I recently upgraded to HDTV and purchased the Sony 55wf655 rpt lcd tv. I presently own the Denon 2200 universal player that is connected by 3 Outlaw component cable. Since the 2200 does not have have a HDMI or DVI connection, will the picture quality improve if I upgrade to the Denon 2910 player or equivalent that utilize DVI/HDMI cables?

If so, what universal player besides the 2910 can you recommend in the under $1000 price range?

Finally, if I decide to upgrade, can anyone recommend a HDMI/DVI switcher since the Sony has only 1 HDMI connection and my Outlaw 950 doesn't accomodate these connections?

Thanks, Ron.

There are plenty of places selling HDMI-->DVI adapter cables, including Outlaw. They're cheap.

As for whether or not video looks better/worse between component and DVI, I can't tell the difference at 480i/480p. However, my DVD player has the option of upconverting to 720p/768p/1080i and that will only output on the DVI connection. And that definitely looks better than the 480p available on the composite outputs. 8-)

If you're willing to roll the dice on an online merchant (who may or may not be an authorized reseller), some of them are discounting the DVD-3910 to under $1000.

Cheers,

If you want to investigate the benefits of upconverting DVD players (with will do 720p or 1080i over DVI/HDMI), there's the Oppo Digital 971H - $200 with the option of a DVI cable or a DVI-HDMI cable.

you are unlikely to see a big difference going from component to dvi or hdmi. i say that even with the ability to upconvert. i have yet to see a player that upconverts and makes the picture look any different, though admittedly i have not seen them all!

The upconverted picture (I generally use 720p) on my system is clearly better than the 480p picture I can get from the component output. It's easy to see since the player will output on DVI and component at the same time so I've got the component output connected to the 990 and the DVI connection going directly to the TV. That way, the family can easily switch sources with the 990 remote, but I can switch to the higher quality output when watching movies. It's also easy to do A/B comparisons by just switching inputs on the TV.

Cheers,

Thanks for your replies. I spoke to a tech from Denon concerning the 2910 using component vs DVI cables. He stated that in theory the DVI should give better picture but it also depends upon the type of tv. Since I have rpt lcd tv and depending on the source, the picture quality is better on 480i than 480p which the tech also stated. So it seems there may or not be any significant difference upconverting to 720p or 1080i and the only way to find out is perform an A/B comparison as Ritz suggested. I would hate to make the investment in a $1000 player and find no change. I was hoping to upgrade the 2200 to a 2910 for upconverting with the DVI but also that the 2910 had a better DAC.

That leads me to another question, I was told that the DAC in the Denon is better than the 950. Should I be using the DAC in the Denon for 6.1 as well? I use the DAC in the Denon for SACD and D-audio only.

Ron

The DAC in the Denon may give you better sound on CD's (I generally recommend comparing the two and letting your ear decide), but I would not recommend using the Denon's decoder for DVD-Video. Doing so would deprive you of the 950's additional processing (Pro Logic II and Cirrus Extra Surround) as well as the triple crossovers.

Good point Gonk

gonk

I read the reviews on the oppo digital 971h player and it appears to be a great dvd player. In lieu of upgrading the denon 2200 to a 2910, I'm considering purchasing the oppo player just for dvd-video and keep the denon for cd/dvd-audio/sacd. I would still need to purchase a hdmi/dvi switcher for the sony tv anyway. What's your opinion?

Well, that's exactly what I did a few months ago - shifted my Yamaha DVD-S1500 to a primarily audio role (DVD-Audio and SACD via 6-channel analog output, CD via optical digital output) and put an Oppo in the system as a DVD video player. I've been very satisfied with the arrangement - the Oppo has worked out great with my 32" Zenith HDTV. Plus they have started letting you choose between a DVI-to-DVI or DVI-to-HDMI cable (included in the $200 price) depending on your display. I'm assuming the Sony has an HDMI input.

If you find yourself with more than one DVI or HDMI source down the road and still have the 950, you can look at getting a switch box from Gefen (see their rather nifty product guide for help sorting out their product line).

Gonk,

Looks like I may go with the Oppo player and the gefen switch box. My tv and cable box are connected with a dvi-to-hdmi cable, so I assume this cable can be used between the tv and switcher. Then I would use dvi-to-dvi cables from the switcher to the cable box and the Oppo player. Thanks for the info.



Just curious if you performed a DVI vs component cable with the oppo to determine picture quality?

I never connected the Oppo's component cables, since the component output isn't even deinterlaced (it runs at 480i). The only comparisons I made were between the Oppo's DVI output and the 480p component outputs of my Yamaha S1500 and my Panasonic DMR-E80 DVD recorder. In that comparison, the Oppo proved to have the best picture quality (if it hadn't, I was planning to send it back and stay with the S1500), with the Yamaha in second and the Panasonic bringing up the rear in third.

I received the oppo dvd player last week and here is my impression after a week of comparison vs the Denon 2200. I connected the oppo player directly to the sony 55wf655 with a dvi/hdmi cable. The Denon is also connected directly to the tv with component cables. I borrowed the dvd Black Hawk Down so I can do an A/B comparison by switching inputs from the tv remote. I first compared both at 480p and found the Denon better overall. Then I switch the oppo to 720p and then to 1080i and still found the Denon better.

So I decided to bring in a unbiased expert, my wife. She didn't notice any difference between players so I freezed framed different scenes in order for her to compare the 2 players. At that point she noticed the detail on the Denon vs the oppo in both the 720p and 1080i modes. In one scene where the picture is dark with the exception of a soldiers eyes, the clearity and detail was more apparent on the Denon. Last night I invited my brother to compare the players and he too thought the Denon was clearer and also brighter.

I'll try to borrow another dvd that I have in order to make another comparison this weekend. Unless I'm doing something wrong, I plan to return the oppo player next week. If you guys have any suggestions please let me know before Monday. Thanks, Ron

Final update, I decided to send back the OPPO player. As I stated previously, there was no added difference with this player over the Denon. Yesterday I visited 6th Ave electronics in NJ and I discussed up-conversation with the salesman I usually deal with. He stated they did a simular comparision in the store and also found no major difference with DVI vs component input from a dvd player especially with Denon.

So I decided to wait for HD-dvd when it comes out.

Sounds like your salesman took the old path of least resistance ronrags. I have seen it happen a thousand times . Hope your in tight with this guy . Just a heads up .

This salesman is ok. He originally sold me the 2200 2 years ago and could have sold me the 2910 since he makes a commission, but told me to save my money. He too owns the 2200 and is quite satisfied. It comes down to how much we are willing to spend for perfection or what we perceive as perfection. He told me I could spend a few thousand dollars for separate equipment that would up-convert much better the a dvd player. Overall I quite satisfied with my equipment.

Anyway thanks for your comments. Ron