Denon DVD-3930 & DVD-2930 w/Realta T2 Chip Coming September- - Page 156

I find that hard to believe that is does not play SACD via analog. My 2ch setup also has a 50" plasma so it is not just for audio.

Go to the Denon web site and download the manual. You should be able to figure it out from the manual. I would think it does play the decoded DSD via the dedicated stereo outs, but it pays to check.

I own the 3930 and had the 2930 before upgrading.

Both play SACD via the 2 channel analog outs.
You may want to use Source Direct to make sure you get the most from it.

Wouldn't have kept either machine if they didn't.

The Denon manual can be very confusing, a warning in advance

As has been said, the 2930 has the Reon chip, which is currently in a lot of the bluray players. So I would guess that the 2930 is about as good at SD video as many of the current BR players out there. But I haven't actually compared them.

3-4 years ago, while waiting on my 3930 to arrive, my dealer loaned me a 2930. I took it home and it looked great. In fact, I nearly called the dealer and told them to cancel the 3930. But I procrastinated, as usual.

When the 3930 showed up, I compared the two. The 3930 is dramatically better, which is saying something since the 2930 is very good. The 3930 has the Realta chip - the Reon is a cost-reduced, lower-PQ version of this chip.

I have since compared it to my LG Bluray player and PS3. On SD-DVD, the 3930 PQ is IMHO much better than both, although the other two are quite good.

Of course, it sucks on BR...

I have also compared the 3930 with a DVD to the LG with BR. I used a Superbit version of 5th element vs a remastered BR of the same. While the Superbit looked really great, the BR had tons more detail, much sharper, and better color.

My conclusion? Get a BR player, and rather than spend money on a really good DVD player, replace any DVD that doesn't look good enough to you (with a BR version.) Here, "good enough" is a cost vs quality issue. But I've concluded for myself that if I care about quality, SD-DVD is never going to be as good as a well-mastered BR.

-Reid

I was able to do the same comparison (2930 vs 3930) and came to the same conclusions. The 3930 is much better and it is also superior on SD-DVD to my Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray player.

The 3930 is also noticably superior playing music (CD, SACD, DVD-A) which is why I upgraded.

I have both the 3930 and the Oppo BDP83SE.
I have been very happy with the 3930 , but the BDP83SE sounds better for 2ch analogue.
I still use the 3930 for SD-DVD.

Thank you AVS Forum for Denon 2930 Fix!
I bought a 2930 in early 2007, and had intermittent SACD disc recognition problems and occasional DVD playback problems from the start. I tried several firmware upgrades along the way, and they seemed to make some improvement, but lately I had all but given up on it.
A few days ago, while searching for yet another firmware upgrade file, I found that several of you had replaced the laser assembly on your 2930/3930 with little cost and great success. So, I found one of the SF-HD65 units for $12 on eBay, ordered it and got it within a few days, and voila! All is now working as it should have from the start!
Thanks to all for sharing your experiences, and inspiring me to perform a "laserectomy" on my 2930.

I've heard varying reports about how the BDP83SE compares with players like the Denon on 2 channel. Some prefer the Denon, others the Oppo.
Everyone agrees on one thing though, both are excellent and the Oppo is the greater value.

Having said that, had the SE option been available earlier I would have chosen the Oppo over the Sony for BD, despite the much higher price, to get the improved analog outputs.

Every time I read a post like this, I think "I really ought to go buy one of those SF-HD65 units before they vanish forever!" My first 3930 failed under warranty (with the laser problem), but my second one has worked flawlessly for almost 3 years now.

So my dilemma is: what would the HT gods do if I bought an unneeded replacement part? Surely something terrible.

-Reid

I also wanted to post a thank you. I bought a (used, of course) 3930CI and am using it exclusively as a 2 channel music player. Thanks to this thread I was able to upgrade the firmware to the newest version without incident.

Reid - Since I plan on using this player for a long time I just went ahead and bought 3 of the lasers from a ebay seller in Hong kong. $8 each shipped. I haven't had to use any of them but I like having them just in case.

Mark

I could be wrong, but it is my impression that all lasers in dvd players, cd players, etc. eventually fail. I have 2 extra lasers and a traverse unit.

I am not sure if the 3910 has the exact same analog audio hardware as the 3930 but I am betting it does. My 3910 sounds absolutely amazing and I have heard a bunch of good players. I had a 2910 a while back and it was good but nothing like the 3910.

The circuit design of the Denon with all the discrete boards and components just seems like it is on a whole other level than the Oppo. The dedicated section for the 2ch outputs uses Burr-Brown PCM 1796. I am familiar with the sound of many Wolfson and Burr-Brown DACs but I have never heard anything from Sabre. I have been following the 83SE thread and people seem to be having issues with some of their SACDs. Also for multi analog use, the speaker setup options and bass management in the Oppos does not even come close to what the Denon or my Pioneer BD player offer. The Software to run high quality hardware is equally important. I think Oppo could take the SE to the next level if they upgraded their software to address this.

I have not heard the 83SE but I would love to give it a try if there was some way to do like a 30 day test with the option of returning it. I am just so happy with my 3910/Pio Elite BDP-23FD combo. This is in my nice 2ch analog setup using Rotel separates/B&W CM series.

I wonder why these newer 2930/3930 are having these laser issues that seem so common. I almost got a 2930 until I heard about this problems discussed in this thread. I know the 2910/3910 have a very solid track record so I decided to buy a refurb 3910 over the 2930 since its main use is as a music player so video processing is not that relevant. I also got a 2 year warranty on it. I actually paid less for my Denon/Pio Elite combo than a new SE and both of mine have 2 year warranties as opposed to Oppo's 1 year. Region free DVD playback is a breeze on the Denon as well.

True but the previous 2910/3910 did not have anywhere near the failures that have been reported in this thread. Denon should really do a recall. One thing that bugs me about Denon is the short warranty and poor product support for "high end" electronics.

Their more expensive players should be like in a "Elite" category and carry a longer warranty like Marantz's 3 year.

I have been having some very intermittant issues with my 3930 stalling when playing CDs. It seems to be playing SACDS fine. This seems to be opposite the normal issues - does it still mean the laser is starting to fail? Anyone else have trouble with CD playback but not SACD?

Mark

Latest firmware for Denon DVD-2930ci

I got a 2930ci and it has problems playing SACD. I called Denon and they did not know anything about the firmware version.

Is version 8283-F the latest firmware version firmware for DVD-2930ci (US model)? Where can I find the firmware to download? Thank you.

PM me and I will try to send you the firmware.
You are probably having laser problems. Do a search on this thread for lots of information.

I did provide first the "F" firmware and it is still active on the same location:
http://rapidshare.com/files/31350263..._2930.zip.html
Mirrored here too: http://www.filefactory.com/file/b2ec...930CI_2930.zip

Im trying to update the firmware on my denon 2930 as im getting some skipping towards the end of movies. I'm using the method posted earlier on this thread. I have the latest fw folder 'DVD_2930' burned to a disc, but when i INITIALIZE and insert the disc, it reads for a few seconds then very brifley displays 'DISC READING' before resetting and displaying '0h00m00s'.

Can anyone give me some advice on how to do this properly?

Thanks

UPDATE: I got it sorted. I was burning the disc using windows 7 built-in disc burner. Once i switched to Nero using no Multisession, ISO9660, DAO, it worked like a charm.

Anybody use the 2930 or 3930 with Denon link for SACD or DVD-A Playback?

I do for multichannel discs. A 3930 previously with a 3806 , now with a 4308.

And your question is... ??

FWIW, I've a closeout 2930CI ($850 new) and 5910CI ($4k new), but have never used their "Denon link" connection capability.

They both do SACD and DVD-A, and they both do it very very well. I normally use my 2930CI as my main movie and music player, in order to "save" my 5910CI player for more critical listening.

If you search amazon for "denon sacd player" you'll find that the 2930CI can still be bought for $330 total.

Noting that even the unused/"new" units are old (2930ci: 11-'06, 5910ci: 12-'06)


Cheers

I just got a PM concerning firmware versions for the 2930. Version GEN8283-F was circulated on this forum after it was sent to a member purportedly by someone at USA Denon. The version GEN8283-E was the last official release on the European web site. No one seems to know what the difference is, if any, between the two versions. I initially installed the F version but got a little scared and reinstalled the E version. I did not notice any differences in the two versions. Also, after more than three years I have never had any laser problems.

Does anyone have additional information? Is it still unknown what the difference is between versions E and F?

I've been intrigued by this player for quite some time. I see its available at Dakmart refurbished for $160.00 . Anyone care to comment on the wisdom of this purchase? Maybe the refurb units have been cured of some the common problems with this player. If this question has already been asked, forgive me but this thread is absolutely massive. I like the idea of having a dedicated player for my DVD's, something that might outlast the crappy build quality of my Toshiba XDE 600.

Good question. I would say, it depends. If you plan to listen to a lot of SACDs and DVDAs for multichannel music and you have a Denon receiver with a Denon Link 3 then you may have a good deal. Because this player is older and has only HDMI 1.1 it will not pass DSD from SACDs through the HDMI connector. It will pass DSD through the DL. Therefore you need the DL on the receiver or use the analog outs for sound.

However, if you are only interested in the DVD function, then the question is, "Can you get a better video processor/scaler for under $160"?

I don't know the answer to that question. I'd be surprised if you can. Look for Anchor Bay Technology in the processor. Anchor Bay is currently being touted as a higher quality processor. Perhaps others know more than I do about this.

You might also try to find a DVD3930 for under $160. The 3930 is superior to the 2930 in terms of video. Over all I'd say the 2930 is a pretty good deal for $160. Please be aware, some people have had problems with the lasers in these units but this problem can be easily fixed if you are at all handy or, of course, if the unit is on warranty.

Good luck.

Yes, I understand that the ABT chips are excellent. The Denon BDP 2010 uses an ABT chip, it may even be better than the Realta. I always wonder how far that the DVD technology might have been pushed were it not for a new format. Maybe I should just go for the BDP 2010 instead.

I understand the Oppo BDP-83 is good too.

My curiosity has gotten the better of me and I went ahead and ordered a refurb unit from Amazon. I might as well get a laser head replacement as well, I noticed they are'nt too expensive. I already have had a Blu-ray player for a year or so, but I've never really been blown away by it. I've always found that Blu-ray has a more "video-like" look to the picture processing, where as the DVD format has a more "film-like" look to it, if that makes any sense. I wonder, as Blu-ray becomes more mainstream, will the DVD upscaling ability of the BD players become less important? Or will companies like Silicon Optix and ABT continue to develop better/more capable chips?

Anyhow, after my unit arrives, likely next week, I'll post something about it. I know this thread has been going for a few years now, and I don't know how much interest there is, but I always like to try and get the most out of old units as I can.

yep, the DVD-3930CI is a superb music player, compares to many popular-brand dedicated players. I prefer it over my Oppo BD-83SE for 2ch

I guess you can't lose for $160.00 . I understand (from the many comments on this thread- going way back) the DVD-2930 provides good overall performance. I can't say how well it's video quality is (comparing to the DVD-3930CI), but I understand it yields decent 2ch CD analog output (has decent DAC's for the price). Although I would have opted for a refurbished DVD-3930CI or a new BDP-2010 . But oh well..........


I will be curious to get your impressions. Have fun!

I have been interested in the 3930 and I see it is now available new for $500 BUT is there an active link to the latest firmware update? Denon doesn't show this player in the updates drop down box. Thanks