denon 2910 vs 3910

[lessardrp]

I am going to buy the new denon 3806 receiver because of the xm, hdmi, d-link and other qualities.

I am trying to figure out the best dvd player for the money to mate up with this bad boy.

The 3910 has the hmdi and d-link interfaces like the 3806.

The 2910 has the hdmi interface but I didn't see d-link.

Excuse my ignorance...

My understanding of hdmi is that it provides a digital connection for both video and audio to the receiver. If that is true, is there a good reason to pay more for the 3910 because it has the d-link?

Or is it possible/adviseable to have both the hdmi and d-link connected to the receiver and go with the 3910?

I guess my question has to do with the need for d-link if audio is also carried over hdmi.

Thanks,
Clueless beginer ;-)

 

[eddiem67]

The 2910 is suffice, I have both. Great units, let me know if your interested in one.

 

[j_garcia]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15533

 

[lessardrp]

Thanks for the input

My main question has to do with the availabilty of hdmi and d-link on the 3910 unit. Is it worthwhile to have both? Is there any advantage to using both simultaneously?

If the hdmi connection eliminates the need for d-link, I would probably opt for the less expensive 2910 model.

Or does a person gain anything having both hdmi and d-link together?

 

[j_garcia]

HDMI does not eliminate the need for d-link as SACD cannot be passed via HDMI, AFAIK. That would mean you still either need d-link or multichannel analog for that.

 

[tungstenmw]

j garcia is right. SACD signals cannot be output from HDMI on the 2910 or the 3910. You still have to use 5.1 analog hookups for SACD on the 2910. If you have the 3910 you can use the d-link along with a DENON receiver to output all digital signals including PCM, Dolby Digital, dts, DVD-Audio, AND including SACD. You can also output all of those digital signals on the 3910 through the FireWire IEEE 1394 port with any receiver that also has a 1394 port. The receiver doesn't have to be a DENON. Basically, the only reason to buy the 3910 is if you're interested in transmitting SACD signals digitally. I don't see much of a difference, if any, in vido quality between the 2 players.

 

[jfabes]

If I may, a comment about the two players video performacne from my experience. I demo'ed both, and I agree that the 3910 does offer an improved image - although it wasn't easily apparent - both players within their rights will have similar performance whether using hdmi or component. If you're interested in the performance of the players other than what your questions was, I would suggest reading this:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

 

[perato]

Audioholics has already reviewed BOTH the 2910 and the 3910.

Denon has most likely updated the firmware on both players by now so there might be some different differences between the players now.

 

[tungstenmw]

thanks jfabes for that link. Were those tests done after a firmware upgrade or before?

I actually have both players right now. The 2910 is up for auction on eBay. Both of them have the firmware upgrade installed which imporved the HDMI output greatly. I don't really notice much of a difference between video performance. The 3910 may be a little bit smoother in movement, but that could just be my eyes playing tricks on me becasue i want to believe a more expensive player will perform better.