What makes one DVD player better/worse than another?

[mpompey]

I'm not talking about Blu-ray/HD DVD Hi-Def players, but regular DVD players; or additional format options.

Assuming nothing is wrong with the DVD, won't two different players give pretty much the same picture. Since the source information is digital and doesn't change from one player to the next, what will a Denon do to the picture/sound that a Sony won't do?

Sorry for the noob post. I guess I should know better.

 

[avaserfi]

Differences can lie in a couple areas. Besides the obvious of connectivity/features some players will have better video processing than others which allows them to upscale better. Along side of the upscaling this better video processing might allow for more true representation of the colors. The best way to really grasp the differences is to see how DVD players are benchmarkerd as these are what some reviewers feel need to be tested when seeking differences between players.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=133

 

[Johnd]

No, but as dvd's are nearing the end of their life cycle, the differences between the best players and an average player have greatly diminished over the years...trickle down effect. Ditto to what avaserfi wrote.

Additionally, in the simplest terms, picture quality and audio quality.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I have never noticed two DVD player looking or sounding much different from each other. I tend to think more in terms of convenience features. I love my Sony because it remembers the last stopping point on the last several DVDs that have been played (not sure how many, but a lot. I can go weeks without watching one of my TV series DVDs, and it will still go right to the next episode.)

 

[Pwner_2130]

I agree, that's got to be the best feature! It's actually used in lots of Sony devices

 

[supervij]

I look at it this way. Sure, the DVDs have the information encoded on them digitally. But the player has to extract that digital information and present it as a picture. And different players will extract that information with varying degrees of accuracy based on the video processing hardware inside the player.

There's no way that a $20 DVD player has the same quality of internal guts as a $300 one. Will you see a difference in picture quality? That depends on your eyes, your display, whether or not your display is properly calibrated, whether or not you've got various settings set properly, and whether or not you care if you see a difference.

As an example on that last point, my girlfriend, who doesn't always care about such things, saw no difference between the picture quality of my old Pioneer 588A and my new Oppo 981. I sure did, though. Minimal, but definite.

cheers,
supervij

 

[louthewiz]

A good dvd player will deliver crisp clean sound and superior video , but a cheap dvd player with cheaper components will most likely breakdown and cease to function in the first 90 days...

 

[jliedeka]

I currently own 3 DVD players. I really only use my Oppo DV-981HD on a regular basis. In my bedroom I have a ~2 year old Sony upscaling player and and older Raite AVphile 751 region free player. The Raite was my first DVD player and it had issues with some discs. I'd see digital noise (green squares) that I didn't see when I replaced it with the Sony.

There are a few discs that the Sony has issues with but the worst case was a few discs from season 7 of Buffy where playback would totally lock up. I haven't tried those discs on the Oppo yet. I'm not sure if has anything to do with extra DVD-ROM content on the discs but that is my guess.

Leaving aside transcoding/upscaling issues, I still think there are differences but the differences are probably less among the current generation players.

Jim

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I'm not talking about Blu-ray/HD DVD Hi-Def players, but regular DVD players; or additional format options.

Assuming nothing is wrong with the DVD, won't two different players give pretty much the same picture. Since the source information is digital and doesn't change from one player to the next, what will a Denon do to the picture/sound that a Sony won't do?

Sorry for the noob post. I guess I should know better.

Absolutely. The signal doesn't remain digital from source to screen. DAC's vary in quality and price, and the best aren't cheap. Think of a subwoofer. The amplifier is digital, but without a quality moving driver, large magnet, hefty voice coil, and quality construction, it wouldn't produce great sound.

You can also look at a pc, which are also digital. Some are quicker. Some are smoother. You can have the exact same RAM, HD space, etc..., and an Apple, Sony, or custom built will more than likely operate smoother than a Compaq or EMachine.

The Oppo players are some of the best out there for the dollar. Denon players are also outstanding, as well as Pioneer Elites.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

A good dvd player will deliver crisp clean sound and superior video , but a cheap dvd player with cheaper components will most likely breakdown and cease to function in the first 90 days...

My Sony was pretty cheap (around $80, if I remember right.) It has given me many years of trouble-free operation so far. I have compared the picture/sound of significantly more expensive DVD players to it without being able to detect any difference.

 

[aarond]

i have 2 dinosaurs a denon 2900 and 1600. while both are very good players the 2900 has trouble playing some animated films and the 1600 has a very long layer change time around 2 seconds. some of your very cheap players have even longer layer change times. for allot of people DVDs pausing in the middle of a movie for a couple of seconds is normal but, after years of being spoiled by no layer change delay on my 2900 it bothers me when i see it on other players. that's why if my 2900 fails it will be an oppo for me.
if you are buying a sub $100.00 player at least check out its speed
how long does it take for a disk to load (if you can put the disk in the tray go to the kitchen get a drink and its still not loaded you may want to consider a different player), how long to switch menus, how long to change chapters, whats the delay time during layer change(if you think the player is broken because the delay is so long you may want to consider a different player).
just my two cents, not science

 

[fmw]

Aside from performance differences, which others have explained are fairly minor, there are some connectivity issues you might want to explore.

I recently bought and then sold a Pioneer DV-46AV. It is a nice player with great performance but it has a design flaw I didn't want to live with. The flaw is that the player doesn't output SACD through HDMI. You have to connect the player through the analog outputs for SACD (that's 6 cables by the way.) Doesn't sound like a big deal but my home theater is all HDMI and it turned out to be a hassle operating all my players and switcher with this one connected by analog. I finally ordered up a player that does output SACD audio through HDMI and sold the Pioneer. A fine, highly featured DVD player for most people. A minor nightmare for me.

That may be a bad example for you. You may not care about SACD at all or you may not have as many players going to the same receiver input as I do (3 of them.) It was a problem for me that might not be a problem for you. I offer it up as an example of how something as simple as connecting the unit to your system can be an issue. Just be aware that one unit may be better for you than another while being the opposite for someone else.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

No, but as dvd's are nearing the end of their life cycle...

Why do you say that? I don't see any indication that the general public is in a hurry to adopt new technologies. In fact, people are staying away from HD and Blu Ray in droves. I expect that DVD will still be around in 50 years.

 

[mfabien]

...
The flaw is that the player doesn't output SACD through HDMI. You have to connect the player through the analog outputs for SACD (that's 6 cables by the way.) Doesn't sound like a big deal but my home theater is all HDMI and it turned out to be a hassle operating all my players and switcher with this one connected by analog.

Hassle? To access the multichannel analogs, all that is required is to press the 6 CH INPUT on the receiver remote. That button will toggle between the analogs and SPDIF.

Cables? My receiver does not carry HDMI switching and I have my HD-A1 and my Oppo DV-970HD connected to the receiver with 5.1 multichannel analogs...via my Zektor HDS4.1 multichannel switch box. Nobody sees the cables!