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Denon 3910 Owners Thread

post #1 of 7479
9/18/04 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
Please don't thread fart or get way off-topic here guys, I intend this thread for owners of the 3910, to discuss and share experiences and set-ups with this particular DVD player.

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I owned a Denon, 2800, 3800, sent them back... you all know the problems. Owned a 5900, sent it back to..... ditto the reasons.

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I have now owned the Denon 3910 for only two days, but I just had the chance to hook it up to my Seleco HT300Link Projector (HD2+ DLP) a few minutes ago.

All I can say is WOW!! The DVD picture on this thing looks to me to be as good as you can possibly wring out of standard DVD. I have not watched a movie yet, just Avia Pro Test patterns and set-up fields, but I can say that this thing absolutely pushes the limits of detail from standard DVDs. If a HTPC or a different zillion $ DVD player can look any sharper or clearer, I do not see how. The only thing that looks better than this is HD with plenty of bandwidth.

I am using the HDMI input, and I can tell you the 3910 is definitely sharper than my 5900 was (with the same projector) going from DVI-HDMI. I cannot explain why, since I have read that the 5900 and 3910 are essentially the same, but I can tell you this, on my set-up, the 3910 looks to be about 15-20% sharper, without ringing or artifacts. I can set this thing on a 10 sharpness level with no ringing !!

With component input in progressive or interlaced the player looks no sharper than my Panasonis RP-91, but the pisture is still quite a bit brighter and snappier. HDMI is where this player shines.

The whitelevel on this thing is incredible, as is the black level.

I am gonna watch some movies this weekend to test for all the other stuff, layer change, colors in movies, MB, etc. One of the reasons I sent the 5900 back was subtitles popping up at odd times, so I hope I don't see that !!

I'm curious what HDMI setting you find looks the best on your set-up, and can you please post what TV or projector you are using with this DVD player ??

What DVDs and particular scenes are you folks using to test out your Player??

Thanks, more later,

- Cain
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post #2 of 7479
9/18/04 at 7:36am
Excellent! A 3910 FAQs thread! I hope you and Echo on the 1910 FAQs thread can get the mods to sticky both of them. Glad you made it and good luck!
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post #3 of 7479
9/18/04 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Exactly, that is what I had in mind. A FAQ thread for 3910 folks.

I got the 1 meter Monster Cable HDMI cable BTW for my player.

-- Cain
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post #4 of 7479
9/18/04 at 10:24am
Cain, If you have the time, I was wondering if you could try the DVI-HDMI setup on the 3910, the same as you used on the 5900? I would love to know if the better picture is due to the HDMI-HDMI transfer or just improvements made to the 3910. I'm in the market for a digital projector and would like to know if HDMI inputs enable a better picture than DVI. What are you using for the audio output? I'm curious if the Denon link works when the HDMI-HDMI transfer is used.
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post #5 of 7479
9/18/04 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
No Problem. I only have a HDMI input on my projector that is HDCP though, so it will be Denon DVI---- Seleco HDMI..

-- Cain
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post #6 of 7479
9/18/04 at 3:34pm
Yippeee! I can finally feel like I belong! I picked up my 3910 this afternoon from my dealer (who kicks msrp's ass on a regular basis!). I haven't had a chance to unpack it and set it up yet, but I'm so overjoyed and full of jubilee that I just had to post...just kidding...I am excited but not that excited! I'll chime in once I get it fired up (hopefully tonight!).

I'd like to thank all the 3910 owners that have helped me get through the waiting by posting impressions of their own machines...again, just kidding.

Jason
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post #7 of 7479
9/18/04 at 5:10pm
Imagine my disapointment last Wednesday when I unpacked my new 3910 & couldn't get it to play at all--not DVD video or CDs. The player read the time on the disc, but when I hit play, it stayed at all zeros, obviously not reading any discs. A few DVD videos ran for 5 secs & then froze. I stayed up late into the night thinking I was doing something wrong, but the tech advised me the next day it was defective. I joined the forum to make this post so that anyone else who had this sad experience would know they were not alone. Anyway, the replacement is coming next week, so I'm giving it one more shot.
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post #8 of 7479
9/18/04 at 5:15pm
This is incredible already how many of our forumers have already wrote in with defective units. Gee whiz. I realize nothing can be perfect all the time, but...when you scour all the Denon threads here, it feels like the number of folks who've had problems is quite signifigant.
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post #9 of 7479
9/18/04 at 5:25pm
Quote:


Originally posted by Cain


The whitelevel on this thing is incredible, as is the black level.

- Cain

Could you please elaborate on this? Peak white and black levels each have one and only one correct level, which can be readily verified on a waveform monitor, but whose measurement can be finessed using a tool like AVIA. (Actually, it could be argued that black level has two correct settings, depending on whether you use setup or not. But that doesn't change the general principle.)

So, do you mean that these levels are "incredibly accurate"? Do you mean "there is no crushing of details close to white and black"? Or do you mean something else?
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post #10 of 7479
9/18/04 at 5:33pm
Quote:


Originally posted by JasonColeman
Yippeee! I can finally feel like I belong! I picked up my 3910 this afternoon from my dealer (who kicks msrp's ass on a regular basis!). I haven't had a chance to unpack it and set it up yet, but I'm so overjoyed and full of jubilee that I just had to post...just kidding...I am excited but not that excited! I'll chime in once I get it fired up (hopefully tonight!).

I'd like to thank all the 3910 owners that have helped me get through the waiting by posting impressions of their own machines...again, just kidding.

Jason

Cool, I'm very curious of your impressions of the audio.

Jim
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post #11 of 7479
9/18/04 at 6:16pm
Quote:


Originally posted by keenan
Cool, I'm very curious of your impressions of the audio.

Jim

Jim-

Yeah, I'm pretty excited. I'm going to keep my 45a connected and A/B them via several connections. I've got a handful of SACD's and DVD-A's that I'll compare as well as the requisite barrage of 2-ch CD's. I'll probably really get into it tomorrow during the day...look for some commentary around (what hopes to be) Happy Hour.

Jason
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post #12 of 7479
9/18/04 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:


So, do you mean that these levels are "incredibly accurate"? Do you mean "there is no crushing of details close to white and black"?

Yep... And it puts out a much brighter picture than my old player, which lets me dial down the projector.

-- Cain
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post #13 of 7479
9/19/04 at 1:14am
Really good thread......I am waiting for my 3910 to arrive. I will certainly post regarding its performance. Hope there aren´t any bugs!
Anyone know how to de-region-fy the machine? Disc..I guess+ (I live in Europe.)
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post #14 of 7479
9/19/04 at 5:24am
I've had my 3910 for about a week now. So far it's all good, no problems. I have watched a few movies and concerts and they all look and sound great. Unfortunately I have an older Sim2 HT-300 with only component in so I am relegated to that. Sim2 will upgrade the unit to DVI for 2k but I think I'll wait a while. Probably wind up getting a new PJ at some point. All in all I am very happy with the quality I get with the 3910/HT-300 via 480P/component in.

On a slightly different topic.

I have never used a setup disc to calibrate my player/projector. I know
this may sound dumb but is it worth it? Does the disc walk you through
the calibrations? Which one is the best/user friendly one? I have never used one before so I am clueless.

Fretman
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post #15 of 7479
9/19/04 at 6:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:


Sim2 will upgrade the unit to DVI for 2k but I think I'll wait a while.

I've never heard of that, but if they do, you need to be certain that their DVI is HDCP compatible. The DVI on my Sim2 HT300Link is NOT HDCP compatible, so it is essentially useless.

The best Calibration set-up disc is Avia, it makes this stuff very easy and walks you through it. I highly recommend it. If you wanna take it to another step Avia Pro is even better but Avia Pro costs a few hundred bucks.

Take care, and welcome to AVS!

-- Cain
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post #16 of 7479
9/19/04 at 5:44pm
Just curious if anyone has been listening to DVD-audio? My question is whether or not the onscreen menus (from the discs) can be sent over DVI. Mine is just saying no signal. If I switch to component the menu is there. Are these able to be sent over DVI? I know you can use Denon Link and DVI together b/c I've been watching plenty of Season 3 Alias without a problem. Thanks
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post #17 of 7479
9/19/04 at 6:49pm
So I spent most of yesterday applying some service menu tweaks from the RPTV forum to my HLN567, and then calibrated to the 3910. After a year of user-menu-only calibration plus a '931 player, it's like I've got a whole new setup! I've still got a smile on my face.

At any rate, while trying to jump around the DVE disc, I noticed a bug. For some reason, the 3910 wouldn't let me jump to another title after already jumping into one. The "Search Mode" button seemed to function correctly, but entering a title number just ensued in the "can't do that" icon. I would have to stop all the way, restart the disc, and then jump to the title I wanted.

Playing around, I discovered that if I used the "Display" button, I could enter a new title there. That seemed to work as expected.

Since I probably won't need DVE much now that I'm dialed in the way I like it, and I rarely if ever jump around titles in my normal viewing, I'm not too concerned about this. But I thought I'd mention it, and the workaround, for the sake of anyone else who's getting frustrated by this one.
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post #18 of 7479
9/19/04 at 8:56pm
Thread Starter 
I just watched my first movie. "Man on Fire". The picture was jaw dropping.

HDMI input, 720p to my projector. This is my third or fourth Denon DVD player, and so far, this one looks like it is the keeper for me.

-- Cain
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post #19 of 7479
9/20/04 at 12:09pm
Hey Jason,
I'm a fellow Buckeye and 3805 owner.
I 'm wondering how DVD-A by Denon link compares to DVD-A by EXt in.
on the 3910/3805 . Like most 3805 owners I'm disappointed that Denon link 3 wasn't approved for SACD. I know the 3910 has better DAC's than the 3805, so maybe the EXT in would be the way to go anyways????You've been the pointman on avs for the 3805, so I'm eagerly awaiting your input on the 3910 as well.
THANX for all your help,
Shawners
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post #20 of 7479
9/20/04 at 5:13pm
just giving a shout out to the Buckeyes!! Sorry, had to be done. I'm a 3805/3910 owner as well. What displays and speakers are you guys using? I have a Samsung DLP (HLN-507W). And using Definitive Technology 7.1 setup. (What an ugly game this past weekend huh? I'm glad we've got 2 weeks to work on that non-existant running game!)
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post #21 of 7479
9/20/04 at 5:24pm
Do any of the owners notice a difference in picture (brightness and contrast most obvious) when you change the digital output of the player. I was using a DVI cable to my projector, and then switched it to a HDMI->DVI cable just for fun and noticed that the HDMI->DVI picture is darker. Any other people try the different digital out methods? I guess there are three - DVI, HDMI, HDMI->DVI.
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post #22 of 7479
9/20/04 at 5:50pm
You might be on to some thing. I was using DVI to DVI and just changed to HDMI (RGB) to DVI. I had AVIA setup to show the black bars fine using DVI and I just checked a while ago using HDMI and the bars were missing (brightness too dark). I thought it was because the room wasn't totally dark but just might be the different input.
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post #23 of 7479
9/20/04 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally posted by FoolintheRain
Just curious if anyone has been listening to DVD-audio? My question is whether or not the onscreen menus (from the discs) can be sent over DVI. Mine is just saying no signal. If I switch to component the menu is there. Are these able to be sent over DVI? I know you can use Denon Link and DVI together b/c I've been watching plenty of Season 3 Alias without a problem. Thanks


I've got several DVD-Audio discs I've been using quite a bit since I got the 3910, and I'm using DVI to my Sony GWIII. I haven't had any problem with the menus not showing up over DVI --- they've all been just fine. I've got my DVI default set to 720p, but the menus show up at 480p or 1080i, as well. Not sure what's going on for you, unfortunately.
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post #24 of 7479
9/20/04 at 8:26pm
FoolintheRain,

I've played several DVD-Audio discs, which usually have still-picture menus that can be viewed on screen. I've had no problem using them over DVI. Maybe you have the video turned off in the setup menu.
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post #25 of 7479
9/20/04 at 10:08pm
Regarding the HDMI output being darker than DVI I found that flipping the Video Setup from 0 to 7.5 pretty much reverses the darker image. Using AVIA my black bars are pretty much the same and the actual image appears to be a little closer to being right on.

When I was using DVI and set to 0 I had to adjust brightness up six and now with HDMI (set at 7.5) I can return brightness back to zero. I had no luck at all trying to get the black bars correct using HDMI and Video Setup at 0 (within the player settings).
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post #26 of 7479
9/20/04 at 10:13pm
I see 1910, 2910, 3910 etc.... is the higher the number, the newer the model, or the other way around?
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post #27 of 7479
9/21/04 at 4:12am
Thread Starter 
Hi Charles,

Thx for the post, and info. What projector are you using?? does your projector have a native HDMI inout, or does it have a DVI input ?? IOW are you using a HDMI-DVI cable ??

Thx!!

-- Cain
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post #28 of 7479
9/21/04 at 5:37am
Beefgude,

The higher the number the better the player, nothing to do with age.

Scott
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post #29 of 7479
9/21/04 at 5:44am
I'm probably going to get banned from AVS for saying this, but I actually haven't hooked up my 3910 yet. We had friends over on Sunday for the Browns game (ugly, ugly, ugly...and expensive, too, with all the injuries! ). I didn't get home until 9 last night either, so it's waiting at home for me this afternoon. I'm eager as hell to get this thing set up and take it for the proverbial spins.

I'm using the 3805/3910 combo with Paradigm Reference 100/570/ADP speakers with a Servo-15 on the way. I've got Sony's HS10 for display. I'm really psyched to get this all hooked up. I'm much more geared towards audio than video, so I'll really be checking out the SQ of the 3910.

Hopefully you guys can forgive me...

I'll post later this evening!

Jason
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post #30 of 7479
9/21/04 at 6:05am
Greetings,

Jason, I look forward to your response. I have a Sony HS10 as well and have ordered a 3910 which will hopefully be in later this week. I assume you will be connecting your 3910/HS10 via DVI? How long of a cable run do you have from the player to the projector?

I am running a 10M Lindy DVI cable to my HS10 for High Def. right and this combo works great. I will be running the same cable from the 3910.


Regards,
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