Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems HD621 Set Up Questions

I think it has been established by someone here / several people here that every time a connection is made then jitter is added (Ultima, John Kotches? can't remember who).

I'm told that as long as the Meridian is sending the correct audio EDID info my BR player (Oppo) will convert DSD to PCM before outputting despite the DSD SACD setting.

In any event, you think that there can be situations when the Meridian stream display indicates that it is receiving a certain signal (e.g.mulit-channel while playing an MC SACD) but it is wrong? How/why would it "get fooled?"

The answer to the above question is of general interest to me but also more specifically I am trying to determine what is going on between my TIVO and the HD621.

I've seen some cases where, based on the information pop up box on the TV I thought I was watching a DD 2.0 broadcast but the Meridian stream display indicates AC3 3/2.1 (ie DD5.1). I would trust the Meridian over the information about a show that is broadcast in the information box from Comcast but I don't know for sure.

I set up my HD621, 568.2mm, and Radiance XD last night with PS3 and Dish ViP722 DVR sources.

Dish (via HDMI) -> XD (output 2, audio only) -> HD621 -> 568
and XD(output 1, video only) -> projector

All works fine except for the Dish DVR the 568 shows PCM Mov2 over the multichannel 568 input. The Dish is also connected to the 568 via Toslink and this connection shows AC3 5.1. I set the Dish to output only bitstream and not to output PCM.

I confirmed with Dish and several forums that the ViP722 can send DD5.1 over HDMI.

Why is the 568 saying it is receiving PCM Mov2?

Thanks,
George

Sorry guys for being dense but I can't seem to sort out how to use a phantom source to get video from my TIVO box and audio from my music server. Would greatly appreciate a few tips.

1. What exactly does "last valid" mean? Does it mean the last active input before the current one or does it mean the last active input including the current one?

2. As someone pointed out to me, there are six video and audio inputs. I thought that when in mconfig changing the input source on the HD621 would change the video source and changing the input on the G68 changes the audio source. Maybe this is not correct. In any case, it seems that in my limited experimentation changing the source in the HD621 to "last valid" also changes the input source in the G68 to "last valid." Has anyone else noticed this? If there are six independent audio and video inputs then you have to be able to set them separately somewhere. So I assume if what I noticed is correct that it is a glitch in mconfig. Views?

3. My thinking was to create a phantom off the MS and then assign the video input (in the HD621) to "last valid." I assumed that "last valid" meant the one previous to the present so I figured I could switch to the TIVO and then to the MS and the last valid video would be the TIVO. This doesn't work. Suggestions or tips?

Thanks for any help.

PS I spoke with tech support at Meridian USA and the guy said that I couldn't do what I want to do but somehow I didn't believe him since I've seen it more than one time here that it can be done.

There might be some issue with the way the Radiance and the HD621 work together. I found that when setting the audio EDIDs in the Radiance that I would just get a screeching sound if I specified DD 5.1. I had to set them for PCM only even though the TIVO does do DD 5.1 and so does the HD621. In the case of the TIVO if you force it to send pcm it will down res DD 5.1 to 2 channel pcm. There is some discussion of this in the thread that Tim M started. You could also do what I did which is to plug your TV box directly into the HD621 and then run HDMI out to your Radiance. It seems to work for me with DD 5.1 from a TIVO.

GGA,
does the DISH output 5.1 via HDMI? Sky units in the UK do not (as you may have read on here). 5.1 is only available via optical on these units.

Worth checking....

It is a good question. I actually did get confirmation from Dish, but it still may not be true! I think I'll disconnect the Toslink. Maybe it can't do both at the same time.


If that fails I'll do as Jack suggested and connect the Dish directly to the HD621 and see if that helps.

Help needed!!

Set-up is HD621 to 861 for audio and Radiance XD for video. With Freesat and Xbox picture and sound fine.
With Bluray (new Panasonic BD80 and with old Sony S300) crackling from rear speakers and green colour screen when accessing menus and when playing movies. Player outputting PCM. Have tried other Radiance inputs with no change.

All suggestions welcomed!

Rob

It's not clear to me exactly what your set up is. Is the Radiance before or after the HD621? Exactly where are all your sources connected? How did you set up your mconfig? If sources are attached to Radiance how did you configure the audio EDIDs?

The HD621 is before the Radiance. I have just connected the BD80 directly to the Radiance and the Bluray default screen is blue as it should be, not green! Bluray, Satellite and Xbox are all plugged straight into the HD621. MHR goes to the 861 and video to the Radiance.

That is how everything is connected in Mconfig.

Rob

NB Have just spotted a reference to the green screen issue on the "Official Bluray options - Denon, Arcam, Pioneer, etc" thread by Mark H dated 16 April (page 12.) Apparently an HD621 issue!

Something puzzling.

Last night I played a DVD I had burned on a Pioneer DVDR on the Panasonic BD35 -> Meridian HD621 -> Meridian 861 -> amps etc

The audio was excellent and the video picture quality sharp.

I then played it through the Pioneer recorder (not the one it was burned with) -> Meridian HD621 -> Meridian 861 -> amps etc

First up the video was noticably better from the Panasonic and that was expected. However what was not expected was the far better audio via the Panasonic(remember the DVD was only 2CH recorded originally by L/R analog input).

I had assumed that any digital audio on a DVD is read and then transmitted out HDMI without any alteration whatsoever. It is then processed by the 861 so should be the same from any DVD player. Maybe not so?

Or, a thought which just struck me, has the routing of the HDMI through an HDMI splitter before the HD621 has an affect on improving the audio? Yet the suggestion has been that it would deteriorate it.

Perplexing.

John

My setup has been changed to the following (quite involved).

Video
Source 1: SD Satellite [eBox] via component to DVR [P 720H], via component to VP50, via HDMI 1 to HD621, via HDMI to PJ.
Source 2: BD[P LX-70] via HDMI 1 to VP50, via HDMI 1 to HD621, via HDMI to PJ.
Source 3: DVD [O 980H] via HDMI 2 to VP50, via HDMI 1 to HD621, via HDMI to PJ.

Audio
Source 1: Satellite via analogue stereo to DVR, ditto to VP50, SPDIF to 568.2MM
Source 2 and 3: All HDMI as for video to HD621, MHR to 568.2MM.
Source 4: CD [MF A5] via TOSLINK 1 to VP50,via HDMI 1 to HD621, via MHR to 568.2MM.

I originally had the CD connected directly into O1 on the 568.2MM, but since the audio on the VP50 has both HDMI and SPDIF output, I now have the choice of 2CH 44.1 or MHR @ 88.2 (Discrete (2CH of course), "Cinema" or Ambisonics) via MHR from the CD player. Marvellous! My next step is to programme my Harmony 880 remote so I do not need to switch on the PJ to play a CD.