Pioneer DV-470, DD/DTS downmix & other Qs

[Smiff]

(this is going to be quite longwinded, i'm in newb mode)

i've been doing some research for a standalone divx player and it seems like the Pioneer DV-470 might be The One - mostly good enough power and price (money is tight).

One major possible snag however - i don't have (and don't intend to buy) a digital audio system (DD/DTS receiver). I run only a SCART cable to the TV, which carries RGB video and two channel analogue audio with dolby pro logic surround downmix. OK!

i've read in several places now that the 470 does not have a DD decoder. i'm having trouble believing this - does this really mean i would hear no audio on DVDs in my setup, unless the disc carried a two channel PCM soundtrack? This is no good of, course, i must be able to hear the DD (downmixed) and prefereably i'd like to be able to hear the DTS aswell.

lastly, what exactly happens when you flash a 575 firmware to the 470? I can't get a clear look in their catalogue. I realise the 470 is missing some ports - are these just the 5.1 audio analogue sockets (which i don't care about) or is it missing any other hardware? any chips inside the machine? or are you just paying extra for the licence for...

SACD and DVD-audio would be a bonus (not really bothered) but what i really care about is DD and DTS downmixing.

any and all advice greatly appreciated! i want to get this right first time ;)

edit: oh something else: if i buy a region free one (i will), and flash the firmware (i can't resist), will it still be region free? i understand this modal cannot be changed with the remote supplied (dammit that's annoying!). edit later: updating the firmware does *not* change the region free status, according to here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=623120#post623120)for example.

[Smiff]

replying to myself...

this thread (http://board.softpedia.com/index.php?showtopic=469&hl=) (reply by Aladar) at softpedia seems to suggest that DTS downmixing to analogue output *will* work after flashing the 575 firmware to the 470. thus i assume DD5.1 downmixing would also work. can anyone here confirm this (i trust the good people at doom9 more than anywhere else!).

edit: just to be clear, i want the 5.1 AC3 in a .avi to be downmixed, aswell as DVD AC3.

edit2: and something else im confused about: if SACD and DVDA can only be outputted through the 5.1 analogue (not digital), what's the point of flashing the 470 to 575? (or can these be downmixed aswell?). anyway, its not that important, i dont expect to use it for music really.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi Smiff,

Yes, you should indeed be able to hear 6Ch AC3 and DTS audio down-mixed to 2Ch via the scart output... so don't panic!

Many people either can't or don't hook up their DVD players to DSS amps, just their TV's. So it would be very remiss for any DVD player manufacturer to only make players that were DSS amp compatible only!

And yes, 6Ch SACD and DVD-A audio can be down-mixed to 2Ch Ch too - or at least it can with my Pioneer DV-575A.


Cheers

[Smiff]

thanks, thats what i thought.. it's just a lot of websites say the 470 doesn't have a DD decoder (which to me is a chip) - what they *mean* is it doesn't have 5.1 analogue outputs :) ok thanks a lot. if i have other unrelated questions about this player is it ok to ask them in this thread?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Smiff
... if i have other unrelated questions about this player is it ok to ask them in this thread? By all means Smiff ;)

Sadly there's no moderator in this section of the forum, so incorrectly placed posts might take some time to be moved to the relevant place :eek: But don't let this put you off!

Maybe I should apply for the position?


Cheers

[Smiff]

ooh i have another Q:

does this player have a GoTo (in minutes) function for .avi? i understand it only has a single speed fast forward, and with no chapter stops (of course, for avi container), this is going to get very annoying without some sort of GoTo!

thanks again in advance
yes i'll vote for you for mod hehe :D

(i've spent the last 3 days researching xbox and was about to go that way when i found out about 1.6 xbox not doing >640x480 in linux. argh. so im back onto 'proper' players again, for now)

[SeeMoreDigital]

We have a new forum member called Nogs (http://forum.doom9.org/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=73211) who has an DV-470... maybe he can answer your question?

In the meantime I'll have a look at my DV-575A to see if it can do as you request and get back to you.


Cheers

[Smiff]

end of this thread (http://forums.divx.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/531101651/m/371103102/p/5) indicates that there is a GoTo but it doesnt work on files >1GB. oh no! i want to be able to write >1GB Xvids to DVD-R and not have to split them.

edit: here (http://forums.divx.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/531101651/m/541101302/p/5) (post by PrologicIIx) indicates Xvid is ok, and/or it depends on way .avi was muxed. hrm :/

1. Well, obviously there is a problem here, but i'm not sure if it has to do specificly with divx5 or the 1GB+ file....maybe a combination of both or maybe not. Maybe it has to do with the .avi container, whether RIFF 1.0 or OpenDML 2.0 is used. For starters If the avi uses OpenDML, I'd try to convert it to RIFF...Its possible it has to do with how the audio is being interleaved. Lots of possibilities here and you can play around with AVI-Mux (no encoding involved) to find the solution.

I only have a few XviD (OpenDML) 1GB+ files and they play fine (FF and time search function works too).

2. Yes FF only works at one speed, but I think if you press the FF button constantly it jumps through key frames faster. I don't use the time search function often, but when I do it worked like a charm. I just typed in the minutes and in a few seconds I was at the requested point. Do you have any avis where the time search function works for you or it's not working anywhere?


Nogs if you or anyone with a 470/575 is reading and can confirm what's up here that would be great.