2. home-theater
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2 recent, weird and isolated issues with BD playback

I'm running a McIntosh MVP881BR.  The deck is now 4-1/2 years old and has the latest firmware update according to the internal check routine.  

First problem:  When I've tried to play 2 different 20th Century Fox BD movies (Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter and The Martian), I get the disc error message "your player needs to be updated."  Those are the only 2 Fox BDs I've ever bought.  Everything else regardless of studio, new or old, plays.

Second problem:  When I've played 2 different discs with Dolby Atmos (Mad Max Fury Road and Mockingjay Part 2), I only get front left, center, front right and subwoofer.  They are the only 2 Dolby Atmos discs I have.  My McIntosh MAC-3 processor registers the input as surround and the rear channels are definitely live, just no signal. 

I'm very satisfied with my 881 and consider it the most musical disc player I've ever owned.  Audio CD, DVD-A, SACD performance and DVD up-sampling I feel is outstanding.  The MAC-3 is an older 5.1 unit updated by McIntosh not quite 4 years ago and works fine with every other disc or source I've ever run into it.  

I have a query into McIntosh, but would like to know if anyone else here has run into either of these things.
effischer

Showing 3 responses by tonykay

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tonykay
1,298 posts
 
I bought a Pioneer Elite BDP 09 here on Audiogon and had no problem playing CDs and DVDs. However, at some point I tried to play a Blu-Ray disc and the screen was blank. I called Pioneer and they walked me through the diagnostic, only to find my player did not have the "latest firmware update." They sent me an update disc (without charge) and once it was uploaded, no problem! 

I can't comment on the Dolby Atmos issue. My best advice is to call McIntosh and talk to a tech. They have probably heard everything and can help you troubleshoot the cause and find a solution. Best of luck!
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tonykay
1,298 posts
 
Congratulations on coming near the end of your journey to have your Mac DVD/CD player factory repaired. I only wish my experience had been the same. 

I bought a Mac MVP-871 as a demo unit from Magnolia Audio. They assured me that McIntosh would honor the warranty but Mac sent me a note informing me that there would be no warranty as the unit had been discontinued for more than a year. Magnolia promised to handle any needed repairs, unfortunately repairs were needed almost immediately and were never satisfactorily completed. I won’t bore you with the details but I wasn’t happy with the whole experience. I was able to return it to Magnolia for a substantial loss. 

Sorry to drag that out into the daylight but your saying that McIntosh 
“really does support its products, no matter what,” just rubbed me wrong. In your case, your patience deserved to be rewarded.
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tonykay
1,298 posts
 
effischer,

I think you are probably right, however, at 4.5 years old (older than mine, actually) I can’t help but think that McIntosh took good care of you as an accommodation to Audio Classics. In any case, you deserve to have your unit repaired under warranty for your patience, if nothing else.
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