looks good, heavy enough to stack pre-amp on top

no screen saver or auto off, soft picture

picture is very soft, too soft for my liking, software problems, audio drop-out, i'm awaiting for my firmware cd from denon, you can call 310-974-1010, service dept. and they will fedex an upgrade to you. As for the audio, i feel it's difficult to really differentiate the quality of the audio between brand name products in the same price range.
Sony, Denon, Philips, at the $1000 range they're pretty similar. But getting back to the picture, does film-like mean soft, is that a good quality,as some reviewers have stated. Personally I want as much detail as possible, I want to see the hairs on someones arm, or the crisp edges of the backgroung walls, or even the pock-marks on Mopheus' face in tne Matrix. The softness of the 2800 rivals video tape. try switching from component progressive scan to
s-video, the s-video has greater detail, clarity and a brighter picture, and yes i did re-adjust the black level for component and so on, I think the 2800 leave a lot to be desired int he way of picture, although it does eliminate almost all digital artifacts and geomtric pixalization.
If anyone has any setting suggestions it would be appreciated.

Similar Products Used:

toshiba 6200, sony dvp560,

Great Picture. Lots of features that I'll never use. Decent remote. Looks like high end stuff

Picture a tad soft, disc tray slow as molasses

I returned a Pioneer DV37 hoping to get a better picture. I thought it had fantastic clarity on 480P, but I wanted more. The Denon 2800 has all the makings of a super player so I figured I'd try it.

Well, all in all, it is an awesome unit. The Pioneer DV37 is a little clearer, and the 2800 has slight video noise. But the Denon picture is bigger and much more film like.

While on some movies, I could see hairs on the actors arms with the DV37, I find that the denon makes me feel like I am at the movies. One thing for sure, the Denon needs adjustment to your TV to get the thing to look good. The Pioneer Elite just worked out of the box. But once tweaked, it is beautiful and engrossing.

I have the newest firmware. For those whiners who cry about some chroma bug that they read about in some review somewhere, but have never seen, this machine doesn't exhibit anything that is noticable at all. If it bugs you that much, turn down your red level on your TV and it will go away.

Either one of these machines will work great, although the Pioneer ELite remote is sort of goofy to use. For the money, I like this machine.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite DV37, Sony DVP330

Almost everything (Audio & Picture quality, Build quality, Design, Progressive, MP3 & MPEG playback etc)

Silly fast forward on CD Audio.

This is the best DVD player I've tried. It's alomst embarasing to mention all these strenghts without having any negative things to point out. But this is the case with this new progressive player from Denon. I really can't understand all the people who gives this player one star and think that it's crap. Maybe the player sucks when it's delivered outside Scandinavia, since all the guys who have bought this one in Scandinavia is very satisfied. So to all you Scandinavians, don't be alarmed by all these idiotic reviews and read on.

I was highly sceptical to it at first because of my past experience with the, dare I say, dreadfull Denon DVD1500. But unlike the 1500 this new model has no irritating problems such as audio-picture sync and that whining noise while playing discs.

CD Audio is damn nice and the picture is the clearest I've seen. Though, make sure you use the setup functions properly. When I turned it on the first time I noticed a pretty lousy picture. Then I went to the setup meny and switched to RGB throught my AV-1 Vivcanco gold scart cable. The difference was stunning, with a picture to match.

The build quality is very good and gives you a slight feeling of "high-end". The design is quite simple but nicely done and the gold version is a real looker. The weight of this thing is around 7 kg, which means that plastic isn't exactly dominating the 2800, even if the tray has some of it. I also can't stand wallpapers on DVD players, and on this player you can remove it with ease using the setup menu so that a nice blue screen is shown on your TV when no disc is present.

If I were to mention any negative sides at all it would be that it has a rather silly fast forward function when using it on CD's. When you press the forward button once it sets the player in x2 speed, which gives the music a ridicilous smurf sound. Hit the forward button once more and it will go into x4 speed and then you won't hear any sound at all. This means that you won't be able to hear where in the song you are. This is really not a big deal, but I must say that this was the most negative thing I found about it. This forward function is ofcourse primarely designed for use with DVD's and when you watch a movie this problem is not an issue.

Overall I've never been more satisfied with another hifi product than with this player. It has no real flaws and has the best picture and sound I've seen so far in my experience with DVD players. I also got a really good deal from the retailer on this one and got it for around $700. The listing price on it in Norway is around $750, region 2. I also had mine modified for all regions, which adds and extra $100 if you would want this. First of all I would recomend this player to people who are concerned about getting a great CD player in addition to a good DVD player. If you're not going to use it as a CD player I would think that you are better off purchasing a cheaper player like one of the NAD or Marantz models. The Denon DVD2800 is mainly for people who are just as interested, if not more interested, in a high quality audio performance as in getting hold of one of the best DVD players out on the market.

It also plays MP3 files through a nice on-screen menu. It evens plays MPEG files, which means that; if you have a CD-R with a couple of cartoon episodes etc on it just insert it into the 2800 and it will give you the oportunity to play these on your 30"+ TV and not on your tiny 17" monitor. Nice add-on.
System Used:

Denon DVD2800
Denon AVR2800
Nokia Titanium 29" 4:3
Jamo Speakers
Monster Interlink
Vivanco ProWire Gold

Signed Spin Dizzy.

Similar Products Used:

Thompson DTH4200 & Denon DVD1500

The build quality of this unit is excellent. The picture quality is superb (see review summary) in progressive mode, and interlaced mode is also good. Audio quality is good for a DVD player. Plays MP3 discs (if you have any).

A backlit remote would be nice. Switching from interlaced to progressive (not that I have needed to do this) is buried in a menu. The unit is bigger that some of its contemporaries and some might find it unattractive, although I have no problems with it.

Having purchased this unit recently, the firmware upgrades noted by earlier reviewers was unnecessary. I checked the firmware to insure it was up-to-date, even though the box was marked with the black dot.

Although the video quality of this unit is good in interlaced mode, where it really shines is in progressive mode. I would not bother to purchase this unit unless I had or was planning on getting a TV that had component inputs and could leverage the advantages provided by progressive mode. I got this unit to use with the Sony 36XBR450 I just purchased.

I looked at several progressive DVD players and liked the picture provided by this unit most. This may be a matter of taste. I would recommend attempting a side-by-side comparison of multiple players, although this can prove difficult.

The unit's audio quality is also excellent and it plays MP3 discs. I intend to use this to replace my old Carver SA/490t.

This unit seems very solid in construction. The unit is bigger than its contemporaries. I do not find it to be as attractive as some of the other units on the market, but I intend to watch the TV rather than the unit, so this isn't a big problem for me.

If you don't have a central remote for your various devices, you will probably wish the remote for this player was backlit. I also think the key layout could be improved, but with any remote, once you have used it very much you get over this problem.

As someone else complained, the user manual has some holes. There is no mention of the video output ("film" vs. "video" vs. "auto"). I was seeing some artifacts when playing discs until I checked this option and set it to "film". If you are watching discs, set this option to "film".

I wholeheartedly recommend the unit, but I would recommend that you check it out in a store yourself, hopefully attached to a TV similiar to the one you plan to use.





(eg: exactly what does "Film" mode do vs. "Video" mode?)

Similar Products Used:

Evaluated: Pioneer DVD-37 and Sony DVP-NS700P

Video and Audio quality.

None found yet.

Over the weekend I purchased Denon 2800 after verifying that model I purchased came to the store last week - meaning that Denon fixed the problems that first players suffered. Video and audio quality is great, I really tried to find the chroma bug that player supposely has but either it has been fixed or I can't find it (doesn't bother me?). I also verified that unit plays DVD's from another regions. I played movie from Europe (Poland) and verified that there was no compatibility problems although I think that picture is not as detailed as the one in NTSC mode. I have the option of returning it to the store if I don't like it, but I don't think it will happen. It had cost me $799 including tax and three year service plan from the store so I'll give it only four stars for value ratings because it is hard to call it a bargain in comparison to price of other players out there, but at the same time it truly deserves five stars for overall rating.
Mariusz

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-37

The DVD-2800 has an extraordinary picture, excellent digital sound output and plays HDCD's as well. The build quality is "bulletproof." I have found none of the problems reported for the early versions of this unit.

The remote is not as inuitive and easy to use as it should be.

I decided to purchase this unit because I wanted an audiophile-quality DVD player with excellent progressive scan output and compatibility with at least one of the newer audio formats (HDCD, SACD, or DVD-Audio). Although concerned about the reports of defects in the early versions of this model, I was impressed with the glowing reviews of the picture quality.

I always use the Denon in progressive scan mode, connected through the component inputs of my Philips 30PW9817 direct-view widescreen TV (I've never had an aspect ratio or picture quality problem that prompted me to try interlaced mode). The picture quality is superlative - it's the best I've ever seen.

Otherwise, the Denon is built like a battleship. The only part of the experience not completely satisfactory for me is the remote control - it could be a little better designed, with larger buttons and a better layout, maybe even back lighting (It's quite usable, however. It's just not as user-friendly as the remote that came with my B&K Reference 30 preamp).

I have the Denon connected to the B&K through the digital coax, and the digital sound - in Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, or DTS ES - is satisfactory in every way. I can hear subtleties in DVD soundtracks that were inaudible with lower quality Toshiba and Sony DVD players.

As an added bonus, I use the analog RCA outputs for HDCD listening (also with the B&K), and the HDCD definitely reproduces a level of detail that's missing with standard 44.1 MHz CD (try the percussion solo and banjo strings on Sara Evan's "Born to Fly").

I have encountered absolutely none of the quality or performance problems reported for the early versions of this product. I would definitely buy the Denon again for $800.

My reference system:

Denon DCD-1650 AR CD-ROM
B&K Reference 30 preamp
B&K Reference 2220 amplifier (220 x 2)
Sony Receiver used for amplification of surround channels (soon to be replaced with B&K Reference 3220)
Cerwin-Vega and Sony Speakers (Soon to be replaced with Klipsch Reference Series)
Philips 30PW9817 direct-view widescreen TV
Monster Power HTS-3500 and HTS-2500 power conditioners
Monster Interlink 400 MkII interconnects
Monster digital coax, subwoofer, and other misc. cables

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES Series DVD, Pioneer Elite

build, the picture and the cool blue light

remote

I was apprehensive about purchasing this unit because of all the negative reviews on this site. However, when I saw this player at a local upscale video outlet, I decided to look a little more into this machine.
I found that the most of the reviews were for earlier models and that the 2800's processing chip was the same used in the Camelot, a player costing 1000's more than the 2800. The 2800 also offers progressive scan 3:2 pulldown, something other players in this price range did not offer. After further study, reviews and more reviews of the 2800's competition, I went to the store again and looked at the picure. The picture is outstanding.
I've had this player since May, and w/ the exception of one disc, which needed to cleaned because my little nephew was playing with it outside in the yard ( yes, without the case! ), this player has played and done everything.......flawlessly. Friends who also own DVD players remark how good the picture looks. Some discs look better than others, so if you have the chance to Demo this player use Toy Story 2 or Gladiator, you will be impressed.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVPS360

Superb picture- and soundquality. Great buildquality.

The remote is kinda cheap but I don't use it anyway. Fast forwarding CD-tracks is tedious.

A couple of months ago I returned my "January" DVD-2800 (reviewed below) and got a new July-unit. This one has none of the waveing of the picture that I mentioned below. It will also output PAL-progressive and play all regions after a firmware-hack. The RGB-SCART will also output NTSC, something the previous unit wouldn't, but I guess that's because of the firmware-hack.

The firmware when I got it was 5248, after the region-hack it's 2248.

The only time I have had hickups is with rented discs with scratches galore. :o) I have started inspecting the discs before I accept renting them.

This player is certainly worth the money.

----------
My System:
B&W CDM7-NT FL/FR
MISSION M72 surrounds
Denon DVD-2800
Denon AVR-3801
Panasonic 28" TV

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 717, old Panasonic unit, old Philips-unit.

Picture quality in Progressive Scan mode

Was planning to buy a I-scan pro for my lcd projector when I found this DVD player. Uses the same chip for de-interlacing.
Don´t take notice of the early reviews, this is a very good DVD player.....

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba, Panasonic

Build quality, dynamic picture, great audio, audiophile looks

Some quality control issues possibly

Connected to receiver, opened drawer, inserted disc, door would not close. Powered down, drawer would not close. Took player back and exchanged for new DVD-2800. This one works perfectly...beautiful picture and sound. Looks as if some of the door drive unit contains some plastic and that conceivably could be the problem on the first player, but so far I am extremely pleased with the current player and highly recommend it. The player is made in China but under Japanese specs and hopefully, direction. My receiver is made in Japan. My system:

Denon AVR-2802 receiver
Denon DVD-2800
Tannoy Revolution R2 fronts
Tannoy Revolution R1 rears
Bose VCS10 center
Polk Audio PSW 10 subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

JVC