Video Asylum

Posted by monk (A) on April 15, 2006 at 05:55:43

In Reply to: Re: Denon players / DVD-900 vs. new DVD-556 posted by audioman on April 12, 2006 at 14:34:00:

The used DVD-900 at $100 looks like a good deal and I expect you'd be happy with it.

However, I'd still say the Oppo ($199 new) is a little better, especially using a TV with HDMI input. You could connect the Oppo to the TV with a DVI to HDMI cable and skip a whole digital to analogue and analogue to digital conversion cycle.

The Denon will convert the DVD to analogue and output this via component video cables. The TV will then convert this analogue back to digital. With the Oppo, the DVD player outputs the digital signal without converting to analogue. The TV can use this signal and is saved from having to turn an analogue signal back to digital.

In addition to skipping the wasteful d to a and a back to d conversions, the Oppo can upconvert the 480i DVD data to Hi-Def resolutions, the native resolution of your TV. The result again is that your TV gets a signal designed to max out its capabilities and minimize the amount of processing needed to the signal.

The Denon would definitely be enjoyable and most people would be plenty happy. But, though the Oppo is *double* the price, its still only $100 more, not a lot in the context of most full systems, i.e., if you look at what's spent on the TV, DVD player, sound etc. and then think the whole thing could be that much better for the $100...,.