Q I would like to get a TV and surround sound system, but my budget may prevent me from continuously updating (i.e. to DVI, to HDMI, etc.) or even, at the moment, getting a set top box. Given all the changes in technology taking place, would you recommend just getting a plain old analog TV and waiting for a few years to make a more extensive investment? And, if I'm not getting HDTV from the set top box anyway, is there an analog TV with a really good picture quality you might recommend?

A Analog TVs are near the end of their life, so I would recommend getting a smaller digital TV, such as the Zenith 27" model that I discussed on TechTV a couple of weeks ago. It is not only digital, but will show HDTV signals and is $799. However, if you wait until Fall of this year, you can probably find a < $1,000 digital TV with DVI input as well, maybe even with HDMI, and you then will not have to upgrade later.

T

Q In question 350 there is a statement concerning the Denon DVD-2900 having a few problems. I have been searching for reviews of this product and have not found any to date, I guess it is too new. Could you elaborate on what problems this unit has? I am looking for a universal player and don't what to waste hard earned cash.

A Our latest Benchmark has the Denon 2900 test results. You can find them at http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=15&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0 . Scroll down to the 2900 section. Specifically, here is a quote from those results: "This player uses a Mitsubishi MPEG chip from the same series that Pioneer has used for several years in their players. Denon told us they've been working with Mitsubishi to fix the chroma bug and they've largely succeeded. We see no evidence of chroma bug at all on 3-2 or 2-2 normally flagged film material. Unfortunately, the chip doesn't handle the 3-2 alternating progressive flag issue properly, and alternates every other frame between interlaced and progressive upsampling. . . . Overall we think this player has excellent progressive video quality marred by one significant flaw - the 3-2 alternating flag chroma upsampling issue. Whether that flaw is a deal-breaker is really a personal choice. For people looking for a combo SACD/DVD-A player with top-notch progressive video, this is competitive with the Yamaha DVD-S2300 player we looked at a few months ago. It exceeds it in some areas, like chroma delay, and doesn't do as well in a couple of areas mentioned above. With the 2900, Denon hasn't quite made a unit that passes every one of our tests, but they've come pretty close."

So far, the reviews we have seen in other publications just have the usual "Looks great, sounds great, buy one" kind of fluff. But that is not what we do here, and Denon is one of our sponsors. We tell it like it is. The 2900 is a good player, but does have this issue. Although none of the universal players we have seen are completely satisfactory to us, the 2900 is probably the best one so far.

T

Q Is there anyway you could test the new Samsung DVD-HD931 player that uses the new Faroudja chipset that scales 480i signals to 1080i or 720p? It would be great to see it in the benchmark report.

A Basically, Secrets is the only consumer publication in the world that performs this depth of tests on DVD players, so you would not believe the number of requests we get to test various models. Even manufacturers are asking us to do the tests. They are asking what they need to do in their next models to pass all of our tests. They want to come to our homes and have us walk them through the problems. So, we are testing as many as we can, within the confines of having day jobs as well as running Secrets.

T

Q How do I record a cable TV program on my VCR while I am watching that program at the same time?

A Connect the output of your cable box to your VCR, and the monitor output of your VCR to your TV. Or, connect your cable box to your TV and the monitor output of your TV to your VCR.

T

Q I heard that some SACD players convert the SACD signal to PCM before the DAC to save money so that only one DAC needs to be in the player for both CDs and SACDs. What is going on?

A We have heard this too, but the player manufacturers are not going to make this info public if they can avoid it, because it ruins the whole idea of having an SACD player. It all comes down to patents and licensing fees. If you can play the SACD but convert it to PCM before decoding it, then you avoid having to pay an SACD license fee. PCM is used for CDs and DVD-As, so one DAC then can decode everything. Also, SACD is sometimes converted to PCM in the player so that bass management can be performed. Lastly, during the editing process, SACD may have to be converted to PCM, then back to SACD, before putting it on the consumer disc. What I want is a universal player with HDMI output to my receiver and the receiver then spells it out on the LED panel what the *$&@ kind of signal is being received, PCM 16/44, PCM 24/96, DD, DTS, SACD, and how many channels.

T

Q I was going to purchase the Panasonic DVD-RP82 after reading your benchmarks. However, I can't find them in Hawaii at present. I have found a Panasonic carousel player DVD F85S. This player is only $150.  Does this player have the same Faroudja chip with DCDi? Is this a good DVD-A player?

A The RP82 is history, except in the used market. The new Panasonic players we tested have the chroma bug. As to DVD-A, an inexpensive player will perform in an inexpensive manner. My recent tests of the Classé CDP-10 CD player showed me that a good CD player will still outperform an inexpensive SACD player.

T

Q I'm considering buying a Pioneer VSX-D2011-S (called Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX in the U.S., I believe) AV receiver to go with my Blueroom 5.1 speaker system (Minipod, Cinepod & Bass-Station). But according to the electronic owner's manual (available on the web), this particular receiver is restricted to speakers between 6-16 Ohms.

My question is, will this receiver be compatible with the Blueroom speakers, which are rated at 4 Ohms? In the technical spec provided by Blueroom, it says that the speakers have a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms but that they are stable up to 8 Ohms!? Does this imply that I can use the above receiver at its lowest impedance setting of 6-8 Ohm with these speakers or will it not work at all? Or would I be better off using a 4 Ohm compatible receiver like the Onkyo TX-NR900 or the Denon AVR-3803?

A Most mass market receivers have only a modest power supply, which means they don't do very well with 4 Ohm speakers, but you can still use those speakers if you don't turn the volume up very high.

T

Q My home was recently burglarized, and among the stolen items was my Panasonic DVD A7. I realize it was not a progressive scan player, but my TV, also stolen, was a Sony Wega without progressive scan reading ability (it did have the enhanced 16x9 feature). My insurance company is replacing my DVD A7 with an S55. I have seen this in the store, and it doesn't appear to be as well built (it's plastic, not metal) and looks flimsy. Am I being shafted here?

A Insurance companies take into account the fact that your stolen player was not new, when they figure out what to replace it with. I would suggest talking to them about giving you a cash settlement that you can use to select whatever player you want in replacing the one that was stolen. Same for the TV.

About Secrets Register

Terms and Conditions of Use