CES 2008 Last Day

CES2008 day 3
Wow, what a day! The last day of CES 2008. Never made it to T.H.E. Show, unfortunately. Too tricky to get to and too late in the day.
I did get a lot of time at the Central hall, and a little time to listen to some great stuff at the High end audio Venetian site.
The central hall starts with the huge Microsoft and Intel "booths". "Booths" is the wrong word for some of the displays you see at CES, these things are morethe size of basketball courts, or bigger. I really wish the people manning these booths were not so "friendly". It reminded me of "night of the living dead" zombies all moving in on you to attack you with information about some new gadget or technology. I got away as fast as I could.

I made it to the DLP booth. Even though many think that with the seeming demise of the Front projection TV in leau of flat panels that there is no longer a need for DLP technology, that could not be further from the truth. DLP rocks for Front projection. And Projectors are hot!
Check out the R2D2 Projector:



DLP has the new Dark chip 4 coming out, although with certain program material, you don't care so much if it's darkchip3 or darkchip4:



LG had a great booth with really attractive looking displays. 120Hz video conversion technology, to free LCD from motion blur and artifacts was all over the place this year and LG had a nice presentation on this technology which looks to be coming throughout much of their lineup. Their displays looked cosmetically great as well as visually. They have really come far in a very short time.



LG also had their Combo HD-DVD and Blu Ray players - both for computers and Stand alone. Really great stuff. Not sure if it's really needed so much if the format war is truely over.



Panasonic, had all kinds of insanely great plasmas going on. They had the worlds biggest 150" Plasma:

They had a great demo of their upcoming 1" thick plasmas as well.

The new Plasma series' they had great looking new plasmas in their new consumer lines, but they had such strange program material, that I just can't give you a good shot of them. I didn't see their commercial lines around, but was in a hurry.

One note: Some crazy guy from florida predicted the demise of plasma on a podcast I listen to religiously. I think you guys really need to stay away from that Gator juice! With Panasonic and Pioneer (Kuro and new extreme black) coming out with such great displays I think Plasma is still the high end choice for flat panels.


Sharp had a great booth with beautiful new Aquos LCD Diplays with 120Hz technology, their 120Hz vs 60Hz comparison was the best comparison I witnessed. You could easily see the sharper motion image on the ir demo. I know that 120Hz did not get off to a great start with some manufacturer releases not implementing the technology as well as they should have, but it seems like they are really getting the hang of it now, and LCD may catch up with plasma in the motion resolution area soon. Sharp certainly seems to have it together.
Sharp 120Hz demo:



Aquos



Sharp Commercial Projectors



Samsung's Gestapo still refuses to let people take pictures in their city block sized booth. So I won't mention all the cool or possibly totally uncool and stupid stuff they may or may not have had. I think I remember something awesome they might have had, but I can't remember because I don't have a frigging picture!

Toshiba had some lovely looking displays and all, but I could feel a pall of over the demeanor of all who entered. It was very much like people at a funeral. They had some great stuff, LCDs with very small black bezels which is my favorite cosmetic attribute in a display, they had a nice interactive HD-DVD demo with the interactive channel making little jazz musician toys move to the sweet sounding jazz music playing from an old HD-AX1 (hey I have that!) but it was a bit somber in there. Maybe it is all really over in this format war.



Adcom had a great display of fabulous Integrated Amps, Power amps, transports and the like which I can't afford, but they sure made me want to change occupations so I could. I'd get into them more, but the whole Toshiba visit has me down, so I just need to go and curl up in a ball for awhile.





OK! Back again, and now at the Venetian for some High End Audio!
You have to forgive the picture quality in these high end rooms, it is not polite to go taking flash pictures while people are listening to this stuff, and I always try and get permission from the reps who are there before taking a picture. I got to listen to about half the speakers I wanted to, since at times these guys have other stuff going on and can't be bothered - especially at the end of the last day. They mostly get guys like me who are into a free listen to stuff we can't afford.

First up, Quad. ESL speaker with II-eighty amps. Quad ESL's are amazing speakers. They are legendary Electrostatic speakers, they sound like nothing. I don't know that the imaging exactly kills me, but this kind of detailed, smooth accurate transfer of electrical currents to sound is a pretty awesome thing for a speaker to be able to do. Most average listeners would find these boring - at first.


Next was the Usher Be-718. At first, the tweeter seemed too bright, albeit extremely accurate, but as the listening material changed and I settled in and everything really seemed to start to coalesce. These were really fantastically musical speakers with excellent imaging, and really accurate reproduction. I only listened to a few songs (typical at these shows) but I really loved them while I listened. I don't know how I'd do in the long run. I have some fear that the beryllium tweeter might get on my nerves with some program material, but I could always weed them out!


From there came almost the opposite in musical selection and speaker sensibility. Von Schweikert VR-4 Anniversary. This is an immaculately done phase coherent speaker that puts the accuracy of the sound coming to your ears above all else. They are handsome, but not at all unusually so. The specs are amazing for such a small footprint, but the listening experience is quite a bit more than what I was hoping for, even with their reputation. These had a wide and deep soundstage which was solid across their frequency range, clear, accurate, musical and without what I'm now sure is phase distortion. These had similar attributes in this way to the Quad ESL, which being an electrostat does not suffer from phase distortion like most of the other excellent speakers I listened to today. Source material, no doubt was a factor in what I heard, but to describe it is difficult. To many, it may sound like a lack of treble, a lack of sibulants, a smoothing of transients. But it sounds Real. They are also incredible with the soundstage. The sax player is exactly Here. Just left and behind the left speaker. Again, the average speaker buyer wants the speaker to have detailed "crisp" highs, pouncing on them. This is for real music.
Now I am not exactly a newbie when it comes to phase coherency, I use Magnepans for my stereo/home theater and Reference 3a dulcets on my computer, but these are making me think about an upgrade.



Also listened to:
Dali Helicon 400
Morel (new prototype)
Spendor S6e

All of these were excellent or better. The Dali and Spendor did not have music playing that was usable, in my opinion to make a good analysis. The Morel was really quite amazing, possibly more enjoyable, than anything else except maybe the ESL or VR-4. Clean, accurate and lifelike, with wonderful imaging. It is a prototype, so it really looks promising.
I would have to go with the VR-4 as my favorite overall. While I think the ESL is a reference standard, it may be a bit too lacking in imaging for me. It could have been the listening material.

Missed: Vandersteen, Anthony Gallo, and everything at THEshow.

Limitations:
Spending 5-10 minutes listening to a system does not give you a real definitive understanding of how it sounds. Sorry.
It is hard for these guys to set things up in the best light. The rooms are not ideal and they have no time for any real room treatments. They have to scrap together systems hoping for a good match. It's amazing they sound as good as they do.
Dali Helicon 400


Morel (new prototype)

CES 2008 South Hall Hell

OK, today at CES 2008 we started out with the immense south hall, and then went on to the international hall, rather than the central hall. Why? Well, let me 'splain something to people who have never been to this place for a big show like CES.
Transportation is hell. Sure they have the CES buses, the monorail and taxis, but the lines for any of them at the times you need to get somewhere can be extremely long. So, you have to have a good strategy. For the buses - be early. like, really early. For the monorail the same applies along with the need to try to get on at the begin/end points when they are empty. Otherwise you ain't getting on. Packed they are, dude. So we went to the international hall (at the Hilton) and avoided the crowd at the main site. BAM! Home to your hotel or a place to eat in no time.

Another point for those who don't come is, while it looks cool and fun, it is a lot of work. Either you are there manning a booth, or you are there to wander the halls in the search for bright, shiny things to sell. If you are manning a booth, well, you have to go through the same spiel over and over, standing around all day and over caffinating to the point where you become a blabbering zombie. If you are browsing the halls, well, unless you are a marathon runner, your body is not used to walking this many miles in any week, or possibly year. In a side question, I just wonder why it is that it seems that only 1 out of 5 escalators in the city of Las Vegas actually work at any one time? And it's not enough that the hotels make you go through a maze to get to the monorail, but I really suspect some do not give you the shortest path to get there. OK, I digress. Sue me.

So, the South hall is big. Way too big. Inhumane. But awesome.

Obligatory Booth babe shot:



Monster had a huge both, as usual. We love Monster for being the first company to actually provide good cables you could pick up for your stereo or TV at a local non high end shop, we do think their cable department has let their marketing department get a "little" too much power, not to mention their legal department. (please don't sue!) I mean, they are still using the whole "flux tube" thingy? That is soooo 90's, dude. We do, however, like their power products. They look awesome. Not sure why they still have the red displays when the blue is just so much cooler looking, though.


Monster Power:


New Monster III units have voltage readouts:



Kimber Kable is a high end cable manufacturer that I respect (along with Straightwire and a few others). They give you measured specs - really good specs too, and they manufacture cables at a very high level of quality. They use cable geometries that actually have an effect on the specs, they don't just make up some new supposed problem to attack. An example - they have a new version of their 8TC (an old standard with excellent performance for the price) but the only difference is the colors on the teflon insulation. It's more WAF freindly. That, my friend, is good engineering vs marketing. I just wish they'd do a free "Select Series" drawing during CES. People would camp out.
www.kimber.com



New Kimber Kable 8TC and 4TC



Calrad had their usual fairly compact booth that was totally filled with great stuff,
Small sample:


Calrads XLobby Media Center and a whole lot more, HTPC on steroids at a price that pushes the some buttons in the Whole home A/V and control worlds.
We are a Calrad Distributer, so check with us for delivery and pricing.
www.Calrad.com
www.Ramelectronics.Net



Thermaltake is awesome. Not only do they keep coming out with a plethora of great htpc and big, desktop cases but they are doing great power supplies, drive cases and fans. Their Toughpower with Q-fan power supplies are not only very efficient (Green) but have extremely low noise levels, so these may be a good choice for your HD-HTPC. They go way up in wattage ratings like many gamer Power supplies as well.
www.Thermaltake.com



Audioquest as always has a lot going on with their cables, and they are some very nice cables. We have a hard time buying into their whole "DBS" thing, as there are dielectrics available that we think are certainly good enough for the signals involved - call us "gomers" or skeptics", whichever you like. I doubt that NASA is using the science involved there, but then again, NASA probably doesn't have tube amps and such. In any case they also make really great connectors that are a bargain in the high end world. Now they have a new installer line of connectors and cable, their ITC line. Seems quite impressive from the demo we saw.

www.Adioquest.com

Zalman had some nice and as usual, quiet HTPC cases available, as well as their spectacular array of CPU and video card coolers. They also had 3d video software for games. It was cool, but not like their usual beautiful, quiet pc/mac cooling solutions.
www.Zalman-usa.com


There was a large HDMI booth with significant manufacturers. Some were very interesting. Others, were very much gestapo like in the questioning of your business practices and possibly your lifestyle. HDMI is a lovely one cable solution (despite the connector) but the CES proponents you have to try to talk to with questions and complaints are almost always angry, paranoid fascist types. Dudes?
But, hey the Gennum booth was super!


The international booths are always interesting, and we make sure to check them out and take a lot of pictures. There are secrets there, but we can't explain. At CES a lot of deals are made, a lot of partnerships are created. The best companies find the best partners. They go back and forth on design and specs until they are both happy and test demo units at each iteration. Manufacturing 101 . Hello?

And then there are those companies that distribute all the crap that doesn't sell, because it is funky, defective or nobody wants it, or because the manufacturer quit that business... And they sell it cheap... some people I know think it is an example of "dumping", an attempt to destroy the competition in the market, to take it over and rule the market, then raising prices.
I just think we are currently biased to price over quality throughout a larger scale of the consumer market than usual. Time will tell. I think it will change if the wider scale of the economy improves.

Well, there was a lot more we checked out, but time doesn't permit mention at this time.
We still have the central hall with a zillion LCD's and Plasmas to check out, and then some nice relaxing listening to do at the high end audio area at the Venetian, my personal desert for all of this blisterization on my feet. I also hope to hit T.H.E.Show - the other high end audio show going on here at the same time.

CES2008 Sands Convention Center

Hey, we finally made it here to Vegas for CES 2008, and started our Trek at the Sands Convention Center in the afternoon. There are many items here in the "innovations" awards area that have already gotten a ton of press, so we'll pick on some of the good and bad among them, and add some of the quirky and/or cool products that end up at the Sands.

Robots were all around, not just carpet cleaners for a change.
Here are some "interactive robots with sensors that respond to your motions, more or less.
Some are friendly:


Some are manly:


Some are, er, different:


Here's a great one for a fathers day present, it cuts the grass!


Lian Li always has a few mega super killer PC Cases. This was big, red and beautiful:


Arctic Cooling had some very nice cooling products:



"Innovations"
Addlogix Has a nice PC to TV Wireless video streamer that looks rather promising
You may want to check for availability since we sell Addlogix
http://www.ramelectronics.net



Here's a remote that could be great - if they only they bothered thinking about the ease of use of the "Play" button, stop, rewind, etc. All the same size and type - real cute but not easy to feel in the dark.


Now this is more like it:

Logitech is apparently getting their act together

Here's an innovation in ugliness:

B&W has come out with the strangest looking iPod dock ever devised. It probably sounds fabulous, but it looks like an unexploded WWI bomb, or something.


An Innovative waste?

Kensington Liquid FM: Automatically finds the best frequency for your ipods signal. But does it sound better than any other ipod fm transmitter?




Sorry, that is it for now. Tomorrow is a full day in the South hall and Central Hall - where the real action is!

CES 2008

Starting on Tuesday, January 8th, we will be at CES2008 in Las Vegas Nevada. I'll be posting from there tuesday, wednesday and thursday on the various electronic atrocities available for your consumer dollar in the upcoming year. Of course there will be all kinds of promises of wireless audio and video breakthroughs, whole house a/v sharing, new exciting processors from Intel and AMD (they are still in business, right?) , of course there will be a new, exciting version of HDMI to upgrade all of your Home Theater components to, and all kinds of wild and crazy ideas like connecting your refrigerator to the Interweb. I'm excited, we're excited and so should you be. Everyone else promises great coverage, but this year we'll deliver what you want! Booth babe pics, right?

Won't get fooled Again! - PC/Mac Lossless Sound over HDMI

Yes, we consumers are getting screwed again. Most people don't have an inkling, and that's partially why it continues. The same big companies that want to sell you that "Media Center PC" computer, that HD DVD or Blu Ray friendly playback software, that HDMI video card, or HDMI equipped motherboard, and most of all that HD content on Blu Ray or HD DVD are the same ones who are crippling the quality you can get from it.

Is Collusion the word? No.
Is a built-in lack of future capabilities the game? Er, maybe...
Make sure we have to upgrade again next year for the latest and greatest? Duh, makes sense...

HD audio, which maybe you don't care about, is the issue. But, why not care? Because you are told not to care? Because people say that only Dogs can really hear the difference? Will you believe 16 bit is as good as 24 bit five years from now? It's funny how the overall perception of quality changes. Every year we to get the promise that we can use a computer as a full fledged media center with all of the capabilities of stand-alone players. Every year it is a lie. Whose fault is it? Microsoft? Sony? The Hollywood establishment? The software developers? Hardware Audio/Video card manufacturers? The HD format war? They all get the blame to some extent, but overall, in my opinion, the blame must go to the "SEP"* principle. It's SEP - "Somebody Else's Problem".

They promise us a breathtaking new version of a multidimensional audio/video universe every year at the Consumer Electronics (CES) show in Vegas while, in the end, they feed us weensy little incremental upgrades to our "Lifestyles" throughout the year. Gee, I wonder what the promise is this year? Whole house Audio/Video over wireless connections? Media Extenders? Yeah, that's the ticket... Just ignore anyone who mentions lossless audio to go along with their pristine 1080p video. In fact, why don't they make sure to push the 1080p thing again like last year, but leave that part out for any wireless, media extension or whole home solutions. For that, 1080p is for some strange reason not so important. OK, this is a big digression, but c'mon - all we are talking about is HD audio formats from a PC to a Home Theater system. If the PCI bus is insecure, put it on the motherboard. Figure it out. Instead of going Medieval on the Big Media Server companies take that energy and money and invest it to develop the hardware/software to make things right for the customer. Remember us?
As far as all your favorite tech and media companies are concerned, it's all "SEP". Somebody Else's Problem. Don't you wish you could get away with that? I know I do.

*For more about "SEP":
Somebody Else's Problem field

HDTV Video Connections or why is everyone fat on my TV?

Part II

VGA and component are analog sources of high definition signals. Analog HDTV signals were first introduced on computers, satellite/cable set-top boxes, VCR and high-end DVD players. The picture quality was superior over composite or s-video, which is not capable of HDTV resolutions. VGA, some times called RGB, is a small format 15 pin, three(3) row connection used on most computers for connecting your monitor and gave us our first view of high resolution video. You will also find these connections on HDTV monitors designed to accept computer standard video and frontal projectors.

Component is a very popular HDTV connection using three (3) cables labeled YpbPr and distinguished by the familiar three (3) colors red, green and blue connectors found on most consumer electronic equipment. Connecting component is simple and trouble free for 480, 1080i or 720P HDTV installation plus the connection of choice by installers. However, the newest HDTV format 1080P is generally only available over a HDMI connection.

Here is where the confusion starts. VGA from a computer is capable of many resolutions, but the standard computer display resolutions are not compatible with HDTV unless the TV monitor can accept computer resolutions over VGA. If you purchase a VGA to component cable or BNC, to connect your computer to a HDTV that is component, it will not work. These cables are for special purpose applications.

For example some older Mitsubishi, Pioneer and other HDTV ready monitors sometimes used the same VGA connector called RGBHV and accepted the signal through five(5) RCA or the professional equivalent BNC connection at HDTV resolutions. These HDTV monitors require a converter box to convert component HDTV to these inputs.

Now you understand why there is so much discussion over the best installation method and if you need a converter from VGA to component and component to VGA. The converter boxes have electronics built in to take the horizontal and vertical sync signals in VGA and convert them to component or RGBHV or if you are going the other direction. Most are confused and for good reasons.

Quiz time! If component is sometimes mis-referred to as red, green and blue what is the HV in RGBHV?

Oh no, that is not the end of it. If the VGA resolution, from a computer source, is not a HDTV standard resolution of 480, 1080i, 720P and now 1080P, a simple VGA to component converter will not pass a picture compatible with the display. Most computers are not HDTV resolution outputs. What do you do now? Look at our PowerStrip user guide for one option to force your computer to a HDTV resolution, but this is not for the faint at heart. Read the entire article before you decide to try it. http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/powerstrip.html

Your best option is an external scaler.

Are you lost yet? Well let throw one more at you. Some displays, projectors, and HDTV’s use the VGA, 15 pin, three (3) row PC connector for both RGBHV and component signals. So how do you know?

1. First, frontal projectors with VGA will also accept component to save space.
2. If a VGA to component cable fails to yield a picture then you need a converter.
3. To save space some converters use VGA connectors for both signals to save space.
4. Read the equipment manual, it will tell you what signals will work over the VGA.
5. This is why VGA to component cable exist, but seldom work unless on a frontal projector or special application!

Finally, we stated that component connections are only HDTV resolutions and VGA has multiple PC resolutions. Check out this Wikipedia link on all the resolutions and picture geometries options. The visual graphic array is just, exciting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Graphics_Array

Stay tune for part III as we look at scalers and other HDTV switching options.

HDTV Video Connections or why is everyone fat on my TV?

We get a few questions on connecting DVI, VGA and component sources, equipment and monitors. In Part I, we will discuss various DVI connection types. Our Part II will look at the popular VGA and component connecting options. Part III will cover scalers/converters for different display configurations, and we will throw in some switching.

Part I

DVI

DVI comes in three different formats DVI-D, DVI-A and DVI-I. What are the differences?

DVI-D, which is the most popular, is an all digital video only signal and the predecessor to HDMI. On consumer devices it will have a HDCP(High Definition Copyright Protection) features to prevent non HDCP devices and displays from connecting and copying the signal. This feature requires a handshaking by all equipment to verify that the equipment connected is HDCP. Some earlier monitors designed for computer application are not HDCP compliant. They will work with a computer, but not with set top boxes, DVD players and other DVI consumer electronics that require HDCP compliance. All second-generation HDMI connections are HDCP compliance. Since DVI preceded HDMI it is backward compatible, if the DVI equipment is HDCP compliant. A simple DVI to HDMI adapter or cable can connect HDCP compliant equipment.

DVI-A is an analog display connection only and compatible with VGA. DVI-A to DVI-A only cables are very difficult to find, since the design purpose of DVI was a digital interface. DVI-A to VGA cables are used with some graphic cards and Mac computers that have a dual purpose DVI-I connector, which leads us to the next configuration.

DVI-I is a combination DVI-D and DVI-A connection. You can find these on high-end video cards, frontal projectors, and Apple Mac computers. They are used to save real-estate on the output connection interface. By using a DVI-D/VGA splitter or adapter you can chose either the digital or the analog connection for your specific requirement. This is application dependent.

HDMI is the next generation of DVI and digital only. HDMI has digital sound included in the connection, however when you adapt from DVI to HDMI no audio is passed.

Note when connecting a DVI/HDMI connection to your computer the native computer resolutions available will not be a HD TV’s 720P/1080i format signal, unless your video driver has HDTV outputs resolution settings. There are third part programs like PowerStrip, which are not perfect and require experimentation to match computer output resolutions to HDTV displays. The ultimate solution is an external scaler/converter, which you can program to match the display input requirement, independent of the signal source.

Stay tuned for part III when we discuss scalers.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/howto-av.html

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/powerstrip.html

Converting Component Video and Digital Audio to HDMI

Converting Component Video and Digital Audio to HDMI

OK, we hear some of you snickering and saying - "Convert Component Video and digital audio to HDMI? Why? Doesn't just about every HDTV have both nowadays?"
Well, yes, that may be true, but there are still some very good reasons why a lot of people still want to do this. All of the reasons are based around running a single HDMI cable to your display for audio and video, or as near to that ideal as is possible. So, if you can turn all of your sources into HDMI, you can use an HDMI Switcher to Select between your sources and run a single cable, or very few cables, to your display.

A) Wall mounted Plasma or LCD Display
Even if you run the cables through your wall, this can be a tricky bit of business. You have to get in-wall rated cables. You have to carefully route them through your wall without breaking them. You may need complicated and more expensive wall plates with multiple connectors for all of those cables. Basically, every added cable makes it that much harder and more expensive to hide your cables.
B) Projectors
This is almost self explanatory. You usually have to run some pretty long cables over to your projector from your A/V rack. Some people run them through ceilings, some through walls, some through raceways and some, well, they just find a way to get them there. The longer the cable the better it usually has to be. Better is more expensive, and in-wall rated and better, gets more expensive still. Have to run Plenum to be within code? Ouch!

C) Neat Freaks (or those with very high WAF levels)
All those ugly cables behind a nice piece of furniture can make even a normal person cringe. If you are a "Monk" like being, or have a significant other who keeps getting enthralled by Bose commercials, with that "no visible cables" look, well, if you can keep things to a sane level, you may be able to keep a happy household. You'll still have to think of something for those speaker cables, but we'll tell you your way around that another time.

What you need:

Component Video and Digital Audio to HDMI

If you need a model with analog stereo audio here's the one you need:
Convert Component Video and analog Audio to HDMI

Need to convert two Component Video sources with audio as well as switch two additional HDMI sources?
EXT-HOMETS

Want to convert Component Video and Composite or S-Video as well as switch two HDMI sources, outputting everything to HDMI?
EXT-HOMETSP

Have a Computer you want to connect through HDMI? If you need DVI and audio there are ways to do that as well.
Convert DVI and Digital Audio to HDMI
or
Audio Authority Model 1311


Need an HDMI Switcher?
HDMI Switchers

High-Def Digest -> High-Def FAQ: Is HDMI 1.3 Really Necessary?

Great new article by Joshua Zyber on High-Def Digest
High-Def FAQ: Is HDMI 1.3 Really Necessary?
Basically, a nice article about real world HDMI 1.3 pros/cons of Deep Color, Lip Sync and HD Lossless Audio format capabilities.

Is the format war over? Do I need a new Receiver? What do I need to enjoy these new high definition audio formats?

Another question this week. Sort of one of ours...

Q) Is the format war over? Do I need a new Receiver? What do I need to enjoy these new high definition audio formats?

A) Well, despite the recent announcements of Sony gains in the HD Disk format war, there is still no clear winner. Now about the receiver and all that...

OK, lets see here, do I need a HDMI receiver to decode Tru HD or do I need the player to do it and just send it PCM? What was that thingy about some receivers passing Video or audio, or one or the other but not that other thing? Doesn't everything have to be HDMI 1.3a or I can't get all of that really cool stuff in HDMI 1.3a no matter what I do? What if I have a great sounding Receiver or Preamp/Processor that sounds great but doesn't have HDMI? Problems, problems, and to top it off HDMI incompatibility issues* are as confusing as ever. What do I have to do for everything to just work, without me having to get an EE degree?
Right now, if you are considering one of the new HD DVD players or Blu Ray players, and have been looking into the whole audio mess of it all, you have probably reached a point where you just want to throw up your hands and give up. No wonder sales are so slow for the new HD players - not only do they go ahead and have an ill-conceived format war, but the complications of connecting them and getting all that the new formats can deliver in audio and video is so complicated that the most dedicated of A/V nerds shivers at the thought of helping a friend get it working in any demonstrable way.
Sure, you could go out and preorder one of the new Denons (or other brands coming soon) to decode everything you think you could want, but don't think for a minute that there might not be a "software" update possibility in your future to enable something you feel you "need", or to fix a problem. This is tricky with receivers. You usually have to send it into the shop for this.

Another solution
If you have a Receiver or Preamp/Processor with 5.1 multichannel analog inputs for surround sound, or maybe 7.1 inputs, you may want to consider this...
Here's the premise: You must use DVD/Blu Ray/HD DVD players with multichannel outputs to do all the decoding and digital to analog conversions. You can use HDMI, Component Video or whatever for video output to the display. If you have only one player, connect it with a multichannel cable and set the receiver to "External input" and you are done. If you have several players with these multichannel outputs you should think about a multichannel switcher. Connect the Audio/Video Source components to the switcher with some multichannel analog audio cables, connect the multichannel outputs of the switcher to the input on the receiver, and you are done. No worrying about the receiver supporting Tru HD or DTS HD, no worries about the receiver passing or not passing anything, and no HDMI issues. If the player can do the right thing, your receiver will not be a problem at all.
If you can't stand to deal with all of this nonsense anymore, go analog, baby. It just works.

Zektor 5.1 multichannel switcher (no remote but with IR Learning)

Zektor Passive 4x1, 200MHz, Multichannel switcher, RS-232, IR-Jack, Includes Remote

Zektor 7.1 channel switcher with HDMI, digital coax audio and Optical Toslink MAS7.1

5.1, 6.1, 7.1 Multichannel Cables from RamElectronics.Net


* Hey, HDMI is going to be great. It can work beautifully if you are careful with your product selections. Then again, it can, get pretty tricky, with all of the constant adding of new features, it gets better, but with less "compatibility". The used market is going to get ugly.

HDMI Cable Quality question

(Q) I am really confused about HDMI cables. I need to connect my DVD to my Receiver (1.5 - 3 feet) to my TV (1080p)(6 feet). Do I need to buy the high end cables? Some people say yes (they advocate Monster 400's) and others say no. I just want to make sure they have good shielding. Any suggestions?

(A) Normally, you do not need a special HDMI cable, even for 1080p at relatively short cable lengths. Any good quality HDMI cable should work at 6 feet or less. As the cable length goes over 10-12 feet and beyond it gets harder and harder for a small gauge inexpensive cable to work adequately, and there will start to be more and more "bit" errors. The higher the video resolution, the higher the bandwidth required, and the shorter the cable length can be.
Unlike analog video, when digital video goes bad it goes really bad. With analog video, if a signal is weak, you just get slightly less signal, so the color or brightness level is a bit less. With digital, increases in errors mean more and more bits of information that have nothing to do with the original signal. What you start to end up with on the screen is pixels that are not the correct color, often referred to as sparkles. Worsening errors cause wide swathes of obviously digital distortion on the screen or throughout the screen. This is a really, really ugly sight.
Aside from a cable working properly when you first plug it in, there are some other longevity issues you may want to take into account. If the cable is too delicate or cheaply made, it will damage easily. Small amounts of damage to a twisted pair cable like these hdmi cables, such as a small kink in the cable, slightly over bending the cable or even stepping on the cable may render an HDMI cable unusable. Contacts can also oxidize or retain contaminants from the air causing problems. These are all pretty good reasons to get a "better" cable. We are not saying to get one that costs 5 times the price of your average cable, but we are saying that in the long run, cheapest is not always best.

more info Link:
Real World DVI and HDMI Cable limitations

HQV Video Quality "Test" disks

Evaluate your Video System

HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) DVD, HD DVD and Blu Ray video quality evaluation test disks by Silicon Optix can help you determine just how good of a job your equipment is really doing getting the video encoded on the disks onto your display.

You can use them to do a basic evaluation of your system as a whole or run it multiple times with different settings on the various components to see what gives the best results for your system as a whole. For example changing which device does the de-interlacing - your DVD player or your display, or trying a 720p and 1080i setting from a source to a display and comparing results. The results can be surprising and counter intuitive, and even go against the usually prescribed preferences. They aren't as cheap as you may like, but using the same disks that many review sites use for part of a displays evaluation can give you a lot of insight into reviews as well as point to where the weaknesses of your setup reside.
We do want to be clear that these disks do not offer test patterns or much in the way of help in calibration. They are solely for evaluation.

Silicon Optix is not without bias, since they do make some very nice video processing chipsets used by a lot of manufacturers and they do include many tests that are designed to highlight the benefits of these products, but they are still undoubtedly among a shortlist of disks that are great to have for troubleshooting and evaluating video processing of a complete video system. Highly recommended.

Where to buy:
http://www.hqv.com/benchmark.cfm

HDMI/HDCP to VGA/RGB Conversion

HDMI/HDCP to VGA/RGB Conversion
We get constant questions about how to convert HDMI to VGA or Component video. Really constant. Everyday. There are so-called "HDCP strippers" available out there in cyberspace and we hesitate to tell customers about them because of the potential legal issues of doing so. Nobody wants to be sued by HDMI or Digital Content Protection, LLC. On the other hand, information is freely available about these solutions on the net, and we felt a need to give our visitors "the scoop". We'll give you some links later to sites dealing with the legality of these devices. They are strictly available in Europe or elsewhere overseas and are not considered "legal" to sell in the USA.
We tested out one of the new HD Fury converters from www.hdfury.com which we, er, found laying in the street somewhere....

Connecting the HDFury to your average DVI or HDMI DVD player to an LCD monitor, or LCD TV through a VGA port results in an image shifted to the left a bit. You can adjust the monitor for this in most cases so it is not such a big deal. Using an LCD monitor as a TV is not really so awesome as they have pretty crappy contrast ratio, etc. Besides, spending this much money to use an LCD monitor as an HDTV monitor is silly, with all of the HDCP enabled LCD monitors coming out with goodprices and better performance. So, using this as a Playstation 3 to VGA LCD monitor display converter does not really seem like a smart investment.
Connecting the HDFury from a PS3 to a Plasma with VGA 1080p compatible input? It works. And isn't that cool?! We are not sure which Plasmas and LCD's can take 1080p over VGA input, but those that can are likely to be able to get 1080p over VGA with nice results. Of course you could also do it over HDMI in most cases so whats so great about that? Well, some people do have displays that will take 1080p over VGA but nor DVI or HDMI. We are not saying it is worth it, just saying that it can work. Not that the image wasn't "smokin", just that for 1080p vs sources to 1080p displays, the difference between a 1080p or 1080i connection is pretty much usually about 99% hype. This could be a highly variable thing among different displays, since some will down convert 1080i to 540p, and other variations on this kind of thing. New displays that are 1080p native usually will accept a 1080p input. Those that only can accept Component video will still need a transcoder, too, so we are talking about $150 for the HDMI to RGB (VGA) and then more for the RGB to Component video (Y-Pr-Pb) converter. For those who just have to know that their 1080p player is pumping out 1080p to their display, well, there are a couple of other things to consider before dropping your money over in Europe.
This thing caused our expensive Sencore video signal generator to shutoff every time we connected it. Scary. This was with short cables and with or without power to the generator. We stopped trying to connect it, which is a shame since we were looking to see if there were overscan problems, noise or other possible video artifacts introduced. This could be a sign of something that could mean reduced lifespan of your connected devices. or not.

So, generally this is a device for big front CRT projector owners, nothing more and nothing less. Sure there may be some special cases, but most people who want a HDMI to analog HD converter are barking up the wrong tree. If you have a big, expensive CRT projector and need to get an HDMI signal into it, this may be worthwhile. Only people with these projectors will really be able to evaluate the picture quality they are going to get, in any case, since most available digital projectors can't do what those projectors can with an analog signal.
What about those old HDTV's with RGB inputs? What about those early adopters with HDTV'swith Component video inputs? Yes, you can do it, but doesn't it feel like your getting screwed a second time? Why bother? You can still get HD in Component video, right? OK, so those with the early early RGB sets, might think about using this. Not a bad idea, right? Well, maybe so, maybe so... on you, baby.

Legal issues:
Will the FBI come and break down your door?
Well, probably not - unless you are doing something wrong, like sharing. It is hard, legally, to say anything about the legal aspects of this, so we won't. We will just give you some links to check this out for yourself.
www.hdfury.com
HD Fury Legality link Strange that this is not a URL actually on the site?
digital-cp.com
HDMI.org

Quote from HDFury site:
" we cannot see how these devices can pass the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)"

Buyer Beware. It is not impossible that these devices will be rendered inoperable in the future by an update coming from a HD DVD or Blu ray disk. This is something you also need to think about.
Anyone with any more info or corrections is encouraged to comment.

Some more Questions and Answers from Support emails

We occasionally like to post some of the good Support questions we get. Here are some from today.
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Q) Can I use component video cables (Green-Red-Blue) to connect analog to analog (Yellow-Red-White)? If not why not?

A) You cannot convert between Composite video and Component video with a cable, you will need a converter box.
The Red, Green and Blue is Component video.
The Yellow is Composite Video.
The Red and White are analog stereo audio

Component Video uses a bandwidth reduction method to convert RGB to signals called Y, Pr and Pb (analog) or Y- Cr-Cb (digital)
Composite video uses a single RCA or BNC connector with color, brightness and sync in a single connector)

Video Converters

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Q) I've been serching the Net and I am confused. Is there such a beast that will accept component video, s video, and component video, and convert it to HDMI output? If so can I purchase a home theater amplifier which has this switching and conversion internally?

A) Yes, there are video processors that will do this as well as take care of the audio/video switching between A/V sources. Many new Receivers offer some or all of these capabilities as well, but generally at a much lower level of processing quality.
Video Processors


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Q) Hello, I read your DVI-I page and am still a little confused. I have a Radeon X1900 XT video card and would like to buy an LCD display (2560x1600 60hz) to use with it.
According the manufacturer web sites:
The video card has dual link DVI-I.
The display has dual link DVI-D inputs and will come with 2 DVI-D cables.
Will one of the DVI-D cables be sufficient to connect these devices?

A) Yes, one "dual link" cable for one "dual link" capable monitor connected to one "dual link" output from the video card.
The term "dual link" is confusing, it only requires a single cable.

Dual link DVI cables, in case you need a longer, shorter or better one.

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Q) What is the best way to distribute HD video though out the house. Can Cat5 be converted to component video?

A) Cat5 (cat5e or cat6) is the most cost effective way. Fiber optics is great, but costs a lot more, is way harder to repair, and the associated equipment will cost way more. There is also the "Pro" solution - SDI. The cable you need is not too expensive, but the equipment sure is.

Cat5 can be used to distribute Component video and audio using either baluns or proprietary conversion systems.
Audio Authority has a good example of proprietary system:
The AVAtrix Whole-House Routing System

more Distribution from Audio Authority

With the method that uses baluns, you use standard distribution amplifiers, like the Key Digital or Calrad ones:
AV Distribution Amplifiers

along with baluns to convert the audio and video for Cat5 cable runs over long distances:
AV Baluns

Rather than baluns there are other proprietary Cat5 extension solutions such as Gefen's:
Gefen Home Theater Distribution
These are great when you want the latest or best technologies such as HDMI.
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Well, that's it for today. We wish everyone a great holiday!

Future proof audio and video cables

We are often asked about what cables to run in-wall, or in ceiling, raceway, etc to a projector or other video or audio device(s) in order to "future proof" the installation. Closing up a wall or ceiling is usually a pretty final act and having cables for any future necessary connections already installed is paramount.

Several years ago, having numerous 75 ohm cables installed to the necessary local would support all the necessary forms of Component video with analog and digital audio. Six of them would be fine to support Component video, digital multichannel audio and stereo analog audio.

HDMI changed all of that. Running an HDMI cable could support digital video and audio. You have to test before installation and assure that the cable will work at the length you need with the resolutions you may need now and in the future.

So what about the future? With HDMI continually changing its requirements for cables you probably need the latest, amplified and equalized cables to offer support for 1080p, high resolution audio and possibly available formats coming in the future. While HDMI will be a great solution for a number of years, since there is no sure way to know about where the future lies, HDMI at its best, is possibly a temporary solution, albeit a pretty nice one, and certainly the best currently to use.

Adding Cat5e/Cat6 Cables or Fiber optic cables to the installation is as close as you can be at this point to a "future proof" solution. You don't have to use them now. Just have them in the wall for future possible use. Cat5e or Cat6 is particularly cheap to add. You should add several cables, depending on what the possible usage may be. Running four or five CAT5e/6 cables will cover most any video and audio requirements that the future will bring, using external baluns or converters. The more you run, the more flexibility you will have for the future formats, converters and Baluns. Running two cables will offer a lot of options for video or audio separately. Even two connections may be enough in the future for high resolution audio and video in coming formats.

The conclusion? Cat5e/Cat6 is definitely worthy of considering along with HDMI for inwall solutions, for now and in the future. Fiber is more expensive to have installed, and the devices which take advantage of it are generally more expensive, but it is capable of great data bandwidths. If you are only running audio, or digital audio, baluns using Cat5e/Cat6 are a great way to go.

Cat5 for Audio and Video

Fiber Optic and other DVI and HDMI extension

Wireless Audio/Video