What DVD player can play...

eulogyt00l

I am in the market for a new DVD player and I want one that can play HDCD,SACD,DVD-A (and of course the other usuals). So does anybody know of a good high quality universal player that can play all the new formats? Thanks.

brettw22

Without knowing how much you're looking to spend, you're opening up the field too much. Give us your budget range and we can work with from there.............

eulogyt00l

I want the highest quality one available. I don't really have a set range, I will spend whatever it takes so I don't have to have multiple DVD players on my rack. But the ones I've seen so far (like the new Denon 2900) only have 2 of the new formats, SACD and DVD-A no HDCD. I have alot of HDCD's so it is pretty important to me. Are there any top of the line universal players that can play all 3?

Steve@3dai

I think Pioneer Elite has a multi-format player as well.

It's some bling bling though

mantis

want the formats gota pay my man.I'm waiting for the Denon 2900 to arive in so I can give it a full review/demo.From what has been said about it,it's going to be the Mother effer at it's price range....we shaw see.

eulogyt00l

Man I looked all over the net and couldn't find one. I guess I will have to have 2 different players. I hear you Mantis, I will probably get the Denon 2900 for regular use and the Denon DCM-380 5 disk changer for HDCD which is dirt cheap and made just for HDCD with excellent quality from what it sounds like.

scottvamp

The Denon 2900 IS your best bet. I have HDCD with my Denon 2800 and there is little to NO difference in sound - SO HDCD is NOT theat big of deal - Trust Me!!!!!!!!!!!! It is comparable to any HQ DISC.

eulogyt00l

Thanks for the advice. I was actually doing some comparing on the harmonic distortion, dynamic range and signal to noise ratio levels of the 2900 to the DCM-380. Anyway the 2900 was so much better that I doubt I would gain anything from using the 380 for HDCD.

So at least I will only have one DVD player in my rack, but its still annoying that it plays absolutely everything EXCEPT HDCD which is a pretty big up and coming format.

phuz

Pioneer Elite and Marantz are the only brands that I know of that play just about everything. Even then I don't think they do HDCD. You could always match that with a reciever that can decode HDCD, or get a seperate CD player for HDCD.

Dispite what scott says, I think HDCD is nice. The difference that one notices is completely dependant on the rest of your system though.

Dr. Spec

I've got the 2800 MKII as a loaner until the 2900 comes in. I agree on HDCD - it in no way compares to DVD-A or SACD in terms of "difference in sound".

The 2900 (if it is reliable) will be a grand slam home run - no chroma bug, silicon pure progressive decoding engine, DVD-A, SACD, and analog bass management. Awesome.

I can't wait for mine - the chroma bug on the 2800 MKII is killing me.

Doc

mantis

Guys,
not to hinder your desire to own a Denon dvd player but I feel it nessary to tell you guys of there unrealible track record.Denn for some reason has a habit of releasing DVD player broken right out of the box.As I am an Installer,they are the only brand that come out broken from time to time.
Brands like SOny and Pioneer I have never seen a broken one out of the box.I have installed thousands.
I really hope Denon learns or has learned from there track record and releases what I think is going to take the market by storm 2900.If I didn't own the Pioneer Elite dv47a,I would seriously look at this new player.

fireshoes

I agree completely on the Denon dvd QC. Subpar for sure. Hopefully they get better.

dorokusai

Very nice, but very expensive. Denon DVD-9000.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-dVFvN76NZZv/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=6&g=54400&I=033DVD9000&o=p&a=0&cc=01&avf=N

polkatese

Originally posted by dorokusai
Very nice, but very expensive. Denon DVD-9000.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-dVFvN76NZZv/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=6&g=54400&I=033DVD9000&o=p&a=0&cc=01&avf=N

dorokusai,
indeed, it's a very nice unit. It also will let you use Denon link to connect to Denon 5803 flagship receiver, and has a completely digital link for your multichannels (DVD-A) signal path. But, it doesn't do SACD, which make it a bit obsolete, just like my Denon 3800...

dorokusai

Oops, I actually did not notice that Polkatese. That's a shame that it doesn't. SACD looks like it is becoming the larger format, so that is important.

brettw22

If I'm remembering correctly, the DVD9000 is chroma-bug laden as well. The 2900 is the unit that was previewed at the CES show a few months ago and is to be the best unit they'll have out from what I've read.........

dorokusai

What is a chroma bug?

polkatese

dorokusai, here is one link for you:

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5933&highlight=chroma

madmax

I like my DV47Ai Pioneer player. $700 on the internet sites. I hear the DV45Ai is good for $400 to $500.
madmax

dorokusai

Thanks PT, I did a search but must have not used the right keywords. I never really noticed that at all, and I will try not to in the near future. Does a progressive scan format help with this problem?

dorokusai

Nevermind I just read part 5, I am slow reader.

joe logston

im still waiting for a ultimate play all format player, from any one, to come out. with all channel digital out puts, and fire wire out puts, and im going to wait.

polkatese

dorokusai, no apology necessary...I do that all the time!

Dr. Spec

Trust me, you don't want a player that is afflicted with the Chroma Bug. It is an MPEG upsampling error that results in jagged edges and thin horizontal etched lines through anything that has any chroma red content.

There is a huge and highly technical article that I can link you to from home (I don't have the link at work) that has everything you ever wanted to know about DVD players, including the chroma bug. There is also a list of players known to be afflicted with the bug and those that are known to be free of the bug.

Some players display it worse than others. Once you see it, you hate it and your attention is drawn to it every time. And progressive scan will not fix it or minimize it.

I agree, Denon DVD players have had major QA/QC problems. The 2800/2800 MKII was a trouble plagued platform from the get go, and the 3800 has been through so many running design changes, it's practically a new unit.

I'm crossing my fingers the 2900 fixes all of this - Denon's rep is on the line and they know it. This is a whole new platform and not borrowed from the 3800 or the 2800. If this thing is reliable, it will be the best selling DVD player in the $1000 category. With Burr Brown DACs and analog bass management, the sound quality on DVD-A and SACD will be outstanding. And once you see the Silicon Images Pure Progressive decoding engine (the same used in the DVD-9000), nothing else is acceptable. It's worth every single penny and widely acknowledged to be the best decoding engine on the market. The PQ from this engine is so good, it's scary.

Doc

polkatese

Silicon Images Pure Progressive decoding engine (the same used in the DVD-9000), nothing else is acceptable. It's worth every single penny and widely acknowledged to be the best decoding engine on the market. The PQ from this engine is so good, it's scary.

Doc, agreed! comparing my 3800 and PE DV-37, it's no contest, the PQ on 3800 make ALL movies look 3-D...

dorokusai

Dr. I think that the link PT posted was what you are referring to, it was extremely in depth about DVD format.

I saw a list of reviewed players and their outcome, looks like the Panasonics consistently did quite well, although they don't quite fit into the original forum question.

Dr. Spec

The link Shack posted in the DVD-9000 thread is the one I was referring to. Awesome stuff to learn - really heady high tech technical lingo.

Doc

scottvamp

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
I've got the 2800 MKII as a loaner until the 2900 comes in. I agree on HDCD - it in no way compares to DVD-A or SACD in terms of "difference in sound".

Thanks Dr. Spec - (know i'm not crazy) have a pretty kick **** system. My Onkyo898 and 787 easily compliment HDCD and like i said it is not that big of a difference compared to a WELL produced CD.
By the way how do you like the Denon 2800 Dr. Spec??? - the soild build and quality really do outway almost all DVD players on the market "at the time I bought it" that is. I am very happy with it and will probably not upgrade until HD-DVD comes on the market.

Dr. Spec

I like the 2800 MKII fine except for the chroma bug. Worst example I have EVER seen.

Doc

scottvamp

I thought it was improved with the "II" model. Anyway I do not notice it with my projector.

Dr. Spec

Ugghhh......it's terrible on my HDTV. My old player didn't have it nearly so bad, or maybe it's that the PQ is otherwise so good with the SI chip, that the bug is that much more noticeable.

I'm surprised the Blade II scene where he rescues Whistler didn't have you scratching out your eyeballs in disgust. The entire scene is bathed in red light and is completely laden with the bug - horrid. Also, when he first drives into the warehouse with Whistler and hits the tail lights on the Charger and then drives in with the tunnel with the red lights glowing - all awful bug scenes.

Ditto with the opener of U-571, it's totally unwatchable - it looks like an NTSC low def broadcast.

I can now pick out the bug in just about every single scene of every single movie. It even affects the lips of certain actors - showing tiny hash lines across their lips on certain scenes.

It is almost always noticeable on neon red colors, but it was also very obvious last night on Darkness Falls with a neon green syringe in one scene.

If I didn't have to return the 2800 MKII for the 2900, I would burn out on it with my truck just to make sure it didn't torture another buyer like it has tortured me with the chroma bug.

Doc