[daggerNC]

Thanks to this forum and other resources, I've narrowed it down to these 2 finalists: the Philips DVD962SA and the Pioneer DV-47. No one has the Philips near me, and only 1 dealer in Raleigh, NC I know of has the Pioneer (at list price ). So, I'm looking for recommendations from knowledgeable here who have experience with both preferably.


Thanks in advance,

dagger

 

[jegold]

Daggar, I don't believe that the Phillips 962 has been released yet in the US. My local dealer has been waiting for several weeks, and the last information from the distributor was that he could expect it sometime next week.

 

[Halcy]

daggerNC,


if you want better audio, video and de-interlacing + easy all-region functionality - then it's Philips 962SA.


If you want DVD-A support and huge amounts of picture controls, then it's Pioneer.


To me the choice is obvious.


cheers,

Halcy

 

[daggerNC]

Halcey -- I'm leaning towards the Philips, though multi-region is not a priority for me. I almost got the Denon 2800, but put that on hold a number of months ago due to a couple of issues (like rainbow effect), and was thinking about some next gen audio capability. My priorities are video quality, then audio quality, then multi-channel audio support. The one pro for the Pioneer is its DVD-Audio support, but it's 3rd on my priority list, and there have been some very positive reviews on it.


In fact I started my search in this forum on the Philips Q50, as I was going to put off the SACD/DVD-A capability for another year or so. I then saw the posts on the 962 saying it not only offers superior audio, but also improved on the video, and, you guys just upped my baseline . jegold - I just saw the 962SA for sale on the a web site yesterday!


Thanx,

dagger

 

[H8nXTC]

If you're patient, you may want to look at the Philips 963SA (there's a thread here on it) out this year...
http://mail.music.vt.edu/pipermail/s...ch/011620.html


#3

 

[Robert Whitehead]

The 963 is $100 less and had advanced bass mgt. and better Video DACs over the 962!

 

[jegold]

It is kinda funny that they would pre-announce a product that is $100 cheaper and has better specs than a product that hasn't even hit the market yet. The only thing that we should keep in mind is that the 962 was scheduled for US availability in March, it is now late May and it's just getting released. It is possible that the 963 might be an end-of-year (or later) product.


Jeff

 

[daggerNC]

Oh, thanx guys, make me wait even longer. OK - who's got a Q50 for a couple of hundred that can keep me held over till the 963 comes out?????


dagger

 

[j768]

DaggerNC,


There are at least 2 stores in Raleigh that sell the 47a, which are Audio Advice and NOW!. They will sometimes deal on pricing, so try to squeeze them for a discount.


I don't know of anyone locally that sells the Q50. I bought mine from CC about 3 months ago for $300, but I know they don't carry it any longer. There are some internet sites, but I don't know of any less than around $400.

 

[Richard Tywoniak]

Any idea where i can buy the Phillips DVD 962 SA. Neither Circuit City, the Good Guys, or Phillips have ever heard of it. I am in the San Francisco Bay Area but can have product shipped

 

[jackson]

Richard,


Try Jim Oade at Oade Bros. Jim has received his initial and will be placing additional orders on this HOT player from Philips.

 

[showard]

I'm not waiting. My DV47A arrives this Thursday. Can't wait! I'm going to pick up some SACD and DVD-Audio discs to test. At less than $800.00 shipped and no tax, why wait another year. This will make a GREAT downstairs DVD player next year or two when I'm ready for something better in the dedicated home theater.

 

[showard]

Err, Correction. My DVD47A arrived today! I don't have a HDTV so I can't comment on that. The SVIDEO output seems to match or maybe even exceed my older Toshiba a tiny bit. I purchased some new SACDs to try out but could not find ANY DVD-Audio discs in either Best Buy or Circuit City. In fact over 1/2 of the staff we asked in each store had absolutely NO idea what a SACD or DVD-Audio disc was or where to find them in the store.


Once I got everything hooked up, tested the player using one of my reference DVD-Video discs, and was ready for my very first SACD experience...Both of the next door neighbors decide that NOW would be a great time to mow the lawn. Its difficult to conduct a critical listening test when twin 110 Db mowers are running near my window.


Anyway I'm waiting for them to finish. More later.

 

[MM629]

Actually I am in the process of reviewing the Philips 985 which also has the Faroudja chip, and I would have to assume a very similar video section to the 962. I am very impressed with the picture quality, as it is about 90% or 95% as good as my Kenwood 5700, but with a little more grain and a little less smoothness. It is interesting because it is a fairly good DVD recorder also, and street price is under $900. The picture is significantly better another Faroudja player I have here also, and I have able to compare them all back to back. I would then assume that the 962 would be a very good unit, as it adds SACD and CD upsampling. If you could not wait, buying the 985 would give you the dimension of DVD recording also.