detail information

Setting up the Helios HVD2085:

Like setting up the NeuNeo, setting up this player is about as straight forward as setting up any other DVD player, with the exception that the video mode needs to be set up to match the display.  Upon its first power-up, its output will likely be NTSC 480i or PAL 576i depending on the region of the player.  While the vast majority of high definition TVs will accept the default, running the player at standard definition kind of defeats the point of having a HD upscaling player! 

Unlike some HD upscaling DVD players where the TV modes can only be altered through the menu, this player features four dedicated buttons on the remote to select between the TV type and resolution.  This gives the user a major advantage in that they are not stuck with a non-viewable image should they accidentally set their player to an unsuitable output/format.  The modes can even be changed during the playback of any content.

When the player is powered up without any disc loaded, it will show the following screen:

Without any disc loaded in the player, the only buttons that operate are the setup, standby and display mode buttons.  The following screen below shows the main setup menu.  This can be brought up whether the player is in standby or during the playback of a disc.  However, if the current scene playing has navigation restrictions, such as the anti-piracy ads at the beginning of a DVD, the setup button is disabled.  In this case, the user either needs to wait until the navigation controls are enabled or has to eject the disc to get access to the setup menu.  If a disc is playing when the setup menu is displayed, the current playback is paused:

The menu structure and menu navigation is pretty much the same as with the NeuNeo.  For new users to this player, it takes a little while to get use to selecting options in the menu.  For example, in the Sound menu, the 'Digital Output" item is both an option and a sub-menu, where pressing 'Enter" toggles this between On/Off and pressing the right-arrow key opens a sub-menu giving a list of digital audio formats to output. 

The contents of the setup menus, submenus and options are as follows:

Play / Resume Play (Requires a loaded disc to select)

Play Mode (Requires a loaded disc to select)
          Start

          (Further options are hidden if disc only contains images)
          Random Play
          Program Play
          Edit Program
                   (Playlist editor with track selection shows)

Lock
          Enter Password (4 Digit code required)
                   (Menu revealed after correct password entry)
                   Change PWD
                             Enter New Password
                   Ratings Limits
                             (Threshold level slider shown)
                             LV8, LV7 NC-17, LV6 PG-R, LV5, LV4 PG-13, LV3 PG, LV2, LV1 G

Display
          TV System
                   NTSC Only
                   PAL Only
                   Progressive (480P)
                   Progressive (576P)
                   HDTV 720P Output
                   HDTV 1080I Output
                   VGA Output
                   SVGA Output
                   XGA Output
                   SXGA Output
                   HDTV 1080P Output
          TV Image
                   4 x 3 Letterbox
                   4 x 3 Standard
                   16 x 9 Widescreen
          HD Scan Freq (Only available while using a HD mode)
                   Auto (Multi-System)
                   60Hz
                   50Hz
          Smart Play
                   On
                   Off

Sound
          Digital Output
                   On (Reveals menu)
                             Dolby Digital (Toggle)
                             DTS (Toggle)
                   Off
          Stereo
                   On
                   Off
          Speaker Setup (Revealed if Stereo option is 'Off')
                    Speakers
                             Front
                                      Small, Large
                             Center
                                      Small, Large, None
                             Surround
                                      Small, Large, None
                             Subwoofer
                                      Exist, None
                   Distance (All options in steps of feet from 3 to 20 feet)
                             Front
                             Center
                             Surround
                   Volume (All options in steps of dB from -10 dB to 0 dB)
                             Left Front
                             Right Front
                             Center
                             Left Surround
                             Right Surround
                             Subwoofer
                   LPCM Output
                             48K, 96K

Languages
            Player Menus
                   English, (Chinese)
          Disc Menus
                   English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish
          Audio
                   English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish
          Subtitles
                   Off, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish

Apart from the 'Smart Play" feature, the menu structure is identical to that of the NeuNeo player.  With the NeuNeo player, the Smart Play feature can be added by upgrading its firmware.

Setting up the display configuration

As we mentioned earlier, it is possible to switch between the player's different TV modes using the 4 dedicated buttons located on the 3^rd row down of the remote.  As some displays may not mention which TV mode one is in, the choice of display modes are available in the menu as shown in the following image of the 'TV System" sub-menu:

Like with other DVD players, this player gives three choices for the aspect ratio choice - '4x3 Letterbox", '4x3 Standard" and '16x9 Widescreen".  The 'HD Scan Freq" is only available while in a High Definition mode.  While many HDTV displays will accept both 50Hz and 60Hz scan frequencies, this allows the user to match Scan Frequency to the disc they are playing in order to get the smoothest playback.  Even though this option is disabled when the player is in a standard definition mode, it shows the false value '60Hz' even when the output is set to 'PAL".

Smart Play

Smart Play is a standard feature included on the Helios as well as part of a firmware update for the NeuNeo model for jumping straight to the main title of a DVD upon loading.  For example, many DVDs have a long introduction or even ads before the menu.  When this option is turned on, in theory the player should jump straight to the main title upon loading the disc.  We will cover this feature in the advanced tests page of this review.

Setting up the sound and speaker configuration

Like the NeuNeo, the sound and speaker configuration is one of the most sophisticated we have seen for a DVD player.  It caters for virtually every combination of stereo and surround sound systems one may encounter, including 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.0 and 5.1 speaker setups, including speakers of different sizes.  As most consumers don't have the ideal room for a surround sound system or have their seating in the sweet spot, it is possible to adjust volume and delay of each speaker, features one would generally only find on a professional sound mixing desk. 

The following screenshot shows the Sound setup menu:

The 'Digital Output" sub-menu gives a choice of Dolby Digital and DTS.  When the Stereo option is turned off, the 'Speaker Setup" sub-menu becomes available, which gives a sub-menu choice of 'Speakers', 'Distance' and 'Volume'.  The 'Speakers' sub-menu is shown in the following image:

For the front, centre and surround speakers, the choice is 'Small' and 'Large'.  The Centre, Surround and Subwoofer speaker options also have a choice of 'None' to allow these outputs to be disabled if any of these are not connected.  While the player mentions that the Subwoofer speaker's size can be set as shown in the above image, the only two options we get for this item are 'Exist" and 'None".  Even though most DVD players just give the choice of 2.0, 2.1, 4.1 and 5.1, the advantage here is that one can tell the DVD player which speakers are connected as well as their size.  For example, it is possible to use the larger speakers from a former Dolby Pro-logic system and hook them up to this DVD player using a 5-channel amplifier, while most other DVD players expect 4 to 5 small speakers and a subwoofer to be present for a surround sound setup. 

The following screen shows the 'Distance" sub-menu:

As most consumers would not have their seating in the perfect sweet spot to cater for their surround sound system, this menu allows the user to effectively reposition the sweet spot by telling the player how far they are from a given speaker group.  Ideally, the seating and speakers should be positioned such that the seating is the same distance from the left speakers as it is from the right speakers. 

Finally, the following screen shows the 'Volume" sub-menu:

While at first it may seem odd why someone would want to adjust the volume of individual speakers, apparently this allows the user to compensate for how the environment affects the sound.  If a speaker is placed next to a wall, the wall will effectively reflect sound waves away from the speaker, which would make it sound louder than a speaker out in the open.  The same goes with the subwoofer, particularly if it is located in a corner.  For example, if one has their three front speakers and the rear right speaker in front of a wall and the rear and left is all open space, then with a traditional DVD player, it would seem like the right speakers are unusually loud while the surround speakers seem rather weak.  With this player, all the user has to do is lower the front left and rear right speakers a few dB and the front right speaker several more dB (due to corner location) and the audio will sound more even.  Unfortunately, like the NeuNeo, this player does not offer any test tones to properly calibrate the speakers, which means one would need to rely on a DVD containing speaker sound and calibration tests.