Denon 3910 Universal Player - Opinions?

I agree with Bwfreak's comment above.

I don't know how you can say I, am wrong, as I have not tried the 3910, but plan to.
For being a new model, there are far too many complaints on the 3910 imo.

Denon has already mentioned the fact that there is a problem whith the 5900 whith macro blocking, and I beleive the 3910 uses the same chip.
If there was no fix for the 5900, how can it be fixed on the 3910?

You have to remember that to speak badly of Denon at AVS, is frowned upon, keeping a lot of people quiet.

I was not quiet whith the 5900 macro blocking problem, and I ended up hearing about it from the Denon faithfull , along whith there leader lol.

Anyway, this was whith one of the very first 5900's, and I was told that it was my set up/calibration ect when it clearly was not.

Now Denon freely admits they have a problem, whith no fix, and the chance of ever getting a fix, is slim to none.
My second 5900 had no transport lockup/grinding, or refusal to play certain sa-cd's like the first, but the macro blocking remained.
The second 5900 was bought around 3 months after the first batch.

The 2300 chip also has problems in the 318hd from Zenith while upconverting, so Denon can blame it on that, but I choose, and rightly so, to blame the manufactuer themselves.

They are responsible for testing and QC of there own products.... period, and not using the buying public for QC.

I have read all the Denon threads except the 2910 threads, and there are more than just "a few" people complaining.

Also check the 1910 thread, the 2300 chip thread ect.

I have a dlp projector, and can see macro blocking from not only dvi, but also componemt 480p, along whith other excess compression/noise while using the 5900.
This problem is far from being a plazma display only problem, and a 480p component connection will also show macro blocking, not just dvi.

I don't know what your audio comparison has to do whith the fact that every personal and pro reveiw available, has the Onkyo/Integra as the winner over not only the 3910, but Flagship Marantz,Pioneer ect universals audio playback whith all formats???
Are you saying the 3910 is a much better redbook player than the 5900?
When I compared the 5900 to my Modwright signature, or my Ram modified 963sa, it was outclassed by both players for both sa-cd/redbook.
My plan was to mod the 5900 before I even bought it.
Same goes for the Onkyo, or any other universal in this price range.
The Onkyo is not outclassed for audio, especially sa-cd by the modded players.

Like I said previously, I am going to pick up a 3910 for comparison, after I receive my hdmi/dvi adaptor.

I will use the same set up to compare the 3910/1000 using custom made speakers using all Scan Speak revelator drivers along whith Hovland/ Goetz xovers for my comparison.
The same exact VH pulsar ic's,Audience pc,Ap oval 9's and Ram modified Sim i-5.

For video, I will use the same dlp pj, dvi cable,power conditioner ect to see if there is any magnification of artifacts including excess video compression and macro blocking, and also compare overall video quality.

Funny thing is, only some Denon owners seem to get irritated when there brand of choice is under the scope, but if I ended up liking the 3910 better, or as well as the 1000, how many would be crying foul then?

Have a great one
Greg

The 3910 has problems related to it's Faroudja FLi-2310 deinterlacer. This issue is also present in the 5900, 1920, 2910, etc. See THIS THREAD at AVS Forum for details.

Bwhite: Thanks for your response. Sorry i didn't see it sooner : ) Sean
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"I don't know how you can say I, am wrong, as I have not tried the 3910, but plan to."

My point is you MUST try the deck before coming to the conclusion that the issues are there.

"For being a new model, there are far too many complaints on the 3910 imo."

There are NOT that many complaints! There are very few. And I would venture to doubt that some of those complaints are totally without merit...IE, they don't even have the deck.

If one were to base their purchasing decisions on what an audio forum's complaints were, you would be left without any equipment! There is no perfect DVD player, and there never will be.

The 3910 is the best video I've seen on any Denon decks to date, including the 5900. The audio is the best I've heard to date on ANY universal decks. Granted, I have not had the opportunity to listen to the Integra....but I'm very happy with the 3910, so why would I?

My point to you is this...

You seem fairly educated when it comes to DVD players, and you have a habit(like myself) of trying and auditioning much of what is out there. Before you come to the conclusion that there are "far too many complaints" or the "macroblocking challenges" try it for yourself. If you haven't tried it, than why recite other forum babble? Seriously, there are few complaints...but a ton of views and posts. Why? Because others are jumping on the bandwagon, or better yet, offering advice on how to remedy the problem.

I am a vinyl addict....most of my music listening is done on my analog front end. However, there is WAY too much music only available on CD to ignore the medium. That is why I bought the 3910. Finally, without an outboard DAC, the 3910 has brought me closer to the analog sound than any other deck I've tried...with the exception of my Benchmark/2900 combo....but the differences are negligible at best between the two.

BTW, I will NEVER watch Finding Nemo, or the obscure independent films mentioned with Macro blocking issues. But when I watch my high-def football on Sundays, a bit of digital distortion from sun-spots or whatever the hell it is, doesn't make me change out my Dish Net 6000 receiver, and does little to take away from my enjoyment of the games.

If you are seriously looking at buying the 3910 (and I'm not just speaking to you, but anyone interested in general) we are dealing with the cutting edge of electronics. Denon is putting as much technology as possible into these decks and there will be issues to resolve....just like Windows 98, XP, XPSP2, etc. It's the price we pay as bleeding edge purchasers and I couldn't disagree more that we shouldn't be the beta testers. At least Denon monitors the boards and provides what the majority wants.

There are also complaints that the layer changes are noticable??? I have played 30 titles at the exact layer change moment per one of the threads at AVS. Do you see the layer change, yes...but it is immediate, less than a quarter second.

Why do I mention this complaint? Because Denon was the first, and still the ONLY company to implement buffering systems on all of their decks, one thing I've loved since the 2800. I hate the layer changes, but chroma issues never bothered me.

I could go on and on, but my point is that you need to try it first, before assuming ANYTHING from online forums. Some of the best equipment I own and appreciate is very unpopular on online forums....Krell...fatiguing, grainy, too costly, etc. B&W Nautilus speakers...bright, expensive, ugly, mid-range suckout (Whatever the hell that is). I would've never managed to put a system together had I gone by online babble. It's all to be taken with a grain of salt. One mans mole-hill may be another dude's Mt. Everest.

That said...the 3910 is a phenomenal deck, period. I hope you get the opportunity to check it out and take the time to form your own, subjective opinion.

Jer