Delay time settings

[Arnold van Oostrum]

The delaytime settings for the surroundspeakers are only available in steps of 5 ms, which means distancesteps of 1.5 meters.
Now Rotel is known for their good hifi sounding stuff and good thought on sounddesign. So why did they choose to setup the delaytime in these huge steps. Or is it not so important to make these steps in 1 ms or better in distances with steps of 10 centimeters?

[Andrew Pratt]

I have a beef with this as well since using ms for distance is old news. They should have allowed users to enter real distances not have to calculate times....anyway if you need more adjustment then that you could see if its possible to adjust the other speakers settings to get the net result you need...ie it doesn't matter if all speakers are set to 10 ms or 50ms the delay will be the same so if you needed 1 less ms for the centre but are already at the max simply add one to the other speakers to get the net result you're after.

[Jay Sylvester]

I've had my 1066 for a couple months now and am very satisfied with the sound quality. However, I'll soon be integrating a video processor into my home theater setup, which will drive a digital projector. A video processor introduces its own delays to the video signal, which means the audio signal must be delayed by the same amount in order to avoid audio/video sync problems. With my firmware (1.37), the max delay is 5ms for the center channel and 20ms for the others. From what I've been told, a delay of 40ms to 70ms is necessary in order to compensate for video processing delays. Will newer firmware revisions allow for greater delay times? I e-mailed Rotel tech support early last week about my question but haven't received a reply.

I'd also like to put in a request that the user be allowed to choose between time-based settings (in milliseconds) and speaker distance settings (in feet/meters). It would be nice to have the option since speaker distances aren't the only consideration when determining delay times.

Thanks

[Energeezer]

Interesting. What type of processor will you use.
I have been running a ohead CRT PJ off a PC or quadscan for almost a year and have had no problems.
Steve




The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

[Jay Sylvester]

I've preordered an HD Leeza from Key Digital, which is supposed to ship in October or November. It supports SDI input and comes with a Panasonic DVD player modified to output SDI. It can accept just about any signal, scale it to 1080p, and output 1080p via DVI. I like the idea of having a 100% digital pathway from source to display; image quality should be exceptional. Even better than an HTPC from what I've heard.

I have a Hitachi 5500 projector paired with a Radeon-based HTPC for DVD playback, but I'm considering the SX21 D-ILA announced by JVC at CEDIA this past weekend. It looks to be a much better projector. I'm ditching the HTPC in favor of a scaler because I'm hoping for a more elegant, silent solution. My room is small, and my HTPC adds considerable background noise. I also have a Pioneer LD-S9 and a considerable LD collection, and I'd rather not go through the hassle of an HTPC for vid capture/scaling purposes.

I'm not sure what type of delay will be introduced by using the scaler, but I have to assume that taking any signal and upscaling it to 1080p will involve intensive processing--especially if it has to be converted from analog first. I've read at AVS Forum that it's in the vicinity of 40ms to 70ms. It seems like it would be an easy option to implement via a firmware upgrade, no?

[SergeH]

It seems like it would be an easy option to implement via a firmware upgrade, no?

Actually, you can't specify a delay for the main L/R speakers. So, i don't know if it's a software limitation...

Serge.

[Energeezer]

Jay
I have no suggestions for the delay issue. As I say I have never noticed a problem but now that you have mentioned it I may listen and look more carefully. If there is a problem I'll be pissed.
Funny thing. I went to a Quadscan from a Radeon based HTPC for the exact reasons you mentioned. I once metioned (on avsforum) that I thought HTPC was a little overated when compared to a good scaler and I swear that if I lived close to some of the guys they would have hunted me down and shot me. I made my decisiuon based on direct A/B comparissons so I KNOW the truth.




The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

[Jay Sylvester]

It seems like it would be an easy option to implement via a firmware upgrade, no?

Actually, you can't specify a delay for the main L/R speakers. So, i don't know if it's a software limitation...

Serge.

I didn't even notice this. Still, would adding 70ms delay capability in 1ms increments for all speakers really be a huge technical hurdle?

I'm amazed that my Onkyo 797, which has been relegated to my office/den, has better delay management than my $1500 pre/pro.

Is Rotel going to get with the program or what? First bass management, now this. What's next? I really want to keep this processor, but only if Rotel can correct these issues. I've had it for too long to haul it back to the dealer and say "no sale."

Funny thing. I went to a Quadscan from a Radeon based HTPC for the exact reasons you mentioned. I once metioned (on avsforum) that I thought HTPC was a little overated when compared to a good scaler and I swear that if I lived close to some of the guys they would have hunted me down and shot me. I made my decisiuon based on direct A/B comparissons so I KNOW the truth.

The HTPC nuts are just that--nuts. While I agree with them that an HTPC blows away any standalone DVD player hooked up via component, I doubt the difference between an HTPC and one of the upcoming DVI-output scalers is going to be that noticeable. As a matter of fact, word is that SDI output from a standalone DVD player fed to a scaler with DVI output will provide BETTER image quality than an HTPC thanks to the full digital pathway. Even an HTPC introduces D/A conversions that degrade the original signal.