Still getting dropouts on Arcam DV88

I have had my Arcam DV88's software upgraded recently.

I'm getting both sound dropouts and picture freeze, a little like an extended layer change, one lasted for about 4 secs and I had doubts whether the movie would continue.

I hadnt seen this problem before the upgrade, but that was probably due to the fact that I had no DTS discs.

The films in question are R1 O'brother where art thou and R1 Almost Famous (both DTS).

Is anyone else still experiencing these problems, despite having a software upgrade?

Will Arcam support problems with R1 discs??

I'll have to rewatch these movies to see if its a random problem or not.....

Hello,

Sorry to learn that you've got a problem with your DV88. The upgrades would normally cure precisely the problems you describe, so we are a bit puzzled.

Please turn off your unit (wait a few seconds) and then turn it back on. There will be some numbers displayed in the top lefthand corner of the screen for a second or two. Please let me know which numbers it displays.

Best regards,

Steve Reichert
Brand Manager, Arcam

I'm sure my SW Ver no. is 1.7. Not sure what drive sw ver is....I'll check tonight.

Should read 1.74

Best regards,

Steve Reichert,
Arcam Brand Manager

[bishman]

Interesting Steve, do I take it from that your latest software is 1.74?

If that is the case, why has my dealer contacted me about an upgrade they have just recieved?

I purchased my DV88 with 1.74 which was upgraded by my dealer prior to purchase. See my earlier post "Arcam DV88 update?"

The two numbers read 1.74 and 13..

I didnt get a chance to check out the movies that were giving me problems, I'll try over the weekend!!

PS Great support from Arcam, well done!

Hello Bishman,

I can confirm that 1.74 is the latest software for the DV88. If your unit already has this software then, of course, there is no need to go back to your dealer.

I'm only guessing, but maybe your dealer forgot they had already upgraded your DV88.

Which dealer is it btw?

Best regards,

Steve Reichert
Arcam Brand Manager

[bishman]

Thanks for that Steve, that has certainlyt cleared up some confusion on my part.

My dealer is Richards audio visual in St Albans.

[garysteel]

Its a complete pain !!! but..I can point out a silver lining.
I had exactly the same problem you are describing, the dropouts and the freezes as well as menu crashes. I spoke to arcam direct about this since this was my second player (btw, my amp was the DPA AX1 what is your's - could be a correlation) anyhoo....they agreed that cos I had the current softwartes installed that the machine was faulty, I arranged for a completely new fresh of the line player to be sent to my dealer where I could exchange it, done that and no problems so far

THe worst disc for me was R1 Abyss, dropout after dropout.....must say that my copy of Almost Famous R1 ( Excellent Movie btw) was the first in ages that played flawlessly.

Best of Luck
Gary

[John Dawson]

Hi - You seem to have had the player software updated but I wonder if the dealer remembered to update the drive firmwareat the same time. It is the drive that has been responsible for these issues most of the time, and updating the drive firmware is essential to fix these problems.

Go into the player's set up menu and then type in 4792. A screen will come up with three or so lines on it - go into the last one which says something like "version". Press OK to get the readings and SETUP to come out of the menu.

You will get the player software version - presumably 1.74 which is the current release, and the drive firmware version underneath. This should say Lo14. If it is a lower number then there is the problem. Get the drive CD from your dealer (it is not the same as the software one) or our support people if it is inconvenient to go back to the dealer, follow the instructions - exactly - and all should be well.

Let us know how you get on.

HTH.

John Dawson (Arcam)

PS - a word of caution for anyone fiddling around in this menu. If you carry out the self tests from here, remember to reboot the player, by turning it off and then on again 5 seconds later, before trying to load or play a disc. Otherwise it will hang, as one of the tests writes test numbers to parts of the drive memory and then reads them back (to check system integrity), thus wiping some of the drive's memory data and necessitating the cold boot to reset it. It is not necessary to do all this if you just want to read the firmware versions, as no memory is overwritten under these circumstances.

My software versions are 1.74 and L014. I'll have to watch a few more R1 movies and I'll let you know if I have any more problems...

Thanks

[russraff]

Now, I'm not trying to cause undue bother, but I have been following the DV88 "thing" for some time. Thing is, I have been put off buying one, or the FMJ, because of all these problems that keep cropping up. Surely a player at this price point shouldn't have these problems? I can't think of a Toshiba (at any price) with as many problems I've seen/heard about the DV88.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is: Is it safe to buy the Arcam, or should I get a Tosh or Pioneer?

Russell

[bishman]

All I can tell you is that I have experienced no problems at all with my DV88 yet. I have plenty of region 2&1 films and have also tried RCE titles succesfully.

Only thing I cannot tell you about is DTS, as I do not have a DTS amp/decoder yet.

[garysteel]

I may have had problems with the Arcam DV88 but the Technical support and dedication to the customer from arcam has been exemplary (Spelling !!), I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at the support from Pioneer. I did phone them once when having problems with 717 they were ok, but mention region 1 to them and they can't help you.

BTW my replaced dv88 has differnt drive firmware beginng LT13 I beleive.

G.

[squad 701]

Having had a Sony amp prevously (925) I noticed no problems with DTS soundtracks with the older software.
But with a change of amp to the Denon 3801 lately and the newer software (174) I noticed one or two very slight dropouts on DTS tracks (Unbreakable/Castaway), whether this is a direct result of the DVD player compatability is beyond me. No mather what - I love this player as the picture is almost 3D like and the sound from CDs brilliant. I'm sure there will be a few more software upgrades along the way, that will iron out any old or upcomming problems.