I think it best that we get this point out of the way first even though
it was brought up later in your discussion post below.
Firstly I don't have anything personal against you or anyone else buying
a Soundbar, I'll be doing exactly the same for my Den and I'll come to
that in a moment.
My Denon AVR2113 better than your Soundbar? Well it is, in fact its far
better than just about every Soundbar on the market these days, there ar
some Soundbars that would probably match it at around $2500 but that's a
hell of a lot of money which most people just don't or won't spend on a
Soundbar.
I'm researching Soundbars now and all I've seen have specifications that
most dedicated Surround-Sound receivers say for $1000 Australian or
around 500 pounds would put to same but I do appreciate very much that
different people and different circumstances call for different
equipment, if this weren't in fact the case then the Soundbar wouldn't sell.
So what Soundbar will I get? More than likely the Yamaha which gets good
reviews, I can download all the support material I'll ever need
including manuals, supplemental documentation, firmware updates and the
like quite easily from the Yamaha web site.
Second to this the Yamaha Soundbar I'm looking at has 3 different Apps
for IOS and Android which are all accessible, how do I know this?
Because each App has a ""Demo" mode, you can try the App as if you were
using a yamaha system.
The Yamaha - like the Denon - can be completely integrated into a
network so anything - whether it be iTunes material, Airplay, Bluetooth
streaming, DLNA, music subscription services etc - can be played, even
HD material, Netflix and so on.
Much of what you've outlined about the Apple TV isn't at all new and I
don't know why you've mentioned Airfoil here as the user has always had
AirPlay capabilities - whether streaming from or streaming to - the
Apple TV though the forth Generation works on a different principle than
any previous generation did, you download Apps to it and here's where
the difficulty may arise, some Apps may not be accessible though this
would equally apply to the Neo.
Again I remind you, its Google Talkback you want for the Neo, you'll
never be able to put Samsung Voice Assist onto the Neo <smile>
I had planned to do some work with my Banana Pi which would have
involved installing Google Talkback from a memory card but of course all
the best laid plans are the one's that are ruined so that's going to
have to wait but I will detail how that process all went.
And finally, lucky? Well certainly not, I'm no luckier than anyone else,
all I want is good bang for my buck and something I'm going to enjoy for
years to come and the Denon AVR2113 has and will certainly achiev those
two goals I have in mind. I've had the receiver now for 3 and a half
years and every day I turn the machine on to just enjoy and even now I'm
occasionally discovering something I didn't know about the equipment or
some long lost forgotten feature I overlooked.
I know another list member who has the Denon model up from mine and I'm
sure he could attest to much of what I've written about here when it
comes to accessibility of the machines.
And finally I reckon you're absolutely spot-on when it comes to
Panasonic equipment and its a great shame, 15 years ago I remember
buying and recommending Panasonic equipment as the quality and
performance of their equipment back then was.. well.. whilst not at the
top of the tree.. was still very good. Just about every Panasonic item
I've seen lately would be consigned to the junk heap if I had my way,
the only reasonable item from Panasonic I've seen in recent times is a
Portable Digital Radio they make which runs true to the name of
Panasonic portable radio sets, good performance and very reasonable sound.
On 24/09/2016 3:56 PM, Gordon Smith wrote:
Since this topic started on list, I am reactivating the original topic
for broader discussion by others.
I have mine working now and I’m very happy with it. I did, believe e
it or not, know most everything about the system before I bought it.
After all, the concept of Apple TV is hardly new. But the
implementation has changed significantly. For a start, the device
acts as an air-play centre, IN EFFECT, for MY network. Now, I can
stream from my computer, for example, to my HD/3D TV here in the
lounge, using AppleTV as a hub for the video or audio material.
Because the device itself is totally accessible, and can use your
iTunes library, all of the data stored in that library when home
sharing is enabled is accessible to me on the AppleTV regardless of
its content. No need for AirFoil or any other third-party utility.
Of course, I am very aware that the iTunes system does present some
very obvious disadvantages, and yes, I am mindful of those. However,
in my case, they don’t affect me too much at the moment since I have
other avenues to explore which give me access to those formats and
that content which iTunes does not support
When I chose my model, I opted, quite deliberately, for the 64GB
model. Given the difference in price between the two options, I
considered it better value for money than the 32GB model. The 32GB
model is priced in the UK at £139.99 Sterling. The 64GB model is
priced at £179.99 Sterling. Therefore, there’s not a lot of point
buying the 32GB model in my humble opinion.
Regarding research etc., yes, you were fortunate. Not everybody is
quite so, so they have to do the best they can. In my own case, I was
aware of most all information regarding my Sound Bar before I bought
it. Yes, UI asked questions of people I know, and I did a little bit
of net research myself. I went to my local store and had a look at
their offerings. The Samsung sound bar I bought appealed to me
particularly even though the salesman thought I should buy the
Panasonic equipment. The reason? Well, put simply, the Panasonic TV
talks, whilst the Samsung does not. However, the speech on the
Panasonic system is limited, sluggish, not at all responsive and in
some places doesn’t ’t work at all. Functionally, the Panasonic
doesn’t allow for much expansion. You also have to use their
equipment, and there are other drawbacks, as I see things.
Therefore, I opted to go online and buy the system I wanted. Yes, it
is true that it doesn’t all have accessible setup, not as far as I’m
aware, at any rate. But the sound bar is simple enough to use without
the need for all the additional stuff.
I confess my ignorance regarding to one issue, and that being the
answer to a quite simple question. Why would a receiver such as you
referenced in your original post be of more benefit than a system such
as mine? I personally have absolutely no regrets whatever regarding my
purchase. The only item I haven’t been able to get going yet is my Neo
box. Somebody recommended that b box as an accessible solution. Once
I get Voice Assistant installed, and I think I know how to do that now
actually, then I should be almost ready to go. I’m not suggesting that
will give me total access, but it certainly won’t do any harm. ;-)
But again, why mess around with all that extra connectivity if I don’t
need it? Actually, if I do need additional HDMI connectivity, no
problem, I have a four-port HDMI buffered switch which would work just
fine. But since my TV and Sound Bar talk to each other without the
need for HDMI or any other wired connectivity, and since my DVD
player/HD recorder/BluRay player joins the party as a wireless device
as well, the only reason I need HDmI at all is for the satellite box
and the AppleTV.
Given that, when I turn on the AppleTV, it switches my TV to that HDMI
port, and the TV relays the signal to the Sound Bar, no need for
additional cables there either. I confess that a LAN connectivity
solution would benefit me greatly here in the lounge, and that’s
something I’m working to rectify.
My player also handles “SACD” content, and also it is possible to
connect my Samsung phones to all of the Samsung devices. I haven’t
explored that yet but I’m told that there is an app in the Play Store
which would effectively turn my phones into talking remotes.
So, now to address the only real remaining issue, as I see it. That
being the interface to the Neo box. I’m hopeful that I’ll have that
sorted within the not too distant future. But even if I don’t, it
won’t break my heart. ;-)
The remote for the AppleTV is a real step forwards in the case of
Apple. The remote, as well as the unit itself, has a microphone, so
one can use the BlueTooth 4.0 technology to take advantage of SIRI and
once you learn the command set, (which is another task I think I’ll
have nailed down soon) one can browse one’s content just by pressing
and holding a button on the remote, and talking to it, all from the
comfort of one’s luxurious leather reclining armchair, in my case.
Also, I think it is possible to interface an Apple keyboard to the
device via BlueTooth. That will allow for more convenient input when
the need arises. I confess that I don’t much enjoy using the
point’n’click interface. Not, at least, for entering text. I can do
it, don’t get me wrong. But I often find it tedious to use that kind
of keyboard if there’s a conventional option available.
So, anyway, once I get to grips with the above-mentioned tasks, I
should have a system which does everything I would ask of it, with the
one exception. That being the lack of an accessible recorder. That
said, using the iOS or Android-based “Sky Go” application, it is
possible to access the sky box. So maybe even that goal isn’t too far
out of my reach either. But I confess that it would have been
excellent had the Samsung DVD/BluRayt system I have had presented an
accessible interface. But again, that said, the way we watch TV over
here in the UK has changed radically over the last couple of years,
especially since everything went digital.
Most people now have some kind of catch-up TV or on-demand TV system.
All UK channels now offer that kind of online access, including the
BBC and ITV networks. Another option I’m looking at is a system called
“FreeSat”. Basically it is a free-to-air satellite system. There are
a lot of services available on FreeSat these days which is why I’m
interested. Now that I have the sole use of my lounge, I may consider
installing a FreeSat dish on the external wall, which would give me
that facility as well. So the world of TV is a big wide market place
these days here in the UK. HD and 3D TV is also a reality, although
the latter does not present any appeal to me since it’s only a visual
attribute. That having been said, I’m given to understand that there
are developments in the pipeline which will, if rolled out, give us 3D
audio as well as video. From what I’m told, 3D audio would surpass
quite easily the kind of surround sound systems we have today.
Actually, I’m told that surround sound receivers are a bit old hat
these days.
Anyway, enough waffle.
======================================
My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971
————————————————————
On 20 Sep 2016, at 01:24, Dane Trethowan <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
the below message illustrates the point I think as to how very
important it is that we research the equipment as best as is possible
before we buy.
I have a Denon AVR-2113 Surround-Sound receiver here and I know what
every button on that receiver does, I know where every HDMI or other
input connections are but more importantly I know just how to
activate those connections so - whatever device I connect - I can get
that device going.
Of course I was particularly lucky, the store I bught my Denon from
offered me 3 hours with a professional installer so I took the
opportunity to have him show me everything about the receiver and I
asked every question I could possibly think of asking whilst taking
notes.
My receiver is one of those with a HTML Interface that gives me
complete control over the receivers configuration and I'll explain
some aspects of this as best I can.
The receiver has quite a few inputs, 6 HDMI, 2 Digital Audio and 4
analogue type inputs, not much by today's standards but enough for
most people.
Now suppose I select Input 1 from the remote controller, I can then
go into the Configuration and actually configure the receiver and
tell it what ports to assign to input 1, say HDMI port number two,
Digital Input 1 and Analogue Input 3 thus if there's no signal from
HDMI port 2 the input then switches to Digital Input 1 and if there's
no signal there then Input number one then switches to Analog Input 3.
You can go further by assigning a name for input number one, you
ccould call it something meaningful like "Apple TV". You can also
adjust the levels of input number one if required but I won't make
this sound any more complex that it may be sounding right now <smile>.
So what this all means is that if I have a device like a Neo or Apple
TV connected I know exactly what buttons to press to gain access to
that device.
Another trick I normally employ - just to set up a device or make
sure its working correctly - is to use the Aux port on the front of
my receiver for first time connections, once I'm sure everything is
working with an Apple TV for example I connect it to one of the main
ports of the receiver.
Just my two cents worth on this.
