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Posted By: demetman Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 05:06 AM
Hello, I just recieved the Denon 3808 receiver and have some questions. This is my first receiver which will be soon mated with an Epic 60/500. I purchased the receiver from 6thave for $1148 shipped, plus $73.00 tax because I live in NJ. My initial thoughts are to send this thing right back and get something much less complicated. I had no idea even after several months of research, that this thing would be so complicated to use. My wife now wants to package me up and send me away after fiddeling with this thing for over 5 hours and not getting anywhere with it.

Do you guys have any suggestions on where to start with this thing? Do I need to attempt to download firmware updates or is this only recommended when an issue arrises. The manual states very little info regarding firmware updates and even says updates must be purchased! I could never comprehend out of the pocket expenses related to a product default. Could you guys help set me straight with this receiver?

As I already mentioned, this is my first receiver and my first HT project. I purchased the Denon based on everyone's rave reviews on this forum. Thanks for any replies.

Demetrios
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 05:16 AM
Demetrios, since this is your first receiver, just relax and take a deep breath--setting up a home theater can be seemingly complicated the first time.

Even though the Denon manuals can be difficult to understand, take an opportunity to flip through it, maybe paying particular attention to the hook up guides. That's probably going to be the hardest part--figuring out what plugs in where.

Believe me, the 3808 is a pretty slick receiver, don't give up on it. Many board members here have it and can help you out with whatever problem or question you may have.

Patience!! You'll get through this. \:\)
Posted By: HomeDad Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 05:16 AM
Demitrios, no need to worry you have an excellent receiver and there will be an abundance of help from forum members for you. The Denon manuals are typically difficult to decipher unless read at least 5 times.
Post whatever specific problems you are having with your setup, you will get enough help so that in no time you'll have it up and running how you want.
Posted By: JohnK Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 05:33 AM
Demetrios, the first point is that there's no good reason to be even thinking about updates at this time; they're intended to correct relatively minor performance problems which may be experienced and don't relate to basic setup.

We'll try to help, but maybe if you described what you did in attempting to follow the manual and what stopped you, it would give us more to work with.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 09:05 AM
I wouldn't worry about the firmware updates right now(they are free), just hook up everything first, then try your hand at navigating through the GUI, once you get used to finding different items look for the autosetup section. Plug in the supplied microphone into the receiver and let the program do its thing. After it is done you should be able to watch a movie or listen to some cds with a reasonably accurate calibrated system.
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/10/08 04:33 PM
Ditto that... the receiver has gobs of options, but you need very few of them to get a functioning system that will power amazing sound through your setup.

If you have specific questions about getting it up and running, just post them here and we'll guide you through them. Once you have it working, it really is pretty simple for day to day use. My wife manages it (with a little training initially), I'm sure yours can too once you rule out the 87 buttons you'll rarely need and focus on the 5-10 you will. \:\)

Jason
Posted By: demetman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:12 AM
I couldn't get any audio from my TV when I tested the Denon. It was hooked up to a dated Kenwood KR-V5570 receiver and a pair of JBL LX-22 bookshelf speakers. I simply unpluged the coaxial cables from the Kenwood and inserted the Denon. I played a CD and got sound but it seemed as if I needed to much volume to achieve any sound(-30db achieved moderate spl). The sound needed a boost in bass but I couldn't out how to access the trebel,bass etc. Maybe I'm just not used to the -db thing and the way the Denon amplifies the source signal. Does this level sound about right? I ordered HDMI cables through monoprice and an HDMI comcast cable box today and will try again when they both arrive.

demetrios
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:15 AM
The volume level on the Denon seems about right. For two channel stuff I'm usually in the 30s somewhere and for movies in the teens or 20s.
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:54 AM
Ditto that on the volume for me... -30 is generally mid-level volume depending on source material. I prefer to watch movies around -20 to -15... -10 is generally ear blasting demo level for movies.
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:55 AM
By the way, why was the Denon hooked up to another receiver? I don't follow that line of connections, seems like you should be able to pull the Kenwood from the mix once the Denon is running.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:58 AM
No, I think he unhooked the Kenwood and moved the cable right over to the Denon.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 02:45 PM
Hey guys, I've successfully got my 3808 hooked up/set up and I'm encountering a problem which happens when watching DVDs, my Denon momentarily (for a second or two) switches and input source or something and there is no audio playback for that short duration but there is still a video. It's hard to explain but when it does happen the receiver makes a "clicking" noise like it's switching inputs and the display on the receiver switches from DVD Dolby Digital two something else (not sure what it says) and then back to DVD Dolby Digital and everything is fine. I originally thought it was a problem with the first DVD that I tried but it happens on virtually every single DVD. Does anyone have any ideas what might be happening?

Thanks
Cam
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 03:09 PM
Cam, do you have it hooked up via HDMI?

I don't remember if my Denon does that. My HK 7200 did. There was a delay everytime it switched to a different audio format. Mainly going from a DVD menu to the movie.
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 04:03 PM
Yeah, at what point is it happening, Cam? Randomly during the movie, or going between menus and movie? My H/K 525 does that like crazy.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 05:00 PM
I second Ken's question. My 3808 will switch from DPL II to EX when the menu's are up and then when the movie starts it makes the switch as it senses the different signals.
Posted By: HomeDad Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 07:34 PM
My 4806 does it also when switching signal types, usually during DVD's going from previews to the menu and again to the movie itself.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:10 PM
Thanks again for the quick responses guys, it's doing it during the movie. There is just a "click" sound from the receiver and the display switches but I never catch it until it switches back to say Dolby Digital if that's what the original source was during movie playback.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:12 PM
Sorry, forgot to mention that I'm still on SD, so no it's not hooked up via HDMI.

Thanks
Posted By: EFalardeau Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:12 PM
Does it do it exactly once? It could be a problem with the player when it switches layer on a dual-layer DVD?
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:37 PM
Yes it does do it exactly once and I thought that that might be the reason also because my previous receiver (3801) was hooked up the same way to the same DVD player and there would just be a momentary pause in the video and audio but the receiver wouldn't "click" as mentioned above, so I thought it would be something different i.e. within the receiver.
Posted By: EFalardeau Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:43 PM
Then there is just glitch in the handshake between the 2 devices. Is it really loud or something easy to live with?
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 09:58 PM
It's not loud but it is audible. It's as loud as the receiver sounds when it switches inputs etc. which it must be doing or something similar because the display changes also. More of an annoyance really because the movie is interrupted and it is noticeable as other people have seen it happen and immediately inquired about it.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 10:02 PM
Kinda sounds like the layer change on the disc. That bugs me about my Toshiba. My previous Denon 2900 eliminated the pause with some kind of stored memory, or something.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 10:34 PM
Sounds like the layer break causing issues with your DVD player and the Denon is losing the signal. You could try to copy errr back up the DVDs which will eliminate the layer break to see if that is in fact the problem
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 10:59 PM
If it is the layer break causing the problem which seems to be the likeliest reason, I will be asking myself how could I take one step back (or wheel back ) when purchasing a receiver that should easily outperform the one it's replacing.

Frustrating

I will try your backup suggestion Jason.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 11:21 PM
I see it more as a problem with the signal the DVD player is sending to the receiver
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/11/08 11:22 PM
Cam, maybe one of your friends can come over with a DVD player to temporarily hook up to your Denon and see if it replicates the problem?
Posted By: EFalardeau Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 12:22 AM
Quite honestly, I think the player is more to blame than the 3808. Experiment is in order, but since the player is likely the cheapest device, then this would be good news! \:\)
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 09:23 AM
That is what I am getting at. The player is having problems with the layer break and this interrupts the signal to the receiver long enough for the Denon to change modes. If the back up copy with out layer breaks doesn't have the signal drop out then Cam gets to go DVD player shopping.

I had a similar problem as he is describing with a Sony DVD player back in 2003 when I first got into HT. I ended up buying a top of the line Samsung and it has worked great for me.
Posted By: MarkSJohnson Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 12:31 PM
 Originally Posted By: jakewash
The player is having problems with the layer break and this interrupts the signal to the receiver long enough for the Denon to change modes.


Is it possible to "lock on" the mode of the receiver?
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 01:49 PM
I believe I forgot to mention that I noticed a pause on dual layer discs when I had the same DVD player hooked up to my 3801 but the audio and video would pause for a second and nothing would happen with the receiver. Apparently my 3808 notices a loss in signal faster than the 3801 which causes it to "click" and change inputs or what ever it is doing and then reverting back to the original audio format. I have another DVD player (Hitachi DVP745U) which is newer but I would believe is of lesser quality than my Sony five disc DVD carousel (8 years old) hooked up downstairs also so I will give it a try. Does anyone know if there is any way to tell at what point on a DVD the layer is overlapped short of watching it again?

Mark, I will look into the possibility of a setting like you are talking about.

Thanks guys
Cam
Posted By: michael_d Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 03:31 PM
Not positive, but the "click" may occur with analogue. What audio input to the 3808 are you using?

I do not hear any click whatsoever. I have everything going into the 3808 via HDMI with the exception of my SDI modified DVD player and its audio input is coax.

The delay however is normal. The 3808 needs to re-sync to the different audio formats. It's a continuous delay, start, delay, start when watching HD or BR as they go through the previews (Disney Spam is the worse).
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 04:31 PM
Interesting that you ask what input I am using because on my 3801 I was connecting my DVD player via coaxial digital (pretty sure anyway) but now it's connected via SPDIF. Maybe that is making a difference. Is there any audible difference between digital coaxial and SPDIF? I was under the impression that SPDIF is the best input to use with exception to HDMI.
Posted By: EFalardeau Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/12/08 04:40 PM
Your digital coaxial was also using the SPDIF link lay protocol.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 02:25 PM
Well apparently it is the dual layer on DVDs giving me problems as you guys had suggested. I have another question though regarding subwoofer setup with the 3808. First off, I ran the auto setup and then manually went through to my configurations and had to change my front left/right speakers to small from large and change my subwoofer frequency to 80 Hz and I left it set at LFE instead of LFE + Main. I am noticing a huge difference in bass output from my previous receiver 3801 that I set up with a SPL meter. It just sounds like I'm losing an awful lot on the bottom end. I don't only notice it in the room while playing music but I also notice it far more upstairs while playing music, there's just not as much bass (bottom end). With my previous setup (3801) my whole floor would shake and lower frequencies were far more noticeable but I'm losing it for some reason. The question I have is what's going on \:\) but seriously is it possible that the EQ could be causing this? I'm really confused as to what could cause me to lose those lower frequencies.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again guys/gals
Cam
Posted By: Murph Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 02:45 PM
I'll leave details to any actual 3808 owners but somethings I'd be checking on my 3608 are...

Did you run both the autosetup and the autoEQ feature. If so, turn the EQ off and compare. I could never get the sound I wanted from the autoEQ feature.

Make sure it didn't accidentally switch to some EQ preset by accident. Worst sound I ever heard was when I somehow accidentally set my EQ to "Flat". Flat is obviously not the same as having the EQ turned off.

Speakers set to small with a crossover of 80 sounds good for my liking but double check the sub distance settings and the sub volume adjustment in the speaker setup. The auto-Setup often messes this one up as it has a hard time with DSP controlled subs. It had mine turned way down, if I remember correctly.

Double check that your knobs on the back of the sub are where you expect them to be. I know it's a "duh" thing to tell you but you never know whos fingers might have gotten back there.

When all is double checked, break out the SPL meter again and remember that SPL meters don't always work the best with LFE. Most are not designed to be accurate down at those frequencies although many people do use them for this.

I tweaked my sub by ear to find a more suitable sound for my tastes.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 03:25 PM
Cam, it seems the autosetup sets the bass levels much too low for most of our tastes. I had to bump my 3808 up 5db to achieve a satisfactory level. You should bring out the SPL meter and try setting up the subwoofer levels using it or just use your ear to get a setting that you like. The LFE setting means you will not be using the sub for music, only for the LFE channel during movies so I would suggest using the LFE + Mains setting, it is early for me so I might be to quote a certain baseball player "mis-remembering".
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 04:32 PM
Jakewash,

I believe what we discovered is that with the sub setting set to LFE, you will still hhear your sub for music IF your mains are set to small and you are listening in "stereo"

if you change the mode to "direct" or "pure direct", or if you set the mains to large, then you will not get any bass from the SW when set to "LFE"

LFE+mains simply sends the bass signal to both the sub and the mains (even when it is set to large). the only bass that gets sent to the sub are the frequencies below your the crossover poitn set for your mains.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 04:46 PM
Murph, the only setup that I ran was the auto setup, I thought auto EQ was part of that setup. Looking at the manual it only shows one auto setup feature and it's called the Audyssey multi-EQ XT. I did just notice in the manual that it states "when using a subwoofer to defeat the volume and crossover controls if possible", or set the volume to "12 o'clock" position, crossover frequency to "maximum/highest frequency", low pass filter "off" and standby mode to "off", which I did not do before running the auto setup so I don't know if this would be the contributing factor to my problem. I will also bring out the SPL meter and test everything.

Jason, if I set the receiver subwoofer setting to LFE + Mains won't my front l/r channels will be reproducing LFE as well? I thought it was better to use the subwoofer exclusively because that's its job :-) and it can push more air etc., at least I think I learnt that somewhere on the forum.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 05:03 PM
Also guys, I will not be able to make any changes or give you any feedback until this weekend because I'm stuck in bed until then, but the more suggestions the merrier and I will try to answer any setup questions as best I can from memory :-).

Thanks again pals
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 05:53 PM
 Originally Posted By: wheelz999
.

Jason, if I set the receiver subwoofer setting to LFE + Mains won't my front l/r channels will be reproducing LFE as well? I thought it was better to use the subwoofer exclusively because that's its job :-) and it can push more air etc., at least I think I learnt that somewhere on the forum.
It's only better if sounds better to you. LFE+ Mains just means the main speakers are also playing in full range as well as anything below the crossover is sent to the sub. There is no magic setting as we all have different rooms and preferances. I like mine with LFE+Mains sometimes. It does make your amp work harder but it can do it. The M80s play quite low, I have my crossover set to 60, sometimes even 40 and the receiver just keeps working without any problems.

Here is a link to a quick test of all the sub settings and my findings, be sure to read all the way down as I made a mistake in the original post.
Posted By: Murph Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 06:16 PM
Yes Indeed. After taking a real quick glance at your manual, it seems that they have combined both the basic speaker setup (distances and levels) with the EQ and crossover adjustments.

In my older model, it was a two step process. It began with the usual basic test tones, set the distance & levels and then it would stop and ask you if you wanted to continue on and do the auto EQ portion. Your model seems to take an 'all in one approach' from what I read.

If you want to experiment with not using the Aut0-EQ, then I would suggest turning off Audyssey EQ altogether and double checking the speaker distance and redo the level checks with an SPL meter. By turning it off, you still retain all the settings it came up with so you can go back to compare without having to run it again. Turning it Off is described on Page 43 of the manual.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 06:20 PM
I have found Audyssey to be very accurate for speaker distances and levels except for the subwoofer. The EQ can be manually adjusted to tastes after the auto setup is done.
Posted By: Murph Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 06:25 PM
Also, here is another gotcha that had me asking questions here about missing LFE a while ago until I found this lonely little section in the manual.

See Page 42 in your manual. It won't let me cut and paste from the Acrobat file so basically....

Some DTS encoded material has LFE recorded significantly louder than normal or (more accurately) Dolby standards. Denon has a feature to compensate for this where you can adjust the LFE level outside of the normal speaker setup level for the sub.

This once got set to -10 DB for me and I wondered where all the deep bass went. I'm way too lazy to go back and change this setting every time I change material so I set it back to zero but it actually recommends changing it depending on what you are listening to. -10 for DTS music.

I have a few DTS concerts and leaving it at zero hasn't been an issue for me but my ears are pretty forgiving unless the bass is boomy.


Posted By: Murph Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 06:27 PM
I agree that it is good on distances and levels but since his auto-setup doesn't seem to give him the option to do just distance and levels, I just figured it might save him listening to frequency sweeps if he double checks it manually. Of course, they might already be fine so just shutting Audyssey off might be all he needs to do to compare.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/16/08 06:43 PM
 Originally Posted By: Murph
...just shutting Audyssey off might be all he needs to do to compare.
Agreed. I think I am actually running mine without any setups at all right now, except my own speaker set up and distances done manually. The outside projects are coming to an end so I will be playing more with the 3808 especially the online/web based viewing of the settings etc.
Posted By: fredk Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/17/08 01:50 AM
Having just measured my room and realizing how 'hot' I had my sub, I wonder how much of the auto-(mis)calibrating is due to in room peaks?

I think I turned my sub way up because I was missing out on a lot of the bass. Unfortunately I have a nasty peak at 52ish Hz. I think that peak really messes up the spl meter readings.
Posted By: JohnK Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/17/08 02:25 AM
Cam, yes the subwoofer bass assignment should generally be set to LFE, not the "+ Mains" setting. This allows the sub alone to play what it does best, i.e., any LFE that may be present at times during movies, plus the redirected low bass in music from speakers set "small". In playing 2-channel CDs, the sub set LFE will get the redirected bass from the mains or other speakers when they're set "small" and the mode is set "stereo"(or a setting such as DPLII), not "direct", "pure" or any such setting that doesn't allow bass management.

On the use of Audyssey, yes your 3808 sets both the calibration numbers(level, size, distance, crossover)and room equalization. But as Andrew(Murph)pointed out, on p.43 of your manual it explains the choices that you have later in regard to the equalization part. You can either stay with the regular Audyssey curve that it set, choose Audyssey "flat"(most think that it emphasizes the highs too much), choose to set a limited number of frequency points manually(this is instead of the Audyssey setting, not a "tweaking" of it)or choose no equalization. You can experiment to determine which of the four equalization settings that you like best.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/21/08 05:18 PM
Well the reason why I was losing the bottom end is because the trim what set to remote. I now have it set at full and notice a huge difference, I've also turned Audyssey off until I recalibrate the receiver with the new subwoofer settings. Thanks for the suggestion to check the settings on the back of the subwoofer, I don't know how things got switched around.

Oh yes, one more thing \:\) . Before I run Audyssey should I leave my subwoofer settings where they are now or change them to the suggested settings in the manual that I mentioned in a previous post? Did any of you other 3808 owners change the settings as per the manual directions?

Thanks
Cam
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/21/08 07:39 PM
I set my ep500 to a hair higher than the 6 oclock position during audyssey calibration with the 3808. I turned the crossover all the way up (bypass) and set the trim to flat. UI have sense reset all of my denon 3808 setting and recalibrated everything by hand and I listen with no audyssey eq applied.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/21/08 08:05 PM
Is the trim setting only based on personal preference or do other variables come into play? My room is 20 x 24 x 7 with two rooms off the back wall and an open stairway and I currently have my 500 set to 7 o'clock and crossover to bypass. A gentleman at Axiom said that 7 o'clock sounds about right for the size of my room and recommended the trim to full, but I will experiment with the different trim settings before I run Audyssey again.
Posted By: JohnK Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/22/08 01:52 AM
Cam, sure personal preference is important, but yes, there's more involved. Contrary to some beliefs, the smaller the room the more the low bass area is boosted by room gain. This may result in the low bass being out of balance with the mid and upper bass and causing a boomy or excessively full effect. Axiom's Trim setting compensates for this by boosting the higher bass frequencies in relation to the lowest ones when the setting is Half or Full. In theory a very large room would give best results with the Flat setting, an average sized room maybe with the Half setting and smaller rooms with the Full setting. My room where I use the EP500 is slightly smaller than yours and I quickly found that the Full setting gave me the best bass balance. You should of course experiment and determine which setting gives you the best balance in your room rather than an unnaturally emphasized low bass.
Posted By: demetman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 03:23 AM
Hi guys, I received my momoprice order today and was excited to have some time to play around with the 3808. I connected the 3808 with the HDMI cables and I am experiencing a problem. The Denon menu is showing on my tv screen but I can't get any tv channels. I actually had tv programming for a short period of time then the Denon menu took over. I couldn't find anything in the manual to CLEARLY get me through this step. I have a Sony Bravia 40" KDL-XBR4 and a Motorola DCH3200 HDMI cable box. I have an HDMI cable from the Sony TV HDMI 1 going to the Denon Monitor, then an HDMI from the Denon TV/cable to the Motorola's HDMI slot. Perhaps something is hooked up wrong? I tried every other HDMI option with no luck. Is there something I need to do in the menu screen to get the TV to display channels? Help is greatly appreciated. I have the day off tomorrow and will have time to play around with options. Thanks for any suggestions.

Demetrios
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 03:28 AM
you should have the hdmi plug from the cable box plugged into one of the four hdmi ports labeled 1-4, and the hdmi cable going from the denon to the tv plugged into the "monitor out" hdmi port.

make sure that is correct and then try turning the knob on the denon to select the proper source.

I would run the auto setup after that. There should be decent directions for that in the manual.

You might need to manually adjust some of the input settings (such as assigning optical/coax audio with a particular input source (if using any copmponent cables), ect.
Posted By: demetman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 03:58 AM
Yes, I do have the HDMI plug going from cable box to Denon HDMI port #3(cable/tv)and an HDMI cable from Denon MONITOR port to the TV HDMI #1 port. This seems correct because any other config yeilds nothing at all. I assigned the Denon to HDMI but can't get past the Denon menu on my TV screen. Any body have any luck contacting Denon customer support via phone for assistance during business hours? The manual does not list any support phone numbers,but I'm pretty sure the web site does. I did go through the Denon menu options thoroughly but that didn't seem to produce any results. If it makes a difference I am using a Tripplite HT1010SAT3 surge protector. I mention this only because I had to remove the cable wire and connect tirectly to the cable box to recieve the signal for my new HDMI box. After the signal was recieved I reconnected the cable to the surge protector. Thanks for the reply.

Demetrios
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 04:15 AM
I would plug the cable into the cable box directly and use it that way.

I would reccomend calling denon very early, their wait times can get LONG as the day goes on.

Mess around with it some more and just keep posting questions here though. You'll get it all figured out soon enough!
Posted By: michael_d Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 03:46 PM
Select the source and then go through the source video set up option menu. Make sure you have HDMI selected as input and make sure the video convert is turned on. I’m pretty sure this is where you find your solution….the video input settings. Just click around a bit and I’m certain the picture will miraculously appear.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 03:55 PM
Follow mdrew's suggestion, the TV source is not set to HDMI but most likely set to Composite or component.
Posted By: demetman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 06:52 PM
Thanks guys, we now have picture. I thought I originally selected HDMI through source options but after re-checking I found that composite was selected. It's going to take some time getting familiar with this receiver. Two remotes seems to complicate things even further.

While I'm here I might as well pick your brains some more. After making HDMI conections through the receiver and viewing HD content I feel my picture may be degraded as compared to previous coaxial cable connections. Through the research I have done, it seems that the Denon 3808 is not equiped with the best scaling processing chip. I have a Sony Bravia KDLXBR-4 40" LCD TV and was wondering If my picture quality would increase if I could disable scaling from the Denon? Do I have any options with the equipment I have without compromising audio signal quality. I don't have my Axiom's yet so I thought I would address picture quality first, then the HT system. Thanks for everyone's input.

Demetrios
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 06:56 PM
Yes you can switch off the upscaling and run it in pass through mode, unfortunately I am unable to recall where that is done in the GUI.... Options comes to mind.
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 07:12 PM
try this

manual setup->HDMI setup-> i/p scaler

make sure that it is set to off. A to H allows scaling of incoming analog signals while A to H and H to H allow scaling of incomming analog and digital signals.
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 07:15 PM
That's it! I just went to to find it on the system.
Posted By: Ya_basta Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/23/08 07:38 PM
I am receiving a great deal of help from these very knowledgeable, fine lads with my 3808 also. Unfortunately I am of no help with a HD setup but I'll chime in to help you out whenever I can, as I know how this beast has so many configurations and the manual sucks. Once you get it set up, it's an amazing unit!
Posted By: demetman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/25/08 04:19 AM
Thanks for the info guys! I quickly disabled scaling from the receiver and didn't notice any difference in picture quality. I only compared a few different HD channels and will do more comparisons later. Wheelz, glad you are enjoying the 3808 as I can't wait to actually experience Axiom speakers with this kind of technology. The wife is actually very curious as to what this thing really does for $1,200. I appreciate the simple explanations you guys provide to approach this beast, as all the technical terms mentioned in the manual are like reading chinese to me. Processing/scaling, Dolby Cinema, DTS, Pro Logic are all new to me so a great deal of education is in line.

Another area that is gray is the audio cable requirements of the receiver. I originally thought that HDMI cables were the one cable wonder set up for video and audio. I have found that some users actually reccomend using coaxial cables from the TV to the receiver to allow all forms of audio to be processed and the full capacity of the Denon is utalized. What are your thoughts on this matter? I already have quality coaxial cables from my previous set up so no additional cost would be acquired. Thanks so much for your input.

Demetrios
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/25/08 11:26 AM
Demetrios - if the Denon manual says that, I believe this is one (more?) section of the manual you can ignore. HDMI is the one-cable wonder as long as your source has an HDMI connection.

Don't take this "one cable wonder" to mean that you'll only have HDMI cables coming out of the back of your receiver... Unfortunately mine is still a mess of different types of cables, but that is because I have several sources that don't have HDMI as an option, not because anything is better than HDMI when it is available.

Jason
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/25/08 11:32 AM
While this doesn't directly address your HDMI question, you might find Alan's most recent post in question of the day interesting.

Jason
Posted By: edmondwolfman Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/28/08 04:55 PM
I would like to add here that using the printed manual can be very confusing if not impossible becasue every time you find something it has a couple of lines and then refers to a different page for further explanation.
I recommend downloading the PDF version from the Denon site and using that. When you run across something you need to learn about you just open the PDF and do a search for the word. It will find all references and you can just click on link after link and find everything without having to go page by page in a truly, horribly laid out manual.
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/28/08 05:28 PM
Great recommendation, I did that all the time while doing my initial setup. Saves a lot of time and frustration.
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 09/29/08 12:07 AM
yeah, thats the only way to go!
Posted By: dsbad Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 03:06 AM
So I had been doing great setting up so far but I have hit my first roadblock.

How do I stream music from my laptop to my receiver? The denon is connected via CAT5e to my router and I can listen to internet music. But I have no idea how to use windows media player 11 and denon 3808 together??

The manual as we all have expressed at some point or the other is woefully inadequate...

Thanks in advance

Sam
Posted By: jakewash Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 03:19 AM
You have to SHARE your windows media player, in the properties window, IIRC? I haven't used WMP I am using a NAS that has media streaming capability.
Posted By: dsbad Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 03:49 AM
I get to the share part but my WMP is not picking up the denon as a device to be able to share to.

Sam
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 01:26 PM
I believe that in the past others have explained that you have to disable UpNP on your router (you should be able to find it in your help settings on the router config page) to allow the two devices to talk.

Try these links with more info:

Axiom Forum Discussion on UpNP

AVS Denon 3808 Firmware page (mentions disabling UpNP for proper functionality)

Just as information, I have found TwonkyVision to be a far superior media streamer than WMP. (I'm not saying it will solve the connectivity problem, but functionality-wise, it has more going for it than WMP and seems to work with less glitches than WMP). If the UpNP settings don't help, you might try double-checking with another program like Twonky to see if it works. Twonky has a free trial, so it doesn't cost anything to sample.

If that doesn't work, let us know... we'll keep trying.

Jason
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 01:32 PM
Sorry - one more suggestion, check your firewall to be sure it is not the culprit. On the computer running WMP and make sure that it a) has windows media player "unblocked" (right click on the network icon in your system tray and choose firewall settings, then find WMP and "unblock" it), and b) if you have something like Norton Internet Security running, disable it while doing this testing to ensure it is not the problem. When done testing, uninstall Norton Internet Security and shred the CD it came on. Oops... editorial comment slipped in. Feel free to disregard the last piece of advice. ;\)

Finally, once you've enabled sharing in WMP, make sure the Denon is on... Within 30 seconds or so, you should get a pop up on the computer running WMP asking you whether you approve the new device (the Denon) to share your media library.

Good luck.

Jason
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 05:02 PM
I use TVersity and it works pretty good.
Posted By: dsbad Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/06/08 10:00 PM
Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try to see if I can get it to work in the next 2-3 days.

Sam
Posted By: myrison Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/07/08 03:41 AM
 Originally Posted By: terzaghi
I use TVersity and it works pretty good.


Hey David, as a side note, I started with TVersity too and it worked really well except for streaming HD videos (clearly not what the OP is after). Also one feature that I like about Twonky is that it will read all of the playlists you have saved in iTunes and make those available over the Denon/PS3/etc. I manage all of my music in iTunes, so for me this was a big plus. If you're not hooked into iTunes and don't stream big videos, either should work just fine.

Also, it's been almost 8 months since I tried TVersity, so it could be much improved from the last time I used it.

Jason
Posted By: terzaghi Re: Denon 3808CI questions - 10/07/08 12:31 PM
I don't really stream any videos over the network... but if I do then the 360 is set up with WMP for that and it actually works great.

The only thing I use TVersity for is to stream flac files to my denon. All of my mp3's and videos are streamed with WMP... that way I can access all of my flac files by going to the TVersity server and not have to dig through a bunch of crappy mp3's (most of my mp3's are at a horrible bitrate).

My TVersity server does have a tendency to say "not authorized" a lot and I have to run back to the computer and hit the "reset server" icon that I placed onto my desktop... kinda a pain.
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