Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Axiom Pre/Pro Wishlist

I figured we should have a thread discussing features we'd like to see on the upcoming Axiom pre/pro, assuming its development doesn't get stalled at some point. It seems like it would be a very big undertaking, especially given how fast things move in that space. I don't know if they intend to fully embrace the latest and greatest A/V formats or simply provide solid performance of what's been firmly established.

As for me, I'd like to see a GUI that you can view through the HDMI connection, rather than needing to switch to an analog connection like on my current Onkyo receiver. Probably a tall request, but it's a pain, and it defeats one of the points of HDMI when you have to have another connection just to tweak settings. True, you can access the same settings going by just the front read-out, but that can be harder to decipher. Soooo... a snazzy semi-transparent overlay would be cool, but I won't hold my breath, as I don't really know how hard that is to do. Is ANYONE doing that over HDMI right now? I know Sony was showing off what would be their new interface a while ago, but was that able to sit on top of the image on a digital connection? I don't know. I don't really have a lot of experience with the latest user interfaces on receivers and pre/pros.

Customizable audio and video presets for each input. It would be nice to choose what audio/video processing, if any, should be applied, conveniently, with a minimum of button presses. I'm sure a lot of people have specific ways they want to view or listen to their material, but based on what kind of media it is and which player they're playing it on. It would be nice to have that level of customization, and what would be even cooler is the ability to back up those settings to a file on your computer (network functionality) in case you need to reset the unit.

Those are just two things to think about off the top of my head. Now that the ball's rolling, what would the rest of you want to see in a pre/pro?

My current Yamaha receiver reverts to the last surround mode for each input, which I like.

Since I am constantly playing with my sub and center levels, it would be nice to have dedicated + and - buttons on the remote for each of those. (Currently, I have to scroll through menu's.)

Built-in network connectivity for streaming music from a computer, server, or iPod. (With on-screen display of music library, and full control from remote)

Connections for remote IR sensors. This facilitates AV closets and 2nd zones.

1) Stereo subwoofer option. Subwoofer L/R outputs can be configured in either mono or stereo mode. In mono mode, the LFE channel is combined with the output from the other channels, and the sum is low-passed at the crossover frequency set for the main, center, and surrounds. In stereo mode, the left subwoofer receives low-frequencies from the center and front/surround left channels. The right subwoofer receives its low frequencies from the center and front/surround right channels. The LFE channel is directed to both subwoofers, and the sum is low-passed in the same manner as the mono configuration.

2) Analog 5.1/6.1/7.1/8.1 inputs that can be bypassed without processing or digitized with ADCs for bass management and use of proprietary processing, if present.

3) Upgrade capabilty for both hardware (such as installing a PCI card) and software (such as firmware upgrade through RS-232 or other port) to make it futureproof.

Will add more later.

John

I've always thought that a sleep and wake timer would be really easy and inexpensive to add, but of course I'm no engineer. There are so many nights when I could lull myself to sleep in front of my Axioms....

Get yourself a Clapper, problem solved

I’ll have to think about this some more, but this is just off the top of my head for now……..

I would like to see a pre/pro without ANY video processing included. Or, if this is a market required piece to justify the desired sales point, do it right. Contract with Pixel Magic, Lumagen, SI or ABT and give the user all the features and capabilities that a stand alone Video Processor has; similar to what Anthem has done with their D2. But preferably, I’d rather not include this. It’s usually blundered. The video processor (if included) should have the ability to build and set up input profiles for each source and also output profiles. This would include deinterlacing mode (film/video/ and all cadence locks), aspect ratio profiles, output resolution and format including 24/48/60/72/25/50 Hz, gamma controls, Cue Correction, Brightness, Contrast, Color Space and sync, Saturation, Hue….etc

If a VP is to be included, the processor should have 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs / 2 HDMI 1.3 outputs. Both outputs assignable with a discrete IR command to toggle between the two and the option to also have both live. It should also have one SD/SDI and two HD/SDI inputs.

If the VP is not to be included, 3 HDMI inputs / 1 HDMI output (both 1.3)

Three each Component, S-vid, Coax inputs, one component output.

Two, 8 channel direct inputs.

High end DACs for each channel. (Bur Brown, Crystal, Wolf...)

Complete audio format support up two 9 channels (including DTS-M, DD-HD and Multi-channel PCM)

THX Ultra 2 surround processing in addition to DTS, DD, Logic-7 and Circle

Un-molested video stream pass through option for 1080P/24 sources.

GIU on screen display that is overlaid on the video stream at any resolution.

USB input for media sources and firmware update (or possibly even Ethernet).

Independently assignable audio format and extended surround mode to any input. The user should also be able to select that particular format globally if desired. Whatever selected should be the default format and not change unless changed manually.

The user should be able to adjust the LFE and channel levels for the direct inputs separately from the standard digital inputs. The M-channel PCM inputs should also be independently adjustable.

Audysey Pro compatible with the latest (non pro) Audysey EQ programming available.

All channels should have their own user selectable X-over points in 5 db increments from 40 to 100, and 10 db up to 160. The LFE should have the option to set Sub only, Sub + mains and Sub + all.

Two LFE outputs for using two subs. Each should have the option to set X-over and trim independently.

A quiet cooling fan.

PC programmable remote with IR/RF.

9 Channel Balanced outputs.

User configurable Display with input naming.

I user manual that is easy to read and understand. (or how about a DVD to to along with it)

Ha ha, now we're getting somewhere. Great suggestions, everyone. At the end of this thread we'll create a master list and measure Axiom's product against this impossible ideal. No pressure, Axiom!

Mike, just curious; did you get your "Last" setting for surround mode working per the manual?