Z1 connections (danger NOOB warning)

Guys I was not sure if I should post in the cables section or here. As I am asking specifically regarding this model I thought I would start here.....So bearing in mind I am a pj NOOB any suggestions with prices/links would be HUGHLY appreciated. PS don't assume I will understand all the lingo so please keep it simple!

Firstly, I will be watching DVDs with pj table mounted about 10 ft from screen. What cable should I use for best piccy quality? At the moment all I have is a long svid connection which is about 5m long and cost around £20. DVD player (pioneer 525) is located below where the screen will be.

Secondly, will I need filters? If so why, how much and where from?

Finally, I have a PC sitting only 4m from where the pj will be and 4m from my receiver/dvd. The sanyo does not have dvi input but it does have a computer input. Will I get the best pics running from my Athlonxp2600 with Geforce4 TI4200? If so why, and where could I get a cable long enough? I have read a bit on HCPC and 1:1 mapping but I don't really understand it. My sound card is an Audigy 2, could I run 5.1 sound into my sony strdb930 with it and if so how?

Thanks in advance for your patience and I apologise for the barrage of questions, I hope some of you are up for this challenge

Regards
Pete

 

I don't have a Z1 so don't know for sure what connections it has, but in general these are the connection types in descending order of quality (excluding DVI which you say you don't have):

Component/RGB - progressive ideally
S-video
Composite

A PC connected via the VGA port is RGB. A 5m VGA cable is perfectly do-able at high quality and not too expensive.

"Why is a PC 'best'?"

This results from the need to convert an interlaced video (coming off the DVD) to a non-interlaced, aka 'progressive', signal for displaying by the projector .. this conversion is either done at source, in the player, or in the display, ie. the Z1. Generally low/mid-range displays have so-so quality de-interlacers which are bettered by DVD players, if you can convert I->P before feeding the projector you'll get better quality.

Per se there's nothing magic about a PC which makes it better, in practice two things do: first, the de-interlacing is generally good to excellent and secondly the 'scaling' is better than the projectors .. scaling converts the resolution of the DVD, eg. 720x576 for PAL, into that of the projector, whatever the Z1 is. Again, this HAS to happen, either at source or in the projector.

1:1 mapping means that the resolution of the signal being fed to the projector is the same as the projector itself, this means that the scaler in the projector isn't used ... as long as you don't use 'keystone adjustment' either ... and so you get a better picture.

You can read a lot more about deinterlacing and scaling here.

There's a lot more than could be said but read up on the subject and you'll get to know the issues involved.

HTH.

 

Hi Kragorn,

Thanks for the response, it definately gives me an informed starting point.

Thank you,

I ordered on Wednesday, Nexnix said the unit would be in yesterday, so i'm expecting screen and pj any time from now into early next week. This should give me the opportunity for cable shopping .

The HCPC route sounds very interesting to me and I will give it a try but I still need to know (from HCPC fans out there) if I can output a 5.1 signal from my audigy 2 into the back of my Sony strdb 930? In the meantime I will get back to the search facility and see what I can find.

Thanks again Kragorn
Pete...

 

To get sound out of the Audigy you have two options .. I have an Audigy 1 which AFAIK is the same in this respect as the 2:

1) Output the DD 5.1 in digital encoded form into an A/V receiver to decode
2) Decode internally and send the 6 analog outputs to an external amp.

Again, like the Z1 I don't know the Sony equipment so am not sure which route it better, though in theory option 1 (via a coax or optical SPD/IF) is generally the preferred option. Note this also is better if you want DTS and the receiver can decode it as not all software players have DTS decoders in them or these are extra cost.

 

Yeah,
That rings a bell....I think the spdif can be set to output 5.1. I think this will work and should plug into the Sony for DTS conversion too. At least I think so....I would crawl around and look but the wife would beat me to death as I am recovering from a partial discectomy and spinal decompression

I am getting a mate to set everything up when it arrives

Cheers again,
Pete.

 

Well, I have a Sony amp, Z1 and an HTPC with SB 4.1 Digital and I'm feeding the digital signal into the amp just fine, so you should be able to too. I got my 10 metre VGA lead from AV-Sales - there should be a link in the site sponsors some where. If you go the HTPC route, I may have a copy of TheaterTek for sale soon - if they allow me to sell my licence.

HTH,

_

 

Great thanks....

What's Theatre Tek?

Ooh, I've just discovered I have a 5m cable which coverts single 3.5 mm jack (for pc sound card) and splits into 2 phonos (for dvd input on back of strdb 930). COOL

My 5m svid can run from back of GEForce card to PJ, so it looks like I'm ready for HCPC experiments!! Just need the pj and screen now.

 

Be warned that, if the Audigy is the same as my SB, you need a mono 3.5mm -> phono to get the digital output - a stereo one gives you two channels of analogue output instead. Of course, the Audigy may well be different.

TheaterTek DVD is a piece of DVD playing software aimed purely at the HTPC market. See www.theatertek.com for more details.

Cheers,

_

 

That's almost certainly just a stereo sound cable .. the SPD/IF is a single phono/RCA or an optical connector.

 

They don't .. I had a row with them, both in their forum and via e-mail, they consider it equivalent to renting a car, you have no ownership rights because they don't confer them on you.

 

Hmmm, looks like I will have to look at the licencing conditions. Don't recall the licence being non-transferable but, then, I don't really read licence agreements that closely...

_

 

To be honest I don't know how they try to enforce it, clearly re-installing on one's own machine is no different from someone else doing it. You'd have to change the e-mail address though to one the new owner uses so he can retrieve the activation code.

 

You were right about the cable, I must need a mono 3.5mm to phono jack to plug into the digital dvd input on my amp....Oh well I sure they will be easy enough to get hold of...Thanks for the info though..
Regards
Pete.

 

Got mine from Maplin. Try www.maplin.co.uk if you don't have one close by.

_

 

Well it's arrived!
First impressions of Thomas the Tank Engine on a magnolia wall was wow. For non dark conditions, just a pair of light curtains pulled, it looked great. My youngest was beside himself

All set up now in theatre mode, quick and easy menu.

Now a little dissapointment.....the 'brand new' draper screen...dented in 2 places on front casing, that was bad enough but what surprised me were the scratches on the back which had been clumsily painted over!!! About a foot long scratch and 2 blobs of paint where it had been chipped. Needless to say replacement is already being despatched. Don't know what happened there, not sure I want to as I have heard good things about Nexnix.

Well at the moment I am pleased with the pj...tonight will be it's first run in dark conditions, again onto magnolia for the time being.