Quote:
Originally Posted by
thebland 
Ditto... Since most who would spend for a Sony / Pioneer 09 / Denon 3800 will likely bitstream/ LPCM the Hi Res lossless codecs and view at 1080P24 via HDMI... I think, other than warranty, reliability, and out of the box functionality, there is little else of significance to want in an 'uber-player'.
Since analog is gone, the need for better conversions and more expensive parts / design is really sort of over.
At 1080P24 output and DTS MA / TRUE HD bitstreamed (or decoded to LPCM), the player is essentially lifting the digital tracks off the disc and simply passing them on without any post processing whatsoever. The players are essentially conduits that take the digital source to the receiver for post processing and D/A conversion ... so, who needs all the excess when it comes to Blu Ray discs?
Now for DVD, there are improvements that are more tangible for upconversion, but most upconverting engines these days to a competent job as would be seen on the typical 60" or smaller plasma /LCD.
Now if you want SACD, DVD-A.. then there is more significance to these pieces. But for Blu Ray and DVD, I see little need to spend $2K or more..
Just to update from an earlier post. At 1080p/60 with the "pure cinema" setting at either 'on' or 'off', with standard def DVD there is terrible combing. At 'auto1' or auto2', it looks great.
As for the post I'm replying to, I would say that while there is merit to feeling like you're overpaying for the player if you don't use the analog outputs, which they clearly put effort into, I would not agree that it means the player isn't worth a premium. Via HDMI, I compared the audio from the 09 to the 05 and it was significant in favor of the 09. The video quality was also noticeably better, though it was at first subtle. But like many things, what at first is subtle becomes a difference you can't live without! Such is the case with the improvement wrought by the 09.
