[TPS]

Originally Posted by gunner84

Hi

New owner of the bdt500 here , this is my first high end bluray player. Not connected it up yet but a have a few questions.

I was going to connect using both hdmi connections but it seems that there will not be any advantage using this method unless needed for the 3d tv owners who have an older amp, so will just connect with the main hdmi as I dont own a 3d tv , is it best to use just the main connection?

My AV receiver is a Onkyo htx22hd 3.1 set up , I'm wondering what I should have decoding the hd formats , would player be best for decoding?

Finally I have a multiregion dvd version from TPS , how do I select the correct region for dvds or is this done automatically?

many thanks

It's automatic!

[MI55ION]

Originally Posted by gunner84

Hi

New owner of the bdt500 here , this is my first high end bluray player. Not connected it up yet but a have a few questions.

I was going to connect using both hdmi connections but it seems that there will not be any advantage using this method unless needed for the 3d tv owners who have an older amp, so will just connect with the main hdmi as I dont own a 3d tv , is it best to use just the main connection?

My AV receiver is a Onkyo htx22hd 3.1 set up , I'm wondering what I should have decoding the hd formats , would player be best for decoding?

Finally I have a multiregion dvd version from TPS , how do I select the correct region for dvds or is this done automatically?

many thanks

Use main hdmi and set player to bitstream. Job done!

[gunner84]

thanks guys , so its a case of letting my AV receiver doing the decoding.

[gunner84]

Hello again

I've connected up my player to my Samsung c650 lcd , all fine and so far Im loving the array of settings although a little complex.

I have one thing Im a bit unsure about , under TV settings the TV system has NTSC selected ?

Should this not be PAL or is it because I have a MR dvd version.

thanks

*If anyone has any more advice on settings its much appreciated

[gunner84]

Hi

Does anyone get a slight buzzing sound from this player when most notably playing DVDs?

I find blurays are fine with only the slightest mechanism drive noise but dvds seem a lot louder especially with the buzzing/purring sound.

cheers

[neo_2009]

Originally Posted by smarty

For info, I have an Arcam AVR300 ...

Hi Smarty.
If you do have the time and the patience, could you please compare the sound quality when using the panasonic analog outputs (DTS HD), versus using the digital output to the Arcam (1,5 Mb DTS Core).

[smarty]

Originally Posted by neo_2009

Hi Smarty.
If you do have the time and the patience, could you please compare the sound quality when using the panasonic analog outputs (DTS HD), versus using the digital output to the Arcam (1,5 Mb DTS Core).

Will do, although not sure when.
The AVR300 has been off with Arcam for the last 3 weeks for repair so the 500 isn't even set up yet.
Good news is it came back from repair today so I'm collecting it from my dealer tomorrow.

[Owenok]

Hi,

I live in Australia, no BDT 500 release here, if I purchase in UK will it work properly here in Oz? I really want one but dont want to waste the money, can get the 320 here as a consolation.
First post, so apologies for the clumsiness.

[Glenzo]

Originally Posted by steve h

High, had my BDT -500 for two days now first impression remote is a pain to use. lots of menu pages to sort through, but overall a great picture.Still going through set up.One problem i am having is when on test in speaker set up it;s not picking up that i have a sub connected, all speakers getting a test signal except sub.

The remote works fine if you treat it as your Laptop Touch Pad. Once you get that idea it clicks!

[smarty]

Just having a bash at setting this up and it's a bit confusing.
The main issue is around the audio settings.

I have an Arcam AVR300 so no HDMI inputs. It has optical input and 5.1 analogue inputs. The BDT500 has optical output and 5.1 analogue outputs.
The BDT500 is also connected direct to the TV via HDMI.

I mostly have DVDs at the moment plus a few BluRays which I will continue to buy in place of DVDs.
I need to know the optimal settings for the 3 following scenarios, which will be used at random, but with minimal changes required by me (if any) to settings in the player each time I change source material:
1) watching DVDs/BluRays with the sound only coming through the TV (for kids DVDs etc where they don't care i.e. cartoons as opposed to films)
2) watching a DVD with sound output through the amp (either via optical or analogue outputs, depending on which I think sounds better - if it's analogue then I'll ditch the optical altogether)
3) watching BluRays with HD audio played through amp via analogue outputs.

The instructions seem to think you'll either use optical, HDMI or analogue outs but not a mixture so I'm struggling to work out what settings to amend.

Obviously, to get HD sound from a BluRay I would need to use the analogue outputs on the player to the analogue inputs on the AVR. When I do this do I need to turn off the audio to the HDMI output or would just Muting the TV be sufficient? If I turn it off in settings then I'd have to remember to turn it back on again in scenario 1.
Also, it says if you're connecting via analogue outputs then set Analog Audio Output to 5.1 or 7.1, depending on speakers. It also shows what to do if you connect an optical cable. What if I want to use both? Do I have to keep switching settings from digital to analogue each time I change or does it always output to both?
Is there a need to change from one to the other anyway? I was originally thinking that I would listen to the HD audio of BluRays via the analogue outputs and to DVDs via optical. Is that necessary or can I also use the analogue outputs for DVDs? What would sound better? Guess I'll need to try and see.

If there are different settings to be used for each scenario then I could set each scenario up as different "Users" i.e. have a "User" called "TV" for scenario 1, one called "DVD" for scenario 2 and one called "BluRay" for scenario 3 with the relevant settings but would really like to avoid that if possible. The player would be used by wife and kids so it needs to be as simple as possible.

Thanks.

[smarty]

And what does BD-Video Secondary Audio do? Should I have that on or off?
PCM Down Conversion?

[gunner84]

Originally Posted by smarty

And what does BD-Video Secondary Audio do? Should I have that on or off?
PCM Down Conversion?

Im pretty sure I have both off on mine , if bd-video secondary audio is on I think the player will decode hd tracks and send them as the older formats?

meaning your speakers will just output the standard dolby digital / dts tracks so leave secondary audio off if you want the original hd tracks.

below is the settings I use , which I got from another website, the 3d settings do not apply to me as I don't have a 3d tv , also picture mode is normal as I set my Samsung c650 to a good picture so don't feel I need cinema mode on the player itself.

Picture Settings

picture mode - normal

chroma process - advanced

detail clarity - 0

super resolution - 1

HDMI Output menu = HDMI video format - auto, 24p output - on, HDMI colour mode - YCbCr (4:4:4), Deep colour output - auto, Contents type flag - auto, HDMI(SUB) output mode - normal.

NTSC contents output - NTSC

Still Mode - auto

Seamless play - on

Sound settings

Sound effects - off

Dialogue enhancer - off

Dynamic range compresion - off

Digital Audio Output menu = Dolby D/Dolby D+/Dolby True HD - Bitsteam, DTS/DTS-HD - Bitstream, MPEG Audio - Bitstream, BD-Video secondary audio - off, HDMI audio output - on

PCM down conversion - off

Downmix - stereo

7.1 Audio reformatting - off

High clarity sound - enable (increases the sound quality)

Audio delay - 0ms

Analog audio output - 2ch + 5.1ch (change this to 7.1 if you connect via 7.1 analog outputs)

3D

3D BD-Video playback - auto

3D AVCHD output - original

3D type - full HD

3D playback message - on

Manual settings menu = Distance - 0, Screen type - round, Frame width - off, Frame colour - black

Graphic display level - 0

System

TV settings = TV aspect - 16:9, TV system - PAL, Screen saver - on, On-screen messages - auto, Viera link - on.

Unit settings = Front panel display - bright, HDMI(SUB) v.off LED control - on, Unit operation volume - high.

Quck start - off (reduces fan noise)

Remote control - set code 1

you may need slightly different sound settings as I use just the main hdmi which passes threw my Onkyo htx22hd amp!

[smarty]

Thanks - managed to have a bit of a play last night. All connections seemed to work with the current settings. Choose DVD on amp and it picks up the Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream, choose DVD-Audio and it picks up the 5.1 analogue output. Just not sure at the moment if it is outputting in HD or not.
Need to play a bit more I think!

[smarty]

Ok. Done some searching and I "think" that I need the BD-Video secondary audio function set to "on" if I want to send the DD/DTS (non HD) soundtrack of a BluRay to my amp via optical. That way, because I don't have an HDMI amp, the player will output Dolby Digital or DTS via the digital output which my amp can then decode. What I'm not sure about is if this Digital Output setting will also affect the Analogue Outputs? In other words, will it also output the lossy signal via analogue outs rather than the HD sound? How would I know what is being sent through the analogue outputs?

I guess the simplest thing to do would be to disconnect the optical lead, set Secondary Audio to "off" and always use the analogue outputs no matter what I'm watching?
That's the only way I'll get HD Audio anyway but what about when I play a DVD? Will there be any difference in sound between sending DD/DTS via optical and letting the Arcam decode the signal or getting the BDT500 to decode first and send the signal via analogues for the Arcam to just pass through?

Any thoughts gratefully accepted.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by neo_2009

Hi Smarty.
If you do have the time and the patience, could you please compare the sound quality when using the panasonic analog outputs (DTS HD), versus using the digital output to the Arcam (1,5 Mb DTS Core).

Right, finally managed to do some testing and comparison of DTS HD (over analogue) v DTS core (over optical). I've set my amp (Arcam AVR300) so that the DVD input picks up the optical signal from the BD Player and Multichannel input picks up the analogue signal. I used Jurassic Park and TinTin as test BluRay discs. Switching from DVD to Multichannel on the amp on the same scenes I have to say I really struggled to hear any difference, especially on the Jurassic Park disc (maybe because it's a relatively old film now?).
On TinTin, I would say the DTS HD sound over analogue was possibly slightly more "open" sounding. A bit more immersive I guess. However, remember this is after a lot of switching back and forth and really trying to hear a difference. If I just had the optical link and listened to DTS Core I'd still be very happy although I suspect I'd be thinking 'I wonder what the HD sound would be like' if I had say the BDT320 instead.

I then tried the DVD version of TinTin over optical and analogue. I think I actually prefer the sound over optical, letting the Arcam do the decoding rather than the BDT500.

Having said all that, the BDT500 wasn't much more than the 320 and you get 2 HDMI outputs plus the analogue outs and optical plus coax. I suspect if you were going to be using it as a CD player as well then the sound of the 500 would be better (I use an Arcam CD player which does sound better than the 500, but then it should).

Hope that helps. Basically, I think you'll be impressed with the sound regardless of whether it's DTS core or HD.

[neo_2009]

Smarty,

thanks for your DTS-HD/DTS shootout

I've managed to find a Denon 4010 ex-demo for an excellent price, and as soon as receive it, i will compare the DTS HD (over analogue) v DTS core (over optical) using an AVR350.

[smarty]

Wow, that's a serious bit of kit. Certainly out of my price band.

It will be interesting to see what you make of the sound over optical and analogue. Post back when you've had a play.

[Mogli]

Are you guys having any issues with your players?

I picked one up on Monday and I have had to power cycle it three times on different days.

1st time: No BR image over primary HDMI (even though it had worked fine earlier in the day)
2nd time: Touch buttons on the top stopped working!
3rd time: "Keys" button on the remote stopped working (or the BR player stopped acknowledging it)

Most annoying - I have rang the store and amd waiting for a replacement but wondered if anyone else had any issues?

[smarty]

No issues with mine so far.

[malford]

No issues here

[Mogli]

Cheers sounds like I got a shonky one, have you guys updated the firmware?

[malford]

Yes x2 updates IIRC

[MI55ION]

Smarty, good stuff, nice to see you've tried it out for yourself. I'm not surprised with your conclusion as I found very similar. On a mid to high end AVR lossy hd audio may still sound better. To truly benefit from hd audio via analogue we need to look higher up, at least Oppo 95 standard.

[Mogli]

Originally Posted by malford

Yes x2 updates IIRC

Thanks - hopefully the next one will be ok .

[Elephant Man]

Hi what is the YouTube app like... are you able to watch HD youtubes?

[dan1210]

hi there i just picked up this player and it wont connect over wifi where as my gt50 will, also i cant get it to play mkv files when using twonky media server and mine has been a bit glitchy, gonna persevere over the weekend but i might need to return for a different unit. Has anyone else managed to stream mkv files with this? as the tv streams them no probs but i cant select my thx profiles that way....

[neo_2009]

Originally Posted by smarty

It will be interesting to see what you make of the sound over optical and analogue. Post back when you've had a play.

Well, as promised : Arcam (350) + Denon 4010 (DTD-HD) vs Arcam alone(DTS)

[Mr Quint]

Good morning Guys.

Been thinking about picking up this device as a Multi Region player. What happens if a Firmware upgrade comes out, do you have to get the device unlocked again?

[Al Calavicci]

Hi Mr Quint,

I ordered my full multiregion capable BDT500 from TPS late one afternoon, and it arrived the next day.
If the firmware requires updating in the future, then TPS will mail out an update on CD for a v. small fee.

Very pleased with the MR version, as it's full MR for DVD and Blu-ray, and switches off user-prohibited functions.

[Al Calavicci]

OK - does anyone have their BDT500 set to Quick Start mode and connected to a 50's series Viera TV?

I have my BDT500 set to quick start, but in the options screen on my GT50 you can tell it to alter the standby power on the BDT500.

For example, TV on, BDT500 goes into quick start mode (still in standby).
When TV is turned off, BDT500 goes into normal (low power standby).

The problem is, that when I turn the TV on, the BDT500 goes into quick start mode, but still remains in standby - which is perfect.

However, my GT50 auto switches to HDMI, even though the BDT500 hasn't turned on fully.

Anyone else got this problem, or found away around it?