
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