[nahtanoj]

I can get a Denon refurb 1600 for the same price as a new 1805. I don't know much about the 1805. The 1600 has received some fanfare on this site as being one of the last of the great lower priced DVD players - akin to - but some will say not quite as good as - the once ubiquitous Panasonic 82. But alas I am not willing to pay more than retail and be taken advantage of for the 82, so I need another reasonably priced option. And unless DVD players in 2003 violate the technology rule of better, faster, cheaper, there is more than one option. I have read on this site that Panasonic has made a strategic marketing decisin to move to lower end players. I have no idea whether or not that's true - althgough I have heard they are coming out with their own technology. So maybe it's not that they're out of well performers, but maybe in an effort to increase profits, decrease costs and not be held hostage to extortive licensing fees and exclusive technology use agreements, they want to make their own chip. Perhaps they will again have a top quality DVD player - but maybe next time it will be as good or better than the 82 for the same money but with more profit.


For now, I need help. I'm not part of the "have to have" a Panasonic or "it's got to be a Denon" crowds. I won't buy 2 or 3 DVD players and compare them side by side - I'll be divorced by then if I do that.


So I would be grateful if someone could give me an unbaised opinion on which DVD player - a refurb 1600, new 1805 or other non-Denon player (I just don't see many discussed here) for about $300 for use with a Panasonic L300u with a 92" screen would be best. Thanks much!

 

[videonut]

One important difference that may be important to some is the fact that the 1600 does not have a digital coax output jack, whereas the 1805 does.


And if you do have your heart set on an RP-82, drop me an e-mail (I'm open for negotiation).


Cheers,

Peter M
[email protected]

 

[ProofTech]

If you want to play DVD-Audio, then you should go with the Denon 1600. If not, then I really don’t know what to suggest.

 

[yellowlt4]

The Yamaha DV-C6480. It has the same PQ has the Panasonics (Panasonic built decoder with Faroudja DCDi), the build quality of the Denon, it is a 5 disc changer and it does have a coax digital output. I bought mine at Fry's for $199 (dont know if they are still priced that low).

 

[danbry39]

I bought one of the refurb Denon 1600's. Love it for its picture and sound quality. Not sure about the new model and how it will compare. To nitpick, my complaints would include a remote that isn't the best, lack of coax out, no zoom feature, and no time remain feature. Really a step up from my Toshiba 4700, imo, though, although the Toshiba had all the features I miss on the Denon.

 

[EricD]

Had my 1600 for a few months now. Love the picture and audio! Only drawbacks are the remote and layer change time. Zero other problems.

 

[ProofTech]

Supersixone


Which three DVDs won’t play properly in your Denon? The Denon is supposed to have the same guts as the Panasonic, except for the audio circuitry.

 

[nahtanoj]

Thanks guys. Okay, so the 1600 has a fairly good picture, slow layer change, no digital coax out (I don't know if I can use this since although my receiver has it, my pj does not), no time remaining (I'd like this, but it's not a must have, some faults with the remote (I would like my wife to be able to use this, since I don't thinks she likes my Sony AV-2000. I'd like the DVD-Audio, but not sure how much I'll use it - and no idea whether SACD or DVD-A will win out. Yellowlt4 suggested the Yahama DV-C6480. Anyone else know anything about Yamaha DVD players and this one - I'll have to check it out based on the recommendation. Would those who have the Denon 1600 buy one again, or look at another player? What about the Panasonic 91?? I don't doubt the 82 is an excellent player, but I can't get one new, or lightly used for a reasonable price and I can't believe it is the only good player out there for the price. If some are having problems with the 1600, it seems like a refurb would be more risky without an extended warranty, and then a new one might be just as reasonably priced.


I'm sorry to say I'm still confused. I'll research the Yamaha, but the Denon with its potential problems - I don't know? Any other thoughts? Thanks!

 

[EricD]

Im very happy with my 1600. My old dvd player was a $200 sony and the picture on the 1600 is much clearer with no artifacts (the sony was pretty bad). I havent used the dvd audio because not too many disks available. The remote is ok, just a weak signal I think. The biggest annoyence is a half second (or less) layer change once per dvd, which isnt a big deal at all.

 

[nahtanoj]

Thanks Eric. So is there a reason to upgrade to a refurb 2800? I heard it's an upgraded model, but has the chroma bug. I don't know if I'd notice it or not, but I guess I'd rather steer clear just in case. There seem to be fewer and fewer places (in fact, none in my area that I know of) that I can compare DVD players - or even see any running. And I don't have the time or money to buy a few, test them and return them.

 

[GBPorter]

nahtanoj,


I've had my denon 1600 for about a month and would not hesitate to purchase it again. The pq when watching dvd's is fantastic, I can't get over how good it is. The "slow layer change" is very minor, it ocurrs once per movie for less than 1 second, the pq more than makes up for this. If you absolutely need the coex connection, then its not for you, I prefer the optical, no chance for interference. IMO, time remaining is irrelevent. I agree, the remote has a weak signal, but my 8 yr old daughter operates it without any problems.


You mention that the denon has potential problems, if you want to see a player with real problems, read the posts about the Philips 963 !

 

[Josh Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by GBPorter The "slow layer change" is very minor, it ocurrs once per movie for less than 1 second, the pq more than makes up for this.

I agree. This whole "slow layer change" issue has been blown out of proportion. The 1600's layer change is about average for the majority of DVD players out there. It is only "slow" in comparison to the 3800 and 9000 models, which have more advanced digital frame buffers that speed up the change.


Regarding discs that won't play, I've had two so far: the supplement disc to Gladiator (movie plays fine) and the new Eraserhead disc. Everything else works fine. This is a problem you will encounter on just about any DVD player, discovering one or two random discs that are not compatible. To the person who replaced the 1600 with an RP-82, eventually you will find a disc that that the RP-82 won't play but the 1600 will. This is an unfortunate reality with digital media. If the disc's authoring is slightly outside of proper spec, it may still play on most DVD players, but not all. I've been through 5 DVD players from different brands since starting with the format (still have 3 of them in use), and each of them had at least one disc that it wouldn't play even though the others would.

 

[nahtanoj]

Okay, I understand your point. I'd like time remaining, but not enough to buy a player with a weaker video playback or audio. So my list to consider is now buy and old Panasonic 82, new Yamaha C6480, or Denon 1600. I have a Yamaha receiver and I think there might be an integration advantage with the 2 Yamaha products - a special cable - I have to check. But I'm not keen on a 5 DVD player. I know it sounds odd, but my wife thinks my current DVD player (non-progressive) is hard to use because you have to disc swap to get the playing disc out of the player (it can sit in play mode while the tray is opened). A 1 disc player is easier to operate only for that reason. So can anyone help me decide whether Yamaha is about the same as the 82 and 1600 becasue of the DCDI chipset? Or if there is something the Denon does better than the Yamaha? I think the hype of the 82 (whether earned or not) will lead me to a higher price than I want to pay for something not sold anymore. Thanks for the help!

 

[nahtanoj]

Okay, I just read that the Yamaha has the same or better picture qualiuty than the higher end Pansonics with no Chroma Bug and excellent build quality. Also, almost no layer change delay. On the negative side, you have to power up and down from the player - there is no remote power ability. Therefore a univeral remote will be of no use to power this up. Again, this is mostly a convenience issue for my wife. The other 2 negatives were: 1. it doesn't properly scale non-anamorphic DVDs. I know I'm a newbie, but what does this mean to me? That it won't stretch 4:3 DVDs to 16x9 properly? And that I have to watch them in 4x3? If so, I don't think this matters much with a projector and screen as much, does it? And 2. the burr brown chip set only work in this player with DVD audio or if you use the internal DTS/DD decoders - so I guess not when you use you HTR decoder? Again, please tell me what this means to me? I plan on using my HTR as the decoder, since it is supposed to be fairly good (I forgot the model, but it's one of the higher end Yamahas - True Cinema or Pure Cinema or something like that).


Can you power on and off the Denon 1600 with the remote? Does the Denon 1600 look better than the Panasonic 91? Heeellllp! I'm running out of my allowable allotment for obsessing. Thanks!

 

[zoro]

I wnder, why SECRET did not REVIEW above mentioned YAMAHA in their REVIEW SHOOT OUT?

 

[nahtanoj]

Good question. I have no idea. But I also have no biases toward or against any brand. Either they do, they only review the most popular ones, they get paid by some manufacturers, or the Yamaha isn't really as good.


But I'd like to know why. Do you have any idea or any thoughts that would help? Thanks.

 

[zoro]

They did REVIEW the EXPENSIVE, PIONEER, YAMAHA, and CHEAPER Penny? no JVC either..

 

[yellowlt4]

Quote:

On the negative side, you have to power up and down from the player - there is no remote power ability. Therefore a univeral remote will be of no use to power this up.

Since you plan to use a Yamaha receiver I think you can get around this problem by plugging the DVD player into a switched power input on the back of the receiver.

Quote:

The other 2 negatives were: 1. it doesn't properly scale non-anamorphic DVDs. I know I'm a newbie, but what does this mean to me? That it won't stretch 4:3 DVDs to 16x9 properly? And that I have to watch them in 4x3? If so, I don't think this matters much with a projector and screen as much, does it?

You are correct, with a projector this is not much of an issue and most new DVDs are all enhanced for widescreen. In fact I have watched about 40-50 DVDs since I got my Yamaha and I have yet to watch one that is not enhanced for widescreen.

Quote:

And 2. the burr brown chip set only work in this player with DVD audio or if you use the internal DTS/DD decoders - so I guess not when you use you HTR decoder? Again, please tell me what this means to me? I plan on using my HTR as the decoder, since it is supposed to be fairly good (I forgot the model, but it's one of the higher end Yamahas - True Cinema or Pure Cinema or something like that).

In your setup the DACs inside the DVD player will give you no benefit. You could however connect the 5.1 analog output of the DVD player to take advantage of DVD-A since the Yamaha receiver will likely have a 5.1 analog pass thru.

Quote:

Can you power on and off the Denon 1600 with the remote?

Yes, the Denon can be powered on/off via remote.

Quote:

Does the Denon 1600 look better than the Panasonic 91? Heeellllp! I'm running out of my allowable allotment for obsessing. Thanks!

The newer Panasonic based players like the XP-30, XP-50 and the Denon and Yamaha units do IMO look better than the 91 however the 91 is the only unit that will properly scale non-anamorphic DVDs.


I hope this helps. I think you will be very happy with either the Yamaha or the Denon players. I personaly choose the Yamaha because I have had very good luck with there products in the past, I needed coax output and I like the 5 disc capability of this unit.


Good Luck!

Eric J.

 

[nahtanoj]

Thanks, Eric. I need to determine whether Yamaha's proprietary cable will work with my HTR and the DVD player - and specifically whether I can use the HTR remote to power off the DVD player, even though you can't turn it off with the remote (i.e. does the cable pass a power on signal?).


I'll try looking on the Yamaha site. Thanks!

 

[yellowlt4]

Quote:

Thanks, Eric. I need to determine whether Yamaha's proprietary cable will work with my HTR and the DVD player - and specifically whether I can use the HTR remote to power off the DVD player, even though you can't turn it off with the remote (i.e. does the cable pass a power on signal?).

Just to clarify. What I meant was that you plug the DVD power cable into the switched AC outlet on the back of the Yamaha receiver like this picture from Yamahas website: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/b...bRXV3300-5.htm


Then you simply leave the DVD player powered on and when ever you turn the receiver on/off the DVD will also power on/off.


This is not a proprietary link just a simply switched AC outlet.


Hope thats clear