Denon 1730 (1 Viewer)

[duebs24]

Does anyone have this model or has anyone heard anything about it? I'm thinking of getting a new DVD player, and I know the higher-end Denons are good players, I'm just wondering about this one. Thanks.

Seth

 

[Seth=L]

By looking at the specs it looks OK. Keep in mind that because the DVD player has HDMI doesn't mean it upconverts to 1080i. The overview says it does progressive scan (480p) and nothing of upconversion. It has a nice DAC though Burr Browns.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Seth - I would choose the Oppo 971 (MSRP $199) over the Denon DVD-1730 (MSRP $169). See how it benchmarks against some of the higher series Denon DVD players here:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...h&articles=all

I've yet to see any reviews for the 1730, though many of my friends have 2900 Series DVD players and they are excellent.

 

[Dave H]

As Kris Deering who does the Benchmark tests would tell you himself, they are not "everything." They need to be viewed in the proper context. Just because one player scores higher than another, doesn't mean it will deliver a better picture. The benchmark tests for a variety of things - some of which are not related to picture quality. And, there are some things which are impossible to even test for (too subjective).

I have not demo'd nor seen the 1730, but I have heard it's a good player for the money. I do believe it upconverts to 1080i.

The Oppo 971 does produce macroblocking for many users, something that won't be an issue with the Denon 1730 since it's not using Faroudja. However, it's very likely the deinterlacing/scaling won't be as good. I would suspect the 1730 to be more like the Oppo 970.

On a related note, I'm demo'ing the new Denon 2930ci which uses the new Silicon Optix Reon chipset and it's outstanding (at a much higher price, of course). It's the best DVD player I've ever used and I've used a lot of them.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Dave - Have you had a chance to compare the upconversion capabilities on the 2930CI to the Toshiba HD-A1, or have you seen any double-blind tests results? I'm still on the fence as to my next player.

Here's a comparison of HTPC to DVD Players for instance: http://www.hardware.info/en-UK/artic...0_DVD_players/

Also, I wasn't saying the Oppo 971 is a more capable player than a Denon 2900 Series, just that it is an excellent budget player in its own right.

 

[Dave H]

Funny you ask, because I spent about three hours A/B'ing the 2930ci to the Toshiba HD-A1 on Friday night. (My display is a well calibrated and ISF'd Sony 57" CRT RPTV...tested with HDMI via 1080i).

The short of it is, the 2930ci is definitely better.

The 2930ci has more picture depth, better color rendition, better shadow detail, and a more filmllike image. While the Toshiba does a very respectable job at upscaling, its image is more two dimensional compared to the 2930ci. It's more "flat" looking and doesn't have the dynamics in comparison.

The actual deinterlacing of the 2930ci is FAR superior. This was even evident with film-based DVDs as the edges of objects were smoother --- not as jagged like the Toshiba. In addition, the HQV benchmark disc which has specific deinterlacing tests, the Denon exceeded by good margins.

As good as the 2930's upscaling ability is, I have to tell you, I am maybe more impressed with its component 480p output. VERY IMPRESSIVE. Images are razor sharp (but not unnatually so -- no added edge enhancement, etc.) with the same image punch as mentioned previously. Even compared to the Denon 2900 which has an almost legendary reputation for 480p output, the 2930ci is a bit sharper and more detailed. 480p component is important to me because I have a CRT RPTV and it offers me the overall, best DVD image. However, I do like to sometimes upscale because I can see horizontal scanlines at 480p which disappear at 1080. Scanlines are kind of like the "screen door" effect some people see with digital displays if they sit too close. However, with my display, SD DVD upconversion slightly softens the image....and I'm forced to use HDMI to upconvert....and component is better than HDMI with my display. So, all in all, it's one of those things where there are pluses and minues to upscaling for me. Needless to say, I do both upscaling and just plain old-fashioned 480p at component sometimes. I like the flexibility.

The 2930ci is an outstanding DVD player. The "ci" stands for custom integration and let me tell you, this players has a TON of picture tweaking options. I've never seen a player with this many. I'm not sure whether or not they offer improvement as the standard image is outstanding, but something I'll be looking into. This player will be great to hold me over until the HD format war is far more settled down.

P.S. Regarding the Oppo 971, yes it is a great value. My biggest complaints with it was the macroblocking and slight over-softening of the image. But, for $200, it's hard to complain. (Keep in mind the 971 does not offer 480p component output.)