Q&A # 278 - March 16, 2002

Staff

Q I am currently shopping for a DVD player. At present, my system includes a three year old 4:3 aspect ratio, interlaced television. I would like to purchase a DVD player that I can enjoy now, and also when I
upgrade my television in the future (presumably to something that supports various HDTV display modes and aspect ratios).

My thoughts are that I would like to purchase a model that supports progressive scan (I'd like to try DVD-A as well). I have noticed reviews that seem to indicate that some of the newer progressive scan models do not perform so well when coupled with an interlaced, 4:3 TV.

Should I expect that picture quality on my older 4:3 TV will be better with a non-progressive scan DVD player at a similar price point?

Would you recommend that I purchase a progressive scan player?

Are you aware of any particular DVD players that exhibit poor picture quality in interlaced output mode? When outputting 4:3 aspect ratio?

Some models that I am considering: Panasonic RP56, RP61, RP91; Philips Q50; Toshiba 5700; JVC SA-70, SA-75.

A The Panasonic DVD-RP56 is the best bargain around right now. No chroma bug. But, if you want DVD-A, then go for the DVD-RP91. We have heard about some difficulties that have turned up on the Q50, so we are a bit hesitant to recommend it right now until we hear more. Anyone out there with specifics on Q50 problems please let us know, so we can post them.
 

Q I'm about to buy my first DVD player, the Toshiba SD-4700, and have absolutely no idea what all the techno-jargon is about. I've been trying to read up on reviews, and this machine appears to do fairly well. Do you have any comments on this? We'd mainly be using it to watch rental/purchased movie DVDs. Does it have the chroma bug, and if so, is this something I really need to worry about?

A I suspect that the 4700 does have the chroma bug, but it is probably only slight, having experienced the Toshiba SD-6200's small amount of the bug. However, choose your player based on all the characteristics, including how easy the remote control is to use, and other features, such as progressive scan, DVD-A capability, and so on.

Q I am considering the Samsung V1000 DVD/VCR, which also allows you to tape from DVD to a VHS tape. Is this a good model?

A It would be a violation of the law to have a product that lets you copy DVDs onto tape. I think the Samsung is just giving you the convenience of a DVD player and VCR in the same chassis, for when you want to play a VHS tape from the rental store instead of a DVD, or when you want to record a TV program. I am sure it won't let you copy a DVD, bypassing copy protection.

Q I read with great interest your recent Q & A's on the subject of DVI.  There are a lot of articles circulating discussing how great it will be and how much more content we can expect in the future.

I own a Sony SAT-HD100 which is the just discontinued DirecTV/off-air receiver. Obviously it is not DVI equipped. My question is very specific about this first generation of receivers. Will this unit have a great future since it doesn't have DVI and only has analog outputs so it will ignore the new encryption, or will it react just like future units and block or down-convert HDTV broadcast to SDTV or not at all?

As I see it there are three possibilities in my future with this unit.

1) It becomes the greatest purchase I ever made because since it doesn't have DVI circuitry to "redirect" my HD signal to 480p, and it will continue to receive all HDTV broadcasts and output them in native 1080i to my ANALOG component outputs without down-converting the signal.

2) It becomes the worst "early-adopter" purchase of my life because it will only output selected "unprotected" signals for a little while, not receive certain copy-protected signals at all, down-convert others and finally, perhaps, not pass any HDTV content to my HD-monitor at all at some point in the future.

3) It will begin down-converting virtually all HDTV programming to a 480p output and be rendered useless as a 720p/1080i receiver. Of course this unit could then up-convert back to 1080i with the variable output, but the signal would not be HDTV quality at all.

The announcements about DVI are out, but at this point they lack real details for the people who have already purchased HDTV "ready" or Hi-Scan type TV/Monitors and more specifically, none of the info I've seen release so far addresses the future functionality of the first generation set top boxes that don't have DVI.

If you can offer any insight I'd appreciate it. Should I try to unload this receiver while it might still have some value or should I hang on as it will be very useful in the future?

A Well, it looks like, at least for now, not all the broadcasters are going along with the DVI stuff, and are continuing to supply 1080i without having to go through a DVI port. Secondly, the DVI standard is not really perfected. It is sort of like when DVD first came out, and some discs wouldn't play because the standards were not really standards. It is the same for DVI. The DVI jack may be finalized, but the DVI spec is not. I would hold onto your current receiver if I were you.

Q When are you doing your next progressive scan DVD update? I'm anxious to see the review for the new Denon DVD-9000.

A We are developing better ways of getting the Benchmark data without having to wait until our annual get together for testing so many players at one time. It involves the purchase of test equipment which we are doing now. We are also developing Benchmark standards for surround processors, which should be interesting.

Q I read on the TWICE website before CES that some manufacturers were considering adding technology to their receivers, creating a "phantom" rear-center (6th) channel with 5.1 set-ups. Since then I have not heard anything about this new technology. Have you? I am guessing that it would not be hard to do because most new home theater receivers are already able to add a phantom front-center channel.

A The new receivers that have 6.1 capability (THX-EX and DTS-ES) have the phantom rear-center setting, just as 5.1 receivers have a setting for the phantom front-center. But, 6.1 has not taken off like some would have hoped. I guess most people consider five channels plus subwoofer sufficient.

Q I am an advocate for good home theater/audio performance at reasonable cost. I read your review of the Triangle Titus XS speakers and fell in love with them after demoing them. I am in the process of revamping my stereo system to a home theater/audio system and hit a wall when it comes to digital sources. Will it really be necessary to purchase separate units to obtain good performance at reasonable prices for all the formats out there at the expense of multiple interconnect hookups? I've heard some of the arguments advocating keeping SACD and DVD Video players separate due to potential circuit noise bleed through, but you would think that you could get a reasonable SACD player that plays CDs well (are there any DVD Video players out there that you would recommend for CD play?) Unfortunately, only a handful of manufacturers are producing SACD units with many of them catering to the high-end user (Marantz, Pioneer, Philips). I am considering the following units based on reviews from Secrets of Home Theater as well as other sources:

DVD:
1) Panasonic RP56 or Philips Q50 (gotta have progressive scan and the Sage/Faroudja chipset). I hear that the Q50 does perform reasonably well with CDs.

CD:
1) Cambridge Audio D500SE

SACD
1) Sony XXXXX (seems like the only manufacturer producing a low cost player, but how well do they play CDs?). Pioneer has its "everything" unit at a price. Is there anyone else on the horizon?

A A few manufacturers have plans for DVD-V/DVD-A/SACD combo players, and I think it is only a matter of time before we see them in the mass market arena all over the place. They all operate in the megahertz range, so I don't think one would cause a problem for the other. The price will come down too, just as now you can get DVD players with 24/192 DACs in them for cheap. The DAC chips are only a few dollars now, from suppliers. Of course, there will always be high-performance players that are $$$$. I suspect Sony - which by the way, does make good DVD/CD players, using dual lasers - will probably not make DVD-A/SACD combo players, because the two formats compete, and they want to promote their SACD technology.

Q I presently have the mains and the receiver and am in the process of acquiring a sub. My question is about the rear speakers. We listen to music as much as watching movies and are unsure whether to get bipole or direct radiating speakers for our home theater. We don't have enough room behind the listening position to place the direct radiating speakers and can only place them on the side wall. However, if we place them a foot or two ahead of the seating position pointing towards it, would direct radiating surround speakers be alright?

A This question points out that we all live in the real world, and cannot put things in positions like they are on showroom floors. That includes yours truly. The surround speakers will usually give you audio information that is supposed to sound like it is coming from behind you rather than in front. However, there is no reason why you can't place them on the wall slightly in front of the listening position. You probably should use direct radiating in this case, and experiment with where they are pointed, such as pointing at you vs. pointing up at an angle or towards the rear of the room. Likely, you will only experience a slight loss in the soundstage presentation.

� Copyright 2002 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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