HTPC v Panasonic SC-HT900 v Harmon Kardon DV22

G

GeoffR

Guest
Well I've had time to have a bit more of a play and setup the HK 22 and carried out a back to back test of the following on my toshiba 46WM48P:-

HTPC - Athlon 2.6ghz with Ati 9250 graphics card and Windvd 6 connected to the HDMI input on the toshiba. Onboard sound connected to the panny.

Panasonic SC-HT900 connected by component

HK 22 connected by component. Optical audio to the panny.

First of I have to say I'm very much a newbie when it comes to configuring the HTPC and I know those of you that understand dscaler and powerstrip etc would get better results. The only thing I did was set the graphics card to force 720p mode which was better than 1080i on my telly anyway.

First of and one of the great things about the HK22 is the test card that allows you to setup the brightness, contrast and colour. I was surprised how far off my settings had been. I then used "The Mummy" as the test film in each. I started with the HTPC and whilst the picture was sharp there was traces of "stepping" and it was quite dark with poor colour rendition. The sound was acceptable but lacked depth and clarity.
Next up the panny ht-900 same film but this time hooked up using component. Well although it didn't match the resolution or sharpness of the htpc the overall image was more watchable with good colour rendition nice and smooth and no hint of the stepping although there was the odd macroblocking. Sound was crisper also but I wasn't surprised at this given the spec of the htpc.
Finally the hk 22, well it just blew the other away. The pq on progressive component is stunning and this was supported by everyone that saw it. Picture perfect. Sound is super as well the hk 22 feeds a better signal to the panny 900 then the one the onboard player seems to.

We have since thrown a few films thru the hk 22 and its played them all superbly. I dent know what the folks who said it was "so so" expect visually but for me its super duper both pq and audio.

If any of you are looking for a great dvd player then I'm sure you wont be disappointed with the hk 22.

Geoff
 
Hi Geof
Ive been thinking about getting the h/k dvd 31 to tide me over till hd blue ray players start to appear at sensible prices, Glad you like the dvd 22 i also like harman products so may go for this player.
 
Its still a current model according to the HK website http://www.harmankardon.com/category.aspx?Language=ENG&Region=EUROPE&Country=GB&cat=DVD and I didnt find it hard to find. Here are just a few of the deals http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPC-Harman_Kardon_DVD22 I got mine from pixmania for what I consider the bargain price of £139-00 delivered. Ebay also has some listed at the moment for £180-00.

Further reviews are here http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/92657/rpem/ccd/productDetailReview.do and its interesting to read how many rate it better than HDMI enabled players.

HDMI substance or fashion? Saving my hdmi connection for Sky HD or a "proper" HD player when they arrive.

Geoff
 
Nice one Geoff. Ive been following your other thread with interest, as i was originally looking at the Samsung HDMI players (That were obviously going to be much better as they have a HDMI connection :rolleyes: )

This is now right at the top of my list, but might hang on and see how the new Philips gets on. Not sure if want to spend that much though.
 
Hi Geoff
Is the h/k dvd22 easy to make multi-region.
Thanks Gonzo.
 
GeoffR said:
Hi I have'nt hacked mine yet but the word is its easy, there is some more info here http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173851&highlight=HK+22+HACK

Geoff

I assume that hack would be defeated by RCE abominations, for which you would have to set the region explicitly. Can anyone confirm that's the case? If so, are we safe to assume there is no limit to the number of times the region code can be altered. I'm thinking of the nonsense with DVD-rom drives...
 
GeoffR said:
If any of you are looking for a great dvd player then I'm sure you wont be disappointed with the hk 22.
Geoff

Just taken delivery of mine (also from Pixmania). Only tried it with the TV so far, but looking good. The real test will be via component to the projector (Panasonic AE700), as that was previously being fed via S-video from my aging Pioneer 505. I hope to try that later tonight.

Have you updated your firmware? I looked on the HK website and discovered that my serial number was within the range for which an upgrade was "advised", so I downloaded it. Annoyingly, the HK website tells you absolutely nothing about what's in the upgrade, or why you might want to install it. In fact, the whole website is a typically useless, flash-heavy piece of corporate crap. But I digress..

Anyway, ignoring the disclaimers about HK accepting no liability for upgrades going wrong, I burnt the CD, verified the contents, and commenced the procedure. The player recognised the disk as a firmware upgrade, and asked me if I wanted to go ahead. I did. And was then alarmed to see an "upgrade failed" message appear. Fortunately, pressing the power button on the unit allowed me a second go. This was particularly scary, because now I wasn't sure if I'd already corrupted something - a feeling that was not helped by the fact that absolutely nothing happened for at least a minute or two.

I was on the verge of pulling the power cord out (despite dire warnings not to do so, nor to press any buttons!), when suddenly the display started incrementing, just as promised. It got to 99 and then an "upgrade successful" message appeared, to my considerable relief.

I'm not sure if this will help you decide about installing the upgrade (particularly when we don't know what it does!), but I thought I'd share my experience anyhow!
 

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