5 disc DVD players under $500 (1 Viewer)

[Bob Brehm]

Any suggestions for best 5 disc DVD players under $500? Am considering Onkyo DVCP500 @ $270 from BestPriceAudio.

 

[Page]

Try the Panasonic 72. Great picture at a very good price.

 

[Neil Weinstock]

I second the rec for the very nice CP-72.

But first perhaps, what exactly are you looking for? Progressive? DVD-A, or SACD? Etc...

 

[KeithH]

Bob, I'm with Neil here. What features are most important to you? The 'CP72 offers progressive-scan output without the chroma bug plus DVD-Audio at a low price. Kenwood also recently released the DV-6050 progressive-scan DVD-Audio changer for around $350. More expensive Kenwood changers do not show the chroma bug, so maybe the '6050 doesn't either. On the SACD side, consider the Sony DVP-NC650V, which Best Buy and Circuit City are blowing out now for under $200 (it was discontinued a few months ago and a replacement has not been announced). Note that the 'NC650V does not do progressive scan, but if you don't need it, the 'NC650V is a very solid player for the money.

 

[Andy Anderson]

Another consideration is the Denon DVM-1805. Not a DVD-A player, but it's progressive, contains a Faroudja DCDi chip, a Burr Brown DAC, and a 2MB buffer for seamless layer changes (a feature I'm surprised isn't more common.) It's around $400, so it's a bit more, but I've heard great things.

 

[Greg Zinselmeyer]

I am curious about the DVM-1805, it looks like a decent unit, unfortunately I cannot find any reviews on the net ( guess it's still too new )

Andy, do you have any links to info on this player besides Denon's site?

Thanks.

 

[KeithH]

Andy,
The Denon '1805 looks like a lot of player, so long as DVD-Audio and SACD are not important.
Greg,
Crutchfield sells the '1805, and they always have great information on their web site. Check out www.crutchfield.com .

 

[KeithH]

Greg, here is a link to the Denon '1805 on crutchfield.com:
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...VM1805&o=m&a=0
I figured that would help. I'm in a good mood tonight.

 

[Greg Zinselmeyer]

Thanks Keith, this player sure looks nice, ( and would look nice next to my Denon receiver )
My main concern is redbook playback though, ( hope I am not hijacking this thread too much ) and I guess we will not know what this thing can do till some reviews start popping up.
Any other DVD changers out there that are known for good redbook playback in this pricerange?
Thanks!

 

[KeithH]

Greg, no problem. I would expect the Denon '1805 to be at the top of the heap of sub-$500 DVD changers with respect to CD replay quality. Denon always turns out quality audio products. Frankly, it is rare, in my experience, for Kenwood and Panasonic players to be as good on the audio side as Denon players. Just my $0.02.

NAD makes a DVD changer, but I don't think it is priced under $500. However, I'm sure it would be a good CD player relative to a lot DVD changers out there. NAD always turns out great-sounding players, be they CD players or DVD players.

 

[Greg Zinselmeyer]

Thanks Keith, I think you're right, the Denon will probably have the edge on audio and I will go that route. I sure hope it's in the same league or better than the well-known DCM-370!

 

[MikeSRC]

The 1805 is basically a changer version of the 900, which has received mixed reviews from the posts I've read. Search for comments on the 900 if you want to get an idea of the 1805's performance.

 

[KeithH]

Greg, no problem. I too wonder how the '1805 compares to the '370. For the money, the '370 is a very good CD player.

 

[Bob Brehm]

Greg:
Forgive my ignorance, but what is 'redbook playback'?

 

[Bob Brehm]

To all:

What is your opinion on DVD-A? Will is become popular any time soon?

 

[KeithH]

Bob, "redbook CD" refers to the standard CD that you can buy in any store. It is the everyday 16/44.1 PCM 5" stereo music disc. The term "redbook" refers to the printed standards for the CD format put forth by Sony and Philips, which first appeared in a red binder.

 

[KeithH]

Bob, regarding DVD-Audio, I enjoy the format. At this point, I would say it's future is up in the air. Technically, it is a wonderful format in that it easily outclasses the CD sonically. Of course, DVD-Audio offers surround sound in addition to stereo and also offers video content. So, sound quality debates aside, DVD-Audio has tangible advantages over the CD. That said, my concerns regarding the future of DVD-Audio lie in two main areas:
1) Does the public want a new digital audio format? My feeling at this point is no. Most people buy CDs willingly and are very happy with them. In my opinion, the masses are more interested in convenience than sound quality. Unfortunately, DVD-Audio is a less convenient format than the CD at this time. Portable and car DVD-Audio players are few and far between, and they are expensive. Furthermore, DVD-Audio does not allow playback at full resolution via standard digital outputs like the CD does. This is due to copyright concerns.
Another concern I have is that operation of DVD-Audio discs in the home is not as convenient as playing a CD. DVD-Audio relies heavily on on-screen menus for navigation between tracks. There are tricks out there for navigating some discs without a TV, but these tricks do not work for all discs, and they are tricks. Owner's manuals for players and liner notes for discs generally do not tell you how to play DVD-Audio discs without a TV. What this means is that it may be best to restrict DVD-Audio players to rooms that have a TV. I have held off buying a DVD-Audio player for my second stereo system, in part, because I have no TV in that room. What this boils down to is that the format can be cumbersome to use when you are used to CDs. In short, I do not consider DVD-Audio to be as user friendly as it should be.
2) There is not nearly enough quality software available. DVD-Audio has been around for about two years, and in my opinion, there is a dearth of quality software. Coupled with this is the inconsistent authoring of discs. Now, I am not so much referring to the inconsistent application of sampling rates, which only audiophiles and members of web sites such as this one care about. I am referring to the fact that some discs have discrete stereo tracks, while many other do not. For people like me who still greatly enjoy stereo, this can be terribly frustrating. I just found out the other day that the Elv1s DVD-Audio disc that will be coming out in December will not have a discrete stereo track.
Let me say for the record that I have many concerns regarding the future of SACD too.

 

[Steve Ridges]

I just purchased the DVM-1805 and I have mixed feelings. To give you a little background, I had a Toshiba 3109 which I bought before I got my Mitsubishi HDTV.

I had asked my wife for a progressive scan DVD player for Christmas. She purchased the Panasonic DVD-XP30. It was OK but I thought it was butt ugly. Also, the tray on mine didn't move smoothly.

I returned it and purchased the Yamaha DVD-C920. This was immediatly returned because it will not show the time remaining on a DVD video disc. This is a feature I use a lot. Also, it has a mechanical power switch so the unit can not be turned off from the remote. My Harmony universal remote will not completely turn on or off my system. I felt that these too flaws were inexcusable.

Then I purchased the Denon DVM-1805. My problems with the Denon are that the overall unit seems slow. Chapter skips take a sec. The DVD menu seems to take a long time to appear. It's hard to describe but the whole thing seems to work slower than the other players. Also, the picture doesn't seem to have the contrast that the Panasonic had. I havn't made up my mind if I'm going to keep it yet. I just thought I'd let you all know of my experience. To sum up:

Panasonic - Single disc and just plain ugly. Great picture
Yamaha - Horrible feature set. Good picture.
Denon - Slow and less contrast.