[J.Villain]

I mean the layout fits very well for the needs of the Realiser, only the top middle button they couldn't find a function for, so they just left it black (it doesn't send out IR, I checked it.

They should have had that button send out code and then just ignored it in the A-16. That way if they decided they needed another button down the road they could have activated it in firmware.

I know a guy who is into electronics. He made a device that can read IR codes and send it via USB to the (Windows) PC, and he even wrote a software that can read the codes. Would this be helpful for Logitech? Then I'd ask him.
[

You would need to map the key that is pressed to the code it generates. As none of these keys are standard "play", 'pause" etc keys that would correlate with the keys on any existing Logitech remote we might have to tell them how to translate if we want to use hard keys instead of soft keys. I am not sure about that part. I will do some digging later today and see what I can find out on Logitechs site.

 

[audiohobbit]

Of course we will send them a list of key on original remote vs. code.
I still have the old Harmony 900 (and I love it). You can assign any command to any button you want, the original layout presented by logitech in device mode is just a proposal. They already have the A8. Logical assignments are the up/down/right/left arrows, OK, Menu, Exit, the number keys and so on. The rest are soft keys in the device mode. Even if ALL keys are soft keys in device mode you can reassign them to any hard key you want in Activity mode. I hope that this is still the case with the newer Logitech versions?

@dsperber: This SOLO function seems to be really important to you. For me it's just nice to have. You check it once or twice (or more often while "beta-testing") and then forget about it.
I hope that you agree that adding this line of text isn't as important as for example async measuring mode, single speaker measuring mode etc. so Priority is relatively low and more of a nice to have if they had some time, which I think they don't.
Could you put this in one, two short sentences, then I would add it, but this wall of text I'm sure they won't read (my whole list is not longer than your text on this function I think... not sure if they will even read this when I send it to them)

 

[jitneyman]

Got my email today!
A16 is ready to ship.
Kickstarter # 49.
They are moving along with shipping it seems.

 

[m8o]

Not really ...

 

[esimms86]

Got my email today!
A16 is ready to ship.
Kickstarter # 49.
They are moving along with shipping it seems.

It was just a few days ago that someone posted that they were shipping to KS backer #40. It's encouraging to hear that they are up to #49. I see the glass as being half-full.

 

[bcwang]

The good news is I received my second head tracker arrived after I told James that it was missing from my shipment. Now I can finally watch movies in full immersion with my wife. Seems all settings and calibration attempts apply to both head trackers simultaneously. So gotta tumble both of them for the magnetic calibration.

Got Dolby True HD working finally, but then realized i can't use my LTF speaker in the LTM slot of the atmos profile, it doesn't show up as a working speaker. I guess I'm going to go fake the LTF, LTM, and LTR (as well as the right side copies) using my stereo front pair with looking at the ground in various orientations so I can build a 7.1.6 channel setup. I give up trying to figure out the azimuth and turn angle for each of the ceiling speakers and just going to take a guess and hope the exact location of the top speaker doesn't make too much difference.

It's a little annoying that the 5.1 vs 7.1 atmos profiles use completely different rear speakers. So I can't use the LS speaker in the 5.1 profile as the 7.1 profile needs LSS and LB named as so, the Atmos profile at least doesn't allow using a differently named PRIR speaker to what it's assigned to. So I need more measurements.

I listened to the Smyth interview podcast mentioned earlier in this thread. One thing that caught my attention was max of 12 channel decoding from the decoder board. So even though we can virtualize 16 channels, if using dolby or dts it seems we can only get 12 channels and the rest may have to be upmixed? Anyone with more intimate knowledge of this, can you help explain? Right now it has me thinking I should setup a 7.1.4 setup to use 12 channels as anything over and I'm not sure what I'll be getting.

 

[audiohobbit]

If you have an Atmos setup with side surrounds and back surrounds you don't need a 5.1 setup for ATMOS. Because Atmos will be decoded and mapped to the speaker layout you have. (At least I hope so, in theory though).
You'll need the 5.1 setup with Ls and Rs specifically for generic ("legacy") 5.1 formats. It seems that Dolby upmixer makes the same "mistake" as PLIIx did: If there is a single signal on the left surround for example it routes it to the left SIDE surround at 90 degrees, which is wrong. If there's a signal on both surrounds and parts of the signal are the same then this part will be routed to the back surrounds.
Ideally it should route a Ls signal equally to Lss and Lb so that you'll have a phantom source between those two speakers which would roughly be at the right spot where a Ls speaker would be. If I remember correctly there were (or still are?) some Denon receivers that did this.
This will work only for the sweet spot correctly, but with the Realiser you always sit in the sweet spot.

So all you need is a generic 5.1 setup, and a 7.1.x or 9.1.x.
The former for generic 5.1 signals and the latter for generic 7.1 or any Atmos signals.


Good to hear about the headtracker!

Since I'm the only listener I use optical stabilisation (with the set top BEHIND me, as reported), haven't tried magnetic yet, sounded way too complicated...

Reports on how good or bad the magnetic stabilisation works would be appreciated.

 

[sander99]

One thing that caught my attention was max of 12 channel decoding from the decoder board. So even though we can virtualize 16 channels, if using dolby or dts it seems we can only get 12 channels and the rest may have to be upmixed?

That was the situation at that time, but it has changed. From the March 31, 2018 update: "On a more positive note the A16 is now capable of decoding Dolby Atmos natively to 9.1.6ch, and we’ll be demonstrating this at CanJam LA next week."

 

[dsperber]

@dsperber: This SOLO function seems to be really important to you. For me it's just nice to have. You check it once or twice (or more often while "beta-testing") and then forget about it. I hope that you agree that adding this line of text isn't as important as for example async measuring mode, single speaker measuring mode etc. so Priority is relatively low and more of a nice to have if they had some time, which I think they don't.

I don't dispute that what one might consider "purely cosmetic" cleanups or improvements are not necessarily as important or significant as "functional" enhancements, fixes or improvements. And sure, a prioritization of the items listed is appropriate.

But when the delivered initial user-interface could stand to be improved in some particular way, which would greatly increase intuitive use of the A16 so that you wouldn't always have to refer to the manual in order to figure out how to do something, then that's a very good thing too. The new display screen on the A16 is light years better than the A8 screen, and presents lots of potential for self-documenting and user assistance to show exactly what is happening, and eliminate ambiguity, vagueness and possible confusion to the non-expert user.

So... hence my wordy "specs" to the Smyth programmer as to exactly what very simple one word change to the onscreen TEST user-interface that I would like to see on the screen.

Could you put this in one, two short sentences, then I would add it.

Absolutely.

===================================================

When the TEST button is pushed to enter virtual speaker test/demonstration mode using the built-in music loop, add one word on a new second line below the word "TEST" which currently appears prominently on the first line, in order to visibly designate with a word which of the three possible test modes the A16 is currently in, depending on which sequence and combinations of additional remote keys are then pressed:

(a) music loop activated, sound sent to ALL speakers -> TEST (ALL)
(b) individual single selected speaker active for music loop, all others muted -> TEST (SOLO)
(c) group of one or more selected speakers all active for music loop, all others muted -> TEST (GROUP)

====================================================

Through the simple addition of this one second English word that is displayed boldly thus making it visible and easily seen from far away, the user receives instant visible confirmation of which of the three TEST modes the A16 is currently operating in.

No more need to guess, or try and remember what sequence keys have previously been pressed and therefore what mode the A16 is now in. No need to peck wildly at the remote keys or "start over" just so you know where you are. And no need to peer at the screen from close range to see if red box outlines are present in addition to white box outlines in order to see if you're in SOLO or GROUP mode.

Just one additional onscreen and highly visible word to now always provide the answer immediately for the question of what TEST mode the A16 is in: (ALL), (SOLO), or (GROUP). The user now always sees the answer, continuously.

 

[sander99]

@audiohobbit:

And you know that balanced mode will use both HP outputs, so only one user at a time can use it? (as far as I remembre)

Yes you can tell Lou Skunt on the kickstarter comments page that this is for sure: balanced (if ever) will only work in single user mode. (Because in thisbalanced mode each pair of single ended amps is bridged into one balanced amp.)
This was explained in update #35:

The design of the A16 allows the User A and User B headphone outputs to be ganged together under software control in order to drive headphones wired for balanced operation. In balanced mode the A16 is limited to a single user.

 

[bcwang]

If you have an Atmos setup with side surrounds and back surrounds you don't need a 5.1 setup for ATMOS. Because Atmos will be decoded and mapped to the speaker layout you have. (At least I hope so, in theory though).
You'll need the 5.1 setup with Ls and Rs specifically for generic ("legacy") 5.1 formats. It seems that Dolby upmixer makes the same "mistake" as PLIIx did: If there is a single signal on the left surround for example it routes it to the left SIDE surround at 90 degrees, which is wrong. If there's a signal on both surrounds and parts of the signal are the same then this part will be routed to the back surrounds.
Ideally it should route a Ls signal equally to Lss and Lb so that you'll have a phantom source between those two speakers which would roughly be at the right spot where a Ls speaker would be. If I remember correctly there were (or still are?) some Denon receivers that did this.
This will work only for the sweet spot correctly, but with the Realiser you always sit in the sweet spot.

So all you need is a generic 5.1 setup, and a 7.1.x or 9.1.x.
The former for generic 5.1 signals and the latter for generic 7.1 or any Atmos signals.


Good to hear about the headtracker!

Since I'm the only listener I use optical stabilisation (with the set top BEHIND me, as reported), haven't tried magnetic yet, sounded way too complicated...

Reports on how good or bad the magnetic stabilisation works would be appreciated.

The reason I have a 5.1 dolby setup as well is for my user 3 other family member profiles I only have made 5.1 for them as it's too hard to deal with 7.1.6 for them. So when I watch movies with them I have to pick the 5.1 profile to match theirs so sounds don't get lost. My understanding is user A room sets up the main decoder, and B gets the sound from the same channels that come from user A. So if user A has LSS and LB and no LS, then user B will hear nothing from the surrounds. So I have to downgrade my experience when listening with family members unless I find time to make them all a 7.1.6 profile.

Magnetic stabilization seems to work ok. I notice if I turn my head too fast it has to catch up, but not sure if that's because of magnetic or the inertial tracker is just too slow for the rate I turned my head. If I turn slower everything feels very realistic. I never tried optical so I don't know if it's any better in this regard. But since I need two users I have not tried optical. I may need it for better angle accuracy during measurements though.

 

[bcwang]

That was the situation at that time, but it has changed. From the March 31, 2018 update: "On a more positive note the A16 is now capable of decoding Dolby Atmos natively to 9.1.6ch, and we’ll be demonstrating this at CanJam LA next week."

Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. Do you know if it's because they went to a different Momentum board model or how did they achieve this? Now I have to re-consider targeting a full 9.1.6 measurement instead of using my 7.1.2

 

[sander99]

Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. Do you know if it's because they went to a different Momentum board model or how did they achieve this? Now I have to re-consider targeting a full 9.1.6 measurement instead of using my 7.1.2

I think it was just a software matter.

I notice if I turn my head too fast it has to catch up

You mean that the virtual speakers didn't stay in their fixed positions when moving your head too fast?
That wouldn't be because of the head tracker itself. It would be latency in the process of adapting the speaker simulation to the movements This so called counter rotation is an integral part of the entire binauralisation process and not some little seperate step that can be done at the end of the entire processing "pipeline" (although Smyth could have applied some tricks to shift the position-dependent part of the calculation a little bit towards the end).
I have never heard anyone mention this "catching up" by the way. I assume you moved your head really fast - faster than you would normally do very often - just to see what happens?

 

[bcwang]

I think it was just a software matter.

You mean that the virtual speakers didn't stay in their fixed positions when moving your head too fast?
That wouldn't be because of the head tracker itself. It would be latency in the process of adapting the speaker simulation to the movements This so called counter rotation is an integral part of the entire binauralisation process and not some little seperate step that can be done at the end of the entire processing "pipeline" (although Smyth could have applied some tricks to shift the position-dependent part of the calculation a little bit towards the end).
I have never heard anyone mention this "catching up" by the way. I assume you moved your head really fast - faster than you would normally do very often - just to see what happens?

They stay close to the correct position but I can feel them kind of settle after a quick head movement. It's like when you turn your head to point your ear at something it gets more clear and brighter, this extra brightness is slightly delayed. Yes, they are relatively quick head movements but not unnaturally so for when you want to quickly hear something more clearly. But it is unnatural in normal movie watching to turn the head that fast. Overall it's not a problem,

 

[Richter Di]

Got my email today!
A16 is ready to ship.
Kickstarter # 49.
They are moving along with shipping it seems.

That is such good news. Being close to 100 I star hoping to get the A16 before a hard Brexit.