Dropped in to say Gidday

[BladeRnR]

Gidday Andrew/Danbry & all. It's BladeRnR (Sithlord's Brother). We've just watched Matrix - Reloaded and The Lion King Special Edition. Matrix - Reloaded is a Region 4 and suffered from the lower dB but once cranked a few notches higher the soundtrack was stupendous. The freeway scene is just one of those special moments in movie history where you just shake your head and say... 'wow'.

The Lion King is simply outrageously good. I would never have though picture and sound on a DVD could possibly get this good - and it's an ANIMATED feature which is even more surprising. Get this DVD if you want the 1098 to sing. The opening is dramatic and has a gigantic soundstage with the rears getting a big workout. The stampede scene is incredible. Dialogue is crystal clear and very dramatic (Particularly when Mustafa visits Simba on the plain and hears his words of wisdom - very deep & powerful).

It's getting warm here in Melbourne, Australia and the women and beer are starting to flow (liberally) in equal measure I'm almost certain there's a factory producing 'Stepford Wives' here around Summer - where do they all come from?

Sithlord has upgraded his power cables (I know there's a closed thread on them here so I shan't go on about them too much). The 1098 is humming along nicely and we're just waiting for the final BIOS to come from Rotel. A quick question - the cable required from PC to Rotel - Is it a Serial/RS232 cable that is required or can a USB/RS232 Cable do the job?

Anyway, stay well all. Enjoy your White Xmas (I've never experienced one) and I'll enjoy our nice hot Xmas Down Under (Good for Beer consumption at any rate).

Cheers

BladeRnR

[Andrew Pratt]

Is it a Serial/RS232 cable that is required or can a USB/RS232 Cable do the job?

The one from Rotel is a RS232 to Ethernet (RJ45) cable but you can purchase USB to serial adapters from most PC stores. Just make sure what ever you purchase gives you the options to choose the com port and slow down the data transfer rates. I highly recomend the Keyspan models if you can find them

[will1066]

Region 1 Matrix Reloaded discs also have low recorded dB. I usually listen at 62 but cranked it up to 68 in order to make it sound satisfactory.

[BladeRnR]

Is it a Serial/RS232 cable that is required or can a USB/RS232 Cable do the job?

The one from Rotel is a RS232 to Ethernet (RJ45) cable but you can purchase USB to serial adapters from most PC stores. Just make sure what ever you purchase gives you the options to choose the com port and slow down the data transfer rates. I highly recomend the Keyspan models if you can find them

Thanks for the direction Andrew. Keyspan have a Distributor here in Melbourne which is handy. I need some clarification though. When you say 'purchase something that gives you options to change COM ports and data transfer speeds' that implies that it's software controlled does it not? I'm talking about the physical connection between PC/Notebook to 1098. I would assume (Without having investigated yet) that Rotel has some sort of application that controls the BIOS update just like Sithlord's Denon had? One last thing. An Rj45 (Ethernet COnnection) suggests that you Network your 1098 to your PC? Is this right? If it's Networked what Protocol is the PC using to converse with the 1098? TCP/IP, NetBIOS, IPX? What does the PC see the 1098 as on the Network? Pardon my ignorance - I'm a PC tech but I've never heard of a piece of Hi-Fi equipment haveing Network capabilities (Apart from a hacked Xbox).

It's ok mate - I'll start doing some more investigation into this as I want it setup before the final BIOS is released.

Respect & regards

Blade

[Andrew Pratt]

Blade no its not a networked device but simply uses the same RJ45 connector on one end and the serial on the other. If you want to use that cable on a modern notebook that doesn't have a serial connection you'll need another cable to interface between serial and USB. This USB cable should come with software that allows you to control the serial parameters like baud rates and com port...its all emulated afterall. The Rotel update processes simply uses HyperTerminal to transfer the bin file to the processor. There's a how to document in the FAQ

[Aeromos]

Hey BladeRnR,

I'm a PC tech but I've never heard of a piece of Hi-Fi equipment haveing Network capabilities (Apart from a hacked Xbox).

Integra and its sister company Onkyo actually has some receivers with network capabilities. They utilize software that's developed by them called NET-TUNE. I'm still trying to find out more info about them. So far all I know is that their receiver can access the pc to stream mp3's and scan for available internet radio stations.




Aeromos
Enjoy life, it's too short to waste!!
My Collection

[BladeRnR]

Thankyou gentlemen - that explains quite a lot indeed. I went looking for an FAQ (Obviously not hard enough). I thought the Rotel methodology would be similar to Denon's but alas it isn't. With the Denon it was simply a USB to USB connection and they supplied the Software which both updated and made the connection to the Remote (Which was then transmitted to the Processor). No matter. I'll work it out I'm sure.

Regards

Blade