Damaja

I hear good things about them also, but because I have had no personal experience with them then I would not like to comment. Harmon and Kardon used to be on my wish list but I heard some bad stuff about them, some peeps have told me they are cack!

http://www.yamaha-audio.co.uk/yamaha.../dsp-ax620.asp

hmmm not too expensive, I may enquire!

[Edited by Damaja - 11/5/2001 5:31:17 PM]

BarryK

Have watched about 6 filems so far with no probs.

However, "The Mummy Returns" (R1) seems to have a prob at approx the same place each time and I have to skip it forward a chapter to carry on.

Now this Friday night "Stigmata" (R2)had the same "can't read disc" problem, but refused to play any more after chapter16.

Anyone heard of such probs. It works fine with all games and has the latest drivers from the official Sony R/C.

Shaolin

Have you tried switching the diagnosis to "on" ....might help.

BarryK

I have no idea what you mean grasshopper. Please enlighten me.

Shaolin

When you switch the ps2 on, goto "system set up" i think........and you can switch the diagnosis to "on" and its ment to select the best possible way to play your dvd.........cant remember exactly.........but its in the instruction manual.........and it might work.
My brains hurting at the mo......so i cant remember where it is exactly......

chuckster

In the Mummy returns is it the scene in the hot air ballon where the river comes in on them? Mine goes dodgy there, but I can fast forward past it so not missing a chapter
Chuck

Shaolin

Ooops.........sorry m8.........just read your problem correctly.........and you are watching r1 dvd.........are you using the region x jobby.........?????.........if so.......the diagnosis thing might not work......

Damaja

My aspect ratio is all messed up, the option is disabled in the menu as well, I think it is because mine was one of the very first PS2's

Shaolin

Damaja.......what do you mean????????????

Damaja

DVD's come in a range of formats 16:9 etcc well I have a top of the range panasonic DVD player and the software on that makes most DVD's anamorphic so it strecthes according to what you specify so widescreen dvd's can be watched without adjusting the TV. My playstation just squashes the bladdy picture so everyone looks like they have been trodden on!

Shaolin

??????????.......isnt your ps2 playing the dvd correctly and you just need the right setting on your wide screen tv????.............

ianc

Yeah, probably the TV. Every time I switch on my PS2 my TV (tosh 43" 4:3) thinks its a widescreen input (squashes the image top to bottom), when of course games aren't. Then if I boot a widescreen movie it thinks it's full screen so stretches the widescreen image to fill the screen. Bloody annoying but I just switch the format on the TV no probs.

Damaja

Inferior technology, get a seperate DVD player with an on board dolby pro logic processor and a six channel amp insted! The technics range of amps (ones with the pretty blue strip light) help you shake yourself off you seat. I almost shat myself when the plane blows up in fight club!

Damaja

Inac, exact same prob as me, bit of an ****!!!!!!! My DVD seperate player is clever and does it for you!

ianc

Yeah, seperate players are probably best....

BUT...I bought my PS2 as a games machine, still believe my Laserdisc gives the best picture quality, just can't get hold of the bloody things these days!

RE amps, still to go dolby digital, still on pro-logic, but I have a Yamaha sub that works *too* well for explosions \ deep engines etc. The cobra \ porsche sequence at the end of Bad Boys is perfect

(don't mind me, I'm just a petrol head)
IC

Damaja

Yeah sorry the panasonic DVD has got dolby digital 5.1 on it, My flat mate has got a laser disc player and the picture quality is worse! The disc's look mega funky though, may as well use them for dinner plates

ianc

yes, they are a little, ahem, large, and its a pain turning them over \ swapping them (empire strikes back is two discs!) but....

on the upside there is no compression, no blocks, no jagged edges, no struggling with more than two shades of the same colour.

I know my PS2 isn't the best player but even on more expensive setups I'm yet to be impressed with the picture quality of DVD.

(however, the sound quality really rocks, much much purer than LD and can really stand louder volumes - not sure if my neighbour appreciates my Metallica concert DVD tho

Damaja

Currently running a panasonic DVD with Dolby digital 5.1 processor (reason why it is sooo expensive!) into a Technics SA-AX6 (5x100watt, certainly packs a punch!) that can decode dolby digital so you get six channel sound + sub, closest you can get to a cinema in a home, becuase of this the bass is immense and I don't dare put it through the huge floor standing eltax speakers when the neighbours are at home. PS2 games through the amp are insane also, explosions are damn loud! You don't get bass boom but really punching clear bass, nice. If you have the funds then get one, you won't be unhappy

Damaja

Metallica concert! If I was your neighbour I certainly would'nt

ianc

hehe, my John Williams CD's are probably not much more preferable at those volumes

Gotta go digital soon, as soon as I can rub together a few more pennies.

Damaja

Technics or Yamaha I reckon is the way forward, your technics is like the subaru of the amp world and I just like yamaha's but the amp I want is mega bucks

Damaja

Yamaha DSP-AX1 - drool, £2000 though!

ianc

Agreed, Yamaha & Technics both sit highly in my esteem. I hear (no pun intended) a lot of good things about Denon home cinema amps, any exp?

Currently my front room is:

Toshiba TV (normal format 43")
JVC SVHS VCR
Pioneer Laserdisc player
Sony PS2
Aiwa seperates, inc Pro-logic amp.
Aiwa surrounds and centre channel.
Castle floor standers. (old but still great)
Yamaha sub.

Can't remember any model numbers \ power outputs, not *that* much of an audiophile I'm afraid (until it comes to my car, don't ask! )

ianc

nice bit of kit and very reasonably priced. Concerns me slightly when a reseller states "high power" - yes very good but what is it chucking out?

IC

Damaja

looks like 4x130 or 5x130 but I am having trouble reading the german webpage I have found!

BarryK

Chuckster,

Spot on mate. Exactly the same thing I was trying to describe in TMR on R1.

I don't use regionx when watching R2 DVDS for obvious reasons, though I tried that and Stigmata still wouldn't work at the same place as before.

Have you tried watching Stigmata?

Some interesting points here. 'er indoors whilst intially impressed that we had a games console "for Alex" (my 7 yr old son), now fancies a more permanent set up, so I think it's off to Martin Dawes on Sat. Box Clever don't seem to do what I want, but I'll check before I sack them.

father_jack

Damaja - you don't need a dolby processor on the DVD player AND the amp as well, waste of money, you can only use one of them. On-board processors are for plugging into active speaker kits. The dolby decoders on amps are generally better than onboard ones anyway, more room and ££ for a decent chipset etc...
I found the picture quality of my mates PS/2 to be just as good as a "proper" DVD player. Didn't have any screen problems cos we pugged it thru the projector. Mwahahaha........
Apparently Region X clashes with the PS/2 remote control....

Damaja

I did not say I needed dolby digital on both!

BarryK

Yes Father, Region X actually clashes with the latest DVD drivers suplied with the Sony remote, but if you go to the Region X web site you can manually enter a code on the PS2 which solves the problem.

father_jack

Dam - OK but you said you have the best DVD player which has on-board processor AND you also have a surround amp...... so not true and not required... technically speaking. I didn't mean to get all personal.