Info and forum posts by 'Intellirat'

RE: One for All Remote for Scan 2000

ofa 5 works for me - no code - just point, and learn..

RE: optical or co-axial????

Use coax (BTech XCX-0M8) myself - seems to be a better link for 5.1 audio and extreme range CD-audio (really low-bass) than the TOSlink style.

Can`t work out whether that`s the kit (scan sc2000 and a videologic digitheatre), or the limitations of the optical showing though.

BTW. the cable was only £3.25+VAT from beyondhifi.com, compared to £18+vat from the local audio store.

Whatever happens - don`t use a standard phono lead, the noise gets terrible (again, maybe my setup, with power lines nearby)

RE: Help needed with set-up

RGB tends to give a better picture than SVideo in my opinion (having been in a similar situation, and tried both).. It does depend on your TV (as some don`t cope well with one or the other).

RE: Scan Sc-2000 - One For All remote control code and firmware

The manuals (even the electronic ones currently on the website) are too old to include the SC2000 codes.. Hence they are determining them now....

I guess any of the `clones` will have the same codes if they have the same remote...

RE: Scan Sc-2000 - One For All remote control code and firmware

One for all are working on the codes now - I asked their tech support about 2 weeks ago...
You can always use the learning mode for now....

RE: Videologic Digitheatre (Non DTS)

You won`t think it silly when you reduce all the hum from the surround speakers (it`s hardly noticable until you get a dramatic pause in a film). I now can`t hear it at all.

I spent £1 on a bit of single core wire (`cause I had no spare speaker cable at the time), and that`s it. People buy £40 OFC scart cables and £30/metre speaker cable to make that sort of reduction. The radiator was about 2 1/2 metres away, and all I did was tape the wire to bare metal on both.

DTS discs are mostly R1 at the mo., but they`ll get more popular R2 in the not so distant future (unless Dolby decide on a new standard!).

Music on the Digitheatre is not bad, don`t expect it to match a good seperates music system, and set it to stereo (rather than pro-logic), or it`ll sound really strange (seperates the vocals, to some degree, to the centre speaker).

If you want the best out of any system, you`ll have to do strange things to it (how many people have seperates hifi gear on sound dampened shelves, spikes on the bottom of the speakers, bi-wiring, etc.) - if you can`t live with that, you`ll never really get full value out of it.

RE: BLUE SHADOW SOLUTION HAS ARRIVED.

Me too please

tarilletnI[at]moc.liamhsalf

RE: Videologic Digitheatre (Non DTS)

I too went for the digitheatre original - partly the price difference (which I part spent on a very high quality sp/dif digital connect and a universal remote control).
It`s not that the difference isn`t there - DTS sounds a lot better when you get a DTS encoded track, just that the difference may not be worth the extra money

TV speakers -> HIFI is a big step,
HIFI -> Dolby system *with sub* is a really big improvement,
Dolby 5.1 -> DTS is a much smaller step, good - but only for the really serious home cinema buff (ie. projector, screen measured in feet, not inches, possibly knock a few interior walls down to make the room the right shape).

The DTS system also has the information display on the centre speaker (my friend ended up putting black card over it, so it didn`t distract from the TV).

The original version has one problem, noise.. It picks up mains hum badly - so ground the amp seperately, or have it on it`s own ring (!). I use the central heating to ground mine.

RE: NEW FIRMWARE FOR THE SCAN 2000 v2.08 - downloadable from DVD Reviewer

Own up nelley ... What`s the difference?... The word file in the zip is useless.

Anyone going to risk this tonight?

RE: best connection please

Just to the outside of the power supply section (ie the metal bit right next to where the fixed (boo!) 2 wire mains goes in.. It`s just a bit of wire taped on with electrical tape at the mo., I might make it more permanent now I know it makes a difference. Same with the DVD player, just a wire taped near the PSU.

All electrical appliances that are 3 pin and have metal cases should connect the exterior case to ground down the mains line (that`s law - so you don`t fry if a wire comes loose inside, and the case goes `live`). 2 pin devices should only ever have plastic/non conductive cases for the same reason.. So you connect any metal part of a 2 pin connected device (eg, right near the mains lead to the device (even maybe under the rubber bit)) to ground, and hey-presto! Connect the case of a 3 pin device and you don`t gain anything safety wise, but you might find a cleaner (electrically) ground - like my central heating compared to the 4-way the DVD,VCR,SKY, and TV are on..

Not that I`d recommend using this as a safety method...

RE: best connection please

For the audio, go for coaxial (phono) digital connections.. Having tried both optical and coax, it seems the optical (TOSlink) only works best when you`ve got hoards of noise on the mains supply (obviously, if your amp gets the noise too, it still won`t help). I get the feeling that TOSlink is limited somehow..

Just switched from a £4 SP/DIF cable to a £20 one - I`ve never really seen the point on spending so much on interconnects - but this is one that really makes a difference.. As long as you keep other cable runs short, and away from mains cables, they seem fine on cheaper interconnects..

Maybe I`m just not picky enough, but MPEG2 (DVD) is still too limited to worry about £35 scart cables, and £15/metre speaker cable...

On the subject of noise, I just had central heating put in, and since I`ve used that to ground my amp, and DVD player, I`ve dropped all the background noise I ever had my system (that`s all for £1 of single core cable) - it really made a difference for rear surround channels, where the cable runs are about 7&9 metres.

RE: Universal remote controls

I didn`t like the m500, it`s a bit of a brick, and I couldn`t really be bothered with opening the flap at the bottom all the time (not that I wasn`t impressed by the rest of it.. It just needed an artist to take a look at it rather than just an audiophille)
The macro facility on the One-for-all is better than they make out.. It seems to be limited to RAM, but I`ve got 4 programmed (the longest being about 15 steps) and 20-odd buttons in learning mode. There doesn`t seem to be a way to insert pauses, say if you want to wait for a menu to appear, but the spacing is OK by default (about 2 commands a second) for most tasks.

What do people use macros for anyhow (other than turning everything on and off with one button)?

This item was edited on Thursday, 18th January 2001, 14:46

RE: surround sound question

If it`s anything like my TV, the scart sockets also carry audio/video out.. (at line levels - just right for an external amp/decoder). You can in theory use a headphone out (I`ve seen it done), with the volume on the TV REALLY low (to mimic a low-level signal).

Check the TV manual, and get a scart -> phono-out lead (get the right pinout).
Richer sounds or BeyondHifi can probably help.

RE: Universal remote controls

This one is spot on.. If you`re not sure, go get one form Argos/Index, and take it back if you don`t like it.. I nearly did that, but found it cheaper in Dixons.

It takes a while to get used to what button does what (but you can shift them round if you want), but if can work your current controls in the dark, then you`ll manage OK.

NB. No matter what it says on the outside of the packaging, there aren`t just 4 programmable keys - all the keys (apart from 1) can be reprogrammed/learned (subject to memory on the controller)

Universal remote controls

Anyone struggling with getting a (cheap) universal remote control..
I couldn`t resist when I found a One-for-all 5 in Dixons at £22.50, even though it didn`t list DVD support (or mention the Dolby decoder I`ve got).

So, trial and error later, and a bit of `learning` from the original remotes, and I`ve got the whole of my (main) home cinema on the one remote, menu, widescreen, and DVD functions et al.
That`s a Panasonic VCR, a Grundig Sky Digibox, a Scan SC2000 DVD, a Videologic Digitheater, and a Ferguson W/Screen TV.

Anyone else tried this with a cheapish remote - I know the LCD remotes are nice, but try using one round a 2 1/2 year old (or have beer/popcorn/any foodstuff near one)

RE: More Scan Woes?

Alright - for those who didn`t think of it (or didn`t read the hardware I`ve got), I already have an external Dolby decoder.... Sheesh...
Worth thinking about, I know - you don`t want to get DVD piccies, and surround sound (5.1 sound blows it away).
Total cost of my system so far £660 (28" 16:9 TV, SC2000 DVD, Videologic Digitheatre, Sky Digital) - It can be done on a budget.

RE: More Scan Woes?

Well, I for one am looking forward to my SC2000 turning up (awaiting despatch now according to parcel tracking).. I`ve seen a couple in action now, and apart from the £899 player in the local "I`ve more money than sense" a/v store, I haven`t seen a better player (I didn`t even dare look to see what the £899 player was, I might have been tempted).

Still, I bet there are plenty of SC2000 owners out there who wait with baited breath for new firmware releases (*ahem* MP3 long filenames *ahem*). Looking forward to a download/faq site on www.scan, Nelley .. Have you any problems with me bringing one up myself?