Denon Dvd Players - Looking Out For A 3930ci

[Tassie Devil]

This is an upgrade to the 3930 (see the report at http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/sho...p;articles=132) and I'm interersted in buying one - any suggestions re a competitive source?

I've been in touch with the guy in HK on e-bay but he does not have any of these yet [and beware it costs $100 shipping + 10% GST on all this on top so prices, although less, are not as competitive as might be first thought]. I followed the thread below about HK sourced items not having a warranty but I have the impression build quality is so high this would not be a problem. But then maybe someone here has had negative Denon player experiences. If so I'd love to know about them.

I'm slowly upgrading the second system and that is where the player will go. I finally got a used Denon 3805 (for $1240) and it is an impressive receiver + there is a HTM 800 for control - bit of a pain to get all the macros etc working properly but getting there. I'm not hurrying with all this but expect to ultimately install a HD PVR and a 60" display (present leaning are to the Sony Bravia - my son in the USA bought one when I visited last year and the PQ was awesome). Prices are still dropping and I'll see how good they are near the end of the financial year. Haven't got the folding stuff to pay for too much now anyway!

John

[brodricj]

...I followed the thread below about HK sourced items not having a warranty but I have the impression build quality is so high this would not be a problem. But then maybe someone here has had negative Denon player experiences. If so I'd love to know about them.

If you buy Denon in HK you will get a 12 month warranty certificate. If you have a warranty issue after importing the unit to Australia, it is my experience (from a few years ago) that Denon will supply parts under warranty but not labour. You will need to pay the Denon authorized repairer for their labour charges only.

BTW, the Denon ci series should be sweet if you have RS232 control automation.

[Tassie Devil]

If you buy Denon in HK you will get a 12 month warranty certificate. If you have a warranty issue after importing the unit to Australia, it is my experience (from a few years ago) that Denon will supply parts under warranty but not labour. You will need to pay the Denon authorized repairer for their labour charges only.

BTW, the Denon ci series should be sweet if you have RS232 control automation.

Thanks for the feedback beejay

John

[Snoopy8]

I followed the thread below about HK sourced items not having a warranty but I have the impression build quality is so high this would not be a problem. But then maybe someone here has had negative Denon player experiences. If so I'd love to know about them.

........Haven't got the folding stuff to pay for too much now anyway!

I took a different approach. Got a 1930 from Singapore - big, big saving on the folding stuff compared with the 3930. PQ is very good, but obviously not in the 3930 class, but it will do as an "interim" solution while HD DVD/Blu Ray sorts itself out. Build quality is good. Not worried about warranty since the unit is relatively low cost c.f. the 3930.

[Tassie Devil]

I took a different approach. Got a 1930 from Singapore - big, big saving on the folding stuff compared with the 3930. PQ is very good, but obviously not in the 3930 class, but it will do as an "interim" solution while HD DVD/Blu Ray sorts itself out. Build quality is good. Not worried about warranty since the unit is relatively low cost c.f. the 3930.

Your approach makes sense. However I have a large library of DVDs (most burned by myself) so the HD DVD scene is of lower priority.

Warner are now issuing DVDs with HD-DVD on one side & Blu Ray on the other + LG now have a "Universal" player so it does look as if both competing formats could be with us for some time. The porno industry has opted for HD-DVD as they are cheaper to make and their choice of VHS over Beta is reputed to have swung the pendulum VHS way but it remains to be seen if there is going to be a repeat influence for HD-DVD.

All that said I'm not that interested in buying movies + there is a big question mark re regional coding which Blu Ray will have but it is unclear if HD-DVD will. All this could take some time to settle down so bottom line is that there is a lot of life left in DVD and, suitably upscaled, it can look very impressive. So, I'm talking myself into that Denon 3930CI

But your suggestion re Singapore is a good one thanks & I'll follow it up.

John

[cwt]

Your approach makes sense. However I have a large library of DVDs (most burned by myself) so the HD DVD scene is of lower priority.

ote]

If you can do without the ci designation John; the 2930 has got the hqv reon chip and rrp is $1699.

[CoNFooZeD]

However I have a large library of DVDs (most burned by myself) so the HD DVD scene is of lower priority.

Tassie,

I don't know if the situation has changed, but the in the past Denon DVD players haven't been the most reliable at playing burned disks. I have a 2910 and I have a lot of disks that it won't play or will freeze (particularly DVD-Rs) and I have to rely on a $50 cheapie player for these. Perhaps someone can confirm whether Denon has addressed these issues in the new players. Otherwise they are great machines.

[Tassie Devil]

Tassie,

I don't know if the situation has changed, but the in the past Denon DVD players haven't been the most reliable at playing burned disks. I have a 2910 and I have a lot of disks that it won't play or will freeze (particularly DVD-Rs) and I have to rely on a $50 cheapie player for these. Perhaps someone can confirm whether Denon has addressed these issues in the new players. Otherwise they are great machines.

Thanks for that. It would be extremely frustrating to be unable to play the DVD-Rs as I have heaps of them. I'll double check this out elsewhere if no one here can help.

However I just checked the US Denon site and it proclaims it will cope with DVD-R but does pose a question mark against DVD+R. http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3297.asp

The 2930 has the same specs but maybe Denon improved it with this model over the 2910. What do the 2910 specs claim?

John

[Snoopy8]

Thanks for that. It would be extremely frustrating to be unable to play the DVD-Rs as I have heaps of them. I'll double check this out elsewhere if no one here can help.

However I just checked the US Denon site and it proclaims it will cope with DVD-R but does pose a question mark against DVD+R. http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3297.asp

The 2930 has the same specs but maybe Denon improved it with this model over the 2910. What do the 2910 specs claim?

John

I do not have many DVD-R's, but I have had no issues with them on my 1930. But it is quite a different, and low end, player to the 2930/3930...

[CoNFooZeD]

Thanks for that. It would be extremely frustrating to be unable to play the DVD-Rs as I have heaps of them. I'll double check this out elsewhere if no one here can help.

However I just checked the US Denon site and it proclaims it will cope with DVD-R but does pose a question mark against DVD+R. http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3297.asp

The 2930 has the same specs but maybe Denon improved it with this model over the 2910. What do the 2910 specs claim?

John

I'm not sure what the specs claim but I can check tonight. There was a lot of talk a while back on the UK AV Forums about the troubles with the 2910 and 3910 with different types of recorded media. Hopefully Denon have rectified the problems because otherwise their equipment is top notch.

[norpus]

Tassie,

I don't know if the situation has changed, but the in the past Denon DVD players haven't been the most reliable at playing burned disks. I have a 2910 and I have a lot of disks that it won't play or will freeze (particularly DVD-Rs) and I have to rely on a $50 cheapie player for these. Perhaps someone can confirm whether Denon has addressed these issues in the new players. Otherwise they are great machines.

I have not had a prob with my 3910 with burned discs in the nearly 2 years I've owned it

That it plays cd, dvd, burned dvds, sacd, dvda without spitting the dummy shows it is a true universal to me

[betty boop]

I have not had a prob with my 3910 with burned discs in the nearly 2 years I've owned it

That it plays cd, dvd, burned dvds, sacd, dvda without spitting the dummy shows it is a true universal to me

my denon 2900 has been jsut fine too. we burn a few dvds with home movies too. seem to work fine. plays pictures on disc etc all fine. very happy with it.

[kiwimeat]

I own a Denon DVD2930.

I am extremely happy with it. As ccs says the 2930/3930 are completely different beasts to the 1930.

Audio performance is especially improved but also the Realta HQV scaler works better with my Fujitsu's AVMII than the 1930's Fajourda.

I've played quite a few burnt disks back with no issues whatsoever.

The integrated DIVX support is good but not as good as a full PC (I'm about to introduce a media centre to my system to replace the HD STB, record Optus Digital, and allow playback from HD instead of burning DVDs).

The major kicker now is the cost compared to HD players. However, the audio side of the HD players isn't as accomplished as the higher end SD players like the 2930.

That said, I bought my 2930 late last year in full knowledge of HD but only because I plan to sit out the first few rounds of the HD war until the technology matures, the prices drop, and a possible winning format is determined.

[CoNFooZeD]

The problems I have experienced may be related to the type of media or the quality of the transfer. My gf has a lot of chinese disks (mostly TV series and things you can't buy here). They all play flawlessly on el-cheapo DVD players or the computer, but only about 50% will play correctly on the 2910. I thought it was just my player until I did some research and found it was a common problem.

edit: here are a couple of links from the UK AVforums for reference. I haven't seen any references to problems with the newer models which is good news.

3910 problems

2910 problems

[mustud52]

I have not had a prob with my 3910 with burned discs in the nearly 2 years I've owned it

That it plays cd, dvd, burned dvds, sacd, dvda without spitting the dummy shows it is a true universal to me

Similarly, I have had no problems with my 3910 for about 15 months now with pretty much all the recordable formats. Having said that, I use burnt discs pretty much only for preview and replace them with retail versions within a few weeks. If they are not worth replacing then they are not worth collecting IMO. Given the current price of retail dvds, why would anyone build up a big library of burnt discs? In any case, both single and dual recordables seem fine on the 3910.

[Tassie Devil]

Given the current price of retail dvds, why would anyone build up a big library of burnt discs? In any case, both single and dual recordables seem fine on the 3910.

Easy answer to that one. Which is the better economics, an opera on two burned DVDs for $1 or a commercial release for $60, that is supposing it is available, which most of the burned DVDs in this collection are not.

The collection here is of classical material; from Ovation + some from ABC & SBS. Movies I generally do not bother with but have purchased a few.

To each his own.

John

[fawlty99]

The problems I have experienced may be related to the type of media or the quality of the transfer. My gf has a lot of chinese disks (mostly TV series and things you can't buy here). They all play flawlessly on el-cheapo DVD players or the computer, but only about 50% will play correctly on the 2910. I thought it was just my player until I did some research and found it was a common problem.

edit: here are a couple of links from the UK AVforums for reference. I haven't seen any references to problems with the newer models which is good news.

3910 problems

2910 problems

Yes my 2900 has the same problems. Definately fussy with regards to discs. Does not like the super cheap types but reputable brands like TDK/Verb are generally fine. Note that some burners also don't like some media & so low quality burns are created to further complicate the situation. For example I've burnt Ritek (cheap) discs with an LG burner and they were hopeless with the 2900. Same discs burnt on a pio were usually (but not always) playable. Now I just use TDK or verb & no probs in either DVD+R or DVD-R format. Dual layer is a bit more hit & miss but DVD+DL usually works fine.

[Tassie Devil]

Thanks for all the inputs and the links guys.

Heat can be a major problem with some components and it does not surprise me the guy on the AVforum with his player on top of his amp is having difficulties.

LATER EDIT: Just read the complete thread and it seems the problem he had with his 3910 (an earlier model to what is being considered here anyway) was due to the burned DVDs from a Sony recorder. He had no problems with those from a Pioneer recorder (and that is the brand used here).

Denon gear does appear to be a big cut above the opposition but is obviously not perfect.

I've contacted the local Denon distributor about a 3930CI but he didn't know that I was even talking about a player. He promised to ring back but has not. So I'll have no conscience about importing one.

However it does seem this model has only been released in the USA at the moment. The Hong Kong contact has not got any yet so I'll be patient as it is not urgent.

John

[mrfreeze]

Thanks for all the inputs and the links guys.

Denon gear does appear to be a big cut above the opposition but is obviously not perfect.

I've contacted the local Denon distributor about a 3930CI but he didn't know that I was even talking about a player. He promised to ring back but has not. So I'll have no conscience about importing one.

However it does seem this model has only been released in the USA at the moment. The Hong Kong contact has not got any yet so I'll be patient as it is not urgent.

John

The Denon 3930 is available in Australia, I got one out of the first batch into the country.

Current RRP is $2499 and is part of a bundle with the 4306 and I think with some of the other Denon amps.

Pricing in the bundle see's the DVD player around the $2000 or lower mark.

I would have to look at the price list at work in the morning to see all the deals currently on offer.

[Tassie Devil]

The Denon 3930 is available in Australia, I got one out of the first batch into the country.

Current RRP is $2499 and is part of a bundle with the 4306 and I think with some of the other Denon amps.

Pricing in the bundle see's the DVD player around the $2000 or lower mark.

I would have to look at the price list at work in the morning to see all the deals currently on offer.

Yes I am aware of that thanks, but it is now a superceded model. The 3930CI has replaced it and only appears available in the USA at the moment.

John

[mrfreeze]

Yes I am aware of that thanks, but it is now a superceded model. The 3930CI has replaced it and only appears available in the USA at the moment.

John

The 3930 CI is the US version of the 3930.

CI is just Custom Install series, meaning IR input/ output, RS232 etc. are available on the unit.

[Tassie Devil]

The 3930 CI is the US version of the 3930.

CI is just Custom Install series, meaning IR input/ output, RS232 etc. are available on the unit.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but the CI model looks to be upgraded a little more than that. Other models also now have the CI label appended.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-n...yers-with-1080p

John

[kiwimeat]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but the CI model looks to be upgraded a little more than that. Other models also now have the CI label appended.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-n...yers-with-1080p

John

I concur with Mr Freeze.

John, there is no functional difference in the audio and video performance between the US "CI" tagged models and non "CI" tagged models in places like Australia. It's just different labelling but otherwise the same product.

Your link is the US launch of the xx30 products which happened in July in the US but as usual Australia had to wait until about October before the 3930 and 2930 made in to Australia.

My 2930 is identical the US 2930CI but with the added bonus of being Region Free out of the box.

I've seen a 3930 in action and would have to say it is a spectacular player but at a price to match.

[Tassie Devil]

I concur with Mr Freeze.

John, there is no functional difference in the audio and video performance between the US "CI" tagged models and non "CI" tagged models in places like Australia. It's just different labelling but otherwise the same product.

Your link is the US launch of the xx30 products which happened in July in the US but as usual Australia had to wait until about October before the 3930 and 2930 made in to Australia.

My 2930 is identical the US 2930CI but with the added bonus of being Region Free out of the box.

I've seen a 3930 in action and would have to say it is a spectacular player but at a price to match.

Thanks for that. I'll cross check specs later today. It makes sense.

John

[norpus]

Thanks for that. I'll cross check specs later today. It makes sense.

John

If you have a good VP (either standalone or in your display) is there much point to an exxy sd dvd player these days?

Would getting a great HDDVD player like the latest Toshies not do it for you? - they are excellent SD dvd players IMO in their own right. Probably save you some money, and you'd have that beautiful liquid HD DVD image as a bonus

Admittedly they aren't a universal dvda/sacd player, but I hardly use my Denon for those anymore

What is missing for you in this suggestion?