Meridian 800 Version 4, User Manual

Page 1: ...800 R E F E R E N C E D V D C D P L A Y E R U S E R G U I D E ...

Page 2: ...i RIVE 2EPEAT RIVE 6 FF ERIDIAN Meridian 800 Reference DVD CD Player User Guide ...

Page 3: ...t sunlight Near heat sources such as a radiator Directly on top of heat producing equipment such as a power amplifier To avoid interference Do not position the unit Near strong magnetic radiation Near to a television or where connecting cables may be subject to or cause interference Radio interference FCC Warning This equipment generates and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed ...

Page 4: ... pausing and resuming play 16 Changing the front panel display 17 Displaying disc information on screen 18 Video controls 19 Advanced features 21 Selecting options from a menu 22 Fast and slow motion play 23 Playing repeatedly 24 Selecting an audio soundtrack 25 Displaying subtitles 26 Selecting the camera angle 27 Setting the parental lock 28 Using the DVD CD player preamplifier features 31 Selec...

Page 5: ...35 Setting default options 36 Selecting the display settings 38 Selecting the audio settings 45 Selecting the playback options 48 Region codes 50 Configuring the DVD CD player 51 Choosing a standard setting 52 Glossary 55 Index 59 ...

Page 6: ...poration and is intended for home and other limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision Corporation Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited FCC Warning This equipment generates and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used correctly in accordance with our instructions may cause interference to radio communications or radio and television rec...

Page 7: ...PREFACE vi ...

Page 8: ...N Introduction Welcome to the Meridian 800 Reference DVD CD Player This User Guide provides full information about using the DVD CD player in conjunction with your other equipment to achieve the superb results you can expect from it ...

Page 9: ...d with analogue outputs Audio outputs The 800 Reference DVD CD Player incorporates a unique multichannel link which allows it to provide an upsampled six channel PCM stream to a compatible digital surround controller such as the Meridian 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller for the highest possible quality sound An additional feature of the Meridian multichannel link is that it provides intel...

Page 10: ...High Resolution encoding scheme in conjunction with Meridian DSP Loudspeakers allows the signal to be preserved at full resolution and sampling rate until the latest possible stage in the reproduction chain DVD Audio discs are also capable of offering multichannel audio The 800 DVD CD Player can be fitted with a multichannel digital output card to allow up to six discrete channels to be connected ...

Page 11: ... where sound quality is not of primary importance MP3 discs can be created from a computer using appropriate MP3 encoding software and a CD ROM writer Generate the MP3 files with a data rate of at least 128Kbits per second Group the tracks into folders to create separate albums on the disc Do not create folders within folders Tracks and albums are played in the order in which they are recorded ont...

Page 12: ...ampling downsampling FIFO and error correction Resolution enhancement MLP decoding Video outputs HDMI output providing video for HDMI compatible displays plus two channel audio Analogue progressive component video Composite S video or interlaced component video NTSC or PAL 16 9 or 4 3 letterbox pan scan Black level option for NTSC Picture controls for aspect ratio picure position progressive only ...

Page 13: ... additional switches for Open Function Source Copy Store and Setup Top Menu Parameter menus Return and Enter Display Mute Gain and Gain Display 20 character dot matrix display with adjustable brightness and contrast Lights for MLP Multi Repeat and DVD CD ...

Page 14: ...Player This chapter provides a summary of the functions of the 800 Reference DVD CD Player to identify the controls which you use to operate the unit It also provides step by step instructions for operating the DVD CD player using either the front panel or the MSR ...

Page 15: ...US CHAPTER TRACK FF 3WITCHES TO STANDBY 2ETURN ETURNS FROM 2E A MENU NTER ONFIRMS A MENU SELECTION PEN PENS CLOSES THE DISC DRAWER ISPLAY HANGES THE INFORMATION DISPLAYED UTE UTES OR RESTORES THE SOUND 0 0 INDICATOR 4OP ENU ISPLAYS THE 4OP ENU 3TORE 3TORES THE PARAMETERS FOR A PRESET 3OURCE 3ELECTS THE SOURCE ULTI ULTI CHANNEL AUDIO INDICATOR 6 3HOWS THE TYPE OF DISC PLAYING AIN AIN HANGE THE SYST...

Page 16: ...NEL DISPLAY AST REVERSE 3CANS BACKWARDS 0REVIOUS 3ELECTS THE PREVIOUS TRACK 0AGE ROWSES PREVIOUS 6 PAGE 2EPEAT 2EPEATS A CHAPTER TRACK 2EPEATS A SELECTION 3TOP 3TOPS THE DISC PEN PENS THE DISC TRAY AST FORWARD 3CANS FORWARD 3LOW 0LAYS IN SLOW MOTION EXT 3ELECTS THE NEXT CHAPTER TRACK 0AGE ROWSES NEXT 6 PAGE 0LAY 0LAYS THE DISC UDIO HANGES THE AUDIO TRACK UMBER KEYS 3ELECT A TITLE CHAPTER OR TRACK ...

Page 17: ... off completely at the rear panel and disconnect it from the AC power supply To switch on from standby Press Open or front panel or select a source on the remote If the DVD CD player is part of a Meridian system it will automatically switch on any other unit in the system such as the 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller and Meridian DSP Loudspeakers To switch to standby Press Off front panel ...

Page 18: ...ng the tray will display the Top Menu To insert a disc Press å front panel or Function remote to open the tray Place the disc label side up in the tray Ensure that the disc is correctly seated in the tray before closing the tray Press å again or front panel or remote or gently push the front of the tray to close the tray To play the disc Press front panel or remote The on screen display shows and ...

Page 19: ...tions Alternatively groups might provide the same content in different forms such as multichannel and stereo Some DVD Audio discs may contain hidden groups that require a password for access Follow the instructions given on the disc Still images DVD Audio tracks often include still images called pages which are displayed while the disc is playing These images may include text or menu buttons Accor...

Page 20: ...te Press or Enter remote to play from the group number you have specified To display DVD Audio images Press Page Function on the remote or Page Function on the remote to step between the browsable images Note These functions will only work if the disc has been authored to allow browsing To display the Top Menu Press Top Menu on the remote The player will go to the disc menu if it exists To resume ...

Page 21: ...r track Press or front panel or remote to step through the track numbers until the display shows the track you want to play For example to play chapter 23 1 23 1 17 33 The on screen display shows the chapter or track number as you step After a short delay the chapter or track you have selected will start to play To locate a chapter or track by number Press Function Top Menu on the remote twice The...

Page 22: ...r Enter the title number using the number keys remote Press or Enter remote to play from the title number you have specified To play from a specified timecode Press Function Top Menu on the remote three times until the on screen display prompts for a timecode Enter the timecode using the number keys remote Press or Enter remote to play from the timecode you have specified ...

Page 23: ...e disc will resume playing from the position where you stopped playback and the on screen display shows To pause play Press front panel or remote The on screen display shows To step forward frame by frame If you are playing a DVD Video disc you can step forward frame by frame while it is paused Press front panel or remote The on screen display shows To continue after pausing Press front panel or r...

Page 24: ...t 10 Press Function A or V remote or under the front panel to change the selected setting You can change the contrast or brightness between 0 and 15 To change the displayed information Press Display remote or under the front panel Each time you press Display the display will step between the options shown in the following table Display option Example Source and volume DVD 65 Title chapter and elap...

Page 25: ... the information displayed for each disc format Disc Information DVD Video 1 Ì i Õ LiÀ ÌiÀ Õ LiÀ Ãi Ì Ì iÊÌ i iÀ i Þ i DVD Video 2 ÕLÌ Ì i Õ i Õ ÌÀ V Õ v À Ì i i Ì i Þ i Audio CD À V Õ LiÀ Ãi ÃVÊÌ i i i Ì i Þ i DVD Audio 1 À Õ Õ LiÀ À V Õ LiÀ Ãi À Õ ÊÌ i Þ i DVD Audio 2 Group number Track number Audio format Play mode Repeat mode MP3 audio CD LÕ Õ LiÀ À V Õ LiÀ Ãi ÌÀ V ÊÌ i i i Ì i Þ i The album n...

Page 26: ...vertical picture position For example X 0 Y 0 Press or to change the horizontal picture position and A or V to change the vertical picture position Each control can be varied between 30 and 30 Press Video or the red key on the remote to show the next video control The following table shows the full list of video controls Display Description X Y Horizontal and vertical picture position Film Film mo...

Page 27: ...n key on the remote which cycles through the following options Option Description 4x3 Typical VHS and broadcast TV 14x9LB 4x3 picture with black bars top and bottom enclosing a 14x9 image Typically BBC broadcasts in the UK 16x9LB 4x3 picture with black bars top and bottom enclosing a 16x9 image Typically for films on Laserdisc 16x9 16x9 picture filling the image Often called anamorphic Typically f...

Page 28: ... the DVD CD player These features are not essential if you simply want to enjoy DVD Video discs or audio CDs but they allow you to take full advantage of the range of options available with the DVD format Note that many of the advanced features depend on the content of the particular disc you are playing ...

Page 29: ...the Top Menu on the screen Press A V or to highlight a title or group and press Enter to select it The DVD CD player starts playback from chapter 1 of the title DVD Video disc or track 1 of the group DVD Audio disc you selected Alternatively press Return or Top Menu again remote or under the front panel to return to the original position on the disc To select an option from the disc menu Press Men...

Page 30: ...lay DVD Video discs or audio CDs faster than normal Press or remote during playback Each time you press the key the speed switches between twice and eight times normal speed as shown by the on screen display To play DVD Video discs in slow motion Press Slow Function on the remote during playback The speed switches between one half one quarter one eighth and one sixteenth normal speed as shown by t...

Page 31: ... no repeat The current repeat mode is displayed on the on screen display To repeat a specific section of a disc Press A B Function Repeat on the remote at the beginning of the section you want to play back repeatedly The on screen display shows A Press A B again at the end of the section The on screen display shows A B The DVD player automatically returns to the start of the section and plays it b...

Page 32: ...rmation Examples Soundtrack language when available ENG FRE GER SPA Soundtrack number and total number of soundtracks 2 3 Recording system LPCM MLP DD MPEG DTS To select the audio setting DVD Video Press Audio Function on the remote Each time you press Audio the next available soundtrack is selected To switch between stereo and multichannel DVD Audio Some DVD Audio discs allow you to switch betwee...

Page 33: ...blue key on the remote or Function Display under the front panel twice to display the second on screen display bar This gives the following information Information Examples Subtitle language when available ENG FRE GER SPA OFF Subtitle number and total number of languages 2 3 To select the subtitle language Press Function Subtitle remote Each time you press Function Subtitle the next subtitle langu...

Page 34: ... angle Press OSD Function blue key on the remote or Function Display under the front panel to display the first on screen display bar The camera angle icon shows the current camera angle and the total number of angles To select or change the camera angle Press Angle Function yellow key on the remote while viewing a scene with multiple camera angles Each time you press Angle the next camera angle i...

Page 35: ...eds a specified rating unless a password is entered You can operate the menus either using the remote or using the keys under the front panel To set the parental lock With the disc stopped press Setup The Setup menu is displayed on the on screen display Press Enter to select Playback options The Playback options menu appears Press V to highlight Rating and press Enter to select it ...

Page 36: ...as described in To change the password page 30 The following screen then allows you to set the rating level Press A or V to highlight the rating level you want to set or highlight Off to turn the parental lock off and press Enter to select it Level 1 corresponds to general viewing level 3 is equivalent to the USA movie rating PG and level 8 corresponds to adult viewing The rating level you have se...

Page 37: ... and press Enter to select it The following screen allows you to specify the new password Enter the four digit password you want to use and press Enter to select it The password cannot start with a zero Take care not to forget your password or you will need to contact your Meridian dealer to reset it for you ...

Page 38: ...CD player preamplifier features In addition to playing DVD discs and audio CDs the 800 Reference DVD CD Player can act as a controller for up to 11 other sources This chapter explains how to use these features from either the front panel or the MSR ...

Page 39: ... s The video input associated with each of the other sources depends on how the DVD CD player has been set up for more information refer to the Meridian Configuration Program Guide available separately To select a source Press Source under the front panel until the display shows the source you want or press the appropriate source key on the remote eg CD The display shows the source and volume sett...

Page 40: ...nt to doubling the loudness The current volume setting is displayed in dB on the front panel display and can be varied in the range 1 to 99dB To change the volume Press Gain or Gain under the front panel or the red A or V keys on the remote As you adjust the volume setting the display shows the current volume level For example DVD 65 To mute the sound Press Mute under the front panel or remote The...

Page 41: ...CD Balance 0 Press Function A or V remote or under the front panel to move the listening position The display shows the direction and position of the listening position For example CD Balance 3 The arrow indicates the direction and the number indicates the position where 0 is central 8 is in line with the corresponding main speaker and 10 is fully to one side To change the absolute phase Press Fun...

Page 42: ...are capable of providing a wide range of options and special features This chapter explains how use the options on the Setup menu to configure the operation of the 800 Reference DVD CD Player You can operate the menus using either the remote or the keys under the front panel ...

Page 43: ...btitle and menu languages parental rating and screensaver Information The region code and engineering information You choose the menu of settings you want from the main Setup menu To display the Setup menu If necessary switch on the DVD player and press if a disc is currently playing Press Setup The main Setup menu will be displayed To select an option from a menu Press A or V to highlight the opt...

Page 44: ...PREFACE 37 CONFIGURING DISC OPTIONS To return to the previous menu Press Return To exit from the setup menus Press Setup ...

Page 45: ...n display or an external processor for picture formats If you have a standard 4 3 television you also have the choice of displaying widescreen pictures cropped to fill your television screen pan scan or with black bars above and below the picture letterbox Highlight Display aspect in the Video setup menu and press Enter The Display aspect ratio menu is displayed Press V or A to select the format o...

Page 46: ...To select the black level for NTSC Highlight Black level in the Video setup menu and press Enter The Black level menu is displayed Press V or A to highlight the appropriate option and press Enter If you are using the Composite or S video outputs of the DVD player you should usually select the 7 5 IRE option If you are using the Component outputs select the option that matches your display If you u...

Page 47: ...th PAL and NTSC television formats The 800 DVD CD Player is capable of converting between formats to allow you to view DVD movies in either format even if your television is not capable of displaying that format However the conversion process introduces some picture degradation and may disable disc menu operation on some discs Highlight TV standard in the Video setup menu and press Enter The TV st...

Page 48: ...ghlight Screensaver in the Video setup menu and press Enter The Screensaver options menu is displayed These options allow you to ensure that a static image does not remain on the display this can damage certain types of display The Stop timeout automatically fades the screen to black if the 800 DVD CD Player is left in stop mode and no key is pressed for the specified time The Pause timeout automa...

Page 49: ...the logo screen Highlight Logo screen in the Screensaver options menu and press Enter The Logo screen intensity menu allows you to select between High Low or Off To set the scaler options These specify how the interlaced video signal from the DVD should be upconverted to the HDMI and component outputs Highlight Scaler setup in the Video setup menu and press Enter ...

Page 50: ...or 1 1 If the picture has poor detail in the dark areas choose a Gamma correction below 1 0 If the picture has poor detail in the light areas choose a Gamma correction greater than 1 0 The Sharpness can be set to Off Low Medium or High It adds edge detail but can cause picture artefacts Gamma correction and Sharpness only affect the analogue outputs Display aspect allows you to perform aspect rati...

Page 51: ...played Press A or V to highlight the setting you want to change and press Enter The HDMI mode can be set DVI or HDMI Only choose DVI if you are connecting to a DVI input using a suitable adaptor cable The Colour space can be set to RGB or YCrCb Meridian Comms determines whether Meridian Comms is supplied on the HDMI cable and can be set to No or Yes ...

Page 52: ...and press Enter to confirm the setting Main outputs specifies the setting for the main multichannel outputs Aux output specifies the setting for the auxiliary output Select No if you are connecting the specified output to an external decoder and you want the external decoder to decode the bitstream for example Dolby Digital DTS etc Select Yes if you want the 800 DVD CD Player to convert the audio ...

Page 53: ...gher rates it will be downsampled to the rate you have specified To specify Meridian High Resolution MHR Highlight MHR in the Audio setup menu and press Enter The following menu is displayed Meridian High Resolution is a proprietary format using encryption and anti copy methods that allows secure transfer of audio streams between elements of a Meridian only system for the purpose of playback only ...

Page 54: ...ollowing menu is displayed Press V or A to select between No and Yes and press Enter Only select Yes if your decoder can accept a multichannel input To specify Dolby Digital compression This option is useful for reducing the dynamic range of Dolby Digital soundtracks such as when watching a film late at night Highlight DD compression in the Audio setup menu and press Enter The following menu is di...

Page 55: ...nguage Most DVD Video discs include a selection of soundtrack languages English is usually the default soundtrack language but you can use the Audio language menu to set a different default language if you prefer Highlight Audio in the Playback options menu and press Enter The Audio language menu is displayed Press A or V to highlight the default soundtrack language you want to use or select Origi...

Page 56: ...nu and press Enter The Subtitle language menu is displayed Press A or V to highlight the language you want to use and press Enter Alternatively select Auto to automatically display subtitles in the specified audio language if no soundtrack is available for that language To select the disc menu language The 800 DVD CD Player allows you to choose the language for the disc menus Highlight Menu in the...

Page 57: ...f the world are divided into regions 1 to 6 as shown in the following diagram 1 USA Canada 4 Australia Central South America 2 Europe Near East South Africa Japan 5 Africa Asia Eastern Europe 3 South East Asia 6 People s Republic of China If you try to play a disc which is assigned to the incorrect region code then either a special screen or the following warning will be displayed If your 800 Refe...

Page 58: ...st standard configurations of outputs and sources using just the front panel controls and MSR For complete control over all aspects of the DVD CD player s configuration it is recommended that you set up the unit using the Meridian Configuration Program for full information see the Meridian Configuration Program Guide available separately ...

Page 59: ...e main decoder or to a second zone with a suitable Meridian decoder Choose one of the Types 3 4 or 5 if you want to connect the auxiliary output to a non Meridian decoder or preamplifier Choose one of the Types 0 1 3 or 4 if you are connecting the main output to a multichannel decoder input Types 1 or 4 can also be used to connect the main outputs to DSP loudspeakers Choose Type 2 to connect the m...

Page 60: ...rt delay the display shows the current Type For example Type 3 Press A or V on the front panel to change the Type number The display shows Typing please wait Wait for one second and then put the DVD CD player into standby by pressing Off front panel or remote Switch on again to use the standard settings you have selected Setting up the DVD CD player with other Meridian equipment If you are using t...

Page 61: ... setup does not give the configuration you want restore the default operation by selecting one of the standard Types see Choosing a standard setting page 52 If you are using the 800 with an 861 the 861 will be designated as Controller and the 800 will be configured as Not Controller If you are using the 800 with an 861 we recommend you set 800 present in the 861 configuration see the Meridian Conf...

Page 62: ...55 RIVE 2EPEAT RIVE 6 FF ERIDIAN Glossary ...

Page 63: ...channel which is band limited to 120Hz Dolby Surround The encoding system used for the majority of movies on video and many TV broadcasts Dolby Surround encoded material can be replayed with a surround decoder connected to an array of loudspeakers which normally include at least left centre right and rear surround DTS Digital Theatre Systems originally produced digital audio tracks for motion pict...

Page 64: ...us The flexible system for choosing options and configuring settings in Meridian products On the 800 the menus are controlled by the A and V keys on the front panel or MSR MHR Meridian High Resolution is a proprietary secure encoding format using encryption and anti copy methods that allows secure transfer of audio streams between elements of a Meridian only system for the purpose of playback only...

Page 65: ...erimpose on the video image to give information about the disc PCM Pulse Code Modulation the method used to encode music digitally as used on audios CDs Source An input to the system such as CD or TV The Meridian 500 and 800 Series provide 12 named sources corresponding to the names of the 12 source keys on the MSR In the 800 you can choose the label displayed for each source and the input used fo...

Page 66: ...udio format 45 disc menu 22 display front panel 17 on screen 18 Display aspect ratio menu 38 display settings 38 Dolby Digital compression 47 DVD Audio discs 12 DVD Video discs 14 F fast play 23 front panel display 17 front panel keys 8 G glossary 55 H HDMI connecting to 44 HDMI options 44 horizontal picture position changing 19 hue changing 19 I Information menu 36 inserting a disc 11 L language ...

Page 67: ...u 28 36 slow motion play 23 sound muting 33 soundtracks selecting 25 soundtrack languages 48 selecting default 48 sources 32 selecting 32 specification 5 standard settings selecting 53 standby switching to 10 stepping forward frame by frame 16 stopping play 16 subtitles 26 closed caption 40 displaying current settings 26 selecting languages 26 setting the default language 49 turning on or off 26 Su...