Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian at CEDIA

We have no idea if it will decode in the box and we are not even 100% sure a box even exists.

We don't know if G68 has enough horse power to decode new codecs. Probably. But the harder problem may be getting it delivered to the G68. The MHR might not support splitting a bitstream over multiple MHR links.

Hi- first post on this forum- heard a demo of Meridian, was hooked from the first listen.

Question- if the 7200s have this new rj-45 interface, won't Meridian announce an rj-45 card for the 861 at Cedia along with it? Or am I completely missing something here?

We know an 800 series stereo RJ45 card exists because it is part of the 808.2. We also know that there is a "prototype of a SPDIF Digital Audio & Comms to RJ45 Digital Audio and Comms converter box". See the 8th post from Marc Koval (Meridian USA) in this thread:

https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=75752#Post75752

And a welcome to the forum for Audiophile 20 and iansilv!

Cheers

George

The box would be for existing G68 (and possibly 568.2MM) owners. A card based solution would be best solution, and given the competition perhaps the only acceptable solution, for the 861. I don't think anyone would be excited about having to replace their G68/861 simply to get the new codecs. As an owner of a G68, if the box is not offered cost-effectively, then I will simply buy something like a Panasonic DMP-BD50K or Sony S550 and use the multi-channel analog inputs of the G68. It's only movies guys - at least in the short to medium term.

For me, it's not the movies I care about - I'm perfectly happy to live with high bit-rate DTS or DD for Blu-Ray movies for a while (maybe forever, given the commercial prospects for BD). What interests me more is the potential for digital input of hi-res surround music: SACD transcoded to PCM, and hi-res surround computer files via HDMI sound card. In both of those cases, there are other solutions to get multi-channel PCM (switch-box modded Oppo for SACD, Lynx soundcad for the PC), but neither are exactly mainstream and convenient.

I'm not holding my breath, though. Meridian seems to have a lot on its plate right now.

yeah, making overpriced portable audio devices..

Well, movies are pretty important to me and I for one am looking forward to hearing uncompressed audio from the front speakers (especially the centre channel).

And an HDMI solution will open up my non-Meridian spinner as a digital SACD and DVD-A transport, so it's not just about movies.

Agreed , sound is sound . It should make no odds whether its a movie or a song .

Am I missing something or is there about a week to go to this show which has so many booths that most journos freely admit they have no chance of getting around to see them all , yet M are not pre-notifying public or press about this ( if it exists ) ?

Not very high-end at all....


~M~

I found a Meridian CEDIA announcement on the CEDIA Expo website in relation to the "introduction of the Meridian 810 Reference Video System". See below which I had to re-type from the CEDIA Daily Expo (http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/cedia08_vip/ then see p42):

"The 810 system comprises two primary elements the 810 Reference Video Projector, an entirely new D-ILA-based digital projector offering an impressive 10 megapixels exceeding the resolution even of commercial digital cinema projectors and the 810 Reference Video Scaler, a special processor designed to optimize the imaging of HD and standard resolution inputs for the vast new possibilities offered by a 10 megapixel protection environment. The result is a system that Meridian believes, represents the most realistic home theater performance in the world."

Article goes on to talk about the project specifications (which I think is recent/old news?) and then starts on the separate box 810 Reference Video Scaler:

"To display an image with a resolution of 10 megapixels requires some very special scaling. To meet this requirement, Meridian has developed the 810 Reference Video Scaler. A brand new design, featuring Marvell's powerful, award-wining, Qdeo video processing technology, the scaler converts any digital source (480i to 1080p) up to full 10 megapixel resolution. Its quiet and natural video processing produces images that are free from noise and devoid of artifacts whether operating in 4:3, 16:9 or 2.35:1 modes."

There is a photo of the 810 RVS in the article (looks ready for rack mounting) as well but no mention of release date or pricing.

Could this 810 be the separate box solution?

Would it not also require an upgrade audio processor solution for the 861/G68 for the new HD codecs? Can 10mp resolution by matched/accepted by a humble (affordable) plasma?

Meridian are releasing a HDMI solution! Be patient. It may be ready by CEDIA or it may not but rest assured it will be an external box so everyone with Smartlink including 568.2 owners will be able to enjoy TreuHD, DTSHD etc which will input into MHR!. 2 options are being tossed around. One that looks like the current G series (more expensive) and one that looks like the HD MAX (less expensive) We will wait and see!

For me it`s really about the quality of music reproduction in movies so I share your interest in whatever benefits there are to be had in the front channels. Though I think there probably is something to be said in what seems to be the latest debate suggesting that lossless vs lossy for movies doesn`t always guarantee an improvement (particularly action movies with wall to wall noise) it`s with the more refined mixes where the music actually gets a chance to be heard, and musicals…etc where I base my main interest in lossless reproduction of movie soundtracks. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, which Disney have just announced will be coming in the Spring of 2010, are perhaps a good examples. That`s a release I`d be really thrilled to hear with the best possible quality and I could say the same for so many of Kubrick`s films that treat music with such respect. There`s the forthcoming release of Baraka on Blu-ray, which is supposed to have a 96/24 DTS HD Master Audio track, too or something like the Quatsi trilogy (whenever that might come out). That`s where lossless I think really has the best chance of appealing to me (I`d very much like to hear the new 7.1 TrueHD mix on The Nightmare Before Christmas that came out this week as well).



Indeed. Though they wouldn't pre-announce new products one would at least think they'd issue some kind of special alert/invitation to see something new or else face losing press attention in the sea of other exhibitors. That said, didn`t the fellow on AVS who seemed to kick start our renewed discussion about a forthcoming product claim this is what he had received though? Perhaps invites have gone out but guests are not supposed to mention it….. or perhaps it`s just going to end up another case of “nothing to see (or should that be hear?) here”



No - as the article describes - the 810 is just their 4k projector/scaler combo. Yours for $185,000. Not even Theta are charging that much for their HDMI/Lossless codec upgrade.