Denon 1600 or Pioneer 45a - which has the better (1 Viewer)

[Brad Newton]

video performance? Does either one have any type of zoom feature?

 

[John Garcia]

The 1600 tied for top honors in the shootout Progressive'02-'03 shootout, with 3 other players that use more or less the same or very similar video section (all using the same Genesis FLI2200 deinterlacer)

The DV45 had the LOWEST score of units tested on that shootout...

The Pioneer players also seem to have an unusually high number of reported problems with discs in the software forum here (freezing during layer changes, disc read errors).

 

[Brian L]

The Pioneer players also seem to have an unusually high number of reported problems with discs in the software forum here (freezing during layer changes, disc read errors).

I can't dispute the poor shoot out scores, but can say that the people that actually own the player and watch movies with it seem pretty happy with its performance. The chroma bug is invisible to all users that have opted to comment in the various threads that pertain to the 45a.

As far as poor performance with layer changes and lock-ups, that may or may not be the case with other Pioneer players (its news to me) however I have had my 45a since October of 2002, and have not once seen any sort of problem with ANY disc I have ever played. And to put it in perspective, we normally watch 10 or so movies a week. And I have not seen anyone comment that this was an issue with the 45a. If so, those users have stayed clear of most of the 45a threads I am aware of.

BGL

 

[Brad Newton]

Brian,

It seems that you enjoy your 45A thoroughly. Do you use it mainly for movies? Are you using it in progressive or interlaced? Are you also using the Pioneer 45 receiver? Which ever dvd player I use, I will probably choose the same receiver brand.

 

[John Garcia]

When I mentioned Pioneer players, I was speaking in general. I have not heard specific instances of the 45 itself having freezes or numerous complaints. It was just that in the software section, when there were "problem" discs, such as Monsters Inc., a large number of Pioneer owners commented on having the same issue.

There is no real need to go with the same receiver brand as the DVD. The Pioneer Elite receivers, such as the 45tx, are not a bad choice at all though.

 

[Brian L]

I am using the 45A in Progressive mode with a Pioneer 533 WS HD capable display. It is calibrated with Avia, but not ISF'd.

When I first got it, I ran it in interlaced to a 4:3 32" Sony. Its interlaced performance, particularly inplayer letter-boxing is on par with my previous two Sony players, and Sony's are considered the top of the heap for that feature.

I do get a pause at the layer change during Monster's as well as other titles, but it seems like everyone else does to, although there were some users that said the disc would lock at that point.

I do not recall that being specifically related to Pioneer players, but in any event, mine does not lock-up, nor has it ever on any disc. This sort of behavior (layer change pause) has been evident depending on the software, since my first DVD player (a Sony DVP3000 which I bought in 1997).

I use the player with a Marantz SR-96 Receiver (6CH Inputs). In its day, it was one of the better receivers to be had. As John said, there is no reason to stick with the same brand; buy whatever suits your needs.

I use it for movies and music. In fact, I bought the 45a specifically because it was the 1st universal that I considered reasonably priced (not counting Apex stuff).

With good DVD-A or SACD software, it is an incredible piece. I have been hearing things in familiar music (5.1 mixes of ELP, The Eagles, Queen, Pink Floyd, etc.) that I never knew where there.

That said, it does have issues with Bass Management (I won't get into those here; there are many other threads you can find if you search). Suffice to say that virtually every universal player to date has had problems with BM. I opted to go with an Outlaw ICBM, which is a 100% cure for any BM issues.

Some not yet released players are hoped to solve this, but that is an unknown at this point.

BGL

 

[John Garcia]

This sort of behavior (layer change pause) has been evident depending on the software, since my first DVD player (a Sony DVP3000 which I bought in 1997).

Agreed; a pause during layer change is normal, and is not specific to any brand, though some players handle it better than others. All 4 of my players exhibit layer change pause as well - 2 Sonys, a Panny RV32, and a 1st gen Panny A300U. The A300 handles the layer changes better.

 

[Brad Newton]

When I first got it, I ran it in interlaced to a 4:3 32" Sony. Its interlaced performance, particularly inplayer letter-boxing is on par with my previous two Sony players, and Sony's are considered the top of the heap for that feature.

In simple terms, what is inplayer letter-boxing, since my tv is 4:3.

 

[Brian L]

Its the process where an anamorphic WS image is processed for display on a 4:3 set (assuming the set does NOT have an 16:9 enhanced mode, where it would not be needed).

There is a great write up on the subject of anamorphic DVDs at the Digital Bits site. I think it is called Anamorphic WS for Dummies.

I have posted links to it in the past, but do not have it handy. Google should find it for you.

BGL