SP 3.0?

Napalm · « **Reply #700 on:** 11 May 2010, 05:42 pm »

Quote from: skunark on 11 May 2010, 05:17 pm

Well instead of an add-on card or a system that is "upgradable" I would prefer to have a surround-sound DAC just like the 2-channel DACs today. A killer SP3 with just analog only inputs and a BDA-1 for 2-channel gear and some sort of surround sound DAC that i can feed my various HDMI sources to and with analog outs and hdmi video out. So a separate box entirely just focused on surround sound decoding.

That box won't happen. That's exactly the point of HDMI/HDCP licenses. You won't get one if your gear is decrypting the digital stream and sending it to an output.

And that's why I won't sink too much money into this stuff. It helps the consortium to obsolete the stuff every year or so and push you to buy a replacement. Sure I will do, if the price is right. I'm not willing to pay more than $199 on an electronics box an no more than $10 per diagonal inch for a TV. This is the loss I can take on an yearly basis.

If anyone wants to sell me $5000 stuff, then they'll have to convince me that it's for the long run. Like a Bryston amp.

Nap.

skunark · « **Reply #701 on:** 11 May 2010, 06:06 pm »

But this is really no different than a blu-ray player with audio outputs.

Napalm · « **Reply #702 on:** 11 May 2010, 06:20 pm »

Quote from: skunark on 11 May 2010, 06:06 pm

But this is really no different than a blu-ray player with audio outputs.

But then the DAC is inside the Blu-Ray player. I thought the purpose was to use external DAC?

You may try your luck with this:

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5277

Warning: it relies on you to connect a licensed, HDCP enabled component like a TV in order to work.

It's all BS so I'm not going there.

Nap.

Napalm · « **Reply #703 on:** 11 May 2010, 06:27 pm »

Also you can check these:

http://www.lektropacks.co.uk/view_product_standard.php?product=1001185&sub1=&show=

http://www.tmfsolutions.co.uk/Octava_HDSA51-UK.htm

Nap.

Krobar · « **Reply #704 on:** 11 May 2010, 06:50 pm »

Quote from: Napalm on 11 May 2010, 05:42 pm

That box won't happen. That's exactly the point of HDMI/HDCP licenses. You won't get one if your gear is decrypting the digital stream and sending it to an output.

And that's why I won't sink too much money into this stuff. It helps the consortium to obsolete the stuff every year or so and push you to buy a replacement. Sure I will do, if the price is right. I'm not willing to pay more than $199 on an electronics box an no more than $10 per diagonal inch for a TV. This is the loss I can take on an yearly basis.

If anyone wants to sell me $5000 stuff, then they'll have to convince me that it's for the long run. Like a Bryston amp.

Nap.

It has happened already. Meridian preamps accept uncompressed 5.1 coaxial inputs (3 * 24/96 stereo), quite a few bluray players are then modified with 3 Coaxial outputs. Bryston could include the 4 coaxial inputs, the source can then be provided modded by the dealer. The mod board is about $200.
http://switch-box.com/3x_and_4x_S_PDIF_Transceiver_board.html

There is nothing wrong with Bryston including 7.1 (4) coax inputs and they would pay no licensing fee, coax has lower jitter than HDMI too.

Napalm · « **Reply #705 on:** 11 May 2010, 07:18 pm »

How do you get from a Blu-Ray HDMI output to the 3*24/96 stereo SPDIF inputs????

You'll need a HDMI to SPDIF converter, right? Which is exactly what the HDMI/HDCP mobsters won't license you to do, unless you downconvert to 16/48?

Nap.

Krobar · « **Reply #706 on:** 11 May 2010, 07:27 pm »

Quote from: Napalm on 11 May 2010, 07:18 pm

How do you get from a Blu-Ray HDMI output to the 3*24/96 stereo SPDIF inputs????

You'll need a HDMI to SPDIF converter, right?

Nap.

People hack the HDMI switches. You get DVI/HDMI video output and 4 Digital coax outputs, the outcome is full quality video and full quality digital audio out of the 4 coax outputs (Up to 7.1 24/192). No licenses required by Bryston, fitting a 7.1 quad coax input to the prepro is completely legal.

Napalm · « **Reply #707 on:** 11 May 2010, 07:31 pm »

Quote from: Krobar on 11 May 2010, 07:27 pm

People hack the HDMI switches. You get DVI/HDMI video output and 4 Digital coax outputs, the outcome is full quality video and full quality digital audio out of the 4 coax outputs (Up to 7.1 24/192). No licenses required by Bryston, fitting a 7.1 quad coax input to the prepro is completely legal.

Yes but then I'll have to hack a HDMI switch. This is not a proposition you can make to the public at large. It has to work out of the box.

Otherwise I'm fortunate to live in Canada. Hacking a switch box in US could get you several years in federal prison based on DMCA law.

Nap.

Krobar · « **Reply #708 on:** 11 May 2010, 07:38 pm »

US companies made and sold SDI outputting DVD players and they sell modded HD-SDI Bluray players, if it is illegal it isnt enforced at all.

Modded SDI players here in the UK were legally challenged, they were found to be OK since the modder did not sign the HDCP agreement and they dont break any general laws.

Edit: The mods are probably legal in the USA too because you are picking up an unencrypted signal on the way to the DACs; you have decrypted nothing.

Napalm · « **Reply #709 on:** 11 May 2010, 07:46 pm »

You know, I have a simple solution to this. I still have quite good control of my money. So those trying to sell me this DRM thing won't see many of them.

Why would I want to encourage this madness.

Nap.

skunark · « **Reply #710 on:** 11 May 2010, 08:29 pm »

Heh, I didn't mean to hijack the SP3 thread, sorry for that.

To me what is desirable is a surround sound DAC, separate from the source and separate from the pre-amp. Perhaps if the SP3 chassis was split into 3 parts: power supply, analog, and video(hdmi) that would accomplish my wishes and would be an easy sell to add the BDA-1. Potentially it would make it easier to swap out the video section down the road if this became a trend. It's taken a good five years before blu-ray players even decoded the hi-rez audio before shipping it out on the analog ports, before they would downgrade it or not offer it at all.

gaderson · « **Reply #711 on:** 11 May 2010, 08:49 pm »

Well, there is a box, the HD621 to separate them, but, you do need the Meridian 4xSPDIF/RJ45 to process the audio. This is what I'd like so I can have just HDMI out from my DVR (TiVo and OEM), VCR, Blu-Ray, and AppleTV, but, be able to watch any video with any audio--true matrix. But, with DRM, only the HD621 will get me close.
Currently I've just been running the HDMI direct to my Plasma, and the audio to my processor.

skunark · « **Reply #712 on:** 11 May 2010, 09:08 pm »

Step in the right direction, but this still has drawbacks with it's digital only outputs that only support 96kHz.

Napalm · « **Reply #713 on:** 11 May 2010, 10:20 pm »

Quote from: skunark on 11 May 2010, 08:29 pm

[...]It's taken a good five years before blu-ray players even decoded the hi-rez audio before shipping it out on the analog ports, before they would downgrade it or not offer it at all.

Give'm some 5 years more and maybe they'll come to their senses.

Or maybe they would just come out with Violet Ray and completely new DRM schemes, connectors and cables.

Knowing them I'd say the latter.

Nap.

Krobar · « **Reply #714 on:** 12 May 2010, 07:43 am »

Quote from: gaderson on 11 May 2010, 08:49 pm

Well, there is a box, the HD621 to separate them, but, you do need the Meridian 4xSPDIF/RJ45 to process the audio. This is what I'd like so I can have just HDMI out from my DVR (TiVo and OEM), VCR, Blu-Ray, and AppleTV, but, be able to watch any video with any audio--true matrix. But, with DRM, only the HD621 will get me close.
Currently I've just been running the HDMI direct to my Plasma, and the audio to my processor.

It has a really big drawback, the output from the 621 is encrypted. Meridian Prepros accept encrypted or unencrypted input on their triple coax connectors, the only way to get unencrypted full res out of HDMI that I know of is a device or HDMI switch hacked with the board I linked above.

Makes me wonder if Meridian will license out their Coax encryption tech?!? If they do then this would giver users both official and hacked methods of getting full res audio into the preamp without HDMI,

rblnr · « **Reply #715 on:** 1 Jun 2010, 01:21 pm »

Any info. on the release timeframe?

Napalm · « **Reply #716 on:** 1 Jun 2010, 01:59 pm »

Quote from: Napalm on 11 May 2010, 07:31 pm

Otherwise I'm fortunate to live in Canada. Hacking a switch box in US could get you several years in federal prison based on DMCA law.

Ok, our government decided to work on that and get us DMCA too.

I have a very good solution to it: I stop buying anything that has "encryption" and "locks"

Nap.

alexone · « **Reply #717 on:** 14 Jun 2010, 07:01 pm »

James,

i don't know if this question has been asked already?!? what kind of remote will come with the SP3? any pics?

thanx,

al.

James Tanner · « **Reply #718 on:** 14 Jun 2010, 07:05 pm »

Hi Al,

We will use one similar to the SP2 remote. In fact the prototype I have operates off the SP2 remote.

james

Napalm · « **Reply #719 on:** 15 Jun 2010, 12:40 am »

Quote from: James Tanner on 14 Jun 2010, 07:05 pm

Hi Al,

We will use one similar to the SP2 remote. In fact the prototype I have operates off the SP2 remote.

james

No iPhone?

Nap.