Getting pioneer dcs313 multiregion on thursday need some info

S

Skeeter

Guest
Going to get it on Thursday.

Can the people here tell me there experience with there pioneer dcs313 multiregion systems.

Is it a good solid kit?

Is there any faults i should know about?

If u had the choice would u buy it again or go for somit different this time (im gettin mine for £189.99 from richer sounds ;) as they will price beat) so for around near 200 quid would u buy the dcs313 or somit else? (question only top those that have the dcs313)

Anything else i should know then let me know, cheers...
 
I heard a few ppl here had them or was i mistaken?

I really would like to know more about it b4 i get it later tonite.
 
Do the search, man! :D

The Search.

A couple of weeks ago, whilst looking for something entirely different, I noticed there's a review in the What Home Cinema archive (in that 'AV resources...' bit, up there ^ ).

It's just about a complete opposite of the What Hi-Fi review that Bonzobanana kindly posted some time ago. If you skip the search, it should tell you all that you wish and/or need to know.

Conclusion: believe and trust the reviews!

Oh, er, hang on. That should have been:

Don't believe and trust all the reviews!

Silly me :blush:

Yup, let your eyes and ears do the... the... talking and... well, not talking... erm...

Listening! That's it! Listening!

Listening and c... c... seeing!

Woohoo!

One final note.

At that price, what are you waiting for?!!!? There shouldn't be vast differences (IMveryHO) between systems of this type and when the price is that good... :eek:

Go. Buy!

Bye bye :hiya:
 
Yo Skeeter marn,

Just go out and buy one-You alone will be the best judge of what you buy,why you waiting for others to take the plunge 1st?? I've noticed several threads from you and all for a bit of kit worth aprrox £200.00.No offence but at this rate you'll never buy one-point being you have to trust your instincts and go with them,if you dont like it then you can always return it for something else.

finally if its any consolation,this Pioneer model is excellent,my work colleague has one and it can rock & roll major time.So my friend GO FOR IT!!
 
I have had a DCS303 M/R for nearly 18 months - the 313 is only a repackage with a scart,I think. It has given no trouble and I believe that it cannot be beaten for the price. By the way, I paid £350 for mine back then.
 
Got it last night. :)

few questions...

Is there a preoper screensaver as all that shows is a black screen with a sorter pink word of Pioneer showing in the center.

I was hoping that with the scart i didnt have to use interconects to get tv input but i dont seem to be able to. How do i go about getting it working so i can use prologic 2 for tv programs i have freeview but there isnt any audio out on the back as its a very cheap one at £39 from richersounds (STRONG st5000). BUT i do have audio left and right outputs on the side of my tv if thats any use.

Whats the best way to sort the wiriing out as its very messy right now near the bottom of the tv.
 
Providing you have audio out from your tv scart .Look at page71 of your manual it shows how to select scart for tv audio into the 313. As for the logo just select another channel or av input
 
Didn't we do the DPLII thing in the other thread, Skeeter?

If those sockets are outputs (it didn't sound certain!), you just need a couple of phono cables for Pro-Logic 2 delights. Eeeeasy! :D

Re: a 'proper' screensaver, it sounds as if it is the same one used in the 303 - and that you may just need to wait a while longer in order to see it kick into action (when the logo will move around the screen)... or turn off the telly! :laugh:

Glad you made a purchase! :smashin:

Oh yeah, be sure to leave your impressions, if you can. It will, of course, prove useful for any future buyers. :)
 
Well about dolby prologic 2, i expected it to work ok with a scart - audio cable ( http://www.richersounds.com/index.php?f=itemdetl.php&p=42458 ) And i hooked it up by using the freeview crap cable to the video so it gets a signal at least and then use a the scart part of the above lead in the video and used the audio in L & R connectors on the inputs on the back of pioneer where it has tv L & R. It gets sound anyhow but i dunno what to use cos theres THAT many options. So for tv i use sometimes DPL2 or tv surround. I have a tryed last night a Starwars Ep1 video tape (Original) and it says on the back Dolby Digital. BUT when i tryed using it on the pioneer for Dolby Digital surround (im thinking it would have used it here as im a newbie lol) but i dont think it worked so tryed DPL2 MOVIE and it sounded ok from the front and center speaker and i dunno if the bass came from sub or what cos it sounded like it was coming from front and center speaker so i was thinking boy they have good base already :) anyway... back to the dolby digital it didnt use it so when i tryed DPL2 the back surround speakers didnt pump anything out unless the DD is only used on the pod race. Cos Dolby Digital didnt light up on the pioneer indicating its being used so any tips on how that can start working would be great... Although im thinking as its a tape it might say on the box its got Dolby Digital i recon the original was made with it but it wasnt included on the tape and it can only be used on dvds, is that the way it works? As i have some Dolby Surround star trek video tapes i wanted to try.

The unit btw is huge and just sits on top of video player ad comes out a bit and small gaps on sides.

There is a blue led light that is DAMN BRIGHT and cant be turned off so i have put something over it for now untill i can figure what to do as its just way too bright.

Watched The gift and the surround on that was great during the tension momnets. really cool :)

Ill say more later when i have time dudes...
 
You will only get Dolby Digital from an outside source with an optical cable. I have mine connected in this way to a SKY+ box and it is brilliant but you only get DD on some Sky movie channels, on anything else you get Pro Logic II which is still good. Unfortunately the Pioneer cannot perform miracles and produce DD from a stereo source.
 
You should still get some rear sound with plII most tv programmes pump out some.You certainly should have got it from the video.Have you set the speakers up correctly ie distance and the channel level with the test tone? The blue light can be dimmed on the remote
 
Any help on how to setup delays or distance would be mint.

How much do optical cables cost and can u get them with one end optical and the other end phono or scart? as i have only a single optical cable out of all my stuff and thats on the pioneer 313.

The only way i get sound from tv and video signals is through the scart - 6 phono thing i mentioned above and that from scart is in video (not nicam) to the pioneer TV inputs L and R phono inputs.

I do like the 5CH Surround sound option as its kinda cool and uses all 5.6 speakers but there all the same sorta. I was hoping for dpl2 on tv and video so do u all say i need a optical cable ok then tell me how to set it up :)

Cheers.
 
I don't believe I've seen a finer case of :rtfm: all week! :laugh:

It seems that you're somewhat confused regarding cabling and connections, Skeeter. As you're wanting to draw sound from video and television, an optical cable is of no use whatsoever. Where would you put it?!?

Forum members, answers on a postcard, please.

Er, better not! :devil:

Even now, I'm not certain of your hardware's capabilities, but if I am reading it correctly (it is kinda difficult), I think you've given the answer in this last mention of your video. Is it right that you are using equipment only capable of mono sound? If so, the 5-channel mode (which does indeed send the same signal to each speaker) is as good as it gets for you, with your present setup.

For what it's worth at this time, surround sound and Pro-Logic II in particular, is really evident and a film such as Star Wars would truly be throwing sound out to all channels - taken from a stereo source (i.e. stereo hardware (TV, video recorder...) and software (your video tape)), that is.

Hope I'm on the right lines and helping you. Once more, good luck :)
 
Wow Andy 572!!!!!,HahahahahahaaaaLOL,LOL!!!
Matey you have my sympathies, I think Skeeter will be around on these threads with all those questions for a long long time,Hahahahahahahhahha...........But yes,after all those other threads,still the questioning continues???How about you read the instruction manual that came with the dam thing,Yess its in plain ENGLISH!!!!!No offence Skeeter my friend,but have to admit I do find your threads somewhat amusing.
ps Do you know the difference between Audio and video,Hahahah........LOL!!
 
go back to the start and use room setup follow the instruction to choose room size and seat position and you should have reasonable surround. You can play around setting up manually when you are more familiar with the gear. what scarts have you got on tv? As I said before you should be able to get audio back through the same scart you have the 313 connected to the tv with. This could also channel your vcr audio via tv to 313
 
lol

Like i said from the begining i am new at all this home cinema stuff and therefore yeah i am asking alot of stuff some of which i repeat, but thats just to understand that area a bit more. I have read the manual and some parts i dont underrstand and some hardware things i dont understand.

My hardware is as follows:

28inch Widescreen TV - LG RI28CZ10RX

It is a nicam stereo tv with 2 scarts one is RGB the other is normal scart it has svhs it has audio L and R outputs (might be inputs as i used them to put sound on the tv from my pc using a jack to phono lead so i could hear the pc games in conjunction with the svhs from pc to tv) and a composite (yellow socket next to them) and headphones socket.

A video player - Matsui which is not nicam and is only 2 head and is rather old by todays standards. It has one scart (dunno if RBG but i doubt it) PDC, Videoplus and thats about it.

A freeview box. - Strong st5000

The freeview box is given to me for b/day just gone in march and is from richersounds and is the cheapest one available. It has one RGB scart and has ariel in and out and a loop connector and somit else, im sure i posted its specs in another thread so go there if for more info on it.

Then the pioneer obviously.

Ok hows it connected u ask...

Right... The pioneer is connected to the RGB scart on tv with a normal RGB scart lead. The freeview is connected with scart to other scart on tv. and is also connected to the video using the basic cabling. The video is connected to the tv through the ariel in with them basic cables. Also connected from video to pioneer is the scart to audio TV Input on the back of pioneer which is how i get sound from tv and video signals.

As I said before you should be able to get audio back through the same scart you have the 313 connected to the tv with. This could also channel your vcr audio via tv to 313

I thought that would have worked also but when i press TV button on pioneer remote its quiet still and yes ive turned up the volume on pioneer and turned down the tv sound to 0. I tryed reding the maunal but i either missed it or didnt see the section about getting audio from the scart.

So i appologise for seeming really newbish here but well i am to homecinema as i said and keep saking things so i get more and more familier with it. Besides if u have seen somit ive asked about alot please simply look for somit new and if not and you have already posted simply leave the replying till i ask somit new. That way u wont start having a go.

oh and btw i Have been reading the manual. :)
 
I don't think anyone's really having a go, Skeeter. Well, except akarit (>>>>>>> ;) ) - though I'm not sure if that's at me or with me! :D

Some of us (er, that'll be me :clap: ) need a laugh from time to time - so, no worries. Some wise person apparently said that we all have to start somewhere, too...

Now then... Quiet, class! :lesson:

Skeet, although it is now evident that you won't be getting DPLII goodness from video, I'm still wary of the 'outputs' that you mention. In my experience, I believe that such a thing is rare (though I could be wrong on that one... yay, me!). In fact, I have only seen it once - on the ageing Toshiba set (that's real-world ageing, not the AV Forums members' variety!) that I currently use, in fact. A triumvirate of sockets such as these tends to be for input (to use with a camcorder or games console, for example). My television has a set of these inputs at the front of the set and the same kind of connections - this time, for output - at the rear of the set. Again, I just thought we'd better check on this before the roof is blown off! :D

Finally, in that earlier post, I forgot to mention a couple of possible routes to hearing the oft-mentioned Pro-Logic II. The first route is via DVD and with this, there are two possibilities. The simplest is to use a DVD that doesn't contain a 5.1 soundtrack. The Shawshank Redemption springs to mind as a film that contains only a Dolby Surround soundtrack. The second option with DVD is to manually select a stereo soundtrack, if available.

The second route that I referred to is...

CD!

Woo! Wooooooo!

Ahem!

Woo!

Sorry, I am taking the pills that the doctor gave me.

Woo!

Hmm.

Er...

Yep, just stick a CD in the Pioneer and that Pro-Logic II lighty thingy on the wotsit should, er, light right up. Or left.

And down.

And if it doesn't?

Well, I've only been able to find a blurry picture of the 313's remote; but, assuming the most-used functions are labelled in the same way, pressing 'Surround' will cycle through your options - eventually guiding you to The Real Thing® or Pro-Logic II :p . You've probably done that at least a few times, by now; but... well, it's there for 'completion'!

Akarit1? Video? Audio? Why, video is the one that... and... er... er... :zonked:
 
I think u need to cut back on the drink mate as that post was all over the place especially here:

Skeet, although it is now evident that you won't be getting DPLII goodness from video, I'm still wary of the 'outputs' that you mention. In my experience, I believe that such a thing is rare (though I could be wrong on that one... yay, me!). In fact, I have only seen it once - on the ageing Toshiba set (that's real-world ageing, not the AV Forums members' variety!) that I currently use, in fact. A triumvirate of sockets such as these tends to be for input (to use with a camcorder or games console, for example). My television has a set of these inputs at the front of the set and the same kind of connections - this time, for output - at the rear of the set. Again, I just thought we'd better check on this before the roof is blown off!

What inputs are u on about as the above made no reference to any particualr thing i said, was it tv or video connections u dont understand?

The video has a scart/rf input and a connector for outputing a cable to the tv.

Anyway i told u in the other post exactly what connectors i had and how they were used. It's simple to understand lol.

Tryed Jimmy Jones DVD yesterday and i found it hard to get a decent sound as his voice sounded very harsh when trying to use a surround effect, as its just normal dolby i think so only came from front speakers, i tryed some surround options like DPL2 but didn't sound too good and so just left it on 5CH surround option.

Had a go with Muse 'Original of Symetry' cd as well yesterday with DPL2, again didn't get any distinct sounds from the rears only when i went upto the speakers i heard a very low volumed bit of the music. So i just used Adv_Music and it wasn't too bad although the voice and intruments didn't sound too good, they sounded very flat.

Yeah i read the manual, setup the system as best i can tryed most if not all options and stuff.

Ah well perhaps it will sound better when i get a chance to reposition the stuff the way westly from dvdreviewer told me.
 
Hey Skeeter- No offence mate, I really did'nt mean to cuss you,have a go at you or anything like that,but Andy did make me laugh with his comments,any ways I'm sorry if you were offended.

Andy- No I was not having a go at you either-but it was funny(well the "RTFM" bit anyway),no offence!!

Peace out!!
 
Yeah its ok i know ive asked alot of questions and sometimes not the best ones. Still tis ok i wasnt offended.
 
If you cant get any sound when you press tv its Also possibly because you haven't selected the right input in the set up. It is on page 21 how to do it Example if its scart selected and your tv scart doesn't output audio then youll have to change it to phono or vice versa. Also you might find that each mode stereo /p/logic etc., retain their individual settings that you have chosen Example you might have the sub off in stereo and in cinema for p/logic the you might have to check your settings in each mode .Thats why I suggested you try the basic room setup first. If you leave it on auto it will only give stereo unless it sees a DD source. I just use stereo for radio and cd's and P/11 movie for tv or video. You'll get there
 
Woah, easy there, tiger!

If you knew me, you'd know that it's painkillers. :laugh: 24-7 :(

The closest I get to a drink is this> :beer:

:rotfl:

N.B. I do mean just the smiley!

Did I not use enough smileys or what? :oops: :D

Oh, and I read that text again. Still made sense to me... :laugh:

I don't know where the need to apologise to me came from (the 'at me/with me' bit?), akarit1; but thanks - and rest easy! :smashin: You can a 'ave a go anyway. I won't mind! :thumbsup:

Hmm, something's definitely missing here, isn't it? Besides humour! I'm talking of the 313, people!

If you were listening to the rear speakers in close proximity and a surround mode, skeeter (as opposed to the five-channel option), I'd say that the sound could appear lacking. In my experience, that's the same for any type of system (i.e. not just an all-in-one), as the rear units are providing 'support' to the other channels. With that in mind, it is possible that only certain parts/frequencies of the signal are reproduced; but not to this unfortunate extent.

I'm running through these things in an attempt to cover all bases. It isn't always the easiest thing to solve things at a distance, but it is easy to miss the obvious - such as input/output connections and jaymac's 'output selection' suggestion.

Hey, we'll sort this thing! Now can we all have a group hug? :blush:
 
Joy of all joys, I still have those doubts regarding input/output. Having just run a search through Google Groups, I'm not alone either.

I've also looked around for some better info from LG, but there's nothing truly useful to be had.

A couple of new things have sprung to mind, however :clap:

Does the television's 'auto volume leveller' have a dramatic effect and is it possible to switch this off?

Is there a menu option to change the function of a given input/output? For instance, on my TV it is possible to switch AV2 between composite and s-video modes. Is there anything like that for input/output?

Is it safe to assume that your earlier attempts also used a level of volume at the TV? It's just another one those 'D'oh, how did I miss that?!?' points and a trap I've fallen into once or twice!

None of that explains the apparently lacklustre output levels with a CD, though.

What are the individual volumes like when you run the test tone?

Have you had any luck with 'room setup' yet? This can make a huge difference to what you hear and, assuming it is the same as the 303 and as I'm unsure of the default setting, you may find that changing the 'dynamic compression' (DRC) will liven things up.

There's also overall treble and bass settings, and relative volume level available for customisation. Then...

Music, Cinema and P-Bass modes, the 'Quiet' and 'Midnight' options... :boring:

Oh, and the 'Advanced' modes that you've obviously been through already.

It's also worth reiterating that the results obtained will depend on your source, personal preference and then finding a mode that you're happy with. For instance, I often use the 'Adv. Music' option; but just occasionally the 'Movie' equivalent is better - whilst at other times, the 5-channel stereo mode is what it takes. A friend of mine even uses 5-channel stereo (on a 'separates' system) for the majority of his 2-channel viewing!

You could also vary the Attenuation setting and the Advanced Surround effect level. I believe you can customise the latter option for each of the Advanced Surround modes.

Sheesh, it's like the weather! :D :confused:
 
Had a look through my manual for the tv and im at a loss as well as to weather the audio L and R is output or input but sound from pc does go onto the tv speakers when i hook it from line out from pc to the L and R things on the side of the tv. it says AC3 if thats any help on the top of the section where the connectors are. Also in the manual it refers to them connectors on the side as RCA or something as i dont really know what RCA stands for i dunno what to say.

The switching can be used by remote i have Av1/Av2/Av2S/Av3/Av3S . The pioneer is on av1 the freeview on av2 i get a freeview signal on av2s but is fuzzy and the rest are blank i think.

Auto volume leveler is on but ill have a go with turning it off to see if there is any effect but im doubting it as the audio is coming from video player as mentioned above. Perhaps if im supose to get tv audio from scart from tv to pioneer then it may be that.

I always turn the tv volume to 0 so that sound only comes from the pioneer.

I will post a small jpeg of room configuration (i cant move the big things till i get my brother over) which might be a small problem with the sounds effects possibly although the dvds aint too bad like this.

Spent damn ages trying to get room setup to work at first as the manual didnt say about moving the tiny switch at bottom of remote (under cover) to MAIN instead of SUB so couldnt do that for a day. The next day i tryed learning the remote controls more and found u had to use the damn switch and so weyhey Room Setup worked. Although i was expecting GUI and a virtual display of a room all i got was text saying Size so i choose medium (18ftx11ft room but is mostly on one side of the room) and where do u sit so i choosen back as im more close to the rears.

I did now and again try different channel levels but i think thats just altering the volume for each speaker. Most fo the time i set them to fronts about 0 and the backs about 3 and sub normal or 1. I adjusted the distance settings once or twice as well using guessing of meters from seating posiition to the speaker in question. In the end i used rom setup with Medium/Back settings and left it like that for awhile. Untill i reposition stuff about and get more knowlegable on the subject.

Putting the treble up a bit helped on some things but it only goes up to 3.

There are that many options its hard to configure it for what ur either watching at the time or listening.

Also i dunno if its me or not but the center speaker and front L and R speakers do give out a really good bass i think. Probably the woofer i know but it just when i go over and sorta hear a bit closer i really think its coming from them. Sounds almost as good as a sub lol. But then again its probably just me and is the woofer.

Thats hopefully all ur questions answered andy 572, in order.

Oh and to whoever mentioned that the blue LED light can be dimmed well it dont work as dimmer button only works on the display part and not the middle blue led light.
 
Btw i looked again in the TV manual and there it was my TV audio connectors were INPUTS!

Damn...

So any ideas on how to get the digital audio from freeview box onto the pioneer, all i can think is a scart switcher perhaps for the tv for the RGB scart so i can hook up pioneer and freeview to that and then use the other scart perhaps from tv scart 2 to the audio inputs on the pioneer.
 

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