looking for nice dvd player

dlowman · « **on:** 3 Oct 2005, 07:03 pm »

I am looking to upgrade my dvd player. I already have a art dio mensa modified by bolder cables and will soon have my squeeze box 2 modded. So I am not looking so much for the audio side of things. But I would like to find a new dvd player that could be modded to work as a tranport and to play my dvd's. Which players would you recommend?

Thanks,
Dan

Wayne1 · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Oct 2005, 07:43 pm »

If your TV will accept a DVI or HDMI input, you could do a lot worse then the OPPO

http://www.oppodigital.com

Of course I am a bit biased

budyog · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Oct 2005, 08:23 pm »

I have had my Onkyo SP-1000 for about a month now and all I can say is "money well spent" This is such a fine unit, no modding required. The mechanics are smooth, the loading is fast, the picture and sound is fantastic, the remote is well laid out and the unit pretty much does it all by itself. I only use it for 2 channel playback, so I am not able to even break the ice with what this unit has to offer, but I do like to play c/d, dvd audio and DVD video concerts/movies. This unit images extremely well and is a joy to listen to and watch my concerts. It has brought my whole system up a couple more notches. Plus it is a beautiful looking piece of audio equipment, I think! Just my 2 cents.
Check it out!

I will be updating my pictures in the gallery soon.

bubba966 · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Oct 2005, 08:27 pm »

Wayne's suggestion of an OPPO if you've got DVI or HDMI on your display is a very good one. The picture on a stock OPPO is pretty impressive. But after Bolder mods to the digital/video section that player is very impressive.

There's a thread or two in the Bolder circle about what I thought of the Bolder modded OPPO.

If you don't have DVI or HDMI inputs on your display, I've always liked the Pioneer decks for DVD transports for Component or S-Video output. And Wayne's got some experience with modding Pioneers as well if you wanted it improved.

Ears · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Oct 2005, 12:16 am »

Quote from: budyog

I have had my Onkyo SP-1000 for about a month now and all I can say is "money well spent" This is such a fine unit, no modding required. The mechanics are smooth, the loading is fast, the picture and sound is fantastic, the remote is well laid out and the unit pretty much does it all by itself. I only use it for 2 channel playback, so I am not able to even break the ice with what this unit has to offer, but I do like to play c/d, dvd audio and DVD video concerts/movies. This unit images extremely well and i ...

And you haven't even tried what the 1000 does best yet as far as audio ? SA-CD .

These go for 5-6k in the rest of the world and with the build quality and the way it does all formats without needing any mods....its easy to see why.

For 1500.00 street...this player cant be beat and is a steal imo.

Ears · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Oct 2005, 01:33 am »

Dan....I don't believe the Onkyo sp 1000 will require mods to be used as a transport....there is no dvd player that offers a superior picture except the 3.5k Denon 5910...and were talking slightly better if you use a huge projected screen....with audio thats been pro reviewed as inferior to the stock SP1000's.

A comparison OCT 04 at What hifi had the Meridian g98 as slightly more musical 5 stars...the DV-50 4 stars....and they said the real star of the group was the Onkyo SP 1000 and also gave it there highest 5 star rating.

They also said that the Denon 3910 and Pioneer 59avi were on a lower tier from these three players.
Speaking from direct experience with comparing the Denon 5900 and 3910 to the SP1000.....there absolutely right.

John151 · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Oct 2005, 04:43 pm »

My Oppo arrived yesterday. I had it up and running within minutes using the DVI cable (Oppo supplied both DVI to HDMI and DVI to DVI cables). In preperation for the arrival, I went to BestBuy and purchased a few SuperBit tittles for $9.99. I watched the Patriot last night. Wow, what a picture: almost as good as High Def!

Tonight I will set up an A/B test with my NAD DVD player (older, lower end model) as I also have the Patriot on regular DVD. I also have exactly one DVD-A disk that I will try out (not sure if I am enough IC's for that tough

).

The NAD DVD player was an out of date demo model from the NAD dealer. This was a short term solution until HiDef DVDs came out. However, with two competing formats, I don't see that purchase happening anytime soon, so the Oppo seemd like the perfect solution, especially considering the price. Also, using DVI really helps out my config as my AV system feeds two rooms: Home Theatre (JVC SX21 PJ), and a 27" LCD in the adjacent workout room. I can now simply feed the component outputs from the receiver to the LCD, and the DVI to the PJ. I have ordered that $40 DVI switcher that is being discussed over at AVS until I dish out the $ for a DVI switching PrePro (I am considering the Outlaw).

I will report the results of my A/B testing this evening. Until then, I am headed over to the Chicago Audio Fest. What a great weekend!

Al Garay · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Oct 2005, 06:11 pm »

I'm very happy with the standard Oppo dvd player. Yes, Wayne's mods do make it better.

I'm also seriously considering the new Sony DVP-NS9100ES to use the iLINK connection with my STR-DA7100ES receiver. The 7100ES is fantastic and makes my Oppo sound great as a transport, using digital coax. With the iLINK, jitter and noise are dropped significantly, I'm expecting the 9100ES+7100ES combo to be magical.

Al Garay · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Oct 2005, 10:21 pm »

Sony DVP-NS3100 MSRP $499, can probably be had for around $350 from Oade Brothers

Here are reviews:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=589543

levesque · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Oct 2005, 08:13 pm »

I'm reviewing the upcoming Pioneer Elite 79AVi (will be on the market next month) and I'm really impressed so far.

I put it above the Denon 3910 and Onkyo 1000 for both audio and video, even without an outboard scaler.

I'm probably the only one that was able to compare those 3, because there was only 2 79AVi in Canada, and a couple in the USA also for reviewers.

The possibility to pass 480i over HDMI with the 79AVi to use it with an outboard scaler is just icing on the cake. Both the Onkyo and Denon can't pass 480i over HDMI.

So if later down the road you want to try the new Gennum VXP, Realta HQV or national Semiconductor 1080p processing chips, you can just switch the scaler has need be, and keep that sweet 480i over HDMI player.

Pioneer were able to improve the 59AVi in all aspects. Way better build quality, no more CUE-bug (3-2 alt and 4:2:0 ICP), way better analog audio. They clearly have a winner with the 79AVi.

TIC · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Jul 2006, 12:51 am »

Al Garay,

Did you ever buy a Sony DVP-NS9100ES to try via iLink connected to your Sony STR-DA7100ES? I own the Sony STR-DA5000ES and was thinking of moving up to the DA7100/NS9100 combo as an upgrade.

Interestingly, none of the reviews I've read spoke of using the NS7100 via iLink as a source. Seems they totally missed the point of keeping the data in DSD format all the way from transport through the amplifier.

Enjoy,

TIC

Al Garay · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Jul 2006, 04:07 am »

Hi,

I replied your other thread. Basically, no. Have not heard dvd with the iLINK connection. Do want to check it out. The STR-DA7100ES is an excellent sounding receiver and plenty of power, dynamics to keep up with every action movie I throw at it.

Al