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Q I have a Panasonic DVD-RP91 DVD player, which I love. However, I do
tend to have a serious problem with DVDs, and a lesser problem with CDs. My DVD
problem is that parts of many discs that I try to play are unplayable; either
the disc 'skips' and the image gets distorted until I manually skip to, say, the
next chapter, or the disc simply stops playing, the screen goes dark (or
displays the "Panasonic DVD" screen), and the "Check Disc" message is displayed.
At first, this only happened with The Sound of Music disc (chs. 30-31), which I
exchanged for a new copy (the new copy still exhibits the same problem). But
then I started to have a similar problem with other discs, some of which I'd
never before had a problem with (e.g., The Matrix) but now do.
I should mention that I'm meticulous about making sure that my discs stay clean.
With rental discs, I clean them if I have a problem (or simply if they look
dirty), using the discwasher CD Stealth commercial cleaner, which often helps.
In the case of The Matrix disc, for example, I can no longer play it through
without encountering such 'glitches' along the way (these are usually somewhere
in the middle of a movie, though it sometimes happens near the end). Even though
the disc still appears spotless, I've tried cleaning it, but to no avail. Could
it be the player? What do you recommend that I do? By the way, my system
currently consists of an Onkyo TX-DS797 receiver, the Panasonic DVD player, a
pair of EV 100A Studio Monitors, and a Paradigm PS1200 subwoofer.
A This sounds like the laser may have moved out of alignment. You
will need to take it to a repair shop.
T
Q My Mitsubishi WS65909 rear projection HDTV
includes DTV and IEEE-1394 inputs. What's out there that takes advantage of
these inputs?
A Firewire (IEEE-1394) is
mainly for digital video camera connections. All DV cameras have Firewire output
jacks, so you can connect them directly to the TV and play the tapes. You can
also connect the DV camera to your computer, using a Firewire card, upload your
videos, edit them, and output to a DVD. However,
if you have a DV camera, I would suggest getting a DV VCR to play the tapes,
rather than using the camera.
Mitsubishi offers a D-VHS deck that connects to their TV using Firewire, and
reports are surfacing that the JVC HD deck will connect to the Mits TV with Firewire
as well.
You can watch HD through the Firewire connections from either deck.
Mitsubishi is the only manufacturer not offering DVI / HDMI on their displays.
All other companies have announced products with DVI. With future products using
DVI / HDMI instead of 1394, you may not be able to obtain the best possible
image quality using a Mitsubishi display that only has Firewire.
T
Q I have a Sony 32HS500 TV.
Would a progressive scan DVD player be noticeably better on a TV this size? Or
do they only make a real difference on the larger screen TVs?
A Progressive scan looks
better on any TV, but make sure your TV will accept progressive scan signals.
T
Q I am building a new 5500 sq
ft. home and about to discuss the wiring layout with the electrician. From what
I have read, running structured cable (2 Cat 5E, 2 RG6, 2 Fiber) from each room
to a home run location makes sense. Probably adding another run to my office (1
room) and to any rooms with home theater potential (3 rooms) also makes sense. I
am not sure whether to run speaker wires similarly. I am also not sure where to
home run all the cables to. I assume that it should be in the basement where the
utilities will come in. Is there anything else that should be installed at this
time?
A The home run should be
where you plan to have your HiFi equipment rack and computer room, but wireless
networking for your computer may be easier. I am going to be discussing digital
TV and networking on a national television program in a few weeks, and I think
you should plan to include HDMI cables in the walls, along with
speaker cables. HDMI looks to be a major part of emerging HDTV connections, as
well as home entertainment networking throughout the house. I will have some sample HDMI cables to show and demo on the TV
program. The connectors look a bit like Firewire and USB, but will have a 5 Gb/sec
bandwidth, compared to DVI's 167 Mb/sec and Firewire's 400 Mb/sec bandwidth.
HDMI is pin-for-pin compatible with DVI, but has much, much higher speed. The
idea is that we will eventually be able to get uncompressed HDTV and eight
channels of 24/192 audio.
T
Q Thanks for your great website and the incredible
wealth of information you provide. For example, I'm going out later today to
pick up my new Panasonic XP-30. You all are the only people I know of who would
have an answer to a question like this.
I often see you recommend that people use an amplifier capable of at least 200
watts per channel, if at all possible. When you make this recommendation, does
that mean 200 watts for the impedance of my speakers? For example, if I have 4
ohm speakers, then will a 100 watt amplifier (at 8 ohms) that truly doubles down
to 200 watts at 4 ohms be in line with your recommendation? Or would I want one
rated for 200 watts at 8 ohms that doubles to 400 watts at 4 ohms?
As for my personal application, I have a 5.1 system with Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE
all the way around, and they have a sensitivity of 86dB and an impedance of 6
ohms. I am currently using a Theta Intrepid amplifier, rated at 100 watts into 8
ohms and 200 watts into 4 ohms. I usually listen at levels somewhere between -20
and -5 on my calibrated system when watching movies. Do I have anything to gain
by switching to a Dreadnaught amplifier, which provides 200 watts at 8 ohms and
400 watts at 4 ohms? It is considerably more expensive, and I don't know if the
extra power really gains me anything with my speakers and listening levels.
As an aside, if I keep the Intrepid, how high can I turn up the system before I
start causing damage to the speakers? Assuming the amp will deliver its rated
power without clipping, am I already doing damage at -5? Can I turn it up to
reference?
A The 200 watt per channel
recommendation is into an 8 Ohm load, but this is a very general recommendation
that would take into account even the most modest 200 watt amplifier design.
What I am saying here is that there is a lot more to an amplifier than just its
power rating. The power supply for an amplifier is the most important part, and
it is the most expensive part too. A 200 watt amplifier with a huge power supply
will deliver that 200 watts for a longer period, say during an explosion scene,
than a 200 watt amplifier with a small power supply. The problem is that there
are no clear standards for the rating. Lots of mass market receivers are rated
at 100 watts per channel, but they will likely only deliver 100 watts for a
very, very short time, say 100 milliseconds or less. A big 100 watt amplifier
might deliver it for 2 seconds. That makes quite a difference. The Theta
Intrepid has a solid build to it, so you don't need to upgrade unless you are
hearing distortion at the loudness you are playing your movies now. Get yourself
an SPL meter at Radio Shack. The -20 and -5 settings are only relative. You
should not be listening at average levels over 80 dB. Otherwise, your hearing
can be damaged.
T
Q There don't seem to be any
reviews or "Shoot-Out" results for NAD DVD players on your site. Will there
likely be a review (particularly of the new T562 DVD player) in the near future?
Or, do you know what MPEG decoders and deinterlacers NAD uses, from which one
might infer some expectations?
A We don't have enough staff to benchmark all DVD
players, but will eventually get around to testing some NAD.
T
Q I'm ready to buy a new progressive DVD player,
but after reading your most recent "progressive scan shootout", I'm confused. I
was under the assumption that the more you spend, the better quality you
get. This appears to be way off.
My setup currently consists of:
Marantz 8200 - receiver
Paradigm CC 100's - fronts
Paradigm Studio CC - center
Paradigm 2200 - sub
Paradigm Studio 20 - rears
Sony 42 TS2 Plasma
I was thinking of spending $400 - $600 for a DVD player (SACD and DVD-A), but
I'm having problems believing that that a $200 player (without SACD and DVD-A)
is better.
What DVD player would you recommend for my configuration?
A The problem is that even some of the really
expensive DVD players have used MPEG decoders and deinterlacers that have
artifacts. This is why we started the Benchmark. If you just want a basic
player, get the Panasonic XP-30. If you want DVD-A too, then get the Denon
DVD-1600. If you want DVD-A and SACD, then get the Yamaha S2300.
T
Q I researched the topic of DVD players for many
hours online, and found your site to be extremely helpful. I have a new
appreciation of DVD technology, and will make your site my premiere place of
research from now on. No other site provides anywhere near the scientific
information and rationale that you do. I applaud your fantastic work.
I was very interested in your DVD shootouts, and finally made the decision to
purchase a Panasonic DVD-RP82 per your recommendation. I am extremely
frustrated, now, to find out that this model has been discontinued!!!
Every site I went to for two days said it was no longer in stock, and finally I
found one site which claimed to have it, but they called a day after I made my
online order saying that it had been discontinued. Panasonic still lists
this model on their website. My question: Given that this model is no longer
available, do you have any other recommendations? Are there new players due out
soon that appear to have as good or better components and performance?
A The three players in the answer for the question
before this one are excellent players in several price categories. Panasonic's
replacements use their own MPEG decoding chips, probably so they don't have to
pay other companies, so they are different designs, but with similar results.
However, they don't have the features of the RP82. Several DVD player
manufacturers have products in the pipeline that are a result of our reports,
and will not have the chroma bug. Also, there will likely be numerous universal
players out by the end of the year, in the < $500 range, so you might want to
take that into account when making a purchase decision.
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