Anthem recently announced a 3D upgrade to the Anthem Statement D2v and Anthem AVM 50v audio/video processors. The latest generation Statement D2v 3D and AVM 50v 3D have 8 HDMI inputs and 2 parallel outputs: HDMI Inputs 1 through 4 and HDMI Output 1 now support 3D pass-through mode, automatically switching to it upon sensing a 3D source.
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When detecting the presence of 3D video, the new Anthem circuit boards go into pass-through mode as per a source menu option for video output configuration, passing the 3D HDMI signal from a 3D Blu-ray player to a 3D display at resolutions up to 1080p. For additional convenience, in pass-through mode the output refresh rate is now automatically matched to the source's frame refresh rate, useful for sources that output a mix between 24, 50 and 60 Hz.
A physical upgrade for existing owners of the Anthem preamplifier/processors will also be available (shipping to start in August, 2012) via a new dealer-installed mezzanine board, which replaces the two smaller video boards for HDMI Inputs One through Four and HDMI Output One. A software update, downloaded from the Anthem website, will also be part of the upgrade package. Complementing the 3D switching and automatic pass-through features, the upgrade equips both processors with video processor bypass for 2D, useful for reference quality video content that does not require cleanup or scaling. The on-screen status display information does not apply in "through" mode, since video processing is bypassed.
In developing the upgrades, Anthem subjected both A/V processors to rigorous compliance testing in order to achieve HDMI certification. As a pioneer in the troubleshooting and integration of HDMI, Anthem understands how to use these connections to their fullest. The processors are equipped with four additional HDMI inputs (for a total of eight) and one additional HDMI output (for a total of two), delivering unprecedented connection capabilities for a preamplifier/processor. All inputs and outputs offer Deep-Color support (36-bit).
The Anthem Room Correction (ARC) system also comes standard with the latest Statement D2v 3D and AVM 50v 3D. While equalizing frequency response in a room to achieve some generic (i.e. "flat") response is a common approach to solving problems with room acoustics, Anthem engineers feel it results in an unnatural-sounding spectral balance since it does not account for in-room cues that the human ear/brain mechanism expects. ARC differs from other systems in that it uses proprietary processing to compute each speaker's in-room frequency response and then computes a target frequency response for each.
The Statement D2v 3D and AVM 50v 3D are currently available for order. US FMV for the Anthem Statement D2v 3D is $9,499 and for the Anthem AVM 50v 3D, $6,499. The US FMV for the 3D upgrade kit is TBA. For more information, visit www.anthemAV.com.
Additional Resouces
• Read more AV preamp news from HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Explore reviews in our AV Preamp Review section.
• Learn more from our review of the Anthem Statement D2v.