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Trouble finding seamless layer change player

#1
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1/9/08 at 9:04pm
  • Joined: April 2003
  • Post Count: 183
I have a Denon DVD-2200 and every layer change is 100% seamless without a single exception. Unfortunately, the player is dying and I need a new one. I was recommended an Oppo player so I picked one up and while a few layer changes were indeed seamless, they were still there on most discs. I will be returning this player. Now I'm back to square one. I really can't find anything definitive on any player having this capability except the Denon 2200 and 2900 and those have been discontinued for years. Just about all the newer Denon's have half the memory of those and from what I gather, certainly don't have seamless changes.

I did some tests on the Playstation 3 and they were actually seamless with one slight exception but I can forgive that as I don't think the disc was mastered well. I suppose that solution is in the lead. I'm going to contact Denon to find out about possibly getting my 2200 repaired. Another solution is to just use my computer but that's likely more trouble than its worth. I'm just really dumbfounded how more than 10 years since DVD has come out this is a still an issue (even playing standard DVD's on HD players still have visible layer changes) and no one but myself cares about it.

If anyone else has any suggestions (besides "just live with it") I'd appreciate it.
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#2
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1/10/08 at 3:50am
  • Joined: April 1999
  • Location: Sacramento, CA
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

I have a Pioneer player which also does DVD-Audio, SACD and Divx as well as PAL and a few other neat things, and most of the time I don't notice the layer change on it, though I have a couple times so it's not 100% perfect. It seems the cheaper players are actually better at this most of the time. I had a "Portland" brand player before this for PAL discs that also did layer changes seamlessly but it died last year.

If the Denon has been working well you might still want to get it fixed if it's not too expensive. My oldest machine is a DVD/Laserdisc player which I got in 1998, it had to be serviced once for DVD problems and twice for laserdisc (skipping on side B) but overall it's been a great machine and looks like you can still get parts for it. (Layer changes on that one are not seamless however.)

Home video oddities, old commercials and other junk: http://www.youtube.com/user/eyeh8nbc

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#3
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1/10/08 at 8:37am
  • Joined: June 2000
  • Location: Colorado
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

The reason for this is no mystery, the Denon has a buffer large enough to eliminate most layer changes. So, you need to look for that feature, which is far too rare. My (discontinued) Oppo 971H has no break on most discs. It is worth mentioning though that some discs are actually mastered so a break shows up no matter what. There is a "break" code actually mastered in it.

I was going to recommend Oppo, which should have done the trick, but it probably depends on the model.


They flutter behind you, your possible pasts.
Some bright-eyed and crazy, some frightened and lost.
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#4
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1/10/08 at 2:12pm
  • Joined: June 1999
  • Location: San Jose, Ca.
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

I had the 970 and currently have the 980. That was actually the first time in years that I even saw a layer change....these two are actually pretty good about it, but I did notice it on one or two discs. I use a 2900 and there are a few used ones for sale on another forum for good prices (one sliver, one black, $200 price range) if you are interested. Video wise, the 2900 isn't leaps and bounds ahead of the 2200, which I've also owned, but it is a tiny bit better. Audio on the other hand, I found a more noticeable improvement and it is built like a tank. The picture quality is actually a bit better with the Oppos, but I still use the 2900 for audio.

"The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." - Mark Twain

HT: Marantz SR-8300, MA500 mono, Audiosource Amp300, 5X GR Research A/V-2s, Adire Audio Tempest sub, Oppo BDP-83, RC2000MkII, Panamax 5100, Panamax Max2 sub, PS3 60G (250G)...

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#5
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1/10/08 at 5:19pm
  • Joined: August 2000
  • Location: Santa Clara, CA
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

I have an Oppo 980H, and I've never noticed a layer change on it, and I'm very sensitive to it. (Basically, that's THE reason why I swapped a Pio 59AVi for it.) Matthew- What Oppo did you try?

If it's not worth waiting until the last minute to do, then it's not worth doing.

KevinVision 7.1 ...

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#6
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1/17/08 at 2:46pm
  • Joined: April 2003
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

Kevin, I had the Oppo 980H. Some movies were seamless but many that I tried weren't. I ended up getting a Playstation 3 as my new player. Oddly enough, the layer changes aren't seamless out of the box but when you do the firmware upgrade they magically vanish. I tried a number of discs and all passed my test. I had no intention of ever buying one but it does what I want it to plus it plays Blu Ray so it's not a bad deal.
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#7
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1/17/08 at 5:16pm
  • Joined: August 2000
  • Location: Santa Clara, CA
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

Matt- I'm half wondering if you had a "bad" 980H... Any chance you asked Oppo about it?

If it's not worth waiting until the last minute to do, then it's not worth doing.

KevinVision 7.1 ...

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#8
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1/17/08 at 7:47pm
  • Joined: April 2003
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

Yes, I did and they said all manufactured DVD's should be seamless. They then asked me for some layer change times of the movies I mentioned. They said they all had a slight pause on their demo units. The customer service was very good and I'd definitely recommend the player to anyone who isn't as nitpicky about such things as me (read: anyone but me). I think it's that most people aren't really looking for layer changes so they assume that the player doesn't have any when they don't notice. The strange part was that a few titles I tried were 100% seamless. Probably related to how high the bit rate is at the time of the switch.
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#9
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1/18/08 at 4:12pm
  • Joined: September 1998
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Re: Trouble finding seamless layer change player

All of the Apex players I owned were seamless. Cheap.but worked!

They still in business?
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