Should I upgrade from RP-91? (1 Viewer)

I've been very happy with my Panasonic RP91 for over two years. I am thinking about getting a universal player for the occasional 5.1 hi-rez playback. My primary reason to upgrade would be improved progressive scan performance for DVDs (independent of scaling abilities). With some limited dvd-a playback on the rp91, setting all my speakers to large seems fine (my mains are full range, center can do ~ 40hz, and rears about ~ 50hz). The Denon 2900 is certainly an option. I am also considering the Yamaha 2300 and Onkyo 800....are these two players related in anyway? Which player, out of these three, would have the best video performance?

I've done some basic comparisons. The Yamaha and Denon are similiar video-wise, but the nod would go to the Yamaha in the audio dept., IMO.

If I didn't already have the RP-91 and a seperate SACD player, I would probably get the Yamaha, but I'm going to wait a bit longer before I upgrade.

Good luck,

DJ

I want to upgrade also but I am willing to wait a bit longer till the dust settles on these new Universal players like the Denon 2900.

Right now I'm happy with my combination of the Panasonic RP91 and the Sony CE775 run through a ICBM. I get the best of both worlds for a budget price.

The main reason I would like to upgrade eventually is to clear up some of the clutter in my HT. Eliminating one machine and all those cables would be nice.

Around Christmas time I plan on upgrading my TV to a Samsung 50" DLP HDTV and get new HT furniture. That is when a Denon 2900 would come in handy.

I tried out the Yamaha for three weeks in my home and was very impressed with the video quality. It was almost a keeper just because of the video.
However, I purchased it for the benefits of DVD-A and SACD. Audio was very good, although there was a bit of hiss on DVD-A. The player is quirky. Sometimes the Yammie couldn't figure out what type of disc I loaded. So it just kept displaying "Reading...Reading....Reading...'' until I stopped it, opened the draw and closed it again. Even when it read the discs correctly, it was very slow to start up.
The other quirk has to do with SACD discs that are both two-channel and multichannel. You can't switch modes on the fly. You must stop what you're listening to, push a button on the remote, and start again at the beginning of the disc. Finally, bass management is separate for DVD-A and SACD. I'm still not sure I ever mastered SACD bass management.
It's because of the quirks that I took it back. If you can live with them, then go for the Yammie.

I have yet to find a player that makes me want to upgrade from my RP-91. I have a Sony SCD-555ES SACD/CD player already, so I do not need a universal player. However, my needs include built-in scaling (I have a 16x9 display, and love this feature on the RP-91), no chroma bug, DVD-Audio and improved deinterlacing.

None of the players with the Faroudja deinterlacing chip have any scaling features. While the combing on my RP-91 does bother me at times, I am not willing to compromise on the other requirements.

I have considered adding a Panny XP-30 and using two players, but rack space is limited and I would have to use the component video switching on my Pioneer Elite receiver, which means buying two more sets of component video cables. At this point, I plan on just using the RP-91 until the right player comes along.

Thanks guys. I was informed that the Onkyo 800 is based on the Pioneer players, and still would exhibit the chroma bug. I guess I should wait a little longer as I'm not into sacd yet and the rp91 has dvd-a.

You can't beat the RP91 especially nowadays as it on sale for decent prices on the net.

I originally bought it for the DVDA features and the upgradability when I buy my first 16X9 HDTV, I'll be all set with this player.

Any of the current players have the scaling features of the RP-91? I purchased my RP-91 about two years ago...I would like to be prepared in case I have to replace it one of these days.