Info and forum posts by 'lees'

RE: Any all in one systems with built in DVD recorders?

Thanks Jimbo, have passed on this advice.
How long before the "newer" models come out & do you think Panasonic will produce an all in one system including these new dvd recorders?

Any all in one systems with built in DVD recorders?

Guys.......as subject really!
Friend is looking for an all in one system to save space that will go with his new Panasonic Plasma 37" PW7. He said he`s looked for reviews & can`t find any.....any ideas?
He wanted originally to have a seperate DVD recorder & then amp/speaker combo but the space available won`t allow it....... :D

RE: Yes, Because...

yeh that`s exactly what I mean`t............the mix isn`t very good.........some explosions seemed lacking in ooph yet there was lots of rear speaker activity.........strange! At least I`m not the only one to notice this.
Cheers for the reples.
Is it worth getting the superbit?
8)

Bad Boys CE R2 DD sound quality

Has anyone who has this on DVD felt that the sound leaves a lot to be desired!
I`m pretty sure that the original bare bones version had good picture & sound when I rented it a while ago but this collectors edition seems very poor. The picture appears quite grainy & not what I have come to expect from DVD but the sound is really poor.
I had to boost the front channels & turn my sub up a lot to get the type of dynamics tha I`m used to..............anyone else notice this on this DVD?
Was begining to think it was my set up but straight after I watched Monsters Inc ;) no problems there! Anyone?

RE: English DTS on BTTF

agreed but Back to the future has it stated on the case English DTS.
Found out from another website that there was a batch of discs released WITHOUT BBFC classification & these discs only have a spanish DTS soundtrack.............I`m taking the disc back to MVC & prob gonna buy the boxset anyway.........hope that doesn`t have the same problem!

This item was edited on Thursday, 2nd October 2003, 19:52

RE: English DTS on BTTF

thanks but tried that, audio cannot be changed "on the fly" on thiis particular DVD, both on my Tosh & Sony dvd players.I`ve tried all different permatations...........no luck!
When I get into the language menu the only options are:
English
Catalonese (sp)
Catolenese (sp)DTS
Seems like there is NO option for a DTS english track.............very strange?
Might try another disc to see if this one just from a spanish batch?

English DTS on BTTF

Hi,
Just purchased this DVD in MVC (£5.99).........got it home & tried to access the DTS track.............no English DTS in the language set up only Spanish! Is this the case? On the front of the case it states DTS & on the back cover it implies 2 English language tracks DD5.1 & DTS 5.1...............can anyone who`s bought this (region2) have a look to confirm this for me? The DD5.1 sounds okay but most reviews suggest the DTS sounds a little bit better!

Space Cowboy`s..............surprising!

Watched this last night.
Very impressed!
The picture & sound absolutely blew me away & the thing is I wasn`t ecpecting much of the film at all..............didn`t read any reviews etc yet it was really good IMO.
The DD surround sound in particular was excellent.............even on my humble DTT3500 system it blew me away. What surprised me was that all the films people mention regarding the best demo for sound etc & no one has mentioned this film b4.............Quite a few films recently have had this effect............I watched Almost Famous the other night &.............WOW, quality, quality soundtrack!
The sound on some films really takes ya by surprise doesn`t it?
Any more films that anyone knows of (apart from the obvious ones like SPR etc) that for sheer quality of sound have made u go WOW?

RE: Creative DTT3500 or Yamaha TSS-1. Which is better ????

I have the DTT3500 IMO......................SUPERB I have heard the TSS1............sounds okay..............didn`t sound as nice to me.......u might prefer it!
Swings & roundabouts regarding the features though.........TSS1 has DTS, headphone socket & reasonable power but the Creative DTT3500 has a more powerful fuller sound IMO, remote control, loads of cables/connections & stands, vertical & horizontal placement of the decoder & the faceplate can be changed for different colours.......nice!
The DTT3500 also has a subwoofer preout connection (so u can connect a more powerful active sub) & I tried connecting an Eltax subwoofer off me m8......................the Creative sub absolutely blows the Eltax one away, so I quickly reconnected the DTT3500 one again!! For the money the Creative looks & feels a better quality product although ultimately it comes down to how they sound to u m8!

RE: How can I tell?

Just trying to get any response to this!
Can anyone help?

How can I tell?

Okay guy`s also Westy or Clayts can u help?
Me dad has recently had some trouble with his Toshiba TV, not sure what the model number is but it`s a 2/3 year old 32" DD 100hz version. He had taken out a 5 year extra cover warranty (just in case) & has recently had a problem in that the TV went green & then wouldn`t display any image correctly thereafter. Powehouse came & took the TV away for about 5 weeks & returned it yesterday (NEW TUBE fitted!). Now b4 the TV went away me dad said he had the settings set @ around 1/2 way (brightness/contrast/colour) now even with the brightness @ 80% the picture is very very dark............I`m gonna take a test disc round there to have a look this weekend BUT he asked me how he could tell that they have fitted a 100hz tube? Does anyone now how can tell when I go round there??????

Has anyone tried this?

Not sure if anyone using a widescreen TV actually uses this but out of interest how many people use "smart" mode or similar on their tellies?
Has anyone who does use this mode tried it on the 4.3 test on the THX discs? Be interested in what people think of how well their TV`s "stretch" the circle! I have heard some people say that these "stretch" modes keep the image @ centre intact & then gradually stretch ONLY the sides!
Not sure if anyone can verify this but I have tried this on a number of TV`s (various makes) & NOT ONE keeps the circle AS a circle,I tell a lie the JVC one did NEARLY produce a circle............but chopped so much off top & bottom that u couldn`t see the horizontal lines at all! All these modes seem to do is enlarge the image slightly & then stretch..............not very "smart" at all eh? Any opinions?

RE: Best Bass moment ever!

Totally, totally agree, this moment on DVD is absolutely awesome (it was a demo of this that got me into surround sound), also think that the bass on Tomb Raider ( I thought it was good alright!) was impressive, although I can`t pick out 1 of many sequences, the bass in the rear speakers really made me sofa move!!!!
X Men (whenever magneto appears) good vibrations!
U571 depth charges!
SPR.........when the tank appears! phew!
Oh I love it when the neighbours go out! hee hee!

RE: Best DVD picture ever?!

Agree, Shrek picture is sensational, but maybe it`s cos of the detail & the fact that I have seen it soooo many times, but Toy Story 2 still, for me has the best picture quality.Have also been impressed with some EIV titles as well though, Final Destination & Blade springs to mind.
Haven`t seen Moulin Rouge yet though!
Good post BTW.

RE: Need some Advice on Surround Sound Kits

I`ve heard all these systems & opted for the Creative one in the end.
IMO if u have a small/medium size room this system is more than adequate, although once u get the bug u will probably wanna get bigger & better speakers. Try to demo them if u can though. BTW The DTT3500 doesn`t decode DTS (although Creative have just brought out the Inspire 5700 that does), so if u really want DTS (DTS was not a big difference over DD for me) then IMO u would be better off with the Sony HTK215 system (a little over your budget though) or even the Yamaha system that has been raved about on this forum. I thought the Yamaha system & the Scan that u mentioned, not only sounded poor but didn`t look as smart as the DTT3500. Put it this way, the DTT3500 for me blew me away, I`ve yet to be unhappy with it`s performance for films & surprisingly for music. PS for a demo play Ronin (when De niro fires the rocket from the car) absolutely superb, rocks ya foundations!
Good luck!

Scan velocity modulation?

Sony KV-28WS2U 28 widescreen TV.
Me mate has just bought this TV (second hand) & has been tweaking the geometry etc via the service menu. He has been advised to turn off SVM in the service menu & give RGB priority.........the thing is although he can adjust geometry & picture settings okay he doesn`t seem to be able to alter SVM & RGB as advised although he can se the options in the menu!
Any ideas?
BTW what does SVM actually do?

RE: RGB on THX Optimode set up!

Thanks for all your help............I cannot adjust the sharpness using RGB anyway so maybe it`s set how it should be. I did try using S-Video & adjusting the sharpness on that. Found the 1/2 way setting about right........any less it seemed cloudy & any more it seemed to make the image more pixelated.Think I`ll stick with RGB though............overall better picture & better blacks!
BTW Didn`t notice ANY edge enhancement on PM using RGB on my Phillips 28PW6322 as other people seem to think there is.

This really is an excellent & very useful site.
My knowledge is growing by the day!
Once again thanks.

RE: RGB on THX Optimode set up!

Oh...........1 other thing............does having no adjustment to the sharpness control actually make any difference then using RGB?

RE: RGB on THX Optimode set up!

Thanks for your input guys..............so I just ignore the colour settings using RGB for the optimode test......okay.
Another question.........using this test I have found that the left hand vertical line on both circle/line tests doesn`t appear using RGB, but appears slightly (image appears to shift to the right a bit) when I switch to s-video/composite........does this mean I miss out on anything by using RGB?
Appreciate any response as I have an engineer coming out tomorrow to sort another "problem" wiv the TV & hopefully he could sort any other problems while he`s here.
BTW The engineer is coming out to TRY to fix a smearing/streaking effect across the right hand side of images the TV has developed............any ideas?
Another BTW doesn`t having the contrast & brightness set lower improve the image............very impressed.

RGB on THX Optimode set up!

I have a Phillips TV which when set to RGB will not allow adjustment of colour or sharpness....................how can I adjust these values when using the optimode set up...........or do I need to set up using s-video?
Thanks
Lee

RE: Wharfdale M5, any good for DTS and DD 5.1?

Okay clayts.......thanks anyway!
I actually heard a demo of DTS/DD on a Pioneer system in Scottish Power & the difference to me didn`t actually seem massive, do ya think it`s worth it to upgrade to DTS?
BTW although the DTT3500 is marketed as a desktop speaker system most people would be VERY surprised when they hear this system.
I have yet to exceed 1/2 volume, the sound is crisp,clear, has excellent seperation & bass a plenty ( mine is set @ 40%) & to give you an indication of the power of the bass at this level ( it`s not boomy if the sub is placed correctly either), playing the opening sequence of The Fifth Element @ only 1/3 volume I can make ornaments & doors rattle in my house. Not only that it also handles CD`s better than most sub/sat systems. It may not be up to the likes of seperate systems but in a small/medium size room ( mine is 16` x12`) it`s awesome!
AND, according to Creative they r to bring out a new speaker system that WILL decode DTS so maybe an upgrade is a coming!
Just thought I`d give u my opinion!

ghosting/faint image ..................only on right hand side of TV!

Hope u guys can help as I`m loathed to get any repair guy etc to take me telly from me!
I have a Phillips 28PW6322 ( ex rental) & have had it for a couple of months. The other night I was watching What Lies Beneath ( great sound & piccies BTW) when i noticed some ghosting ( excuse the pun) but only on the right hand side of the image!
I have heard talk of this before & I`m pretty sure it`s called harmonic streaking or smearing. It`s not obvious BUT as soon as u notice it then of course u tend to start looking for it ALL the time!
My question is.............can i get rid of this if I can gain access to the service menu or is it something to do with scart leads etc?
Have noticed this is not as obvious using a composite picture.
I have a Sky digibox ( pace) & a Tosh 2109B DVD player & cos the pace digibox allows RGB passthrough, both r connected to scart 1. Other than this glitch I am very impressed with picture quality.
Any help/response appreciated.
BTW FYI I have the contrast & colour set @ 1/2 & the brightness set @ a bit below 1/2...........no N/R & sharpness & 1/2.

RE: Wharfdale M5, any good for DTS and DD 5.1?

"The added bonus of any player with a DTS decoder, as well as a DD decoder, is that those who just have DD amps (there were a few in the early days) can also benefit from DTS decoding."

Clayts,
U have helped me before so I hope u can again!
I have a DD amp/decoder combined..............it`s a Cambridge Soundworks DTT3500 system. I`m extremely pleased with both the DD & prologic sound from this little system but cos everyone keeps going on about DTS....................I wanna hear it on this system. So my question is can I use the onboard DTS/DD decoders on the Wharfie M5 & get DTS & DD sound through the DTT3500, bypassing the decoder on the DTT3500 & if so what connections would I use?
IMy system has coaxial & optical out, but it doesn`t have 5.1 inputs so am I right in thinking this won`t work?
Thanks in advance.

RE: Surround sound/5.1 Help needed

Try some of these DVD`s for excellent use of surround effects!
X-Men
Fight Club
Saving Private Ryan
Die hard

There are so many more.........even films u don`t think would have good surround like Toy story 2 & What Lies Beneath.

Adjust the rear speaker volume to suit u though.......some people prefer more rear volume others dont, it`s all down to personal taste.
BTW is the TV prologic only though?
If it is u may find that u may lose some of this surround effect on DVD`s unless u have DD/DTS. I should know.... I had a prologic TV until 6 months ago & with prologic some films do seem better than others!

The best advice I can offer is to play one of the films that u know very well & set the speakers to suit!
As previously mentioned the THX intro is also a good test!

Good luck!

RE: volume of amp for DVD & other sources?

Cheers for your reply........much appreciated!
Now sorted thanks.
Mixture of things really, placement of sub & me mate had whacked his rear speakers to max!!!!!
Not only that the audio outs on my TV seem to be a lot louder than my previous TV so this all accounted for the differences & your right about the difference between phonos & digital connections.
To dispel all these differences I played MI2 in DD & then switched to the 2nd audio track ( prologic) & then u could really tell the difference, I then switched to the l/r phonos & it was a lot louder but " brasher", thats the only way I can describe analogue now!!!!
After listening to me mates & then going back to mine I actually preferred the " sound" of mine as my bass seems more natural......less boomy.
He had placed his sub right behind his TV in the corner about 2 inches from the wall which was probably the reason it sounded louder, trouble was it was interfering with the overall soundtrack too much for my liking!
Each to their own though!
Once again thanks
Lee

RE: volume of amp for DVD & other sources?

Slightly more concerned & less happy now!
Tried a few DVD`s on me mate`s system ( exactly the same as mine) & his DD sounds are much louder than mine!
Beginning to think there is something wrong with me amp or me set up now!
Can room acoustics give more overall loudness & bass?
That`s the only other reason I can think of ( apart from a problem with the amp) as to why his seems more powerful.

RE: volume of amp for DVD & other sources?

Exactly what I wanted to hear...................happy now!
The only reason I was listening to films in DPL was coz I use this mode all the time for SKY etc & when I then play a DVD sometimes I forget to change it. Thanks for ya help!

volume of amp for DVD & other sources?

Hope you guys can help me, I`m slightly confused by something!

When playing DVD`s through my amp why does the analogue/prologic mix seem louder for overall sounds & dialogue than the Dolby Digital
bitstream?
For example SPR:
When I select the opening battle in analogue prologic & have the volume @ 6 on the amp it`s very loud, yet if I turn off then play the same sequence via Dolby Digital @ the same volume setting on
the amp it`s much quieter, to the extent I have to increase the volume
to 9 to achieve the same loudness. I know the peaks are a lot louder &
the dynamic range is greater on Dolby Digital though & have noticed if I
play Fight Club ( mid air demo) select prologic & play this sequence
it`s noticeably lower than Dolby Digital, but still the overall loudness
when people are speaking or there isn`t much action on screen is louder
on prologic! I have connected the amp via L/R phonos to the audio
outputs on my TV, & connected the DVD player via coaxial lead to the
amp.
Now I know DVD`s are meant to be set @ a lower volume than other
sources, but this seems to dispel this slightly coz if I set the volume
@ 6 & play films from Sky Digital or CD`s through the amp they seem to
be fairly near to the analogue prologic output of a DVD!
Can someone please explain this to me? Or has anyone tried prologic
versus DD through their amp?
One other thing! Are the line level audio outputs set @ the same level
for ALL TV`s?
I was pretty sure on my Tosh telly I had before the audio outs seemed a
lot lower volume through the amp than the Phillips TV I have now, could
this be the reason the " analogue " output is louder now? Me mate has a
Sony Wega & the same amp/speakers as me & when we did the same test on SPR the level from the analogue output ( audio outs) was much, much LOWER than the Dolby Digital mix! I think he may be able to adjust the audio out level on his TV though!
Is there something wrong with me amp, or something wrong with the audio outs on the TV?
Please help this is driving me nuts!!!!

RE: Overscan?

Thanks for that.....well explained.
So, is there any need to worry about this on my TV...........is it something I should be looking for?

Overscan?

Keep hearing the word " overscan mentioned on this forum relating to TV`s. Quick question............What does overscan mean?