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A week or two later I tried to watch Cloverfeild and 2001 A Space Od. NO GOOD.Both movies started to stop and play at random, not a good thing. After spending 2K for Denon's DVD 3800 BDCI the trouble began. Went to Denon website, there may be a fix, upgrading the firmware. However I must ship the unit to Denon in NJ, worse yet I'll have to pickup the shipping both ways ($45.00 each way). I watched my first movie (SpiderMan 3 Blu-Ray) all went well. Unit should have an ethernet connection so updates can be done off the web (like my Toshiba HD DVD).Must admit however when playing Blu-Ray disc quality of the pix is outstanding (but so was my HD DVD).
Blu-Ray discs used in connection with the review included Home Video Essentials HD Basics, The Golden Compass, 2001, 10,000 B.C., Blade Runner (5 disc), Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Celine Dion's A New Day. Various SD DVD's and CD's were also used.The following equipment was used in connection with the review of the 3800BDCI:Panasonic TH-50PZ750U (Monitor)Denon 4308CI (AV Processor)Denon 3800BDCI (DVD) (Manufacture date May 2008)Artcoustic DF-65's (Front speakers)Artcoustic DF-Multi (Center speaker)Monster AVS 2000 Signature Series (Power regulator)Monster HTPS 7000 Signature Series (Power filter/surge protector)Monster 1000 HDMI interconnects Intangibles: Average viewing distance: 8-9 feetPrice paid: $1620 (New unit from reputable NYC retail store [please don't ask which one as it was an insider's price])Unit heat generation (enclosed): ModerateOverall Impression: 5/5 StarsStrengths: Amazing picture and sound Excellent build qualityNegative considerations: Cost BD 1.1 (Bonus View) vs. BD 2.0 (Live) (Please note that AV forum users have reported technical problems with lasers, firmware, and timing issues on earlier manufactured units. I purchased the Denon 3800BDCI as I was looking for a "high end" Blu-Ray player that was also capable of playing SD DVD's and CD's. Having a Denon 4308CI as an AV processor also made this player an optimal choice for my system. This appears be limited to serial numbers
The PS3 does this for $500.00.An Oppo 980H supports SACd and it's DVD multiplayer with DSD acros the HDMI cable. I know it's not Blu-Ray, but it only costs $170.00.I put a Blu-ray player in my computer for $150.00 and the picture is perfect. This is a my opinion type of review, but they fall well short of actually supporting the best sound format in SACD. They are coming out with newer sound cards that will support DTS-HD for computers ($100.00 or so and via HDMI).So pray-tell, what would I be getting for nearly $2000.00.Bite the bullet and add SACD and then I might buy one, but the price hasto drop quite a bit to even be considered a reasonable buying option.
It has internal decoders for 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. It can upscale all sources to 1080p and the Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) can be used on both DVDs and Blu-ray, which is unique since DNR is usually for SD DVD only.
Sound quality is outstanding whether it is TrueHD, DTS-MA, LPCM, or just 2.0 CD. On the video side, it features the Silicon Optix Realta chip, which is also featured in the Denon AVP-A1HDCI.
The Denon DVD-3800BDCI is an excellent blu-ray player. Picture quality is outstanding whether it is blu-ray or SD DVD.On the downside, I have noticed that it is not compatible with some home-made DVDs, both DVD-R and DVD+R.As far as Profile 2.0 or whatever, it does not matter to me.
It features the best audio and video components. On the audio side, it features the Burr-Brown DACs PCM-1796, which is the same one featured in the Denon AVP-A1HDCi.
I just care about the movie itself so not having profile 2.0 is a mute point for me.
Fortunately, the above was the only adjustment I had to make. That's mainly why I paid full price for this thing from a local dealer so I'd be able to get phone help anytime I wanted it. These high frequency electronic devices really burn the calories, just like those old 3 GHz PCs (before the multi-core jobs came out that run at a much cooler 2.4 GHz but still allow you to get tons of work done much faster).Why did I spend so much for a Blu-ray player. So believe the manual. Insanity maybe, but the build quality is far beyond the $500 units and this thing is not about to wear out or deteriorate with age. I don't know how I'm going to be able to tolerate regular DVDs anymore. Default color adjustments, brightness, and contrast are just faultless.Speaking of the manual, it warns you (relatively up-front) about setting up the 3800 in a confined place. This unit has already ruined it for me for watching regular DVD's and 480i broadcasts, and I OWN about 250 DVDs.
This is a manual seemingly written BY engineers FOR engineers. The second thing I noticed is the quality of the sound. It also has superb built-in isolation from vibrations and magnetic fields. I watched a regular DVD on it and the colors are "back to normal". I got this player a week ago and I am totally blown away, and my TV is only capable of 1080i. So you get quite a bit for what you pay for. So far I've looked mainly at nature films (like the complete Planet Earth) and I seem to be seeing a wider gamut of colors than I've ever seen before from my TV.
Below it was a tuner and a pre-amp, below them was one of those ancient Laser Disk players (that still works -- a Marantz), and below that a truly ancient transistor 105 watt/ch Crown power amplifier (39 years old and going as strong as ever). There are tons of things that can be adjusted with this unit, but one thing that appealed to me about it was reports I've read: normally you won't have to adjust anything aside from the aspect ratio and scan rate, as I had to. I looked through the entire manual and could not figure out how to set it up from the default 4:3 aspect ratio at 480i to what I wanted, 16:10 aspect ratio at 1080i (the best my TV will give me). Anyhow, I played one disk and felt the chasis and it was so hot I could barely touch it so I immediately took it out of its confined space and placed it on an open shelf just above the TV and it has been running at a much more comfortable temperature ever since. I thought it sounded great before (and others have remarked how wonderful my system sounds), but there is a noticeable improvement with this Denon, and that improvement is also noticeable on regular DVD's. I had to call the dealer and HE had to consult with his tech department. I also noticed in the shop where I auditioned it that other Blu-Ray players take forever to load a disk. It's like I'm seeing a variety of pastels that I've never seen before from my TV.
I can't imagine that when I get 1080p next year it is going to make much of an improvement over what I currently have, but I've read that there is a noticeable difference that I'll see that has nothing to do with this particular Denon.Then there's the manual.sigh. It needs plenty of ventilization. My dealer told me (incorrectly, it turns out)that was nonsense, so I installed it inside my hi fi cabinet, which is closed at the back and has a glass door on the front. They are just dazzling. There are so many undefined acroynms and buzz words that it will make you dizzy. I used to think that regular DVD's looked pretty good, but it is in reality the difference between night and day.
If you've got the money, spring for it. At current prices you don't pay that much more for it now full price anyhow. But it isn't because they're over-saturated or anything like that. This takes about 15 seconds. God help me if there's other things I need to adjust.
The first was the colors. Something so obvious, so deeply buried, because that's how the engineers that designed this thing thought about it. We'll see where the prices are six months from now.
Even though it is sitting about 6" above my TV, it is completely free from visible noise that might be caused by stray magnetic fields from the TV tube (a 36" CRT Panasonic) and the picture is rock steady. (I won't be able to replace my TV until next year). Once he explained it, it was obvious how I'd have to change it the next time I wanted to (if ever -- since the unit automatically upsamples), and then when the excitement was beginning to wear off, I looked through the manual more carefully and saw where it was documented, in the middle of the 30 page or so manual.
Two things struck me immediately, aside from the incredible detail, which beats the 1080i broadcasts that I am getting. Better have Wikipedia handy, that's all I can say. So it is the high definition processing of the Denon that seems to be capturing the richness of the colors.
I've never heard such magnificent sound from my system. There's satisfaction in knowing that you've got something that is uncompromising in image, sound, and build quality.
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