DVD player for video only / your opinions please!

[pearsall001]

Hi everyone,
I need a DVD player for video only, I have a 50' SONY LCD. I already have a dedicated CD player so CD playback is not a real concern. My budget is approx. $500, DVI, HDMI, SACD, DVD-Audio are also not a major concern. I like using my digital cable for audio & componet cables for video. I know at this price range I wiil probably get some of the above mentioned features whether I want them or not. I just want a player that will give me excellent picture quality. What are you guys using & what would you recommend? Thanks

 

[Johnd]

I like Denon. I just purchased the 2900 (discontinued 14 months ago) from Vann's for $479.00. It has great video capabilities, plus it is a universal player (sacd, dvd-a, etc). An extra bonus it does layer changes seamlessly. One minus that doesn't really bother me is a very slow drawer. Otherwise, you may want to consider the 2910 for about $550.00. I opted against this player because of potential macroblocking issues. Macroblocking is display specific, unfortunately, one does not know if the 2910, or more specifically, the Faroudja chip inside the 2910, will present macroblocking with a specific display, until you play the 2910 through the display. The 2900 uses a different chip, and therefore has no macroblocking issues. But I digress.

Edit:
You can get an in-depth review of both the 2900 and 2910, as well as about another dozen players right here in the review section. Cheers.

 

[j_garcia]

I'll second the 2900 at that price point. It's a solid video player. I have to say though, the 2200 has nearly an identical video section to the 2900 at about half the price since you are looking for video only. I've owned both and I have to say the 2900 is only a slight improvement over the 2200 in terms of picture quality IMO.