which dvd players have a buffer to cut out the layer change pause?? (1 Viewer)

[Gavin McCullough]

subject line short of says it all....how many players have a storage buffer to stop the pause seen at the layer change?? thanks g

 

[Andrew V]

I know the Denon DVD-2800 has a Buffer System This is the only one I can think of off hand.
------------------
~Andrew~
~Pronto Programmer~
AIM SN: FFU Productions
ICQ #: 21603991
Home Theater Pictures [Updated: June 22]
Equipment List | My Growing DVD Collection

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

The 2800 and the new Denon 4800 will also incorporate this feature as well as DVD-A and burr-brown DACs...
I started another thread on this topic. All the info you need about the 2800...feel free to e-mail me, I've been using one for about 6 months.
Jeremy
[email protected]

 

[Carlo_M]

I have a suspicion that the RP91 has some form of buffer, although it is not enough to render layer changes unnoticeable.
The other day, at the layer change, I heard the motor spin up like it was switching layers, but the audio and video still ran for like 1 second. Then there was a split (1/4 second or so) delay where the actual change took place, not too bad at all, and then the DVD resumed.
Man, if they would have added about 1/2 second more of memory, the RP91 would be the bomb!
------------------
My dealer of choice (especially if you live in So-Cal, I highly recommend them): www.yawaonline.com

Link Removed for their Link Removed reviews

 

[Ken Seeber]

Even Denon's new entry-level DVD-1000 was supposed to have this. I think the player sells for $300 to $350.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Its not that I don't take your question seriously,but it always brings a smile to my face when folks are upset at a visible layer change on DVD. I remember the "not-so-old days" when I had to get up off the couch and actually flip a laser disc over!

 

[Gavin McCullough]

Jay, funny you should bring that up...i almost mentioned that fact in my first reply....i started with laser too...mostly it is my wife that always mentions the layer change...it really doesn't bother me since i would have to walk my sorry butt over to the laser player and flip the platter in the "old" days...but it would be nice is there was no pause (after all, DVD should be better than VHS in all ways...VHS has no pause, and you can record over tape...of course DVD is so much better than tape in picture and sound)...or if the pause was in a fade out...or someplace other than in the middle of a freakin sentence like it is sometimes....anyways...enough of that...was hoping that the RP91 had a buffer, since that is what i was planning on getting....i really in no rush, since i don't have a 16:9, nor a HDTV....will wait a bit and see what the next up-grades are...and also see how the new denon works, the new toshibas and maybe even the panny will get a buffer with the next up-grade...thanks all...g
without a buffer, which player handles the layer switch best??
[Edited last by Gavin McCullough on August 03, 2001 at 10:19 PM]

 

[Eugene Hsieh]

Not that I recommend this player as a primary player, but the Apex AD600A has no discernable layer change. ie. smooth player with no pause whatsoever on the discs I've bothered to check, as opposed to 1 s on my old player. If I recall, the Apex tested in the shootout had the best layer change they had ever seen. I dunno about my new Panny RP91 though, since I haven't tested this much yet. It's not really surprising about the Apex, since it's not really built like other older players. (I've connected it to my PC and Windows just recognized it as a standard DVD-ROM drive.)
quote: Its not that I don't take your question seriously,but it always brings a smile to my face when folks are upset at a visible layer change on DVD. I remember the "not-so-old days" when I had to get up off the couch and actually flip a laser disc over![/quote]And to this day I still can't stand that. That was one of the reasons I never bought into laser. Too damn annoying for me. My flipper DVDs still irritate me to no end.
------------------
Eugene Hsieh, VisorCentral FAQ Editor
1000 km on a tank of gas??? Check out the Prius and drive the future now!
[Edited last by Eugene Hsieh on August 05, 2001 at 01:54 AM]

 

[Tom J. Davis]

I'm amazed more manufactuers don't add a buffer to try and hide the layer changes. Seems like it would be easy and cheap for them to do.
Oh well, it does beat getting up and changing discs.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

The funny thing is, all DVD players do have a buffer. It's part of the DVD specification, it couldn't do seamless branching without it. If you choose to watch "The Abyss" theatrical cut, the DVD player has to skip over all of the special edition scenes, and without a buffer there would be a pause every time. The required minimum size of the buffer is designed to accommodate the worst-case scenario, determined by multiplying the maximum bitrate by the amount of time it takes the laser to make a full-stroke seek plus rotational latency.
It doesn't take a DVD player long to change layers. Try skipping from a chapter on the first layer to a chapter on the second layer to see how long it takes, compared to skipping between chapters on the same layer. So the buffer memory that is sufficient for seamless branching should be able to handle a layer change as well. But most DVD players can't seem to properly manage the buffer during a layer change. They drop the ball.

 

[RobertR]

I've also noticed that my HTPC player (ATI Radeon based) has a big enough buffer (unlike set top players, you can actually set the size of buffers in a computer based player yourself) that layer changes are not only not a problem--I can't notice them at ALL. For example, the layer switch in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad caused a word or two of dialog to be lost with my set top player. With the HTPC, it was as if the disc didn't even HAVE a layer switch.
------------------

 

[Eugene Hsieh]

I've also noticed that my HTPC player (ATI Radeon based) has a big enough buffer (unlike set top players, you can actually set the size of buffers in a computer based player yourself) that layer changes are not only not a problem--I can't notice them at ALL. For example, the layer switch in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad caused a word or two of dialog to be lost with my set top player. With the HTPC, it was as if the disc didn't even HAVE a layer switch.

Like I said above, some set top players (including one of my three) have no discernable layer switch at all. So while this is a problem of most set top players, there is no reason for it to be so, especially for players over US$250 IMO.
------------------
Eugene Hsieh, VisorCentral FAQ Editor
1000 km on a tank of gas??? Check out the Prius and drive the future now!
[Edited last by Eugene Hsieh on August 05, 2001 at 03:27 PM]

 

[Philip Hamm]

My old Proscan 8680Z used to do layer changes seamlessly 80-90% of the time. Pretty amazing the old DIVX machine did so well.
------------------
Philip Hamm
AIM: PhilBiker

 

[Erwin]

The ProScan 8680Z, some RCA, Apex, and PC DVD-ROM are the only players in which I have seen acceptable seamless layer changes. I really feel like this is an important feature that should be on all players. I mean, come on, we no it's possible. But instead, companies are more concerned about the mp3 feature (which I have nothing against, mp3 is good).
I am an impatient person at times and I am very picky with certain things. However, stuff like a DVD missing the directors commentary or "the making of..." is not going bother me.