Hi! I have an outlaw 950 / rotel rmb 1075 / definitive bp2004TL + center and surrounds + Hsu VTF 2 sub + infocus X1.
I'm trying to figure out what dvd player to buy. The infocus only takes component so dvi compatibility is nice but not necessary.

I'm not looking for dvd-a/sacd support. Again nice but not necessary.

Since the dvd player is sending a digital signal to the 950 for sound, my thought was most players should sound similar. Testing an old samsung, older sony and newer marantz appear to show that it is not the case. The marantz dv6400 I tried sounded better than the other two..not jaw dropping better..but better.

So my question is: what dvd player are you using that gives you excellent performance at movies when used as a transport into the 950. I can stretch upto $1000 but lower is better if it gets the job done.

Thanks for your input..
Dax

Dax,
When I auditioned DVD players a few years ago I had a similar experience in that some players sounded better and produced better video. I settled on a Marantz VC5200. I also liked the Denon models. Your experience may be a result of comparing older technology with a newer model. IMHO the newer DVD players produce superior audio and video. I also have an Oppo but the main advantage is its' capability to upconvert to 720p through the DVI output. You should listen to and view some of the new players to compare them and decide which you like the best. I wouldn't buy an expensive player now because improved performance formats are scheduled to be introduced by the end of this year and the begining of next year.

I forgot to mention that while I have been pleased with the Marantz, I have also noticed that it is less tolerant of marginal media. Small scratches or marks will sometimes cause the player to fail to read or play a DVD or CD and produce an error message. I don't know if this has been corrected on newer models.

People in some of the other Outlaw forums are raving about the Oppo player:

http://www.oppodigital.com/

I'm using a Samsung DVD-HD841 and am quite happy with it. I'm told the just released Samsung DVD-HD950 is also quite good.

If you're into reference quality transports, and snob appeal (heh), there's always the tried and true Denon DVD-5910 (at about 15 times the price of any of the other players mentioned above).

Cheers,

The Oppo is a really impressive player, especially for the price, but it is not ideal for everyone. Since you don't have a DVI or HDMI input, I would not put the Oppo high on your shopping list - the excellent upscaling performance is only available at the DVI output, and the component output is strictly limited to interlaced video (480i).

By and large, Denon's mid-level and high-end players most consistently seem to offer really good video performance. Their entry-level players don't necessarily fare so well, so for your sub-$1000 budget I'd consider the DVD-2910 (list price $740) or maybe even a used DVD-2900. For the less lofty budget, I think some of the newer Toshibas have made pretty respectable showings, and the Panasonic DVD-S97 (DVD-Audio but not SACD) and S77 (neither audio format) are finally somewhat reminscent of Panasonic's better days.

Thanks John W, Ritz and Gonk. Your input is much appreciated.

I've also been suffering dvi envy and wondering if I replaced the Infocus X1 by the 4805 with DVI input, I could possibly go for the oppo. So 2 questions to follow on:
1. Are you happy with the surround sound produced by the digital out of the oppo player.?
2. What is the level of improvement with a DLP projector with a dvi input vs. a component input.

thanks again
Dax

1. I'm quite satisfied with the Oppo's digital audio output. It is certainly on par with the Yamaha DVD-S1500 that also resides in my equipment rack.

2. Since my HDTV is a direct-view tube, I can't speak to the differences between DVI and component with a DLP projector. Unless the projector's native resolution vertical happens to be 720, you are going to need some help from the projector's internal scalers no matter which you use. I did find that the Oppo's 1080i output with my Zenith HDTV was a clear improvement over the 480p from my Yamaha, but that's a significant number of separate variables being changed (different video players from different manufacturers, DVI instead of component, and different resolutions).

Dax,

The quality of the surround sound coming out of the digital out is mostly a function of the DAC that's doing the decoding. Any old cheesy transport can reliably feed you the bits from the disc (ignoring jitter for the moment).

I've never owned a projector. I wanted to include one in my current system, but I've got 2 small children and the screen/projector is just too much of an attractive nuissance for small kids. My next project is to convert the little studio apt over my garage into "daddy's theater room" so I'm hoping to upgrade to a nice projector at that time. So perhaps I'll have an answer for that question soon. 8-)

Cheers,

Gonk

Do you know if the Oppo plays multi region and WMV disk? If it doesn't, is it possible to modify it with firmware upgrading? I have many adult video collections from Japan and Internet in those formats that need to be played on my HT big screen.

I am considering to buy two, this is cheap man!!

Thanks!!

I think the Oppo player is region free by default.