Citazione:
OK, some more questions and observations of changes (results of cost reduction?):
The new models (x10 series) have no analog video outputs! eek.gif
No composite video output
No component video output
Only 1 analog audio output (stereo pair) except for Zone 2
Can I record video/audio from a composite or component input and analog audio input, out one of the HDMI outputs to my DVD recorder? Will HDCP or anything else prevent me from recording an analog source (audio & video) which is being output on HDMI?
Do they still have internet tuner?
Aside from the power output and the toroidal transformer, are there any other differences between the 510 and the 710? Does the 710 still have HD tuner?
Have the issues with RCA caps pulling off the back been resolved/fixed?
Are software updates done via USB only?
The new ARC 1M is stated to be designed specifically for the MRX series, so what are the real differences between it and the FULL ARC on the pre/pros? How does the new ARC compare to the old ARC which I believe, was the same program on the MRX line and the pre/pro lines?
Risposta
Citazione:
Bob Collins, the changes were all a result of addressing needs of most potential users, and the number one piece of feedback by far, and this is not just for AVRs, was "make it easier to use". Analog video connections were never big cost adders to begin with, and all but two component and one composite inputs were removed because hardly anyone uses more than this (and almost everyone uses neither) or wants to see them on the back panel, meaning that people *avoid* models with too many legacy connections. Regardless, the impact they have on the bill of materials is too low to have ripple effect on MSRPs which sometimes get rounded up and sometimes get rounded down to the nearest hundred minus one dollar. Put simply, the connections would have stayed if only so many people didn't consider them useless and backwards.
The audio RCA connectors have been changed because globally about ten known people out of a five-figure number of gen1 MRX users (yes those are real numbers) had the issue where if a tighter than normal RCA cable was used and then disconnected, the barrel of the jack came off too. Look around and you'll see that this is by far not a unique Anthem issue (keyword "monster" might help) and also note that the jacks in question are made by the millions and used across all kinds of audio products. Many devices will never have a jack issue issue but I'll get to that after this sidebar: In one of his books Bob Lutz, Bean Counters vs Car Guys I think it was, said something about two cases where an American brand car had a much lower rating in popularity contests like JD Power vs its Japanese-rebranded counterpart which was the same design built by the same people on the same assembly line. He hypothesized on when and why people who buy one brand vs the other are more likely to go online and complain to the nth degree. I must say that I agree with what he said, and also read somewhere (Brandwashed book iirc) that average people buying average products tell four people about a positive product experience and ten people about a negative one. People or organizations who have access to CE industry data, not to mention the money to buy it because it's not cheap, know all too well that the same thing can happen in our neck of the woods.
Anyway we didn't leave the jack hardware alone. The reason that the original type of jack was there is because, well, start by looking closely at the gen1 rear panel and you'll see that the audio RCAs and the video RCAs are different. The video RCAs need shielding so they're grounded to chassis. The audio RCAs may also be grounded to chassis but in the hi-end we don't do that, to keep signal ground separate from chassis ground which helps keep noise out of the analog audio. Now, it's not a simple matter of using any ole isolated ground jack because there are other concerns such as RFI and ESD compliance and certain things play into this like preventing HDMI connections from crashing when walking on a carpeted floor on a dry winter day and touching certain parts of the chassis. The solution, and it's not as easy as it might seem at first but new MRX has it, is to use a jack that meets all previous requirements while, after learning from gen1 service data, allows the addition of a retainer which makes it impossible for the RCA barrel to be removed while assembled into the rear panel. So, now the same three cases that were brought up on AVS hundreds of times won't happen again and the overall post count will be reduced by a few percentage points (ok, maybe by a mere few dozen posts over the same incident).
If you're still with me after that, yes the updates are by USB only and as stated a few times the real differences between old ARC and new ARC are faster operation through network connection and a prettier UI. The DSP horsepower differences are a result of newer DSP hardware, and the new ARC software which knows how to talk to the new DSP calculates the curves accordingly. There are no functional differences between 510 and 710 but the design differences go beyond transformer type, and yes the internet tuner is gone because it was part of the media player and because there are so many audio streaming services around these days that having a mere one service when standalone players have ten times that number and rising is nearly pointless.
I can't answer your DVD recorder question directly except to say that the HDMI output is designed to go to TVs (this means audio is stereo pcm) and if the input on your unspecified recorder model happens to like that then you can probably record it. I guess to get a real answer someone has to set up a system with the same model and I'm sure that dealers who will have the new models on demo will be more than willing to accommodate.