Which DVD Changer For Me: Onkyo 702 or Samsung 841? (1 Viewer)

[ChristopherC]

I'm using :star: American Express points to replace my old DVD player, so I wanted to get opinions here before I purchase something that will most likely be difficult to return.

It's hooking up to a Hitachi widescreen, that has both dvi & component inputs, and displays everything in either 540p or 1080i. I'll also use this dvd changer about 50% of the time for music.

The Samsung displays in the 1080 format, which draws me to that. Some folks say the pic is awesome, others say it's worse than regular component. The Onkyo seems to have outstanding build quality and sound, and 3:2 pulldown.

Any suggestions on which direction I should go? Amazon also has a refurbed Onkyo 701 for $99, but I've found negative reviews on that model.

Thanks for any advice, thoughts, or opinions!

 

[ChuckSolo]

I have the Samsung model you mentioned and I am happy with it. The player does not upconvert over component and the TV you are going to hook it up to must have a DVI connection to get 1080i resolution. The Samsung DVD HD841 is NOT a DVD changer and is a single disc player only. However, since you do say that 50% of your use will be for audio/music playback, the player is SACD and DVD-A capable. Audio playback on the player is awesome, especially SACD. Be warned though, early models of this player had problems with retaining the resolution settings on power down and also had DTS audio dropout issues. The new firmware update fixes these issues and I am not sure if the more recently manufactured models already have the new firmware in place. Some folks report a problem with the player passing black color signals with the Samsung player although I haven't really noticed it when playing discs and viewing them on my RCA HD RPTV. If you want a versatile player I would recommend the Samsung provided the firmware update is already in place or downloaded and installed by the buyer. The firmware upgrade is available on the Samsung website.

 

[Nathan_R]

Just a thought for you-- while the Onkyo does indeed have 3/2 pulldown, its video qualities aren't the best. As a brand, Onkyo's strength is its audio fidelity (and general build quality). I own the Integra DPC-7.4 (Onkyo 702's big brother) and while the pic is quite good, it's not stellar. One thing the 702 has that most players lack is the ability to pillarbox 4x3 material within a 16x9 screen without distorting the aspect ratio. For those of us with TVs which lock-in-full on 480p, this is a godsend.

Now, if you have the opportunity to use your Amex points towards the Onkyo 802, I'd jump all over it. The 802 adds DVD-A and SACD. I've owned two of these at this point and I'm very happy. However, the 802 sadly lacks the pillarbox function the 702 has (Onkyo, what were you thinking?). With that said, I'm passing the Onkyo's video through an iScan HD for upscaling.

Are there any other players you can use your Amex points for?

 

[ChristopherC]

Thanks guys for the replies...

Nathan, I can use my Amex points for pretty much any model, though the best deals are products available at Circuit City.

I was trying to keep the cost under $180.

I considered Sony, but heard the random play on the DVD-Changer would only do random on 1 cd. Although, I would consider a single disc player too.

The Pioneer's in that price range seem to be getting negative reviews. And, I've never had much luck with Panasonic products. Am I missing any particular product? I know it's a limited budget, so I don't expect anything to be perfect in that price range.

Any further suggestions in the 200 and under range?