it's been more than 2 weeks after calling and no news yet! hmm

no RF out...hmm

i guess to still get RF we could use those AV to RF converter...this stuff used to be popular during the vcd days to use on tvs without AV ins...

my beyond has not been installed...and it's been more than one mth since i first register...i got 2 decoders at home...would this be an issue for installation i wonder?

my installer's coming tmrw morning...at last! guess there were some miscommunication when i first called them a month ago...

but as they say, better late than never! hope all is good

rrr...those earlier suggestions about a FAQ for new users is cool...hope that'd be up soon

bros

just got my Beyond installed...yeah!

on the digital audio setting to my DD avr - can i still get DD 5.1 if i just set the decoder to analog + digital mode?? Or do i have to specifically select DD 5.1? Coz kinda cumbersome to switch this everytime...

coz i've selected both modes from Settings and my amp shows only Digital PCM and not DD 5.1

and does DD 5.12 only appear for film with DD 5.1 encoding or it applies to every channel that has HD from Astro?

thx!

from my observation - through the HDMI source, SD is not that bad actually...just try to adjust the colour tv if you're not happy...

i've also used the component output from beyond to my LCD's component in - not sure why but i still prefer SD via the HDMI source...

so yeah...just try both inputs for SD - no harm there

thx for info...will try that soon...

btw - during the installation, the installer was impressed with my existing rg-6 Astro cable coz has said that it has a much thicker center copper cable than the one he brought for Beyond install. He said that my old cable has a much better quality than the newer one Astro supplies with Beyond.

I've been using the Astro cables for nearly 10 years - and from what i understand copper is always a good signal conductor, the thicker the better, so i'm sure he was not just mumbling the fact out. But not sure if he mentioned this coz he malas to change the cable...hehe... - but i don't mind, as long as they work.

Also, the new cables seems thinner and 'softer'... but he gave me the whole roll nonetheless...and after installation, he said my HD signal is quite strong - forgot the actual readings but it was nearly full bar...and he thinks that the old more-quality cable has probably helped the signal to be good...

agree to that...actually nearly any coaxial cable with 75 ohm with RCA terminated connector can become a digital audio or video cable interchangeably...it's just the quality of the materials used in the construction that defers in its quality...

i've used both proper component and those el-cheapo red white and yellow cables and i can't see any difference....but maybe that's just my poor vision

and i've used the e-cheapo cable too as my digital coaxial to my AV...i could still get 5.1 DD or DTS from dvds...

but maybe for convenience sake...used the proper coloured cables...but it's not necessary...try all these out and you'll soon realize that in the world of AV / Hifi - there's too much of marketing hypes only in the form of Monsters and other creatures...hehe...when most of the products are actually the same

actually we can just go to Pasar Road...bnuy a bulk of decent audio quality coaxial cables and make our own cables for both audio and video..to make it look good label the RCA cablesproperly with different colour...don't need to 'follow' the rules...heck, the colours can be in pink or grey if you prefer them...as long as they work properly and you know what goes where...who cares about colours...

just haven't tried using wire hanger for digital audio...coz a bit confused on how to terminate the ends...lol!

set my Beyong to DD 5.1 and voila i got full DD 5.1 glory sginal in my AVR...sadly today's movies are kinda boring to really work those surround nirvana...

i guess plasma will always give a better SD quality than LCD due to the excellent contrast ratio and black level...should have gotten a plasma...hmm

btw - is your plasma full HD or 720? and what's your settings for Beyond? 1080i or 720p? Truthtfully i tried both on my 720p LCD and i can't tell any major difference...

for documentaries...the location recording and audio post production process won't be as detailed as films - don't think they worry so much about the panning of sound in documentaries...

i'm sure the noise that you're hearing is probably the winds blowing thru the mics - coz they normally put 'wind screen' on the mics to reduce wind noise during shoot - but not everytime that's effective - esp when you're recording nature sound..

i used to hate watching stretched SD materials but after a year of doing so...it just felt natural...felt that despite this abnormality, it is still wayy better than watching a 4:3 but with very big black pillars on each side of the screen...

just try any rca audio / video cable fist and see if you could get signal...sometimes there's no difference to use this in comparison to with those digital coaxial cable...but the proper one should be more reliable in terms of build quality and should last longer for the long run

a digital coaxial cable should be sold in most major electronic stores now...price should be from RM30 to exorbitant prices...

any rca cable is actually a coaxial cable with rca connectors...coaxial is the type of the cable, rca is the connector type...and any normal 75 ohm cable could carry audio and video signal...digital or even analog without problems on short runs...for longer runs, have to get 'proper' cables...

http://www.highdefforum.com/cables-connect...ial-vs-rca.html

luckily Beyond uses coaxial...which means for long runs it'd be easier to get digital coaxial with rca ends (which can be easliy DIY with just RG-6 cables, F-connectors and F to RCA end adapter)...coz a longer run optical cable would be very expensive indeed

but try to get those so-called made already made digital coaxial coz they're probably of better quality...

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Added on January 21, 2010, 2:08 amyupp...1080i is interlaced signal...which means in the progressive realm, this will contain a lower number of lines than of the progressive 720p...this video below could surely explain better (unless that guy there is BS-ing us all...lol!) -

remember, it's not really the number of lines...it's the type of signal and the number of lines appearing at a certain time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0

to me...anything HD...better to stick to progressive..which is why 1080p will always remain the highest resolution for HD now (...just forget Red Cam's 2k or 4k for now - that's not for home owners yet - that retail digital cinema's area )

still, trust your eyes and experiment...on my 40" HD-ready tv...i see no difference between 720p and 1080i...since my tv can do progressive and the highest resolution is 720p only - ive set Beyond to 720po. But maybe my tv sucks...haha...





This post has been edited by silbii: Jan 21 2010, 02:08 AM

agree...i'm in the 720p camp!

yupp...use only one end - meaning red with red...don't confuse the connection in mixing red with white...hehe...

or if u can, split the rca cables into two and just use one rca cable (coz the red/white ones are normally joint together as one) ...coz it'd look weird if one is connected there and another one is dangling wihout any purpose

but this also depends on the quality of the rca cable...try to find some 'thicker' shielded ones...coz sometimes the connection could be unstable if the cable is too cap ayam a quality...but normally, it would work flawlessly. Personally I can't hear any difference in comparison to those so-called proper coloured digital audio cable...

just try...no harm there...

or u can also use a normal better constructed composite video cable (yellow colour) for digital audio...

but if u have the extra $$... by all means go Monster!