need help finding right universal player

[jongaro]

I'm trying to find a universal player that has both good video and audio performance. The problem is that I'm not sure if a $750-1000 player is going to provide that much better performance versus something in the $300-$500 range. I am wondering what people might recommend given my current system:

panasonic th42-phd7uy
outlaw 990 and 7100 amp
rocket 850's and rsc200 center
jbl studio series for surrounds
jbl woofer

60% HT/40% audio

i thougth i had read somewhere where the better video processors are somewhat wasted on a smaller tv such as mine. any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[supervij]

I'm not even aware of any good ones in that range. There's the Pioneer Elite DV-45A (~$300), but the Benchmark gives it a low score on the video side of things.

A lot less expensive than that is the Pioneer DV588A (~$115), which I quite like, except for the lack of blacker than black. Other than that, I really like its video performance. Audio-wise, things are very good. It downconverts DSD to PCM, which may or may not matter to you. The sound on hi-res audio is excellent; I really have no substantial complaints.

There's also the Samsung HD841 (~$58), which has great specs, but I've been reading about its unreliability. The Samsung 950 (~$180) isn't on the Benchmark yet, but has garnered three 5-star user ratings on ecoustics.com. Otherwise, I've heard nothing about it.

There's the Yamaha S1500 (~$289) got only a so-so Benchmark review and so-so reviews from users from ecoustics. It's got some quirks and reliability issues too. Buyer beware. Also from Yamaha is a 5-disc changer, the C950 (~$420) -- it's not on the Benchmark, and I've heard nothing about this player either.

Denon has a brand new player, the 1920 (~$320), that's also not on the Benchmark.

And those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. Good luck on your research/choice!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Takeereasy]

Panasonic s77. It does not support SACD but it does support everything else. Sound & Vision just put it up against a Toshiba and the Samsung 950. It butchered them both. Better picture, better audio, slightly higher pricetag, but still well under your budget with a retail price between $200 & $250. Both audio and video were said to at least match models from much more expensive brands. A 42" TV is about the starting point where very good resolution is a must IMO.