Why 2014 could be a rough year for the US stock market, and it has nothing to do with the taper
Solving Denon AVR-3808 DLNA repeating problem
Update 04 September 2014: New solution! Click here to skip to the solution!
Audiophile delight
Anyone who’s using a Denon Audio Video Receiver (AVR) can tell you how good it is.
Beside above average sound quality & a superior video upscaler, the last few generations of their AVR are also Cloud connected for firmware upgrades & streaming radio station management, amongst other benefits.
Their Audessey automatic EQ & room acoustic adjuster makes it SO easy to tune & optimize a room’s audio characteristics to get the best sound possible. And its menus are accessible via webpage, Onscreen, On-remote & even in WP/iOS/Android Apps.
Generally the higher the series, the better the fidelity in audio output + the more options you have in surround.
Anyway, I think you get the idea that Denon AVR are geared towards Audiophiles as well as catering for the movie buffs who only need the amp to pump out enough power so explosions & metal clashes can vibrate the sofa.
(OK, movie buffs also need low channel crosstalk to ensure good channel separation but with today’s digital technology, that shouldn’t be an issue for all Hi-Fi equipment.)
One of the most useful feature of an AVR is the support for DLNA.
Seriously if you’re reading this & you have no idea what DLNA is, you’re REALLY underutilizing your Denon AVR!
I bought a decent AVR-3808CI in 2008 as it had enough inputs for all my AV sources & a single HDMI output since I only have a Samsung LED TV as my monitor. I also own quite a few audiophile HDCDs but times have changed & it’s becoming a bit of a hassle to insert a CD into my player.
Ever since I got the 3808, I’ve ripped all my CDs into WMA-lossless (so they can play in Windows Media Player) and use DLNA to push CD quality (but not HDCD quality) music from my PC or NAS to the AVR. It was (almost) audiophile heaven.
* if anyone knows how to rip HDCD & play it back on the 3808, please leave a comment!
After using it for a year or so, the DLNA function broke. I believe it was after a firmware upgrade. When playing music, the 3808 will keep playing the same song over and over and over again. It was damn irritating & frustrating because nothing I did helped.
I tried to switch off Repeat & Random on the 3808, tested different versions of Windows Media Player on different OS like Windows 7, 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, and all with 32bit & 64bit. I even tried using it on my Windows Phone & only my HTC Trophy 7 played through the playlist.
When I upgraded to the Lumia 800 or 920 or 1020, it’ll also get stuck playing the same song over in a loop.
Searching the web, I discovered that there were MANY people who had the same issue & most of them have given up. I tried emailing Denon & got no respond. I tried many forums over the years and no one could answer me until yesterday.
Updated & easier solution!
Unfortunately I can’t remember which forum I saw this. I’d update the article when I find out & give proper credit.
For those of us using WMP to stream DLNA, just enable “Allow remote control of my Player…” It’s THAT simple!
If you’re using another device or software, you can still use the original method below.
I can’t thank “Alki” enough! His/her 4 posts to the AVS forum about 1/2 year ago solved my 3 year old problem!!! Here’s the link. I’d give credit where it’s due. 😉
“Alki” was using an AVR-4308 and I have confirmation from Microsoft support forum that this works for the Denon AVR-5308CI as well. It seems like many of the AVR-xx08 in 2007-2008 have this problem.
The solution is while the song is playing, change the “Repeat” (to ALL) and “Random” (to ALL or ON).
By the end of the song, the next song should play. Yay!!!
Depending on which model you’re using, you may have to manually set both the Repeat & Random settings to “NO”.
It is that simple & no one had stumbled on the solution for 3 years. Worse, Denon hasn’t given any support or updated the firmware in the past 3 years as well! I wish these makers will support their products longer like how Microsoft support their OS for 10 years! Yes, I know it’s wishful thinking…
Anyway, there you have it! I can now wirelessly stream my music from my smartphone anywhere in the house, or use the AVR to stream music from my PC or NAS like it was supposed to.
I’m in musical bliss again! 😀
Can an Oil Bath Solve the Mysteries of the Quantum World?
Interesting way of visually understanding the wave-particle duality, even if it isn’t perfect.
For the past eight years, two French researchers have been bouncing droplets around a vibrating oil bath and observing their unique behaviour. What sounds like a high-school experiment has in fact provided the first ever evidence that the strange features of the quantum world can be reproduced on a macroscopic scale.
Now, many researchers are asking if the oil-bath experiments can provide insights into quantum mechanics and more specifically why particles can behave as waves and waves can behave as particles.
In this month’s issue of Physics World, Jon Cartwright takes a closer look at some of the key experiments performed by the French pair but finds that not all quantum physicists are convinced that they will lead to a deeper understanding.
The French physicist Louis de Broglie was the first to describe wave-particle duality in 1926 but the phenomenon has since been very difficult to understand because no-one has…
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How to take great photos on the Lumia 1020
So you have just purchased the best camera phone of 2013 & you’re excited to get started taking incredible photos like those seen in reviews.
In bright daylight, all the photos turn out great but when the lights dim, your photos aren’t turning out so great. What’s up? Lumia 1020 is supposed to be the champion in low-light photography. Is your Lumia 1020 faulty?
Likelihood it’s performing fine. It’s just not what you’re expecting in the picture.
This article aims to help you overcome inherent problems in digital photography. It’s broken down into sub-sections, each corresponding to an individual manual setting in the Nokia Camera app, the default camera app on all Lumia 1020. This article also applies if you’ve install Nokia Camera on other Lumia WP8 models although instead of the Xenon Flash, you’d only have the LED light.
Jellyfish are taking over the seas, and it might be too late to stop them
Still getting poor battery life from your Windows Phone 8.0?
Update 10 Sep 2014: This article is only applicable for WP8.0. WP8.1 removed this setting!
While reading an IOS7 review, I come across a power-saving tip, which I didn’t thought of as a power-saving tip at first.
We have the same setting in Windows Phone. If you go to WiFi settings -> Advanced, you have “Notify me when new networks are found.” By default, it’s ON.
This feature was available since WP7 but it never crossed my mind that it actually controls the WiFi Roaming Aggressiveness of WP OS. I just found it annoying so I have switched it OFF immediately after getting a new WP phone. So I never had a chance to see the effects when it was on.
According to the IOS7 review, switching this off saves power!
For me, my WiFi is always ON, “Keep WiFi on when screen times out” is ON & “Notify me when new networks are found” is always OFF. And because of this, my Windows Phones’ battery life have always been good! I couldn’t understand why there’re still reports of poor battery life even after switching to 3G on their 4G phones + switching off all Background Agents.
Then I remembered last year I posted a comment on whether switching ON the WiFi ALL the time is a good idea or not & I concluded that as long as the WiFi radio is not roaming & it can enter low-power state when associated with a wireless access point, it CAN save power. However, unlike in Windows where you can select WiFi Roaming Aggressiveness, you can’t do so in WP7/8. Or so I thought until the IOS7 article.
I connected the dots & BAM! This Notify setting is the Roaming aggressiveness setting!
Switch it OFF guys & gals!
Sound off in the comments below on how your battery life is affected.
Companies get worse at truly innovating the more financial analysts cover them
Perhaps Microsoft should keep ValueAct at arm’s length.
The economist who predicted the financial crisis just sounded another alarm—it would be wise to listen this time
China’s spending 39% of its GDP paying off debts
Why China shares are still way below 2007 levels.
My Thinking Out Loud! 