Can anybody recommend a replacement for my 2900...?? I've had nothing but problems with it from day 1...two firmwear upgrades still havn't fixed everything and it has just pause on the opening scene in Star Wars....
I've alraedy read that the 3910 has firmwear faults so don't recommend that.
It has to have excellent CD playback too - about the only thing that the 2900 could do well. I will even accept a poorer picture quality in exchange for it actually playing the DVD from start to finish without freezing...!! Price range up to £800 ish.
Any help appreciated.

[Crustyloafer]

Try the Arcam DV78, fantastic player for the money. Doesn't play DVD-A or SACD but play DVD movies and CDs to a very high standard. I have just changed my DV89, which was fantastic, to the new DV29 and am really chuffed with it. My colleague has a DV78 and is very happy with it too as he uses it for CD playback about 80% of the time.

[mlinhares]

I have just received my Denon 2200 and the first DVD's that I tried I got freezes and sometimes macroblocking. I have e-mailed Technikdirekt.de asking instructions… and just came here to see if I could find others with the same problem. I espected far more search time…

Crusty - thansk for that, I'll start looking at those today. I really am ******ed off with the Denon 2900....for further info it doesn't play The Last Samurai, Armageddon Criterion edition (at all..!), Lord of the Rings, Alien (directors cut in DTS) which everybody knows about....basically the list goes on. When the shop got in touch with Denon they knew all about it but initially only produced a fix for the USA, ours came about 2 months later. I wouldn't touch Denon again especially as I have already read the 3910 doesn't play Kill Bill....!!!! Another one of my collection.
Mlinhares - you may as well take it back now to save you months of aggrevation and embarasement when friends come round to watch a film which freezes....at the moment I have to pre-watch all films just in case...

[Radiohead]

Strange how my 2900 plays LOTR, The Last Samuari....as I said in another thread, perhaps you have a duff unit. I assume you had it swapped before kicking off.

The shop knew all about it too as they have had most units brought back. We even tried all the above disks on their machine in the shop and the same problem so it's not a one off I'm afraid...you just seem to be very lucky.

Crusty - why did you go for the DV29 and not the DV78..?? Just out of interest.

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by andy_pandy

The shop knew all about it too as they have had most units brought back. We even tried all the above disks on their machine in the shop and the same problem so it's not a one off I'm afraid...you just seem to be very lucky.

Maybe - can you tell me the exact problem you had with LOTR (and was this the extended edition) and The Last Samurai (both of mine are R2)....I'll try mine again this evening.

[fordster]

I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about Denon DVD players so I'll try to be moderate this time! I've not heard of many problems with the 2900 but the 2800 (mark I and II) were renowned for having problems. I own a 2800II myself which went back for repair. It still has problems sometimes but is much better than it was (shame about it now being noisier though). The problem seems to stem from the transport so unless they have improved this in the 2900 and again in the 2910 I'd suspect it's still possible for problems to occurr. When I have disks that freeze I tend to find that polishing the disc tends to fix the problem. It seems that even light scratches and fingerprints which other DVD players don't bother about can upset the Denons. It's not what you'd expect when you pay all that money and it's annoying that Denon don't seem to do anything about it (judging by the experiences of people on this forum). Anyway enough whingeing from me, I still think my 2800II has fantastic picture quality and the lack of layer change pauses just about enables me to put up with the odd freeze (as I said it's a lot better than it was since being repaired, previously I considered tripping up and "dropping" it down the stairs!). I'd take a lot of persuading to buy another Denon DVD player though and I'm not sure I'd buy anything else from them either. I already own an AVR1602 which I've never had a problem with and that led me to buy the 2800 so that's one previously happy and previously loyal customer that Denon have lost. I wonder how many other people are the same?

I am in the market for a new DVD player and are doing my research at the moment. I hane narrowed down to Denon or Pioneer 2910/3910 or the 868. I can not beleive that I might spend that much money and still have problems such as freezing on the one side and PAL issues / layer changes on the other.

[Ed Selley]

Kobus if it is any help to you, the 2900 that has been used as a test mule for months has responded to ill treatment and dirty discs (to say nothing of being periodically disassembled) brilliantly. I have always suspected that certain modifications to these units causes them and their owners grief.

Kobus...as you can tell I wouldn't bother with either of the Denon's especially as on here somewhere somebody has said the 3910 already doesn't play Kill Bill....
I've just taken my 2900 back and had a look at the Arcam 79...sound and picture are fantastic so have provisionally ordered one when the shop gets the money back from Denon. It may not look that pretty but it does play DVD's so in my opinion is infinately better than anything from Denon. I will never buy or recommend Denon ever again...EVER...

Crustyloafer - thanks for all you help and advice earlier, have tested the Arcam 79 and sounds brilliant...you were spot on...

[Radiohead]

andy pandy - despite other 2900 owners having no trouble (and then some in the case of tons of fun) you still see fit to condemn the entire brand. I don't undertand that at all and it seems like a massive over-reaction.

Let's pray you'll have no trouble with the Arcam eh?

[JohnG]

Tons - would that "certain" modification be multi-region ?

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Tons - would that "certain" modification be multi-region ?

I read it as an aim at those who use unknown firmware from the web....

which of us is right.....

[Cool-hand]

Denon up to there good old reliable self it seems..............!!!

Try a new Toshiba sd900e from le concepts. Is execellent with cd and dvd-a and still knocks alot of new players into a cocked hat, including the software/firmware hassles of an Arcam.

CH

[Ed Selley]

Tons - would that "certain" modification be multi-region ?

I read it as an aim at those who use unknown firmware from the web....

The short answer is that I don't know exactly but it doesn't take Poirot to ascertain that some dealers get long streaks of dicky units whilst other have no issues at all means that not all upgrades are equal. Our unit came from Denon direct and is multiregion. As I said previously it has never baulked at anything. Radiohead's is from another source and is similarly good natured. I assume andypandy's is probably from a third. If that unnamed dealer has "loads" of 2900's reporting similar faults, it it wished to stay in business it would hopefully check serial numbers, see how they were upgraded and respond accordingly with the Denon service department to see what's up.

[Radiohead]

Indeed - mine was bought from B&B Hi-Fi in Reading, a full Denon dealer and they sell a lot of Denon kit.

I agree that it makes little sense for either a) a dealer to know of faults and ignore them unless he doesn't like return business or b) Denon to do the same.

To keep you all happy.. ..the picture on the 2900 and CD playback were superb, in fact outstanding. However personally I want a DVD player to play a DVD from start to finish without freezing, pausing and skipping.. ..but that's just me....the last straw was when ALL Star Wars (IV,V,VI) paused during the rolling text at the start...
All firmwear upgrades were done by Denon..I would never touch a downloaded upgrade from the net, I payed £800 for it why bodge an upgrade..!!! Faults are known on the 2800,2900,1700 and already the 3910 which has been out for how long...!!!!
I may have been one of the unlucky ones, but that is what my opinion is based on, and why I personally would not recommend a Denon DVD player..

[fordster]

My player went back to Denon (UK) themselves for repair. I rang them beforehand and they claimed to be unaware of any issues with the player. They did inform me that they would test the device and if problems were with firmware then they would upgrade the firmware and it would then go back to being Region 2 only. When the player came back it was still multi-region so I would take that to mean my firmware is fine. As I said earlier it does still freeze but nowhere near as often. It's noisier now so I suspect they changed (or at least took out and inspected) the transport. It's my opinion that the problem with my player is that the transport / laser is too sensitive to (very, very minor) scratches or fingerprints. I take great care with my discs so it's not just me being careless. I've spoken to 2 different branches off the same hi-fi chain who told me that problems with 2800s are very common and that it's not unusual for 2900s to play up either. They did however say that the major cause was multi-region modification. Obviously they claimed there was no problem with theirs (they said they got the discs direct from Denon)!
There are clearly a large number of Denon owners out there who don't have problems but it would appear there is also quite a lot who do!

Denon would say that over the phone....they sent me a very confidential memo in the end admitting the fault and assured me they would help but then they wouldn't contact me again..... ...it all had to go via the dealer.

[alpha10]

Just to add my 2p worth on this.

I will never buy another Denon DVD player (although i have said that before... )

I have had 4 Denon's now (3000, 3300, 2800mk1 and 3800) only the 3000 which was a panasonic clone worked well.

The others have been terrible. I think the thing that caps it with me is that Denon UK provided the worst customer support I have ever known .

You have been warned, yes when they work most of them perform brilliantly, however there is a masssive BUT

Cheers

See - I'm not alone.
As for Denon...

[Radiohead]

In the Radiohead household

Denon =

[alpha10]

Andy I think we are 'legion'

Radiohead - you seem to be the only one - do you work for them...

[Ed Selley]

Well I work for a rival with little vested interest and they get a from me and the other dem room layabouts at Mordaunt Short. I fully intend to purchase a 2910 to partner the Marantz SR8500 I have my eye on.

[alpha10]

Radiohead, couldn't possibly work for them, he actually answers us

[Radiohead]

boom boom

No - I'm a DBA for my sins.

Originally Posted by alpha10

Radiohead, couldn't possibly work for them, he actually answers us

ha ha ha.... ...brilliant...!!!!