[dean randle]

Hi,
I've seen lots of posts on the Samsung HD945 player, but there seems to be very little on the HD745. I'm hoping that some other members have this and can post some reviews/opinions on it, and what it can or can't do (eg DIVX, upscaling, DTS/DD decoding etc). Seems great value for just over £100. And finally, what does the 945 do that the 745 doesn't??

Thanks in advance,
Dean.

[dbisping]

Originally Posted by dean randle

Hi,
I've seen lots of posts on the Samsung HD945 player, but there seems to be very little on the HD745. I'm hoping that some other members have this and can post some reviews/opinions on it, and what it can or can't do (eg DIVX, upscaling, DTS/DD decoding etc). Seems great value for just over £100. And finally, what does the 945 do that the 745 doesn't??

Thanks in advance,
Dean.

The only difference I believe is that the 745 does not have the upscaler only progessive scan,

Dave...

[dean randle]

Thanks....but just found this info on Digi UK site:

Samsung's NEW HDTV Compliant DVD player!

Scale up process ( 480P ~ 720P, 1080i) : HD Picture - The latest scaling up technology is applied to raise the video resolution of the regular DVD titles(576i/p) to HD quality (720px/1080i).
Digital to digital signal (DVI) : Digital visual interface - Samsung's HDTV - compliant DVD player produces uncompressed digital image by DVI.
Specification



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DVD-HD745

2ND Generation Hypervision
Scale up DCDI technology 720P/10801
DVD-A & SACD Playback
45mm in height
Aluminium body
DVD, DVD-A, DVD-R, DVD-RW
DVD+RW, VCD, SVCD, MP3, JPEG CD
Kodak Picture CD, CD, CD-R,CD-RW,SACD
PAL Progressive Scan
Multi Mode pick up
DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1
1 Set Component Out
DVI
1 x S-Video Out
2 x Composite Video Out
2 x Audio (L/R)
1 x Scart

So maybe it does do the upscaling??!!
Can anyone confirm this? Plus...(sorry more questions), how long is the DVI cable?

Cheers,
Dean.

I have ordered a Samsung DVD-H745 from Pixmania, which should arrive shortly.
I want to use it with an LG Plasma RZ-42PX11, which has a DVI input.
My understanding is that it does do upscaling. I will post how I get on with it.

Cheers,
Maranaz

[MKPatrick]

Originally Posted by Maranaz

I have ordered a Samsung DVD-H745 from Pixmania, which should arrive shortly.
I want to use it with an LG Plasma RZ-42PX11, which has a DVI input.
My understanding is that it does do upscaling. I will post how I get on with it.

Cheers,
Maranaz

Mine is due from Pixmania any day now. I've looked through the manual and it states it can do 480p, 576p, 720p, 768p and 1080i over the DVi. It seems its only real difference from the 945 is the DVi instead of a full HDMI interface. I believe the 945 will also scale over the component outputs - I'll have to see what the 745 does when it gets here.

Patrick

[loz]

Missing from the 745 is DivX playback which the 945 supports

[KraGorn]

Originally Posted by dean randle

So maybe it does do the upscaling??!!
Can anyone confirm this.

Yes, that's what the spec's saying, DCDI is a scaler. The Samsung is one of a bunch of cheap and cheerful players with DVI outputs that can scale to 1280x720p, others being the Momitsu, Yamakawa and Bravo.

[MKPatrick]

Originally Posted by loz

Missing from the 745 is DivX playback which the 945 supports

The 745 manual quite clearly states that it plays back mpeg4 in avi format (Divx/Xvid) and also includes a Divx certified logo

Patrick

Hi, I'm new on this forum plus I'm French (sorry for that) but I have the Samsung 745 so I can definitely give you some answers :

1. The 745 is 100% identical to the 945 but for the HDMI interface which has been replaced by a DVI. I don't know for the divx play back but i would be very surprised.

2. The 745 does upscale to 720p, 768p and 1080i through DVI (subject to the display being hdcp compliant) + provided that it has the initially released firmware it can also upscale through its yuv interface once it has been made region free.

3. Overall this is a wonderful device as far as PQ is concerned (on my hitachi 37PD5200 at least), especially through DVI, but apparently in France a large number of people experienced pb with it such as : bad compatibility with some burnt / rent dvds, various bugs... I haven't had any pb of such kind so far and i'm dilighted to have bought it. I definitely recommand it for this kind of price range (compared for example to the denon 1910 or the panny S97)

4. Last thing: its design is just fantastic !

Hope that can help you.

[DarrenH]

I was considering this unit to accompany my sanyo plv-z2, but would need it multi-region. Does anywhere sell it multi-region or is there a handset hack for it? (Kind of straddling two forums here, but following the thread!)

Thibs, you mention making the unit region free, is your unit region free, and if so, where did you get it from?

I bought it directly region-free from a very reputable French online/offline store (www.cobrason.com : don't know if they can deliver it abroad) but apparently it can be made region free very easily through the following hack (probably the same as for the 945 by the way) :
1. Turn the dvd on
2. When "No disc appears" press Repeat
3. Type in the following code "57538"
4. When the region number (2 in our case) is displayed (on top left corner of the screen) press "9"
5. Press the "open/close" button
A lot of people in France have successfully used this hack but since i haven't tried it on my own i can't guarantee the result.

Please also note that making it region free is unsufficient to get the upscalling feature through your yuv interface ! You also need to make sure you have the proper firmware. There are indeed two firmware : the first one does allow you to get yuv upscalling through yuv once made region free but not the second one ! There is no way to be sure of that before you get it at home.

pixamainia.com after learning that electricaldiscountuk.co.uk were out of stock.

scary thing is that I'm seeing a Dvi - DVi cable (Of sufficient length) is going to cost more than the player!

Apparently the 945 is now discontinued due to lack of demand??!?

P.

[DarrenH]

Thibs

Thanks for your reply... Would you feel comfortable putting the 745 through a projector onto a 2m widescreen image? Is the unit up to that quality?

[loz]

Given that so much seems the same, the 745 would appear to be a bargain.
However, the 945 appears more future proofed with HDMI.
But having said that, given it isn't a HD player, does this have any relevance with current DVD's?

The samsung website www.samsung.co.uk states that the 945 uses "Faroudja DCDI Upscaling" whereas the 745 has the "Zoran Vaddis 7 Chipset" - so I'm not convinced that they are 100% identical bar the DVI vs. HDMI connector.

Also does the 745 have the full 5.1 audio outputs that the 945 sports?

dan.dan

[sp99]

I think this has been discussed elseware with respect to the 945

An answer from Samsung was that it used Faroudja DCDI Upscaling but that this was implemented either in the Zoran chipset or some differently branded IC.

I believe this initially arose from people opening their players and finding no Faroujda chipsets.

After having compared the manuals for the 945 and 745 the only real difference appears to be the HDMI connector. I should have access to a 745 next week so I will post a short review.

I have contacted Samsung twice in regards to the avalability of the 945 - their response was that it was a current model and available.
I mentioned the numerous online retailers that have said that it is
discontinued - they said its 'still on the web site so should be available' not the most reassuring comment.

I noticed today that Samsung are touting the 850 & 950 at the CES show not much details but there is a press release on the Samsung.com site it states the usual upconverting dvd player spiel and a price of $199 for the 850 and $249 for the 950 available in March

Simon

Just received my HD745 and have connected it to my LG PX11 Plasma (res 852x480)
via DVI connector. No setup problems,which confirms LG PX11 is HDCP compliant.
For Pal you can adjust the DVI output to 576p, 720p, 768p, 1080i. For my screen the 576p output gives a brilliantly detailed picture. This DVD is well worth £100 and much more!
Cheers,
Maranaz

[TopMeTom]

Does it upscale only through dvi or component as well,like the momitsu and yamakawa?

No. You can only do 525(interlaced) or 525(progressive) through Component.
Cheers,
Maranaz

Although it only upscales on through the DVI connection. You could presumably feed signal to component inputs with an adaptor. See below.
http://store.niveusmedia.com/s.nl/sc...it.A/id.166/.f

Cheers,
Maranaz

[TopMeTom]

Hmmmm maybe i would be better of with a momitsu or yamakawa then..

I understand MOMITSU have gone out of business. See below
http://www.techadvice.com/help/company/m/momitsu.htm

Cheers,
Maranaz

Hi, Im 19 and new to the forum and have just purchased a Toshiba 27" LCD. I am looking at the Samsung HD745 as it seems to be the ideal choice when you take into account the Price/Quality ratio. I keep hearing about HDCP which i understand to be Copyright Protection or something. I read somewhere (probably on the forum) that the Samsung has it? Basically all i would like to know is will upscale DVDs to Hi-Def via a DVI connection even though my LCD does not have HDCP? Thanks.

[mray]

Marantz.
Maybe Momitsu have gone out of business in the USA. Their website is still accessible as far as I know. And I did read somewhere that the V880 was being replaced, by the US distributor with different model (Name of OPPO I think).

[dean randle]

Thanks for the replies....though still wondering how long the cables are???

How are things settling down for the members that have received theirs? Still impressed? Found any issues? Any pleasant surprises? Tried SACD yet?

Thanks again,

Dean.

[nvarsos]

Does Samsung 745 supports DVD-R with mp3s ?

Nicos

DVI cable is about 1.5m long and yes it supports DVD-R with MP3s.
And again, whatever Samsung says, the 945 and the 745 are 100% identical but for the HDMI/DVI interface. They both have a zoran chip. I know that some ads on the 945 claim to have a faroudja chip inside the 945 but that's just a lie : if you open them both you would see that their insides are just the same.
So frankly, unless you have a hdmi interface on your display, there is no point in spending a further 100€ on the 945, and as far as I am concerned, the 745 is an exceptional device given its price. But of course it cannot compete with some high end products such as the denon 2910/3910, which are...10 times as expensive as the 745 !
Sorry for those who got the wrong firmware.

One last thing : from my standpoint, having a dvi interface is a hell of a lot more essential than having upscalling capabilities. The difference between yuv and dvi is huge while the diffrerence between 2 SD sources, one being kept @576p the other being upscalled @720p or @1080i, is a lot more difficult to appreciate.
Thibs

[MKPatrick]

Originally Posted by Thibs

One last thing : from my standpoint, having a dvi interface is a hell of a lot more essential than having upscalling capabilities. The difference between yuv and dvi is huge while the diffrerence between 2 SD sources, one being kept @576p the other being upscalled @720p or @1080i, is a lot more difficult to appreciate.
Thibs

I'll second that. The improvement that DVi gives is astonishing. Clarity and focus are fantastic - and contrast seems better on my LCD too. Colour adjustment on the player would be nice though - i wonder if Samsung can address this in a future firmware?

I see very little improvement going frmo 576p to 720p or 768p. Sure, it's a tiny bit sharper - but i think my TVs own de-interlacer and scaler are extremely good (thomson 27"LCD) and consequently the benefit isn't too obvious.

All in all the 745 is fantastic value - it can certainly be considered one of, if not the, very best player available for under £200. Side by side with a Pio 575 it looks better both on screen and off

Patrick

[mray]

Hi.
Does anyone know how the pq on the Samsung via dvi compares to the Momitsu or Yamakawa players please?
I have the Momitsu, and I've mentioned before that I can't see any difference between dvi and component.
Any opinions gratefully received!!!!