Is a used Denon DVD2900 worth it?

[supervij]

Hi everyone. If you look at my sig, you'll see my setup. I have a 27" 480i SDTV (still with absolutely gorgeous picture quality). I have a Yamaha RX-V750. And I have a Pioneer 588A universal player (paid about $125 US for it). And I have fallen in love with multi-channel music.

My Pioneer isn't bad at m/c at all. SACD, DVD-A, DTS music, and CD all sound very very nice. But I confess to being somewhat underwhelmed with SACD and DVD-A, and the lovely people on this forum informed me that my budget universal player is most likely the reason. In terms of video, I'm very happy with it, with the exception of the inability to pass blacker than black information. The inky black blobs on the screen are driving me nuts!

I have the opportunity of buying the discontinued (and barely used) Denon DVD2900 for around $435 US -- less, if this seller is willing to haggle.

Is the fact that this player is discontinued a problem, i.e., will Denon not release firmware upgrades/fixes? This guy hasn't said anything about the warranty situation, but since the player is discontinued, is this a problem?

Is this player is overkill considering my other equipment? Will I not notice any significant increase in picture quality for DVDs and audio quality for SACDs and DVD-As?

Will the 2900's crappy "chroma 3-2 alt" drive me nuts the way the 588A's crappy BTB drives me nuts? Is it more or less important in a DVD player?

Thanks for any advice/opinions you can offer!

cheers,
supervij

PS: I don't plan on upgrading my TV anytime soon, since I still get such beautiful pq. Because of this, I will likely not purchase any of the first generation HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players (and maybe not even the second!). But that's a whole other topic!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

It's a nice dvd player. I'm a Denon guy, and I hate to do this, but check out the Oppo player. For $199, it's one of the best - period.
http://www.oppodigital.com/

 

[aarond]

Will the 2900's crappy "chroma 3-2 alt" drive me nuts the way the 588A's crappy BTB drives me nuts? Is it more or less important in a DVD player?

Thanks for any advice/opinions you can offer!

cheers,
supervij

PS: I don't plan on upgrading my TV anytime soon, since I still get such beautiful pq. Because of this, I will likely not purchase any of the first generation HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players (and maybe not even the second!). But that's a whole other topic!

supervij
how can the 3-2 alternating PROGRESSIVE flag issue have any effect on your system that doesn't support progressive scan?

 

[aarond]

It's a nice dvd player. I'm a Denon guy, and I hate to do this, but check out the Oppo player. For $199, it's one of the best - period.
http://www.oppodigital.com/

This player is only good if your using DVI. Its component output is junk

 

[supervij]

Buckeyefan, I should have mentioned that I'm looking for a universal player. The Oppo doesn't play SACDs, so I'm not considering it.

aarond, you're absolutely right. The reason I factored that in there was something that's mentioned in the benchmark tests: To be awarded the "480i award", the criteria is as follows -- 1. Must pass all CUE tests (does not include ICP); 2. Must pass or "borderline" all core video basics; 3. Layer change < 2 seconds; and 4. Responsiveness >= 3. In regards to number 1, I assumed that included Chroma 3-2 Film, Chroma 3-2 Alt and Chroma 2-2 Film, all of which are in the core video basics, not in the deinterlacing section. Should I not consider any of the chroma stuff when considering a DVD player for an interlaced screen? If so, then why do the benchmark guys put the chroma stuff in the core video basics section?

cheers,
supervij

 

[supervij]

Any other opinions about the Denon2900 for my current setup?

Pretty please?

cheers,
supervij

 

[enrique]

FWIW i just picked up a used dvd2200 considerably less than a used dvd2900.It it's a very fine player.The used dvd2900 i saw were always twice the price.

 

[j_garcia]

The 2200 and the 2900 both have CUE, because they both use the same deinterlacer, however, on a small CRT screen, you will be hard pressed to see it. ICP is more obvious to me than CUE is with my 2200 on my 34" WS CRT, and I have only noticed that once. Layer change on these players is among the best.

Now, your question was about the audio, and the answer to that is YES. It is a very good audio player. As Enrique said, the 2200 is no slouch either.

 

[supervij]

Congrats on the 2200 purchase, enrique! Hope you like it. The reason I'm asking about the 2900 is I know someone in my city who's selling his. I'm not convinced that the 2200 is all that much better than my Pioneer 588A with my current setup. Maybe it's a bit better, but I haven't seen a 2200 in my area for sale. So I'm concentrating on the 2900 for now. Thanks for your opinion though.

cheers,
supervij

 

[supervij]

j_garcia, thanks for your thoughts on the 2200 and the 2900. So you think audio-wise the difference will be noticeable. Cool. Regarding CUE and ICP, I'm afraid I'm not as knowledgeable in these areas. But do you think the 2900 is overkill video-wise for my setup? Will there be a noticeable difference?

Thanks so much!

cheers,
supervij

PS: Quick question for everyone -- should I not be considering the chroma 2-2, chroma 3-2 alt and chroma 3-2 film when considering a DVD player for an interlaced screen? The Benchmark seems to indicate yes, as they're part of the Core Video Basics section, but as was pointed out, they refer to progressive aspects of the picture.

 

[j_garcia]

If you are looking for the best audio performance, I would go with the 2900. I wouldn't worry about video at all, as it is an excellent video player.

I am not sure about about the other portion of your question, but it was my understanding as well that those things didn't matter when not using a progressive signal either.

 

[supervij]

Okay, cool. So you think it's worth it then. I'll look into it.

If anyone else wants to chime in, that'd still be great!

cheers,
supervij

 

[littleb]

I started out with the Pioneer 563A, which I still have in case the Denon DVD 2900 I purchased goes south on me. I have listened to SACD's on both and to tell you the truth to my untrained ears I really can't hear much difference. Would I purchase the Denon again? Probably not since I don't hear much difference.

 

[supervij]

Thanks, littleb. Sharing that little bit of experience, believe it or not, actually is a big help to me.

cheers,
supervij

 

[enrique]

What did you finally get.

 

[supervij]

I'm trying to haggle with the guy. He's asking $525 CDN ($435 US) and I offered $450 ($373 US). He hasn't responded yet, so we'll see. Money's a bit tight, so I'm not sure how much more I can offer. Donations cheerfully accepted!

cheers,
supervij

 

[enrique]

Those dvd2900's are so high in demand which is why i ended up getting the dvd2200 for less than half of what the 2900 would of cost.Would of loved the 2900 but i had to settle,and so far i havent regetted it.

 

[supervij]

enrique, I went to several electronics stores yesterday, and only one of them carried any Denon DVD players. And they had neither the 2900 nor the 2200. So when it comes to these two players, I seem to be limited to buying people's used gear.

Despite the fact that I really really want it, I am of two minds over this. I mean, I don't have an HDTV yet, but someday I will. Don't know when that'll be -- next year, or several years from now. So do I hold out for a player with HDMI or not? Arrggghhhh!!!!! I hate these debates I have with myself over these things.

Bottom line: If I can get the 2900 from this guy, great. If not, oh well, I'll have to live with my lack of blacker than black for a while longer.

cheers,
supervij

 

[j_garcia]

Both of those players are former models, replaced by the 2910 and 3910, so you will not find any new ones in retail stores.

I have a buddy who I recommended the 2200 to and he doesn't have a HDTV yet either. He said PQ was still improved with the 2200 over his older Panny player.

 

[supervij]

j_garcia, the stores I went to included smaller ones that sold discontinued items. For example, I remember seeing the Yamaha RX-V740 receiver at one of these shops, selling for roughly half the price of what I paid for the 750 several months ago (before the 750 itself was discontinued!). So it was just hope that led me to those places.

I have no problem with the 2200; it's just that, like I said, I'm limited to people's used stuff. The specs seem pretty close on the 2200 and my Pioneer 588A, though, so if it were around, I'd have a tougher time going with it.

Specs-wise, the 2900 seems a tiny wee bit better than the 2910: quicker response time and no image cropping. So if I can nab this guy's 2900, I'll be one happy kid!

cheers,
supervij