I'm looking for a multi-disc DVD/CD player (5-disc, 6-disc, etc) with:

1080p (upconversion okay)

HDMI 1.3 or 1.3a

Plays most DVD & CD formats, including SACD

I can't find anything available yet. I want a multi-disc because I plan to use it as my CD player.

Does it exist?

Glenn

.

Denon's DVM-2845CI and does 1080p and SACD. Yamaha's DVD-C950 does 1080i and SACD. Not sure if they're HDMI 1.3, but they do have HDMI.

They're both at or over $500, though.

I'm looking for a multi-disc DVD/CD player (5-disc, 6-disc, etc) with:

1080p (upconversion okay)

HDMI 1.3 or 1.3a

Plays most DVD & CD formats, including SACD

I can't find anything available yet. I want a multi-disc because I plan to use it as my CD player.

Does it exist?

Glenn

.

I don't believe that DVD, CD, or SACD use any HDMI 1.3 features. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi#HDMI_1.3

-Bill

Yes, HDMI 1.3 is unnecessary for SD (and HD) DVDs unless the HDM player can't decode some of the hirez DD/DTS bitstreams. CD/SACD/DVD-A don't need it either.

larry

There's a new Yamaha 5 disk changer, the DVD-C961 (http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=558352&CTID=5001700) coming out soon - here's an earlier thread for the player:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=891921

The specs do not say whether the HDMI port is version 1.3, but it can apparently convert DSD streams to PCM and pass them through the HDMI connector.

There's also the Marantz VC6001 (http://us.marantz.com/Products/1929.asp) - also a 5 disk universal changer, but I think it is an HDMI 1.1 player. According to the manual it does not pass SACD through HDMI.

Regards,
Sejin.

If HDMI 1.3 is unecessary, then why are all the new DVD players coming out with 1.3?

There are no new DVD players coming out with HDMI v1.3. There are new Blu-rayand HD-DVD players coming out with HDMI v1.3 (although the way HD-DVD discs are mastered makes it less useful), but those are different formats than DVD.

There are no new DVD players coming out with HDMI v1.3. There are new Blu-rayand HD-DVD players coming out with HDMI v1.3 (although the way HD-DVD discs are mastered makes it less useful), but those are different formats than DVD.

Yes, they are. I'm not sure why you are saying no. The newly released DVD Players are using HDMI v1.3. In fact, the one I bought way back in April for $299, is using HDMI v1.3. It is the Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK.

What I haven't seen yet (and the reason for my original post) is a multi disc player that has upgraded to v1.3.

I stand corrected. I said that because I haven't seen any - although I haven't paid close attention to Panasonic's offerings in a number of years. On the other hand, stating that "all new DVD players" are coming out with HDMI v1.3 is also incorrect. I can find plenty of recently released players that don't include HDMI v1.3 transmitter chips. (Heck, even some recently-released Blu-ray players don't use HDMI v1.3...)

Let's go back to the issue of the purpose in having HDMI v1.3 in a standard DVD player, though. If you look at the specs for HDMI v1.3, there is exactly one feature added to it from v1.2 that might be used today on a standard DVD player (automatic lip sync), and that requires the entire signal path to be HDMI v1.3 and to support that feature (which is not required by HDMI). True, there is also CEC (which the Panasonic DVD recorder you mention has, although their name for it is EZSync), but everything I've seen about CEC suggests that it is a standards disaster (see this recent blog post by Tom Norton (http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/thomasnorton/082307Communicate/)).

The Yamaha rep confirmed that this has hdmi 1.3 (he says 1.3a). The sync thing was probably the point (besides just having a check-mark for customers to see). My DVD-c950 has unbearable sync issues connected to my 1080p TV over HDMI (audio going separately over digital out to receiver). I'll be interested to see whether, HDMI 1.3 aside, the fact that the onboard processor does the de-interlacing makes the 961 work better for me.

There's a new Yamaha 5 disk changer, the DVD-C961 (http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=558352&CTID=5001700) coming out soon - here's an earlier thread for the player:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=891921

The specs do not say whether the HDMI port is version 1.3, but it can apparently convert DSD streams to PCM and pass them through the HDMI connector.
.
.
Thank you. This just might be what I'm looking for. As far as I know, it's the first one to have the features I mentioned in my original question.
.
.

I'm looking for the same thing too. Onkyo has a 6 disc but it doesn't do SACD. I don't own any SACD's but it seems like it would be cool to have if that standard takes off in the future.

I think if SACD (and DVD-A) were going to take off they would have done so by now. It's kind of settled in to a niche market.

Onkyo's changer doesn't do SACD but its Integra brand has one that does. I don't think it upscales, though.

The Yamaha rep confirmed that this has hdmi 1.3 (he says 1.3a).

Are you referring to the DVD-C961 ?

Just 5 minutes ago, I received the following message from Yamaha in regard to the DVD-C961:

"This unit has not been released at this time , from the information I have it is HDMI 1.2

Best Regards,
The Yamaha Customer Support Team"


I guess it still doesn't exist.

.

Are you referring to the DVD-C961 ?

Just 5 minutes ago, I received the following message from Yamaha in regard to the DVD-C961:

"This unit has not been released at this time , from the information I have it is HDMI 1.2

Best Regards,
The Yamaha Customer Support Team"


I guess it still doesn't exist.

.


I wrote back to him and asked if he could please confirm it. I received this response:

"Hi
I checked with one of our engineers and the HDMI is 1.2a"

.

The player is in stock at *******.com for $400. I'm tempted.

The player is in stock at *******.com for $400. I'm tempted.

Again, it's not HDMI 1.3 as they told you. Read my previous post.

Other than the lip syncing issue, is there a need for your player to have HDMI 1.3? It doesn't sound like there'll be an SD DVD player meeting your needs for a while with it. I mean, if you want it, don't let me tell you how to spend your money. I'm just curious as to why.

Other than the lip syncing issue, is there a need for your player to have HDMI 1.3? It doesn't sound like there'll be an SD DVD player meeting your needs for a while with it.
.
.
I think there probably will be plenty of them in the very near future. Not because 1.3 is going to make any real difference in DVD, but simply because 1.3 will be the current HDMI standard. Anything new that comes out with HDMI would logically be the current version, wouldn't it?
.
.

Yeah, I guess it would, although from reading the thread the Yamaha one won't be, right? Plus, changers aren't exactly a high demand model (I mean, how many are available, period, compared to single disc ones), so the wait between the new models is a bit longer.

Don't get me wrong, I love five and six disc changers, but they don't really come out with a huge selection of them. :(

I think there probably will be plenty of them in the very near future. Not because 1.3 is going to make any real difference in DVD, but simply because 1.3 will be the current HDMI standard. Anything new that comes out with HDMI would logically be the current version, wouldn't it?
Eventually, I suspect that this will be true, but I don't think it will happen overnight. It may even take years to happen. HDMI v1.3 transmitter chips were rushed into production for the PS3 last fall, but they are still being refined (early generation had problems doing the one thing for which most people wanted them: passing TrueHD and DTS-HD MA bitstreams). Even though there are going to be v1.3 chips available, the older chips will still be in production for a while and will likely cost less than the latest chips. If a manufacturer can save even a few cents without sacrificing any of the features they were planning to include anyway, they'll do it - and in this case, it won't really hurt anyone for them to do so. Look at cable and satellite receivers. They could still get by with just an HDMI v1.0 output - none of the features added in later versions are any use to them, as v1.0 will pass PCM stereo and Dolby Digital just fine. The manufacturers of these boxes will want to keep building the same boxes that they've been building for years, and will still want those v1.0 transmitter chips. Chip manufacturers aren't going to stop making v1.0, v1.1, and v1.2 transmitter chips just because v1.3 is here.

if only the XA2 was a changer! :(

Well, HDMI 1.2a it is. I bought one, regardless. I am VERY happy. It's a huge improvement over the dvd-c950: No more lipsync problems with my 1080p panel, SACD over HDMI, and (finally) an option that forces pillar bars with 4:3 source material. There are some other nice things, as well. The region-free hack stays the same, so I can still watch my region 2 PAL discs on this player.

Well, HDMI 1.2a it is. I bought one, regardless. I am VERY happy. It's a huge improvement over the dvd-c950: No more lipsync problems with my 1080p panel, SACD over HDMI, and (finally) an option that forces pillar bars with 4:3 source material. There are some other nice things, as well. The region-free hack stays the same, so I can still watch my region 2 PAL discs on this player.
That's great. Thanks for reporting back. Is the C961 faster/slower than the C950 in terms of responding to commands and loading discs, etc. Doesn't it have a new GUI? Is it better?

Also do any of these tricks I read about the C950's remote still work (using the C961's remote)?The fast forward/reverse are the menu right and left navigation buttons. Pressing these buttons during DVD play steps through the different speeds of fast forward and reverse.

The chapter skip buttons just skip chapters.

Up and Down arrow buttons act as a Slow Forward/Reverse.

Hold down Stop button for a couple seconds to Open/Eject.

If you hit the On Screen button on the remote while the tray is open, it will display some information about the player, including the Region it is set to and I believe the firmware version.

Thanks!

Oh, one more thing. If you've tried SACD over HDMI, does it send it as 176.4 KHz PCM or is it limited to 88.2 KHz?

Well, HDMI 1.2a it is. I bought one, regardless. I am VERY happy... No more lipsync problems with my 1080p panel

I thought that the lip syncing issue was only a feature of HDMI 1.3, no?

PS - one of the more reputable online retailers (I'm not sure I can say the name here) currently has the c961 on sale for $379

.

That's great. Thanks for reporting back. Is the C961 faster/slower than the C950 in terms of responding to commands and loading discs, etc. Doesn't it have a new GUI? Is it better?


Also do any of these tricks I read about the C950's remote still work (using the C961's remote):

The fast forward/reverse are the menu right and left navigation buttons. Pressing these buttons during DVD play steps through the different speeds of fast forward and reverse.

The chapter skip buttons just skip chapters.

Up and Down arrow buttons act as a Slow Forward/Reverse.

Hold down Stop button for a couple seconds to Open/Eject.

If you hit the On Screen button on the remote while the tray is open, it will display some information about the player, including the Region it is set to and I believe the firmware version.



Oh, one more thing. If you've tried SACD over HDMI, does it send it as 176.4 KHz PCM or is it limited to 88.2 KHz?

scottegos2?