Like a lot of people, we
huffed and puffed when we heard just how expensive Blu-ray Disc
high-definition DVD players were going to be but genuine hi-fi and
home-cinema buffs, we now suspect, will simply have shrugged and
reached for the Carte
Blanche the
moment they heard there was a waiting list.
At least, that's the impression we were left with after learning the
prices of some of the more esoteric upscaling standard-def DVD players
that were being displayed at the combined What Hi-Fi? and Best of Stuff
shows.
Denon offers a couple of what it describes as 'Universal
Players' with 1080p-upscaling, top-dog being the
DVD-A1XVA.
Shop around carefully online and this is yours for a mere
£2,700, while the next model down - the DVD-3930 -
is pitched at a bargain-basement £1,000.
The range leader, picture below, is the size of a small out-building
(but far better constructed than most) and appears to do everything you
could possible want - apart from the washing up and,
maddeningly, playing either of two new-gen high-def DVD
formats.
It's got no shortage of sockets, as you'd
expect (click the image above to get a better view), and, of course,
DVI and HDMI ports are featured - though we're more than a
little confused by the fact that they're said to be
HDCP-compliant.
Are there any SD-format DVD movies that require HDCP compliance? If
not, then this might be a sign that they're likely to be
coming some time soon. Eeek!
Clearly, if money is no object, an upscaling player such as Denon's
would be a nice toy, and, of course, these products are aimed
at people
who pay out big for their toys.
Even so, we can't help thinking it's crazy to pay way more for a player
that can't play hi-def discs than for one that can, even if it has a
'Hollywood Quality' video processor and an accompanying
features-list
that's longer than a Jumbo Jet runway.
Mind you, if the output quality is really top-notch and the pricing
differential between high-def and standard-def movie discs
remains big, some might reason that it's better to opt
for a £2.7K standard-def upscaling player instead of
a hi-def player and save some money on movies!
Are we missing something here or do you think our cynicism is well
founded? Let us know your views in
this
thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum.
Oh, and on the subject of the weird and wonderful, do check out PURE's
press release about the EVOKE-1XT Marshall Edition DAB radio and check
out the pic we took at the show. Our initial impression on
catching sight of the Marshall Edition
model was, "who on earth would buy THAT?", and we're still wondering
now. But there's no doubt in our mind that PURE is a very smart
operator - and we were impressed when we reviewed the
company's
Tempus-1XT
DAB radio - so perhaps it really does know best.
HEXUS.links
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and Best of Stuff shows
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External.links
Denon UK -
DVD-A1XVA
home page
Denon UK -
DVD-A1XVA
features-list
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HEXUS.community :: your right2reply
TBH, I can't help thinking that the best result would be from an HTPC, which would cost a third of the Denon box even with a fancy case. I've been pretty impressed with the deinterlacing and upscaling quality of the nvidia MPEG2 decoder and doubt that the Denon could beat it.Quote
TBH, I can't help thinking that the best result would be from an HTPC, which would cost a third of the Denon box even with a fancy case. I've been pretty impressed with the deinterlacing and upscaling quality of the nvidia MPEG2 decoder and doubt that the Denon could beat it.
I wouldn't like to bet on that one, people may think that Denon is overpriced but what you must remember is that it is likely to be attached to amplification sources that cost twice its price as well as speakers that may have five figure price tags. It is intended to be the best DVD player you can buy, not just for picture but for sound reproduction as well. Hence why it doesn't have HiDef built in. This is a player for those that have already spent tens of thousands on the rest of their hifi kit.Quote
to answer your question, yes, all hd tvs have upscaling in them, and, in fact, in a lot of cases it'll be better than doing it on a player. reason for this is that very few tvs have an exact hd- resolution (1280x760 or the 1080 resolution). most instead have 1366x768, or thereabouts. if you upscale on the player, the 1280x760 source is then upscaled AGAIN on the tv.. and as each upscaling drops a tiny bit of quality - you're dropping twice rather than just the once.
i've got an upscaling dvd player (a toshiba 350, so a fairly cheap one), but i've never even hooked it up to my hd set, let alone used it for the upscaling. might have to do that at some point :)Quote
I was just pointing out that there are other alternatives available. I will be buying one of the players from Argos in the new year. It will do me until I actually get a HD player (when they come down in price).
Granted the one I pointed out in Argos is a £70 player that upscales with few connections on the rear. That is one hell of a lot cheaper than what they are pushing at the £2000 mark. It may not be as good as the expensive one but as long as it is functional and does what it says on the box it is good enough for me till I get the HD player.
I feel it will be the same for a lot of people, especially with families like myself.
Interesting stuff (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers?DVDnameid=7060#comments)on that player at Argos. Including remote (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?dvdplayer=DVP5960&hits=50&Search=Search)hack.
Appears that you can connect USB drives to it to play media from!
Means I can get rid of my noisy bedroom PC in that case. Which will make the wife happy. Till it comes back when we get our (my ;)) HDTV, unless this plays HD DivX?Quote
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