Panasonic BD55 Owners Thread

[Tomorrow]

I did connect my front speaker out from the player to the sub in on the receiver and did get audio, so I know it's not the receiver. I do not have anything else with multi-channel outs.

I could exchange the unit in case there is a defect with the bass out.

Eddie,

I thought I had the same problem with my BD-55. It was operator error. (Forgivable error. ) The manual is written so poorly it's difficult to understand the correct settings for your system. Check page 34 of your manual VERY carefully. Use the settings they tell you on the analog setup. Note that there is no test tone for the sub...you have to play something in the player. The dB output is important. You cannot change the dB output of the sub except at the sub in this multi-channel analog setup. What I did was reduce (cannot increase) the dB output of the 5 channels in order to gain a more balanced sub/speaker amplitude match (rather than change my subs' volume settings). Your sub may not have been receiving an adequate signal to turn on.

In doing all this, and at least to my untrained ears, I've come to the conclusion that the Yamaha RX-V2500 DSP audio is every bit as good as the multi-channel surround for movies. Concert discs may be a different animal. And yeah, I can't wait to be able to afford an HDMI equipped receiver or separates. (It's only money. )

PS: I think you have to ensure that PCM downconversion is set to ON. I'll double check that later.

 

[EddieG]

Eddie,

I thought I had the same problem with my BD-55. It was operator error. (Forgivable error. ) The manual is written so poorly it's difficult to understand the correct settings for your system. Check page 34 of your manual VERY carefully. Use the settings they tell you on the analog setup. Note that there is no test tone for the sub...you have to play something in the player. The dB output is important. You cannot change the dB output of the sub except at the sub in this multi-channel analog setup. What I did was reduce (cannot increase) the dB output of the 5 channels in order to gain a more balanced sub/speaker amplitude match (rather than change my subs' volume settings.

In doing all this, and at least to my untrained ears, I've come to the conclusion that the Yamaha RX-V2500 DSP audio is every bit as good as the multi-channel surround for movies. Concert discs may be a different animal. And yeah, I can't wait to be able to afford an HDMI equipped receiver or separates. (It's only money. )

PS: I think you have to ensure that PCM downconversion is set to ON. I'll double check that later.

Thanks...I have downconversion set to on (I think), and the other thing about the sub is I put my ear right on the speaker and still don't hear anything coming out of it. I'll play around some more, though...

Page 34 doesn't help me at all!! I've read it, and re-read it, and re-re-re read it. The sub is "on", and regardless of having the front speakers at large or small makes no difference.

I'll lower the db on the other 5 channels and see what happens, but in the meantime if you can think of anything else please let me know.

In my receiver I have the sub output increased by 10db, and have the subs volume knob turned up all the way.

Thanks again!!

Eddie

 

[Tomorrow]

Thanks...I have downconversion set to on (I think), and the other thing about the sub is I put my ear right on the speaker and still don't hear anything coming out of it. I'll play around some more, though...

Page 34 doesn't help me at all!! I've read it, and re-read it, and re-re-re read it. The sub is "on", and regardless of having the front speakers at large or small makes no difference.

I'll lower the db on the other 5 channels and see what happens, but in the meantime if you can think of anything else please let me know.

In my receiver I have the sub output increased by 10db, and have the subs volume knob turned up all the way.

Thanks again!!

Eddie

In multi-channel, you're getting only the analog outputs from the BD-55. The receiver does no processing. Your receiver sub settings will have no affect on the multi-channel play.

Eddie, I have to go now, or I'd check my settings and let you know the changes I had to make. Check your PCM downconversion and post it. When I get back this afternoon, I'll dig into it more and see if I can help.

 

[billy p]

In multi-channel, you're getting only the analog outputs from the BD-55. The receiver does no processing. Your receiver sub settings will have no affect on the multi-channel play.

Eddie, I have to go now, or I'd check my settings and let you know the changes I had to make. Check your PCM downconversion and post it. When I get back this afternoon, I'll dig into it more and see if I can help.

I'm sure you'll be a bigger help than I was, too bad I returned mine, otherwise, I could've experimented! It sounds as though the players sub output is the problem, because he was able to pass audio when he used the L/R front channel from the player to the receivers m/c sub input.

Regards, Bill

 

[EddieG]

I'm sure you'll be a bigger help than I was, too bad I returned mine, otherwise, I could've experimented! It sounds as though the players sub output is the problem, because he was able to pass audio when he used the L/R front channel from the player to the receivers m/c sub input.

Regards, Bill

Ok..I took the coax from the sub and plugged it right into the player and WOW!!! A LOT of bass!! So I reconnected everything with the player, checked my downconversion is on, and lowered the db on all 5 speakers and now got a little bass from the sub, with the subs volume all the way up. It's not even close to the bass I got when the sub went right into the player, but it's something. Now if I can only get more, as it's not as much as I would like.

Thanks for all your help guys, and if there is a way to boost the bass please let me know.

Eddie

 

[Tomorrow]

Ok..I took the coax from the sub and plugged it right into the player and WOW!!! A LOT of bass!! So I reconnected everything with the player, checked my downconversion is on, and lowered the db on all 5 speakers and now got a little bass from the sub, with the subs volume all the way up. It's not even close to the bass I got when the sub went right into the player, but it's something. Now if I can only get more, as it's not as much as I would like.

Thanks for all your help guys, and if there is a way to boost the bass please let me know.

Eddie

Good work, Eddie. Yep, you got all the steps down that I did. I'm glad you got your sub working. My bass came up a little shy too. But as Bill said, we need to experiment. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to mess around with mine. Or maybe now that you have yours operating, you can explore the settings. I'm fearing that we'll either need to manually reset the sub gain (on the sub, not the rx) each time we use the BD player, or somehow install a separate connection from the BD-55 to the sub. Dumb.

I swear that Panasonic uses a room full of monkeys typing on keyboards to write their user manuals. After a product is developed and released, they go into this room full of monkeys and find a few typed pages that look like English and that they'd fit the equipment, and go with that as a manual.

Let me know if you find something before I get into mine.

 

[Tomorrow]

I'm sure you'll be a bigger help than I was, too bad I returned mine, otherwise, I could've experimented! It sounds as though the players sub output is the problem, because he was able to pass audio when he used the L/R front channel from the player to the receivers m/c sub input.

Regards, Bill

Hi Bill...been a while, buddy. It's always great chatting with you!

I think the problem is part of the Panasonic design setup, and not a unit problem. I had a similar issue with a Panny F87 cdp. It's some kind of goofy way they have of treating the sub-out signal and testing. I'll get to exploring this when the missus isn't around. She's off work today.

 

[EddieG]

Good work, Eddie. Yep, you got all the steps down that I did. I'm glad you got your sub working. My bass came up a little shy too. But as Bill said, we need to experiment. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to mess around with mine. Or maybe now that you have yours operating, you can explore the settings. I'm fearing that we'll either need to manually reset the sub gain (on the sub, not the rx) each time we use the BD player, or somehow install a separate connection from the BD-55 to the sub. Dumb.

I swear that Panasonic uses a room full of monkeys typing on keyboards to write their user manuals. After a product is developed and released, they go into this room full of monkeys and find a few typed pages that look like English and that they'd fit the equipment, and go with that as a manual.

Let me know if you find something before I get into mine.

When I go back to the speaker settings and check the DB's, they were all back to zero!! Did this happen to you? I set the mains to small...don't recall hearing much of a bass difference, though.

Good luck to us!

 

[billy p]

When I go back to the speaker settings and check the DB's, they were all back to zero!! Did this happen to you? I set the mains to small...don't recall hearing much of a bass difference, though.

Good luck to us!

Hey Eddy, zero is actually the highest setting for all your speakers. I can't speak for all the other owners, but it seemed that I couldn't achieve enough bass using analog without increasing the gain on my sub. Heh... I guess this is why members always suggest buying the bigger sub because of the extra headroom just in case you want to CRANK IT. It is JMO but the digital route seemed to have a deeper sound but lacked the detail of the m/c. Now I'm pinching my pennies to buy a HDMI receiver so I can have it all.

Cheers, Bill

 

[Tomorrow]

Hey Eddy, zero is actually the highest setting for all your speakers. I can't speak for all the other owners, but it seemed that I couldn't achieve enough bass using analog without increasing the gain on my sub. Heh... I guess this is why members always suggest buying the bigger sub because of the extra headroom just in case you want to CRANK IT. It is JMO but the digital route seemed to have a deeper sound but lacked the detail of the m/c. Now I'm pinching my pennies to buy a HDMI receiver so I can have it all.

Cheers, Bill

+1^

Hey Bill, I have a growing monster of Pepsi cans that is gonna eventually buy a Z7 or something similar. (Take THAT, Zumbo! ) Also, I think that Eddie knows that zero is the highest. He was trying to drop the mains and surrounds volume to better equalize with the sub. The default setting for all speakers is zero. (I think I have all mine, except the sub which is set to zero, set to ~-5. This gives a 'relative' boost of 5 dB to the sub. The range is 0 to -6.)

Eddie, with the missus around, I'm not allowed to play in my sandbox...er, with subwoofers. I get THE LOOK! o) I have to wait until tomorrow to check my settings. It's odd that the settings would revert to zero.

 

[strube]

The only drawback is I got it through Amazon so I'll have to pay to ship it back. Or I could be sneaky and buy a new one at Best Buy, then return this one to them...

Eddie,

I have been reading this thread because I think I will be getting a BD55 for Christmas . That said, I order TONS of stuff from Amazon, and you don't have to pay return shipping if the item is defective, you can print a prepaid-by-Amazon shipping label. You have all the same options (refund or exchange).

strube

 

[EddieG]

Eddie,

I have been reading this thread because I think I will be getting a BD55 for Christmas . That said, I order TONS of stuff from Amazon, and you don't have to pay return shipping if the item is defective, you can print a prepaid-by-Amazon shipping label. You have all the same options (refund or exchange).

strube

Strube,

I got my player from one of Amazons sellers, not directly from Amazon. But as you read it is not defective afterall...just poor instructions.

Harman Kardon tech support suggested a bad coax cable as the bass culprit??

Enjoy your new toy!! I watched Pirates in the Caribbean and even without a subwoofer it was AMAZING!!

 

[Tomorrow]

Okay, Eddie, I managed to put in some quality time with my new BD-55 this morning. Here's the BD-55 situation as we stand. I think you now have yours set up optimally. The one exception is what you said about the analog speaker dB setup returning to zero (default) gain. The settings should stay where you put them. Could this be operator error? You might want to check it again.

The fly in the subwoofer/speaker ointment is the way that the player sets up the speakers when using the M/C connections. There is no equalization capability, only phasing (distance setting) and amplitude (volume). Further, there is no test you can do on the sub to level match its output to the rest of the speakers. You have to "play something bass heavy" and listen (as the manual monkees suggest), OR use a stand-alone PEQ device such as Audyssey (which will also take care of your speakers, too). Note that you can level match the sub to the speakers by playing frequency sweeps and using an SPL meter, however.

Those are the only options that I'm aware of. Maybe someone with a lot more knowledge than I possess will chime in and enlighten us further.

How will you be using your system? Primarily movies? That's what I do. I have perhaps only a half-dozen concert DVD's. So here's my approach to my usage. To my ears, with the inability to EQ my speakers outside of the YPAO Yamaha PEQ system, I can detect no performance enhancement with the M/C setup from the DSP modes I use. I can (and did) level match my subs for play with the M/C setup, but I have to change the gain setting on each sub to go back to a DSP (movie) mode. (It helps to mark the gain knobs, btw.) I could also keep the increased gain setting on the sub and just reset the level matching within the Yamaha for digital replay. BUT my YPAO PEQ can't handle the extra dose of amplitude...it's out of the Yamaha's range to level match the sub output to the other speakers. (The sub volume is set too high.) Another solution is to connect a sub directly from the BD-55. I believe there must be some signal strength lost when the signal transfers from the BD through the receiver, and then on to the sub.

I've decided it's (the M/C availability) just not worth it, especially with little to no 7.1 source discs out there...not to mention I'm pretty lazy and want simple solutions. I have a huge room and the 7.2 that I use is preferred. If I ever get an HDMI receiver, some Audyssey equipment, and/or a full-featured Behringer unit, I'll absolutely go M/C. Meanwhile, I'm going to stick with the digital side of things.

If what I said here doesn't make sense to you, please ask and I'll try to be clearer.

 

[EddieG]

Okay, Eddie, I managed to put in some quality time with my new BD-55 this morning. Here's the BD-55 situation as we stand. I think you now have yours set up optimally. The one exception is what you said about the analog speaker dB setup returning to zero (default) gain. The settings should stay where you put them. Could this be operator error? You might want to check it again.

The fly in the subwoofer/speaker ointment is the way that the player sets up the speakers when using the M/C connections. There is no equalization capability, only phasing (distance setting) and amplitude (volume). Further, there is no test you can do on the sub to level match its output to the rest of the speakers. You have to "play something bass heavy" and listen (as the manual monkees suggest), OR use a stand-alone PEQ device such as Audyssey (which will also take care of your speakers, too). Note that you can level match the sub to the speakers by playing frequency sweeps and using an SPL meter, however.

Those are the only options that I'm aware of. Maybe someone with a lot more knowledge than I possess will chime in and enlighten us further.

How will you be using your system? Primarily movies? That's what I do. I have perhaps only a half-dozen concert DVD's. So here's my approach to my usage. To my ears, with the inability to EQ my speakers outside of the YPAO Yamaha PEQ system, I can detect no performance enhancement with the M/C setup from the DSP modes I use. I can (and did) level match my subs for play with the M/C setup, but I have to change the gain setting on each sub to go back to a DSP (movie) mode. (It helps to mark the gain knobs, btw.) I could also keep the increased gain setting on the sub and just reset the level matching within the Yamaha for digital replay. BUT my YPAO PEQ can't handle the extra dose of amplitude...it's out of the Yamaha's range to level match the sub output to the other speakers. (The sub volume is set too high.)

I've decided it's (the M/C availability) just not worth it, especially with little to no 7.1 source discs out there...not to mention I'm pretty lazy and want simple solutions. I have a huge room and the 7.2 that I use is preferred. If I ever get an HDMI receiver, some Audyssey equipment, and/or a full-featured Behringer unit, I'll absolutely go M/C. Meanwhile, I'm going to stick with the digital side of things.

If what I said here doesn't make sense to you, please ask and I'll try to be clearer.

Thank you so much. I found out that after changing the DB settings I have to press the "complete" button to save it. I'll try that when I get home and post my results.

As for what you saying making sense, most of it does and what doesn't I can pretty much guess.

Eddie

 

[Emusica]

Not sure if anyone has done it or not, but I just updated my BD55 using an old Xbox wireless bridge. So if you were wondering if it could be done, it can No need to do any crazy 50ft cable connections from room to room or anything

 

[EddieG]

Not sure if anyone has done it or not, but I just updated my BD55 using an old Xbox wireless bridge. So if you were wondering if it could be done, it can No need to do any crazy 50ft cable connections from room to room or anything

I'd like to know if I take a laptop with wifi and connect that to the BD55, will the laptop's wireless allow me to update firmware and use bdlive via my home's router (which is upstairs from the player)?

 

[Emusica]

I'd like to know if I take a laptop with wifi and connect that to the BD55, will the laptop's wireless allow me to update firmware and use bdlive via my home's router (which is upstairs from the player)?

Thats a good idea, use your laptop as a wireless bridge. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but you never know.

 

[EddieG]

Thank you so much. I found out that after changing the DB settings I have to press the "complete" button to save it. I'll try that when I get home and post my results.

As for what you saying making sense, most of it does and what doesn't I can pretty much guess.

Eddie

Yea!!! It's working!!

Thank you so much, guys, for all your help!!!!!

Happy holidays!!

 

[usxplongback]

Yea!!! It's working!!

Thank you so much, guys, for all your help!!!!!

Happy holidays!!

Eddie,
I had the same problem with the Sub. I returned my player but then found out that if you use the sound effects, the player will cut the sub. Because I think the sound effects will change the lossless/digital format and make it sound like stereo without sub. Make sure you are not using the sound effects. It is also written very briefly in tha manual but you have to read every little writing on the manual to undestand the full function. As far as the level of your sub you can lower the level of 5 channels in order to increase the sub level but that will create floor noise. If you connect the sub out from the player directly to the sub then you cannot increase the level of the sub before it gets to the sub. So it is better to connect the sub out from the player to the receiver then from receiver to the sub. This way you can increase the level of your sub in the receiver and also in the sub. Your receiver should have a level for analog input or something seperate for DD and DTS in addition to the main sub level. That way you can adjust the sub level on you receiver to a higher level and lower your sub level on the receiver for the DD and DTS. In this format you don't have to keep adjusting the sub between analog and digital. The analog is by default 15db lowere than the other channels if your speakers are all set to small and 10db lower if your speakers are all set to big. Therefore, you have to inclrease the sub level10 or 15 db by the receiver and sub to compensate for the lower level that comes from the player. The digital sound has a lot of base but not as clear as the lossless. The sound stage of the lossless is also much better than the digital. It took me a while to adjust the sub for the analog. Once I confirmed the level of sub between the didgital and analog to be the same and man you get the best of the both world. I hope this could help.

 

[Tomorrow]

Yea!!! It's working!!

Thank you so much, guys, for all your help!!!!!

Happy holidays!!

Congrats and good going, Eddie!! Happy Holidays back atcha.