[cribeiro]

Hello!

I finally bought the Sanyo Z4, and now it is time to plan my next step, which is towards hdmi and an improved multiformat reproduction.

Thus, I need a replacement for my Denon dvd 1400, and I have been looking at the latest models from Denon and Marantz (I'd really like to have a Marantz dvd player, now that I have owned yamaha and denon). The problem is that I cannot gather all the information I need to decide me for one player. And I have not even looked into Pioneer yet! Maybe you can help me narrowing down my choices... This is what I am looking for:

Price: under 400 euro.
Performance: video and audio equal or better to the Denon 1400 (specially audio analog out), progressive scan, hdmi, imperceptible layer change, dynamic range compression (I have an issue with my AV Receiver here). A plus would be bass management down to 60Hz, but it is not a must. DivX is not important, although it would be nice (of course, it must support all formats my Denon 1400 does).EDIT: I assume multiregion is doable for all players, right? (hackable, at least...).

Can you guide me in the right direction? Hey, if I get a nice Christmas bonus, I might even need less than one year to purchase it

Thank you and regards,

Alberto

Hey

I am going through the same thing as you, I am just awaiting the delivery of my Z5 (which is very similar to the Z4 with just a few different connections and modest differences in the picture itself). I have a few brands/models that i am considering myself. I am debating between Denon and Pioneer but the problem becomes which one is better and which model to chose from. I am leaning heavily between the Denon DVD-1930CI and the Denon
DVD-2939CI although I think the 2930 might be a bit more than you had set for budget price. My concern is that I don't want to buy a DVD player that will outperform my projector. I am afraid that the video improvement between the 1930CI and the 2930CI will not be reolved by the projector and that I would just be wasting my money away. Luckily, my local rep will allow me to take one of each at home for the weekend and test both of them. Until that happens, I think I am going to be somewhat undecided. The pioneer is also an attractive option, but only once you go to the Elite brand (here in Canada). Not to see I am not the only one going through this dilema.

What's your take on the 1930??

[cribeiro]

Hello Mikydo,

I don't really think the 1930 can outperform the 1400 in performance, although it does in specs (HDMI, progessive scan, scaler, etc, which were unusual by the time of the 1400). Of course it is not a prove, but a hint: just look at the MSRP of both, and compare the quoted specs of Denon. Moreover, both have 2 MB buffer for layer change, and unless they do it much better now, it must be noticeable. Actually, it might be better reproducing the image, since it uses 1 bit more Dynamic, but look at the audio part (which for me is very important): the 1400 has different d/a converters, and I don't know if the change is for good...

otherwise, it does have all specs I would like (if the layer change is not an issue...).

I might be talking nonsense, and 350 euro now buy you more than 550 euro three years ago... But it is just I don't have any objective, real life experience input.

BTW, there are two or three threads discussing problems with the 1930...
I hope you can share with me your experience testing the 1930, specially if the layer change is detectable.
Regards,

Alberto