Video Transcoding
A positive trend on the latest generation of receivers is the desire to simplify the vastly complicated connections that con- nect up to high-definition displays. You will see this marketed as upconversion in some products. Video Technical Editor Greg Rogers and I both agree that the term upconversion should only be used in cases where the product in question changes the resolution of the input signal. Most receivers are using the “U” word incorrectly and should be referring to this feature as transcoding. The VSX-56TXi has a handy video transcoding function, which definitely helps in simplifying the connections to a high-definition display. The transcoding matrix has the following results: The com- posite input can be output as composite, S- video, or component video. The S-video input can be output as composite, S-video, or component video. Component video inputs are passed through untouched. In testing the transcoding function, using vari- ous test patterns such as the Video Essentials sharpness and resolution pat- terns, I found no degradation of the signal. Conclusively determining the bandwidth performance of the receiver was not possi- ble. HDTV at 1080i also passed successful- ly via the component input on the VSX- 56TXi, although I didn’t get a chance to check the HD-NET test patterns for band- width, sharpness, accuracy, etc.
One negative to be reported is that I expected that the On Screen Display output for system configuration, (which is nearly mandatory) would be passed through the transcoding circuitry so that it can be dis- played via the single display connection. I couldn’t get the OSD to synch via compo- nent video at 480i, so I still needed two cables connected, one component and one composite or S-video for configuration.
Power To The People
(And The
Loudspeakers)
The power amplifier stage on the VSX- 56TXi is rated at 110 watts per channel across the seven available channels while driving an 8-ohm load. The amplifier stage specifications are not clearly stated as to output for all channels driven, nor are they given for lower impedance loudspeakers. In system setup, the amplifier channels can be assigned to drive either a 7.1 system or a
5.1system, with bi-amplified front left and right loudspeakers, or as a 5.1 Zone 1 sys- tem and a stereo system as Zone 2. All of my testing was in the context of a 5.1 system.
In an effort to test the output capacity of the VSX-56TXi, I did output testing in my primary reference room. A quick test showed that the -20 dB FS test tone on the AVIA Guide To Home Theater disc requires 1 watt of output from the amplifier to hit the target of 85 dB at my listening position for the front left and right loudspeakers (about 3 meters). Knowing that reference level is going to take just about all of the amplifier capability, I went off in search of appropri- ate material to test the output capability. Granite Audio’s Extreme System Workout CD was used to deliver a 1 kHz tone @ 0 dB FS, and I found that with stereo signals the SPL meter was reading at 106 dB with no audible distortion from the front Left and Right loudspeakers. When switching over to five-channel stereo to reproduce the same signal across all five loudspeakers, I found some audible distortion. By backing down the volume control by 2 dB, I was able to remove the distortion.
This result indicates that (like many other receivers) the VSX-56TXi can’t quite deliver rated power to all channels simultaneously. This result is also consistent with the maxi- mum power consumption rating of 600 watts. Driving five channels at 110 watts leaves only 50 watts available to run all of the digi- tal processing, drive the analog preamplifier stage, and radiate away amplifier inefficien- cy as waste heat. In fairness to Pioneer, no claim is made to drive all channels simulta- neously, rather the specification is in chan- nel groupings of Left + Right, Center, Surround Left + Right, and Back Left + Right.
Remote Control, Set
Up, And User
Interface
The VSX-56TXi ships with a rather hefty and clunky remote. It definitely does the job and provides some degree of flexibility, but I found that its use was a bit unwieldy. Fortunately, I also had access to a Harmony 676 programmable remote, and my wife and stepdaughter both found the svelte Harmony remote much more to their liking. That said, the 676 is a great remote for day- to-day use and a bit less than ideal for con- figuration and set up.
I’m fairly particular about system setup, as I believe that every product should be able to perform basic setup (channel dis- tance, channel trim, bass management) without a display by the end user. The limit- ed prompts on the VSX-56TXi makes this possibility nearly impossible, and I would end up connecting a composite video cable to the secondary systems display for con- figuration. Once the display was connected;, I found basic set up for the
VSX-56TXi to be relatively straightforward. Analog inputs are pre-assigned, so if you have a CD player with analog output that you're particularly fond of, plugging it in to the CD analog inputs is all that’s necessary. The Input Assign menu is used to assign the limited digital audio and component video inputs to the appropriate inputs on the VSX-56TXi. To make life easier, I assigned TOSLink input 1 and Component Video input 1 to the Dish 6000 HDTV receiv- er, and Input 2 for both TOSLink and Component Video to my DVD player. The i.Link input is set up in its own dedicated menu, and I assigned the DV-59AVi to the CD input via the i.Link connector.
Multichannel Acoustic
Calibration And
Correction
MCACC is Pioneer’s proprietary solution for system calibration and basic room cor- rection. MCACC was introduced a few years ago with the Elite VSX-49TX. Since its introduction, MCACC has gone through a few iterations and is now being trickled down into their mainstream products. It should be noted that there are four levels of
MCACC.
For Pioneer’s entry level products in the standard line, a MCACC Manual is includ- ed. Calibration tones are emitted, and the end user must then match the SPL level with the front left loudspeaker with guidance from the user interface. With the MCACC Manual, no equalization functions are available.
Automatic MCACC 1 provides a micro- phone, which is used to calibrate individual channel levels, set channel delays (dis- tances), and determine whether loudspeak- ers should be defined as large or small. Automatic MCACC 2 adds a nine-band equalizer function, which can be applied to all loudspeakers to improve frequency response to help correct for the room and its effect on the sonics of the loudspeakers. A “front align” option leaves the front left and right loudspeakers alone, equalizing the center channel and surround loud- speakers to better match the acoustic per- formance of the main loudspeakers.
Advanced MCACC, which is included on the VSX-56TXi, adds a few very powerful enhancements on top of the feature set of Automatic MCACC 2. The new enhance- ments are categorized as the “Professional Acoustic Calibration” features. The first is that the measurements take into account your room specific reverberation and con- siders human hearing characteristics to help determine the optimum filters to be applied to your system. As if that weren’t enough, multiple curves can be stored and
