I have been a reader of this forum for a long time as I have thought about getting a preamp for awhile. The new sale prices on the 970 and 990 are very tempting. I may have to go ahead and get a preamp.

In the past, I remember reading about a "no audio" bug on the 970. I did not see any recent updates on this problem. Is the problem fully resolved?

Thanks.

You may want to check this thread which addresses the latest firmware update and the "no audio" bug. I also wrote a FAQ a while back that was mainly intended to help people considering trading in LMC-1's for a 970, but it might also be of some interest to you as well. That FAQ can be found here .

Thanks, Gonk.

Over at AV123, I posted a couple of questions on the electronics board that I would appreciate your thoughts. I am trying to figure out what I would lose if I get a preamp like the 970/990 that does not have HDMI. I have read some posters that won't consider preamps without HDMI and I can't figure out why it is that important.

Hey, ROJ - just got back from a JDRF walk this morning and have been catching up on some threads here and there. I may have already helped address some of your questions, but if not then keep 'em coming. Once my daughter goes down for a nap I'll probably be chewing on some spreadsheets for work and will keep one eye on the forums...

Thanks, Gonk. I have seen you give very good advice on a few different threads and forums (such as the Oppo thread at AVS). So I respect your opinion.

After reading the HDMI primer and your overview of the 970, it appears that the 970 or 990 will work for me. However, I have one additional question about the lip sync function. I have not seen a need for it, but I wonder if I will need it once I upgrade my TV. I eventually will have an Oppo 980 and a Comcast HDTV cable box connected directly to a Vizio HDTV. I think the 980 has a lip sync function built in so that may not be an issue, but I don't know about Comcast. If the comcast cable box is unable to do lip sync, does that mean that I will have to connect the video signal to a preamp that has the lip sync features? If so, will I lose some picture quality by using an HDMI-DVI adapter?

Thanks.

It's hard to predict when you might need lip sync (or AV sync) control. It all depends on whether a component somewhere in the signal path will introduce video processing that creates a delay in the video signal. An HD cable box may very possibly do this if you ask it to upconvert SD content or scale all HD content to a single output resolution. The 980H does have a little AV sync control, but it is slight and it is not available when using digital output (since it doesn't manipulate the audio signal when using raw digital output).

An HDMI-to-DVI adapter is nothing more than an HDMI cable with a somewhat different plug on the other end, so no signal manipulation takes place there is no picture quality degradation caused by using one.

Thanks, Gonk. I think I now have most of my questions answered. If I understand this correctly, the 970/990 will give me the capabilities of using the audio sync features if I use HDMI-DVI cables from cable box/dvd player with HDMI outs, or component cables if I use the component out.


If there is no signal degradation from using an HDMI to DVI cable, why do some folks feel it is so important to get HDMI? I feel like I must be missing something.

Finally, have you compared the video between source directly connected to a TV and a source connected to the 970/990 then to a TV?

One more question. If I connect the video from a cable box directly to an HDTV with a hdmi cable and the sound to the 970/990 through a digital cable from the cable box. Could I still use lip sync function in the 970/990?

I guess I am trying to figure out if I could take care of a lip sync problem with the 970/990 without an HDMI input. My brother has the same TV I am considering buying and reports have occassional problems with audio being out of sync with the video.

Thanks.

Yes, you can connect a cable box (or any device with an HDMI output) via HDMI-to-DVI and a separate digital cable and still use the lip sync adjustment. On the 990, any video source allows lip sync adjustment (including the multichannel analog). On the 970, the only limitation you might run into is the multichannel analog input when in full bypass mode or HPF/LPF analog bass management mode (there's a three-position switch on the back that determines how the 970 handles its multichannel analog input).

Thanks, Gonk. Now I just need to decide before the end of the month if I want to upgrade the preamp first or get an HDTV. I was all set on getting an HDTV until I read about the sale.