Is it worth spending a lot on a DVD player right now?

[raja]

I just bought a Samsung HLR-5688W, which is capable of displaying 1080p. I would like to now buy a matching DVD player to really enjoy the TV. I am putting together a good home theater and would really like to have the best of everything (within reason anyway). I don't mind spending $1000-$1500 on a DVD player, but I don't know what to get. I am looking to get a Denon 3806 A/V receiver, so I'm guessing I don't need to worry too much about the audio aspect of the dvd player. However, I have also been reading a lot about the upcoming release of Bluray dics.

Is it wise to spend a lot on a high quality DVD player right now? Or wait for a first-gen. Bluray player to come out and then buy that?

Also, which is a good DVD player to buy? My number one concern is video quality. I just watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose on my current DVD player (which is a first-gen dvd player I bought back in 1998 - so it's definitely time to upgrade). It was not enjoyable at all since the movie was so dark and all the blacks (including the two HUGE bars at the top and bottom of the movie despite having my screen set in 16:9 mode) were running into each other.

Any and all suggestions are welcome!

 

[Hipnotic4]

I honestly think it would be wise to wait. And i dont mean wait and rush for the first blue ray player that comes out but wait till more companies have them out--that way the price will not be too crazy.

 

[egreen1976]

I recently struggled with the EXACT same issue, and I am also using a denon 3806. This was my conclusion;

The Blue-Ray v. HD-DVD thing will be messy, and there is no word on universal players. The first generation of each will definitely be expensive and the quality will dramatically improve in a year or two. Bottom line, you will be making comprimises somewhere there will be no top of the line solution for everything. Plus, I also have an extensive DVD collection which I would like to be handled well by any player I buy. It is quite possible thqat any blue-ray player will not handle normal DVDs as well as a current top of the line player.

On the other hand.. I didnt want to spned over $1000 now only to buy another in 6 months. I was looking at the Denon DVD-3910 but I settled on the Denon DVD-2910. I purchased it for about $500 dollars, which while not cheap, will allow me to still purchase a first gen HD player. This also ensures that I have a GREAT player for normal DVDs for time to come or at least until the dust settles and I can see a clearer picture of the HD/ Blue Ray Situation.

I'd be interested to hear what others think

 

[Leprkon]

I just bought a Samsung HLR-5688W, which is capable of displaying 1080p. I would like to now buy a matching DVD player to really enjoy the TV.

If you have a decent library of DVD's, I'd recommend you buy a lower-end upscaling DVD player for the short term. You might think about sinking $ 150 into a Samsung HD-950 or maybe another hundred into a Sony upscaler.

Both will really make your TV shine, and you won't be kicking yourself in six or eight months if the HD-DVD/BluRay finally settles out. You can always move the temporary unit into your bedroom or give it to the kid on his way off to college.

Just keep in mind that no DVD player you can but right now actually produces a 1080P signal. DVD in and of itself is only 480P and the players use processing to get a better signal.

Sinking a ton of money into a top end Denon or similar DVD player just does not make good business sense. DVD's time is short. Save your money for the next upgrade.

 

[MACCA350]

Personally I think DVD will be around longer than people think. Take the whole DVD-A and SACD thing, we were told they were going to replace CD, now you can't find them in stores and if you do they only have a handful hidden in a corner somewhere. Just because a product is better doesn't mean it will become accepted worldwide. Many people won't see or care about the benefits of Blu-Ray or HD-DVD(not many people even understand what DVD-A or SACD is or how to play them properly, even now). Especially when there are two competing formats. People won't spend money upgrading to something that may not be around for long, when they can buy the established DVD version sitting right next to it on the shelf. Even the studios believe DVD will be the dominant format for years to come, and have no intention as yet to cease producing them

When it first hit the market, I honestly thought that the MiniDisk media was going to take over from CD, it had all the benefits of CD with none of the drawbacks, all your music disc's could never be scratched. But the 'good old' CD is the dominant media for music, even though there are better alternatives.

cheers

 

[andy sullivan]

The only review I've seen on the Samsung HD-950 wasn't so hot. I would consider the Oppo 971H, Pioneer 59avi, Panasonic S97, Denon 1920, Sony 3100ES. All have some drawbacks but overall will provide fine performance until the HD players coming out provide proven value.

 

[hifiman]

Definitely buy now

Personally I think the high-def DVD formats are unlikely to succeed. At the very least they will be pretty slow to gain a fair share of the market. Even if it is successful it will be quite awhile before there is enough software to make it a must-have. So I would say to you, why should you sit around waiting for something that may or may not be what you hope it will be when you can purchase something now and enjoy movies today?

 

[rollinrocker]

egreen,

i think you made an excellent decision. i am also considering the same player for the same reasons. the denon retails for 739.00, if i'm not mistaken. 500.00 sounds like a great price to me!

 

[gmoneyreece]

the post above comparing HD-DVD/BLU-RAY to DVD-A and SACD is dead on. most people i have talked to have not even heard of these formats. the average user also doesn't even have HDTV yet...why would jump onto the HD Disk bandwagon?

I do think these formats have a place...PCs! The shear storage capacity is stagering, imagine backing up 10 DVDs on one disk or 1000 CDs! However Gates(MS) warns that while these disk seem logical many are discrediting actual hard drive storage and downloading video over high speed. itunes video, google video, it is only a matter of time before they start delivering high quality video.

needless to say, i am sticking with DVD, i recently got a Denon 5910 for $2500 and have nearly 300 DVDs in my collection. plus the first releases are not even going to support 1080p (come on!)

 

[Leprkon]

needless to say, i am sticking with DVD, i recently got a Denon 5910 for $2500 and have nearly 300 DVDs in my collection. plus the first releases are not even going to support 1080p (come on!)

it is a tough choice... a Denon and 300 DVD's... or a Samsung and 600 dvd's

 

[AudioSeer]

I look at it this way - if blu-ray is anything like 1080i HDTV, even a cheap blu-ray will be much superior to a high end DVD player.

 

[MACCA350]

I just hope Hollywood(or whoever does the transfers) strictly regulates the quality of the transfers, then we can see the benefits of the higher resolutions. But if they have major variations like we've seen in DVD's where some transfers are on a par if not worse than their old VHS counterparts, then the delivery technology becomes irrelevant and is wasted on such poor transfers.

Remember, the final picture quality is not only dependent on the resolution and storage capacity of the media but is also affected by everything prior to stamping the media, from capture to final compression an authoring.

These new HD formats have the potential to be great, I just hope they won't be ruined by poor quality control and crippling user restrictions due to overblown and constrictive copy protection systems(ie DVD-A & SACD).

cheers