BARGAIN: In phoning around to several Music stores they all informed me that ULTIMATE PLATINUM SETUP DVD was only a VIDEO setup disk & as such doesn't sell well so they dropped the price to $31.00 (Canadian) (heh heh) I went & snapped it up because OF COURSE it has full AUDIO set up !!!
Dougofthenorth

I would be interested to see how it compares to the AVIA setup disc....Tony

Tony; [Link: 3dsoundsurge.com]
"Henninger Production of Ultimate DVD Platinum Named Discus Award Finalist" check it out yourself.
Dougofthenorth

Yo T man; I will be able to let you know soon. Mike & I are soon to be checking out that very thing & against the Video Essentials as well.
To bad we couldn't buy a pre/pro setup disk eh! The newest Platinum & the others will be released in the new year with HDTV setups & more "upgrades"
Dougofthenorth

Some have rated it 3rd behind Avia and VE. I've never seen it so can't confirm.

Personally, I picked up VE from an Australian site for $19 shipped. www.ezydvd.com.au

They currently have both VE and Platinum for $17 and $15 respectively. All prices I've said are USD before shipping. Shipping ain't much.

Thanks Spikey; Believe it or not they sell the VE (saw it yesterday)up here for $77.95 +tx (about $90 Canadian)!! thanks for the tip - US$17 would be (where's Larry's Maculator when ya need it) about $25 or so CDN$ -sounds like a deal to me! But I'll wait till the Ney Year & get the new one from the site you gave. Thanks again.
Dougofthenorth

Hey Doug
Be sure to post your comparisons of the discs...I'd love to hear both yours and Mike's opinion on them.....Tony

Hi, guys. I prefer the AVIA disk, but maybe not for the reasons one would initially think.

It is what I would call an "overall" setup disk, because it includes a TV-show-length look at Home Theater, which is perfect for the uninitiated. Graphics and descriptions are excellent.

It also has more explanations, in its testing side for video and audio, than the others. And it has a more varied selection of test signals for your surround audio setup.

I also prefer it's "black level" setup test; it's just easier to use.

On the other hand, the the competitor's disk was created by a big name in the industry, the fellow who started the Imaging Science Foundation and who pushes and pushes for standards across the industry. When his disk came out, there was nothing like it, and he helped many, many people, both customers and installers alike. And it has perhaps a better selection of video clips for testing colour.

And I understand it won't be long before he releases his new one which, based on his industry record, will probably blow away anything that is out there today both in terms of content and forward-looking format capabilities, especially HDTV, Progressive Scan, flatscreens and displays, etc. As well, since Home Theatre has become quite the marketplace, I'm sure it will be much more skewed to the user-friendly side than the existing one. Wish I knew when it was due to arrive. ... Mike

Can you please tell me exactly what the AVIA cd does. I'm new to HT and I'm trying to figure out whether this is something I need to purchase for my system.

If so, where do you purchase the CD and what is the cost? I've currently got a 5.1 setup using Monitor Audio speakers and sub.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Lhackney

The Avia, Video Essentials and the Ultimate Platinum all do the same thing. They help you set the audio levels correctly, but you need to have a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter to correctly set them. It alos helps set the video levels (Black level, tints and so forth). You can find the DVDs pretty much any place that sells DVDs (at least in Chicagoland) for around 30-40 and you can pick up and SPL for around 30 at Radio Shack-you'll want to get the analog model, not the digital one for ease of use.

I would recommend a SPL meter anyway just for setting your Audio levels. I thought I did a decent job just using my ears, and then I tried it using the SPL meter and I wasn't even close!!

Good Luck.....Tony