MojoLists

Adding new equipment is supposed to be fun, exciting, and if done well, an improvement. I recently upgraded most of my system, new Epson 9500ub projector, Emotiva XPA-3 for the fronts, UPA-2 for the rears and the long anticipated UMC-1 pre/pro. For those of you familiar with the rocky start of the UMC-1, I haven’t had many problems; it has been more of a learning curve. I will be doing a full review of the UMC-1 in the next few weeks.

This is about HDMI, something that sounds so perfect for this hobby, a single cable that handles every connection. I have waited for several years to upgrade to HDMI, I didn’t have a real need or an HDMI capable receiver, so I used alternative connection methods. Now I am ready to step into the modern world and boy am I… terribly disappointed.

HDMI is supposed to simplify my life, clean up the rats nest behind the component stand, and allow everything to communicate in an effort to make things work. It is so simple in theory, it’s a damn cable, you plug it in to each component and pass glorious 1080p images and Dolby TrueHD sound. If only it worked as advertised.

I was ready to blame everything on the UMC-1, and I will admit, it hasn’t made things easier but it isn’t the culprit. Despite every manufacturers promise that their components adhere to the rigorous specifications of HDMI , in this case HDMI 1.3, they don’t play nice with each other. Sony plays nice with Sony, Samsung plays nice with Samsung, but when you start to mix and match within a complicated system it all falls apart.

I set everything up and tested, it was all working beautifully, I basked in the brilliant sound of my Magnepan 1.6qr fronts while streaming FLAC. My wife was out of town and I was confident we would sit down and enjoy a movie when she got home. The first attempt was with my DirecTv HR21-100 DVR. I mashed the remote button and everything came to life, that was the end of my enthusiasm as the picture cut in and out, sound squawked occasionally from each speaker. No matter of playing got it to work until I did a reset on the DVR. After the 10 minute reboot cycle, everything was fine, it played nice but I could see the frustration in my wife’s eyes. This was not something she was willing to tackle on her own.

After considerable research I found that when you place the DVR in standby it continues to output video through HDMI. When turned back on it doesn’t perform a proper handshake and you get a pink image and odd behavior in general. Now I have to leave it on all the time. That doesn’t make me feel all green, even my strict adherence to recycling doesn’t make up for leaving the DVR on 24-7.

I have now convinced my wife that everything is working, the problem has been found and we will be able to enjoy our new Blu-Ray copy of Paul Simon’s Library of Congress show. Again, everything fired up, the flashing lights on the front of the rack were impressive, then the picture and sound vanished, the components all groaned and crackled as they fought to make nice with each other. The picture and sound returned, for a minute and the cycle started again. This continued through the show and ruined what was supposed to be a night we had waited for. My wife’s face said it all, I, the all knowing guru of home theater had let her down. The medals on my shirt were removed, the halo around my head vanished, and I sighed. I had let her down.

I played and researched, swapped cables, swore, tested, retested, swore some more, researched, tested, and swore, and so on. Every time I think it is working, it fails me when I need it most, when the woman I love, and who trusts me to make anything with a power cord easy for her to use.

I bypassed the UMC-1 for testing purposes and quickly found the video problems still existed. HDMI sounds great, it should be great but the manufacturers have fucked things up to the point that it only works in the simplest systems, if at all. I know many people that have no problems with HDMI, most connecting components directly to a TV. I have found HDMI problems discussed with every receiver, pre/pro, from every manufacturer. Unless you get lucky, you are eventually going to have an HDMI induced problem.

So what is a guy to do, component cable and analog multi-channel are an option but using component cables will be an issue soon because of the new copyright restrictions, no more HD over component. The simple fact is that manufacturers need to get their act together and ensure everything works with every other thing. I am hoping I get things figured out soon but I have my doubts.

 I have kept my mouth shut concerning 3D television; I frankly just never considered it a serious format. I can't envision families sitting around with their 3D glasses on, oblivious to the world around them.  Not that I don't believe the majority of people are pretty clueless to the world around them but they do have enough faculty to notice a stranger walking through the house stealing valuables. I am betting there will come a time when someone is robbed blind while sitting in the living room watching 3D programming.

 Now the manufacturers of these 3D televisions are warning users that you can't drink while you watch 3D, can't watch while you are tired, you can't place your TV near stairs, cables, or any potential item that you could trip on while terribly disoriented, suffering a 3D induced stroke, or simply attempting to find a glass of water on the stand next to your chair. This would be a real problem in my house where the dogs are a constant and moving obstacle. It would only take a few hours before I tripped over one of them and landed on another, squashing it into goo.

It gets better though, well worse, you see, using the 3D glasses can hurt your eyes, as in damage your eyesight. I am sure optometrists everywhere are celebrating. The list goes on and on.  Here is the full discloser.

 Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or

lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history

of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.

 If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a

medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements

such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9)

cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above

symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults

 Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain,

and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the

likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this

device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.

We do not recommend watching 3D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been

drinking alcohol.

 Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your

eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is

recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.

 Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or

fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest

 Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D

Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may

physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.

 Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near

open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.

Anyone still think 3D is viable?

 I recently came across two disturbing trends in how I choose and listen to music. I am going to start with the effect on how I select and buy music. For a number of years I spent my time and effort working towards a home theater system that delivered the most bangs, shaking, and in your face explosive reproduction the action genre could provide. Over the last couple of years that has changed, my focus has been on music. Each upgrade and tweak focused more on dedicated music sessions than home theater.

 As the system evolved I noted a number of things, the most important being that movies, all movies, took on a more realistic feel. I turned off the bass shakers at my wife's request one night and have never turned them back on. In moving further to the music side, I have in fact improved the movie experience, but this is getting off topic.

 The realization that disturbs me is that I have been searching for music based on how well it is recorded, much like I would buy a movie, knowing it would be terrible but the action soundtrack would make it worthwhile. I found myself searching Google for "highest audio quality music recordings" or any number of variations of the same. Looking over the stack of my most recently acquired CD's and SACD's quickly shows that, well, most of them have been played once, some only halfway through. I am buying music I don't even care for, but the sound quality really kicks ass.

 I have also avoided music I like based on the fact that it will sound less than satisfying, OK, probably terrible on my main system. Much of today's recordings are so over compressed to make them sound loud on an iPod that no dynamics are left. Granted, most consumers don't make a habit of sitting down with a good glass of bourbon and simply listen, sit in the sweet spot and let an hour pass without moving, checking email, or surfing the web. Most people have music around them all the time, it has become the background of our lives and few of us still hold onto the passion of dedicated listening sessions.

 So what am I to do? First off, I am going to stop buying based on reference sound quality, yes, buy less and enjoy more. I had to do it with my movie collection, now I need to do it with my music collection.

 The second disturbing trend in my media room began when I built a dedicated PC, mega-dollar soundcard, and touch screen monitor, to listen to lossless FLAC files. I love the convenience, and the sound is better than many high priced CD players. It has changed how I listen to music, and not for the better. I will say that it is great for playing music around the house in the evening while sharing a bottle, or two of wine with my wife.

 The evil side comes out as soon as I sit down for dedicated listening time. I have always listened to recordings from beginning to end, mulling over the artists choice of track selection, seeing the work as a whole. Now I sit down and start filling the queue in the Ultimate Jukebox software, jumping between songs, listening to half a song, and jumping all over the collection. This is great on my iPod or in the car, but not in my media room.

 I spend all my time mulling over the collection, I am NOT listening to the music, I am busy planning my next song and rethinking that selection, endlessly ignoring what is coming out of the speakers. I am vowing right now to stop this lunacy and get back to what I enjoy most. From this point on I am going to play my discs from beginning to end and I am only going to bring home the music I love. There may be a serious lack of quality recordings out there but the music is alive and worthy of listening. If nothing else, the rare, well recorded disc will be a wonderful surprise and the rest, well; I can always play them in the car or on my iPod.