"Anthem D2 Processor"

[tsd2005]

Sorry but that means that the D2 is just like an Arcam, etc.

Arcam at least has the 1.2 architecture in their processor...

Without 1.3, you won't get the ability to play the true high end sounds.... via the pre-pro. You get it thru the Player.

The Theta Digital stuff will NEVER be obsolete, and neither will Meridian. Their architecture is amazingly simple and built specifically to deal with future add ons.

The Anthem stuff needs total rebuilds.

I can update a Casablanca myself..... take card out, put new card in....

modular systems are imho the best of the best. My Casablanca has DACs in it that no other processor can even come close to touching....

of course the DACs alone cost me $5,000 and thats at dealer cost...

 

[Robin]

Anthem D1 Processor Up-Grade Process...

I send in my D1 to Anthem, they give it a going over, install the new video processing boards and back panel, re-box it ship it back to me and viola, instant D2. The only difference between an upgraded D2 and a factory new D2 is the upgraded will still have the D1 faceplate. Anthem said it’s too expensive to change out those faceplates.

Joe,

If you wouldn't mind, please let us know how the process of setting-up the refurbishing of your Anthem D1 processor. How it goes with the shipping and what your Anthem D1 (newly refurbished to a D2) sounds like after it's return to you. I for one will be fancinated to here how it all works out and the quality of service the Anthem company delivers.

 

[tsd2005]

Just an FYI spoke to my B&K rep today, and B&K will have a new pre-pro and receiver coming out...

with HDMI 1.3.

Their old units will be fully upgradable for a very reasonable price just like Anthem offers.

They also said they have Blue-Ray player in development...

 

[rynopr]

What is the time frame for the B&K HDMI 1.3 components? My guess would be them saying this fall. Knowing them, a year from now if you're lucky.

 

[Reverb2009]

Joe,

If you wouldn't mind, please let us know how the process of setting-up the refurbishing of your Anthem D1 processor. How it goes with the shipping and what your Anthem D1 (newly refurbished to a D2) sounds like after it's return to you. I for one will be fancinated to here how it all works out and the quality of service the Anthem company delivers.

I will be sure to let you know when I get the upgrade done, but it will be a wile, probably like September or October. I have other things planned for my system before I go for the upgrade. He He

 

[Reverb2009]

Just an FYI spoke to my B&K rep today, and B&K will have a new pre-pro and receiver coming out...

with HDMI 1.3.

Their old units will be fully upgradable for a very reasonable price just like Anthem offers.

They also said they have Blue-Ray player in development...

So is the new B&K just their reference pre-amp with an HDMI switcher? If so then it would be comparable to Anthems new AVM-40, that’s just an AVM-30 with HDMI switching for $3699.95 MSRP.

Anthem still has the edge over B&K, Arcam, ETC. The AVM-50 and Statement D2 isn’t just some Pre-Pro with HDMI ports, like other pre-amps and receivers out there. Anthem wanted to add HDMI to the D1, but instead of adding an HDMI switcher they decided to go all out, and add video scaling with the Gennum chip. The video processor is based off of the Crystallio II (a $4500.00 power house of a video scalier), Theta makes good products, if I had the money I would consider something like the Casablanca III, the Lexicon MC-12B was my dream processor for years, and now they are releasing the MC-12HD. Which is nothing more then a MC-12 with HDMI switching for $14,000+. These powerhouse Pre-amps do offer a lot but $10,000+ is a lot to ask in a market that is ever changing. It is nice that Theta has a modular system, but eventually they will replace it with something else. When it comes to pre-amps $5000 is about my limit, I like the Anthem, it offers a lot of value for what you get.

I have been wanting an external scalier to feed my projector, and the Gennum based units are one of the best you can buy today, but at close to $5,000.00, they are not cheap. But for only $1700.00 ($300.00 cheaper then DVDO’s new VP-30 scalier) I can get a Gennum added into my D1. For me Anthem represents good value and for now I am sticking with it.

My 2 cents

 

[tsd2005]

So is the new B&K just their reference pre-amp with an HDMI switcher? If so then it would be comparable to Anthems new AVM-40, that’s just an AVM-30 with HDMI switching for $3699.95 MSRP.

Anthem still has the edge over B&K, Arcam, ETC. The AVM-50 and Statement D2 isn’t just some Pre-Pro with HDMI ports, like other pre-amps and receivers out there. Anthem wanted to add HDMI to the D1, but instead of adding an HDMI switcher they decided to go all out, and add video scaling with the Gennum chip. The video processor is based off of the Crystallio II (a $4500.00 power house of a video scalier), Theta makes good products, if I had the money I would consider something like the Casablanca III, the Lexicon MC-12B was my dream processor for years, and now they are releasing the MC-12HD. Which is nothing more then a MC-12 with HDMI switching for $14,000+. These powerhouse Pre-amps do offer a lot but $10,000+ is a lot to ask in a market that is ever changing. It is nice that Theta has a modular system, but eventually they will replace it with something else. When it comes to pre-amps $5000 is about my limit, I like the Anthem, it offers a lot of value for what you get.

I have been wanting an external scalier to feed my projector, and the Gennum based units are one of the best you can buy today, but at close to $5,000.00, they are not cheap. But for only $1700.00 ($300.00 cheaper then DVDO’s new VP-30 scalier) I can get a Gennum added into my D1. For me Anthem represents good value and for now I am sticking with it.

My 2 cents

Well for 1, I don't want a video scaler in my Pre-Pro. For many reasons, one of which is thats a lot of hardware to put in one case. I don't want anything messing with my audio signal.

For another I would want a scaler that I could tweak with and get the most out of. The Gennum and Realta units are both nice, but for me I'd want 100% of that chip. I wouldnt want a chip with a majority of its ability turned off.

Truth is you can get more out of a DVDO than that D2.

I've got a Casablanca III. I had a Casablanca, then a Casablanca II, now I've got a III.

I've spent a total of about $11,500 on them total. Sure I got the first at cost. I had to pay full price to upgrade them to the next generation (generally around $1,500).

You can configure a good Casablanca III for about $8,500. State of the Art will cost you about $18,000.

I'll have a Casablanca IV before Christmas (its getting announced at CEDIA). It will be able to process DTS-HD signals, DD +, etc.

To me the D2 would be better just as a HDMI switcher. I don't want a Pre-Pro/Scaler.

I also have the best Pre-Pro on the market for Music, be it stereo or multi-channel.

The D2 is not super-upgradable. To get a unit with HDMI 1.3 will take time, and I'm sure at that time they will invest in decoding technology for the new Audio Codecs, which I've been told will require more than just a downloadable update.

So D2s will have to be shipped back and fixed up, and I'm sure it will cost some money.

Modular systems when you are spending $5000+ just makes sense to me.

B&K, NAD, Theta Digital, Rotel, and Marantz have all told me that they are planning on announcing product at CEDIA that is HDMI 1.3 compatible with built in new Audio Standard decodings.

It would seem silly if Anthem isn't announcing similar plans.

 

[Reverb2009]

Well for 1, I don't want a video scaler in my Pre-Pro. For many reasons, one of which is thats a lot of hardware to put in one case. I don't want anything messing with my audio signal.

For another I would want a scaler that I could tweak with and get the most out of. The Gennum and Realta units are both nice, but for me I'd want 100% of that chip. I wouldnt want a chip with a majority of its ability turned off.

I agree with you, that is a lot of hardware in one box, and there is a possibility of it interacting with the audio portion of the pre-pro. If you were to use an external scalier you would have to rough the audio threw the scalier and back to the pre-pro, to sink the audio and video. I like that I don’t have to run my audio threw one box to another, and possibly degrade it. It all stays in one box and is nice an sample. Of course if the pre-pro has a lip sink delay built into it, then you could run the audio from the source to the pre-pro.

One thing I keep thinking about is the fact that the scalier is built in. Meaning if I should ever want to upgrade to a different brand Pre-Pro (say the Theta or Lexicon), I would loose my scalier.

I don’t like the idea that the new formats use HDMI exclusively, so you have to send audio and video over HDMI to your Pre-pro then it strips away the audio and passes along the video. Any time you pass a single threw another component your going to degrade the single quality at lease a little. Scaling in the pre-pro seams like a good way to minimize image quality degradation by killing two bird with one stone.

Truth is you can get more out of a DVDO than that D2.

I think Levesque at the AVSfourm would disagree with you.

“Has you can see, the D2 is a rather unique pre/pro on the market with that kind of video processing. PQ is better then the DVDO VP30 and Lumagen is was able to try also lately. And those are high-end dedicated external scaliers!”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=662580

I've got a Casablanca III. I had a Casablanca, then a Casablanca II, now I've got a III.

I've spent a total of about $11,500 on them total. Sure I got the first at cost. I had to pay full price to upgrade them to the next generation (generally around $1,500).

You can configure a good Casablanca III for about $8,500. State of the Art will cost you about $18,000.

I have nothing agents Theta, other then the Casablanca not supporting HDMI, that’s the only big turn off.

I'll have a Casablanca IV before Christmas (its getting announced at CEDIA). It will be able to process DTS-HD signals, DD +, etc.

OK, now you’re talking. HDMI 1.3 with Dolby Digital plus/DTS-HD decoders in the Casablanca. That means I can add it back to my sort list. The big question is price? What is the IV going to sell for? Can I buy a Casablanca II off Audiogon and upgrade it to a IV? And for how much?

The D2 is not super-upgradable. To get a unit with HDMI 1.3 will take time, and I'm sure at that time they will invest in decoding technology for the new Audio Codecs, which I've been told will require more than just a downloadable update.

So D2s will have to be shipped back and fixed up, and I'm sure it will cost some money.

The AVM’s and D1/D2’s are not meant to be super-upgradable, The D2 is a new unit over the D1, its just anthem believes they should take care of there customers so they give the option to up upgrade there components (something more company’s should do for there customers).

HDMI is not just a firmware but a new chip. An upgrade to 1.3 would require a hardware upgrade. But I don’t care that the D2 doesn’t have HDMI 1.3, because even if it did it doesn’t have the decoders anyway.

Modular systems when you are spending $5000+ just makes sense to me.

B&K, NAD, Theta Digital, Rotel, and Marantz have all told me that they are planning on announcing product at CEDIA that is HDMI 1.3 compatible with built in new Audio Standard decodings.

It would seem silly if Anthem isn't announcing similar plans.

Modular systems make sense to me too, but I am not a dealer, nor do I work for a dealer, or have a theta dealer within 300 miles of me. And money is a big factor here, if you want to cut me a sweet deal for the Casablanca then fine lets talk, otherwise I love my Anthem and the D2 upgeade is an option for me.

 

[Robin]

LEVESQUE - AVS Forum is a very knowledgeable informative resource & I like his style..

Joe,

I have read lots of Levesque's post over at the AVS Forum. I think his information regarding Anthem products especially is just excellent. He is very articulate and knowledgeable about all things Anthem, as you are Joe... It was Levesque's early review of the P5, which helped me in my decision.(which you referred me to by-the-way, thank you very much. )
Thank you very much for sharing levesuqe's wonderful D2 thread. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Naturally I am very excited about the D2's Gennum chip - video scaler. Having said that, I first fell in love with the D1, just for the audio musical sound dynamics and sonic imaging of the the D1 for two channel music listening enjoyment as well as the pleasure of how the D1 reproduced HT sound track with ease. IMHO, the D1 is an extremely excellent processor for audio, be it music or for HT. I don't think the audio qualities of the D2 will be sacrificed for the video scaler (Gennum chip) section of this terrifically innovative processor by Anthem.

 

[tsd2005]

Joe,

If you don't have a dealer within 300 miles, we can talk after CEDIA when the unit is announced with pricing. I can likely make you a great deal since you are not in any dealer area (think about 25% off).

Bet on it not being available until November. Theta is just now getting 1.3 chips, and they have to make sure that the end result is Theta Quality.

I'm assuming a base unit with basic DACs, etc will be about $6,500 MSRP, but improved DACs on the Stereo playback, etc. will likely push it up around $9,000 MSRP (with balanced outputs). If you don't need balanced outputs or want them later, likely about $8,000.

Theta treats their owners like no other company. However, they don't treat 2nd hand owners anything like 1st hand owners. Upgrade prices are different for both. Generally 2nd hand people pay about 20% more than a 1st hand.

I would never run my audio thru a video processor then to a Pre-PRo. Never. I use delays to match up my sync.

While Levesque at AVS might think the Picture Quality is better with the D2 over the new DVDO, I would disagree. I've seen the specs of both and know what I can do with the DVDO.

However there are other options. There is a Video Processor with the Realta chip out that is priced at $1,999. Its from a lesser known company (which is why the name escapes me atm), but it uses 100% of the Realta chip which is on par or better than the Gennum depending on whom you ask.

I do like the D1 sound, I think it is excellent. However nothing touches what you can get from a Meridian or Theta for sound quality. Personally I don't think the D1 sounds as good as the Arcam monster processor. Which to me is the best gear for the buck (and currently has 4 1.2 HDMI inputs). However I think it was silly for both Arcam and Anthem to announce a product now when 1.3 is finally ready.

 

[Reverb2009]

Joe,

If you don't have a dealer within 300 miles, we can talk after CEDIA when the unit is announced with pricing. I can likely make you a great deal since you are not in any dealer area (think about 25% off).

Bet on it not being available until November. Theta is just now getting 1.3 chips, and they have to make sure that the end result is Theta Quality.

There is a bit of speculating over on the AVSforums if there will even be a CBIV and if there is we wont see it till 2007. Here is the link if you would like to read some of the comments. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=669180

I'm assuming a base unit with basic DACs, etc will be about $6,500 MSRP, but improved DACs on the Stereo playback, etc. will likely push it up around $9,000 MSRP (with balanced outputs). If you don't need balanced outputs or want them later, likely about $8,000.

Theta treats their owners like no other company. However, they don't treat 2nd hand owners anything like 1st hand owners. Upgrade prices are different for both. Generally 2nd hand people pay about 20% more than a 1st hand.

If and when it gets released I will talk to you more about obtaining a CB. Right now my system is setup for XLR’s and I would like to keep it that way.

I would never run my audio thru a video processor then to a Pre-PRo. Never. I use delays to match up my sync.

While Levesque at AVS might think the Picture Quality is better with the D2 over the new DVDO, I would disagree. I've seen the specs of both and know what I can do with the DVDO.

However there are other options. There is a Video Processor with the Realta chip out that is priced at $1,999. Its from a lesser known company (which is why the name escapes me atm), but it uses 100% of the Realta chip which is on par or better than the Gennum depending on whom you ask.

That’s been a big turn off to me, running my audio threw the video processor and back to the pre-pro, the D1 does have delays so I wont have to do that.

One nice thing about DVDO is they have in the past offered a generous buy back program, so current owners can upgrade to the new model. Rumor had it DVDO will have a new video processor they will unveil at CEDIA (VP40/50) that will be comparable with the Gennum and Realta chips.

Is that mystery processor the Vantage?

I do like the D1 sound, I think it is excellent. However nothing touches what you can get from a Meridian or Theta for sound quality. Personally I don't think the D1 sounds as good as the Arcam monster processor. Which to me is the best gear for the buck (and currently has 4 1.2 HDMI inputs). However I think it was silly for both Arcam and Anthem to announce a product now when 1.3 is finally ready.

Anthem was talking about an internal scalier upgrade with DVI or HDMI ports back when the D1 was first released. Owners have been waiting a long time to get this video scalier. I have been reading posts from people on the AVSfourm for over a years crying about the release of the video board being pushed back multiple times.

Anthem originally said it was going to come with HDMI 1.0, but just had enough time to add HDMI 1.1. Anthem said HDMI 1.1 would work with HD DVD and Blu-Ray so they will not keep the video board from their customers any longer.

There is no point for them to wait for HDMI 1.3 if they are not going to add the Dolby + and DTS-HD decoders, if they waited for that I can guarantee we would not have seen the D2 till 1st Q next year. You may not like that HDMI 1.3 didn’t make it the D2 but apparently consumers don’t care, because Anthem said they can not offer the D2 upgrade yet because all there video boards are going into production units to keep up with demand.

 

[tsd2005]

There is a bit of speculating over on the AVSforums if there will even be a CBIV and if there is we wont see it till 2007. Here is the link if you would like to read some of the comments. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=669180

.

Well as a dealer for Theta....

I know a CBIV is in the works. They just got the 1.3 spec information and are now trying to impliment it with what they have for all the HD sound codec decodings.

They are rather sure they will be announcing the product at CEDIA.

They also are coming out with an HDMI board for the CBIII which I expect will be shipping September.

The CBIV is supposed to be available in November.

A straight Upgrade path to the CBIV will be available for CBIII users. However I'm told they will keep the CBIII in production for the people not ready to deposit money into the High Def Home Theater world.

The only speculation I know of from Theta is whether or not the new Pre-Pro will be called Casablanca IV, or if it will have another moniker entirely.

I also understand the position from Anthem. They promised a video board.

However I think its extremely poor business to be putting out new Flagships when you're on the cusp of new technology that isn't compatible with the new technology.

My knowledge as a Dealer:

NAD will announce a Blu-Ray Disc player at CEDIA.
B&K will announce new HDMI equipped product.
Theta Digital will announce a new Processor and a 7.1 version of the Six Shooter.
Meridian will announce a Blu-Ray Disc player.
Meridian will announce their new Ultra-High End Video Processing upgrade for their 800 series products all based on a new design from Faroudja (whom they bought for this purpose).
Martin Logan will announce 2 new speaker lines, because I'm guessing besides the one I was told of, the Stage will possibly be officially announced then.


Now some of these companies may very well delay their announcements until CES and just tell us dealers about them at CEDIA on the down low.

 

[Reverb2009]

Well as a dealer for Theta....

I know a CBIV is in the works. They just got the 1.3 spec information and are now trying to impliment it with what they have for all the HD sound codec decodings.

They are rather sure they will be announcing the product at CEDIA.

They also are coming out with an HDMI board for the CBIII which I expect will be shipping September.

The CBIV is supposed to be available in November.

A straight Upgrade path to the CBIV will be available for CBIII users. However I'm told they will keep the CBIII in production for the people not ready to deposit money into the High Def Home Theater world.

The only speculation I know of from Theta is whether or not the new Pre-Pro will be called Casablanca IV, or if it will have another moniker entirely.

I also understand the position from Anthem. They promised a video board.

However I think its extremely poor business to be putting out new Flagships when you're on the cusp of new technology that isn't compatible with the new technology.

My knowledge as a Dealer:

NAD will announce a Blu-Ray Disc player at CEDIA.
B&K will announce new HDMI equipped product.
Theta Digital will announce a new Processor and a 7.1 version of the Six Shooter.
Meridian will announce a Blu-Ray Disc player.
Meridian will announce their new Ultra-High End Video Processing upgrade for their 800 series products all based on a new design from Faroudja (whom they bought for this purpose).
Martin Logan will announce 2 new speaker lines, because I'm guessing besides the one I was told of, the Stage will possibly be officially announced then.


Now some of these companies may very well delay their announcements until CES and just tell us dealers about them at CEDIA on the down low.

Thanks for the info Tsd2005,

Lots of good info there, thanks.

My plain (for now) is to hold off on D2 upgrade, go for a DVDO VP-30 with the intension to upgrade it to the VP-40/50 when it’s released. I have wanted to sell my Pioneer Elite DV-59Avi in favor of a Denon DVD-3910, but the 3910 can’t pass 480i over HDMI. But it can if I SDI mod it.

Anthem plains to add more features to the D2’s scalier menus, but one thing they won’t be adding is SDI IN on the D2, something I am very interested in. To better sweeten the deal Denon has a new line of players coming out very soon, the DVD-1930, 2930, and 3930. The DVD-3930 is said by Denon to be a DVD-5910 in a 3910 chassis with a new scaling chip the T2 with the MSRP of the current DVD-3910 of $1499.95.

As for surround processors, the Theta is an option but getting a new BCIV will more then likely be out of my price rang. Once the IV comes out the used prices of the III will come down to a point I could pick one of at. We will see. Can DAC and Video cards be changed by the customer or does it have to go back to THETA or a dealer? Like if I picked up a used CBIII with superior DAC’s and wanted to add Extreme DAC’s can I order them and install it my self at home?

Martin Logan will announce 2 new speaker lines, because I'm guessing besides the one I was told of, the Stage will possibly be officially announced then.

ESL's or something else?

 

[tsd2005]

Upgrading a Casablanca is done by your dealer in most cases. Sometimes they let the end user do it.

The new speaker from ML is an ESL.

 

[Levesque]

Anthem were the FIRST manufacturer to put a pre/pro with HDMI switching and a Gennum scaler on the market. It didn't took them a long time to upgrade the D1... they were the first! Lexicon, Theta, IR, Parasound... Not a single one of them was ready for those new HD-DVD players... except Anthem.

The Gennum VXP chip can do true inverse telecine of a 1080i signal, and the DVDO VP30 can't. It's doing "Bob" and loosing vertivcal resolution with interpolations.

I have seen both side by side, paired with a Sony Ruby and a Toshiba HD-DVD player, and at 1080p, there was no contest. The VP30 is far behind.

There is only Gennum, Realta and NSC that are able to perform inverse telecine (film mode) AND per-pixel motion adaptative de-interlacing (video mode) with 1080i signals. The VP30 is using the SIl504 chip, and it's not able to do that.

I'm sorry, but people that think that the VP30 is on the same level with the Gennum scaler in the D2 are totally wrong. You have to see it to believe it. The VP30 cost more then the upgrade of the D1, and gives you alot less. I've seen both. Just ask Kris Deering at Secrets. He will confirm.

Theta and Lexicon will have HDMI switching only, w/o any scaling or processing. Pretty lame IMHO for 2X the price of the D2. To have the same video processing power, you have to buy a Crystalio II for 4500$, or an Algolith Dragonfly, or a Vantage HD, and pair it with a Theta or Lexicon, and you now are at 3X the price of the D2...

We can talk all day about this, but Anthem just caught all the other pre/pro manufacturers with their pants down. You can say everything you want, but it's the ONLY pre/pro on the market able to work fully with the HD players with HDMI 1.1 for HD sound and inverse telecine to threat 1080i.

So now all the other manufacturers are simply reacting the best they can, by annoncing your run-of-the-mill HDMI switcher w/o any processing, just like the 149$ HDMI switcher that you can buy from Monoprice.

The D2 is a mini-revolution. For example, the next Denon flagship this fall will use the Realta HQV chip to do exactly what the D2 is already doing with HD players. So for once, one of the major receivers manufacturer will play catch-up with Anthem. Just like all the other will do.

Like Kris Deering said, the D2 is one of the top 2 scalers on the market right now! And it's a pre/pro! Yes the Crystalio II will have more "features", but for 4500$!

BTW, Anthem were the FIRST to come out with a pre/pro with HDMI switching and processing. The D1 is not even 2 years old, and we now have a D2 (plainly a D1 with a new video board). They just did it in 2 years. The Algolith Dragonfly and Crystalio II were showed more then 2 years ago and they are just coming out. Anthem was faster then those dedicated scaler manufacturers!

Anthem will just do it again with HDMI 1.3, and a new room-eq softawre, and a new video chip if need be in 1 or 2 years, with a simple board swap. Why not? They just did it with the D1 and D2. They will do it again.

You don't beleive it? The Anthem AV20 is on the market since 7 years and still good to go for another 2-3 years! Regular hardware and firmware upgrades did the trick. No false promises.

I'm sure a Theta dealer won't agree, particulalrly with the bigger margins on the Theata gear... I have the money to buy both, but the D2 is here now, and working now with my HD player. So the choice is easy to make. I want to use cutting edge technology now, not (maybe) in 6-8 months. I have HD-DVDs playing now, and I will receive a Blu-Ray player by the end of the month.

I have a true 1080p projector and a dedicated, measured and treated room, and a true HD player and satellite HD now. So the D2 is here and working right now for me. Picture quality and sound quality is unbelievable. True 1080p and DD+ today.

 

[Levesque]

Here's what Kris Deering from Secrets was saying on AVS (it's the guy doing the DVD and scalers shout-out...).

"The Anthem D2 is far better than any high end Faroudja unit right now and will be more in line with the Radience (but at a far lower cost!). The Gennum VXP does a superb job with both SD and HD sources and is one of the few HD processors that does true inverse telecine and motion adaptive processing of 1080i, and it does it quite well. Add to that the fact that the audio is handled properly and the fact that most video processors won't pass through high resolution PCM multi-channel audio, and you will see how stand-alone processors either don't offer the video performance prowess of the D2, or create an issue for the new sound formats that Blu-Ray and HD DVD bring to the table. Not the case with the D2.

Lumagen's and DVDO's (VP30...) current offerings can not compete with the D2 in terms of HD video processing right now. DVDO is the only one that compete for SD de-interlacing with their new ABT board. Lumagen has an outstanding video processor with the Vision HDP, but they aren't in the same league anymore"

"As for new processors, I can test them now as well. And I have run them through very intensive cadence testing already. Lumagen is using a solution that just won't match the D2 right now. My comments are strictly on the current Lumagen line, which is outstanding, but different than what the D2 is offering.

The D2 offers almost the same amount of flexibility in design and features as most standalone scalers. The Lumagen line has some pretty cool features like their calibration stuff, but the D2 is not just some video processing chip thrown in a case that upscales like most receivers/SSPs out there. It has A LOT of features including firmware upgradeability, frame rate conversions, full support of HD, chroma bug correction, test patterns, picture adjustments, picture re-size and more. And there are NO compromises when it comes to the audio part of the HDMI signal coming in, which is something we will have to see with future video processors from Lumagen and DVDO and anyone else. "

 

[Robin]

Excellent Information re: Anthem D2...

Alain,

Wow... Thanks for all of the excellent information about the Anthem D2 processor. I did not know about the 'true inverse telecine and motion adaptive processing of 1080i' or the chroma bug correction, picture re-size, etc.. For the price Anthem D2 is truly the state-of-the-art in HD processing as well as all the other areas you had mentioned. I've stoped looking and researching other processors at this point in time, as their just isn't any comparison to the quality of audio / visual, as well as Anthem's technology for the price, when concidering the Anthem Statement D2 (or D1 refurbished to D2) in comparison to all other processors currently on the market. I appreciate your very knowledgable information, experience and in-put in this discussion.

 

[Reverb2009]

It is state of the art, but what bothers me is the scalier is stuck in the pre-amp, so if I ever want to upgrade pre-pros, my Gennum scalier go’s buy-buy.

The DVDO VP-30 is grate with 480i, but yes I know it sucks with HD. From what I am hearing DVDO will release a new video processor at the end of this year and will not do the bob and weave on HD material. I am considering getting a VP-30 now and upgrading it to the new model when DVDO releases it.

The Anthem can play back the new formats as long as the Hi-Def player has the decoders built in. DTS has said they do not want manufactures to put the DTS-HD decoder in the player; they only want the decoding to happen in the pre-pro. Anthem may offer another upgrade for the D2 to add the decoders in the box, but you will have to send it back in with another check and have it upgraded. And how knows how long that will take for them to offer another upgrade with the Dolby + and DTS-HD decoders.

I don’t know I am so confused.

 

[Robin]

Go for Da Bomb... Go with Anthem.

It is state of the art, but what bothers me is the scalier is stuck in the pre-amp, so if I ever want to upgrade pre-pros, my Gennum scalier go’s buy-buy.

The DVDO VP-30 is grate with 480i, but yes I know it sucks with HD. From what I am hearing DVDO will release a new video processor at the end of this year and will not do the bob and weave on HD material. I am considering getting a VP-30 now and upgrading it to the new model when DVDO releases it.

The Anthem can play back the new formats as long as the Hi-Def player has the decoders built in. DTS has said they do not want manufactures to put the DTS-HD decoder in the player; they only want the decoding to happen in the pre-pro. Anthem may offer another upgrade for the D2 to add the decoders in the box, but you will have to send it back in with another check and have it upgraded. And how knows how long that will take for them to offer another upgrade with the Dolby + and DTS-HD decoders.

I don’t know I am so confused.

Joe,

I don't think I've ever seen you so confused? I know I was, but I figure I'll just send my Anthem D1 or D2 back every couple of years with a check and let them up-grade my processor, that way I know I'll always have the very latest and greatest state-of-the-art quality audio / visual available in your Pre/Pro and I won't have to pay through the nose for yet another piece of gear. It does feel good to have finially desided on Anthem - as my HT processor. Now I just have to save save save and then look for the perfect D1 deal on Audiogon. Plus, the Anthem D1 will just look so good together with my P5...
Joe, have you noticed their is never any P5's for sale on Audiogon.... We both know why that is...

 

[Robin]

I Stand Corrected...

Well, I'm the first to say when I was wrong...
Their is a Anthem P5 on Audiogon for $3799.00 (USD):

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1153540958

It would be a steal at $3500.00, if it is in the condition the owner says it is...