RE: Re: PC OSD software?

["Chris McGookin" <chris@xxxxxxx>]

=20
oh dear, I really was trying to avoid looking at xAP and slimpy thngs
until I'd figured out ACE! OK, excuse the ignorance Patrick, it's
summer...I was trying to limit new software in this year's model and see
the sun sometimes... ;-)
=20
OK, given that xAP looks like a good move, what do you think the best
client/ server combination would be from the amp serial port to an OSD?
Girder looks as tho it can present pretty well with the XP OSD plugin,
and the serial port from the amp is connected to the Homevision server
PC. Events from the amp should be presented pretty much as per a CLID
event, i.e. if someone touches the amp knobs n buttons it mimics
virtually all the inbuilt VFD/ amp S-video data out of the serial port-
including volume as it changes. If I can turn this into a display on the
plasma it will pretty well appear an integrated TV (the DigiTV card
provides the channel now/ next overlay and so will Sky if I ever get
time to watch it... ;-)  )
=20
Ade, the only really significant "intelligent appliance data"
I've
considered for an AV receiver that the Denon doesn't seem to deliver is
RDS data- bit of a pity but I probably only want to know the channel so
I hope to be able to enter channel/ frequency transpositions manually to
display the station or speak it through zone 2 which covers where there
are no displays....
=20
I think the summary of the amp without going into detail is that it's a
true 2 zone amp, 7.1 AV switching and AV connection conversion up to
S-Video/ component on the primary zone and stereo/ composite on the
secondary zone. Either zone can connect to any source and has
independant volume control for each. If you want you can use it the way
I currently have which is as a 5.1 receiver/ power amp and use the other
two channels as power amp for zone 2, or as a 7.1 poweramp with pre-amp
out for zone 2.
The video conversion functionality I think is quite significant- if you
look a this area it can easily cost you more than =A3100 for a decent
converter, if you combine this functionality with a freeview or Sky STB
then IMHO you don't need to spend the money on a plasma "TV", you
can
buy a plasma 'monitor' for usually at least =A3500 less and get better
capabilities...
=20
There is a lower model (AVR-2803?) which also has the RS-232 but I don't
think it has the multizone. The AVR-3803 is also the first model that
uses the Burr Brown DAC's and a few other tricks from the =A32 - 3K AVC-
A1 models that would have previously have provided this general level of
functionality. You can pick one up for less than =A3700, for me to get
RS232 closed loop, multizone and virtually every home cinema standard
you want except THX certification this seemed pretty good.
The main alternative around the same band seems to be the Pioneer 2011,
slightly more expensive, single zone, has a USB port but this seemed
mainly to be for playing MP3 which wasn't what I wanted...
=20
Before I got this I used Homevision to relay IR commands to the last
amp, receiving standard codes and transmitting learned codes to the amp.
Doing this I always knew what I was listening to, etc but volume
'knowledge' was impossible. The only way I got to set a volume was to
send a very long 'down' train and then increase x pulses. I know I've
heard people discuss issues with differnet volumes on different Sky
channels, etc- personally the main issue I've had with HA'ing amps is
that I don't want them to go off at 07:00 at 110dB when I had a party
the night before, etc!=20
=20
Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: patricklidstone [mailto:patrick@xxxxxxx]=20
Sent: 24 April 2003 09:03
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Re: PC OSD software?


> I'd think I need to be a bit careful in choice that I don't tie up=20
the port with the
> scanning app and can't get data to the port from Homevision, etc for
> tricks like mute or reduce vol on door/ call, adjust volume up or=20
down
> by x as you change source/ channel so that the output level is=20
constant
> (and for 'legacy' IR/ X10 amp control).

This is *exactly* why xAP was invented - for sharing data multiple=20
ways between devices; no one application monopolises a given data=20
source - any device on the xAP network can make use of any other xAP=20
service on the network.=20

Patrick


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