Killer sound. Excellent video. Easy to hook up and use. Solid build, playes prety mutch anything you throw at it.

No track display when skipping tracks forward or backward. Only showes next or previeous. Poor set up for viewing jpeg pictures on disc,very slow brining up pictures. Only single disc tray.

I've had the DVD2900 for about two months. I purchased it primarily for watching movies but also was ready to takr the high resolution plunge. It was a no brainer for me as i have alway's been a harcore Denon advocate. The video is superb and an excellent match to my Sony KF610WE. Progressive scan is crisp and clear. Video menue to adjust comtrast,hue,color etc are a bit confusing at first but a welcome touch for fine tuning once you get use to them. It loads menues quickly, layering is seamless and remote is easy to use. As far as the audio, typical Denon, second to non. No mater what you listen to,cd, DVDAudio or SACD the music is crisp clean and tight. Broad sound stage , ton's of Base to not too bright highs. Any one looking for a new DVD player and is intrested in getting into highresolution audio give the DVD2900 a look and listen to you won't be disapointed.

Similar Products Used:

Tosiba 5 disc , single disc and DVD/ VCR combo player.

Excellent audio and video performance

Remote control; some usability issues

I haven't used this player too much for music, so will comment on its use primarily as a DVD player. For audio and video performance, this is an excellent piece of equipment. The DVD layer change in particular is outstanding, one of the fastest of any player made (this was of particular interest to me after the terrible performance by the $1500 Sony DVP-S9000ES in this category). I was also impressed that I was able to pop in a CD-R with a bunch of photos (JPG) on it, and be able to view them. That said, there are definitely some annoying features of this system. These are listed below. The remote is really weak. There is no backlight, and the dozens of small buttons are all the same size with little thought given to the layout. Also, there are different buttons for on and off, which makes programming another remote more difficult. To be fair, there are many functions that have to fit on the remote, but still, this could have been done a lot better. Many users that are going to be spending $1000 on a DVD player probably are going to be using some kind of universal remote anyway, but that's no excuse. The front panel display dimmer does not stay dim after shutting the player off and later turning it on again. This is really annoying to have to dim the display every time I use the player. I can't play a DVD (and presumably, a music CD) from same position after shutting the player off. In dimming mode with the display completely shut off, there is still a slight red glow from the front display panel. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. If none of these weak points bother you too much, I would definitely recommend this player for its excellent audio and video performance.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S9000ES

Nice build quality

bad vibration when playing certain SACD's and such.

When I first seen the denon dvd 2900 I must say I fell in love with the looks and build quality of this unit. It’s built very well. The thought of being able to play both dvd-audio and SACD was intriguing. I decided to buy it. What you have read about the sound is somewhat true (it does play dvd-audio and SACD fairly well), although it does nether exceptionally well. But the way it sounds is not really the intent of this review. I would have kept the unit if it were not for one small flaw (sever vibration when playing certain disks). At first I could not believe it (I have seen nothing on the internet about this at all). I went and bought Elton Johns Good by yellow brick road and started to listen to it one night (and it did sound incredible), and at one point during a silent passage I noticed a strange noise coming from the denon – a vibrating noise. I put my hand on top the unit and much to my surprise it was the denon – shaking down the house! I could not believe it – this thing was really shaking. My first thought was a bad SACD or a defective unit. I tried the disk in my Rotel, Panasonic, and denon dvd-3300 and it played just fine. The next day I went back to the store that sold it to me and tried it in 2 more floor models and a dvd-2200 and it was the exact same thing. Every other cd or DVD player in the store played them just fine. The guys at the store thought maybe it had something to do with the disk so I went to best buy and exchanged it for another. Still the denons could not play it without vibrating really bad. I even went to another store to test theirs and got the same results. On the dvd-audio disk (Yes – Magnification) you could not access the menu without a freeze up on any of the denon dvd-2900’s, yet my denon dvd-3300 would do just fine. Anyway, by the time I got back to the place where I bought it (to get my money back), the guys at the store had started to do a little testing of there own. It turns out that these things don’t seem to like certain SACD’s. It may have something to do with disks that have to much paint on them and so they are not that balanced. A good transport with a lot of spindle mass could compensate for this, but apparently the denon dvd-2900 and 2200 do not have this. I got my money back and will stick with my dvd-3300 for now. In all fairness the denon did sound pretty good regardless of the vibration, but I suspect it could have sounded better without it. Why would one go to such trouble to build such a heavy (anti-vibration) chassis, only to have such vibration isues?

Similar Products Used:

many

Build, picture, seamless layer change, quick disc navigation.

Average remote, no screen saver, no disc resume memory (after shutting off player), weak with dirty DVD's, average audio.

When I purchased this DVD player, I thought it was the answer to my DVD dreams. I am in a never ending search for the best DVD/Home Theater value at a mid level price point. I believe that after a certain cost, the law of diminishing returns really kicks in and most of us don't have the type of set ups to really wring out the performance differences that justify the big dollar investment. Which leaves me with the $1000 Denon, a truly impressively built machine, easily the best value in terms of cost per pound. It just oozes with quality build, however, a little short on what I consider to be really useful features on a DVD player. For instance, no automatic screen saver which could be critical if you have a sensitive screen and a wife who leaves the DVD on all day. Also, no memory feature that saves your place on the disc if you want to resume the movie at a later point and you turn the player off. Both features are on many of the lesser expensive DVD players we have owned and I find those features to be very important. Other than that, I find the user interface screens and picture tweaks appropriately plentiful and easy to use. The picture on my basic 36" Panasonic TAU HDTV monitor is subjectively as three dimentional and smooth as you will find on a DVD player. Color saturation is rich, detail is decent but not spectatular. I felt that the picture loses a little defination in the background during darker scenes, my Pioneer 47ai seems to have a better handle on this when I did an A-B comparison. Video noise levels seem to be reasonable, overall I would consider the picture something to get excited about. The Audio section is average for 2 channel CD playback, I never tried DVD Audio or SACD but read reviews that were positive. Because I have an irrational upgrade bug and tend to go through DVD players like water, I started to desire a player that offered a better compromise between CD playback and video. My search led me to the Arcam DV78 at roughly the same price point. If you don't value universal cabalities, the CD playback with the Arcam is clearly better but this should be no surprise to informed audiophiles. Supposedly they both use the Silcone Image chipset for video and although I only watched a few movies so far, I find the pictures to be too close to call. The Denon feels like a DVD player on steroids and is juiced with an impressive list of the latest and greatest specifications. The Arcam also feels substantial and does not boast the same hype from a marketing standpoint. The proof seems to be evident in the the overall presentation. It just seems to be more of the "real deal". For instance, everything from the way the Arcam is packaged to the way that when you forward a movie chapter the picture just "disolves" into the next scene. Its stuff like that that makes you feel that the real expense is in the attention to detail. The Denon appears unbeatable specification-wise but ultimately is still a mass marketed piece readily available in chain stores and on the web. Nothing wrong with that and again, the video performance is solid, it is just that for my $1000 I wanted something special. For my needs, like I said, not caring about DVD Audo/DVD Audio, I wanted a little more impresive CD playback and at first glance, the Arcam may even have a more natural film presentation. One other thing worth mentioning, the Denon has been really fussy with discs that are scratched or smudged, I have had several cheaper players that never got tripped up like the Denon. That drives me nuts, I have to rationalize to my wife that we should spend $1000 on a DVD player and we get skips and pixelization when watching Monsters Inc. My Pioneer 47ai which was also around $1000 seems to handle discs in questionable condition better. I personally feel that a more expensive player should be able to tear through any disc. Overall, there is no perfect product and we can pick apart anything, I just wanted to get across that the Denon is aimed more to seduce you with specifications and in reality does everything well but not one thing outstanding. I don't think that throwing around 5 stars does a prospective consumer any justice so I am going to try to honestly rate this as laid out in the audio review grading system. Unfortunately, with today's product offering, that qualifies as the Denon 2900 as the best universal DVD player available around $1000.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2200, Pioneer Elite 47ai, Rotel RDV 1080.

Great sound + Great Picture

none yet

Before the denon 2900 I had a pioneer dv -535. I'm using it in my home theater complete with a lcd projector (sony vpl-x500)and a surround set (canton thx s 10)driven by a (kenwood krf 7775d)receiver and an extra amp (denon poa 3200)for the two passive subwoofers.And that is a great way to see and hear the quality of the 2900, cause on a television you have to got eagle eyes to see difference between dvd players, but with a projector with a screen size of 340cm diagonal you instantly see the artifacs and weaknesses of a dvd player.And the first thing that I liked on the 2900 was the depth in the picture (much better than my (cheape)pioneer dv-535)And the movement of the picture is very smooth.Normally you don't see and hear much difference between dvd players, but with the 2900 it's another story you really see and hear that it's a much better player.And the sound of this player is also great, it has its own decoder for dts and dolby digital and even I don't need it (because of the decoder on my receiver)I use it anyway because you really can hear the difference.

Similar Products Used:

pioneer dv-535

Good detail retrieval

Somewhat small soundstage, lack of image palpability, image occasionally unstable. Somewhat closed-in presentation (compared with Denon DCD 1650AR)

I thought I'd replace my Denon 1650AR CD player with this and get an all-in-one CD/DVD player. Unit takes a while to break in and certainly improves much during the first 100 hrs. I do not have high-resolution video playback equipment or DVD-A or SACD software so I will only comment on the (red book) audio playback capabilities. Unit has very good detail retrieval....sometimes even seemed to be superior to the 1650AR in this regard. And even though the imaging was unstable during break-in, it improved markedly by the time it had accumulated 100 hrs. A good red book player overall, but cannot match the soundstage size, image palpability and involvement of the 1650AR. I sent it back, kept the 1650AR, and bought a Denon DVD 1600 player to play DVDs. My 4-star rating is only-for red book playback.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DCD 1650AR CD player.

Video, bass management, speaker delays, picture adjustments, sturdy build, sacd/dvd-a, user-friendly menus, remote, superfast layer changes.

Sound lacking just a little, slow load times, no resume after power off, no firewire output.

The purpose of this review is primarily for others out there who, like myself, have a tough time deciding between the best DVD player for its price. I'm sure not everyone can spend $1,000 like pocket change, so I will begin to compare the 2900 to the 2200 and you can be the judge of whether the extra $400 is really worth it. (Hopefully this helps others also looking to buy the 2200 since there are no reviews for it on here) Before I begin, let me just point out that for video testing, I have a 32" Sony HDTV and for sound testing I have an Onkyo TX-NR801 receiver w/ B&W DM602 S3 speakers for my fronts. My center and surround speakers are low end so my review will not judge sound in 5.1 mode, only stereo mode. First off, the 2900 is heavy and very well-built. I noticed this the moment I took it out of the box. Its casing is rock-solid and looks like it is dent-resistant. The 2200 is fairly small and weighs much less than the 2900. The casing of the 2200 is noticeably cheaper, but both players have a beautiful front panel display...nothing too flashy, nothing cluttered. Both remotes are almost identical except the 2900 has an extra button for P.D. memory. Setup and on-screen menus are plain and simple, very user-friendly. Video performance on both players is superb! By far the best that I have seen. I have personally auditioned Sony ES and Pioneer Elite both in the $1000 price range and neither DVD players compare to the 2900 or 2200 in picture quality. I was actually impressed with the stunning images that the 2200 was able to produce. At times, it even seemed to have a more appealing picture than the 2900. On certain movies where video is recorded at higher bitrates, like SuperBit DVDs, I could find no flaws on either the 2900 or 2200. The only slight difference is that the 2200 tends to create more vivid outlines, thus resulting in an HD-like picture. The 2900 has a softer image, nevertheless, both players produce very smooth film-like video in progressive mode. Sound is where the 2200 loses the battle. It just doesn't quite have the fullness and warm feeling that the 2900 has. However, when I was only doing casual listening, I couldn't even tell the difference between the two. But if you pay very close attention, there is a slightly warmer sound coming from the 2900. When listening to SACD though, both players lose to the Sony DVP-NS999ES. Despite what I write here, you have to keep in mind that a DVD player is afterall a DVD player, not a music player. What's important is picture and sound in DTS and Dolby Digital...and the 2200 and 2900 both do it extremely well. I will not lie and say that the difference in performance between the 2900 and 2200 is night and day, because it is not. At least not under my system setup. Video performance is almost completely the same between the two. Maybe it's my eyes playing tricks on me, but like I stated earlier, the 2200 does tend to have a slightly more appealing picture (on certain movie scenes where I do repetitive watching). Sound is excellent on both players and every tweak and adjustments the 2900 does, the 2200 can do as well. If you have a speaker setup under $3,000 my advice would be to go with the 2200. The difference in sound is minimal and only noticeable under careful listening. My conclusion: go for the 2900 if $1000 is pocket change to you. If you are like me and it takes you 2 months to save up $1000, then get the 2200. Trust me, what you don't get with the 2200 that you get on the 2900 you can live without. Performance is not lacking on the 2200 at all. Obviously if you are really into the absolute best sound, then get a separate player for music only! Remember, the 2900 and 2200 are DVD players and will in no way give you the same quality that a $2000 SACD player will. But you CAN expect awesome video performance from the two. Like I stated earlier, the 2900 and 2200 have the best picture quality I've seen in all the players I've auditioned.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite DV-37, Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai, Sony DVP-NS999ES, Denon DVD-2800MkII.

-It does what it is supposed to do -Built quality -video performance -plays everything(CD,SACD,DVD+/-R(W),DVD-A) -Easy to make region free by firmware update -Price

Slow disc loading time

If I read reviews like the last one it really makes me sometimes wonder how people test equipment. My system consists of B&W Matrix 802s3 and Bryston 3B-ST poweramp. I matched all my components carefully over the years and I consider my equipment to be neutral. Also my room is arranged in such a way that it is of the least influence to the sound. Measurements show that the frequenty responce is very flat. The total picture is that nothing is added or detracted from the original source. I can only say that the DVD-2900 does just that what it is supposed to do. I have no trouble with the midbass to midrange. How the unit sounds? Just how it should sound. Nothing more, nothing less. Stereo SACD sounds in comparison to CD more transparant and with a wider soundstage. If anybody, pdjmwj for instance, has a problem with gaps or missing things it might be the rest of the equipment or maybe the components do not match. I for instance had the Marantz DV-8300 for a while and was not satisficed with it because it sounded a bit bright. I did not really blaim the DV-8300, but the mismatch between the unit and my system. In a warm sounding system tthe DV-8300 would be a better match.

Similar Products Used:

DV-8300 tested T&A DVD1210 Some Sony DVD players

Video Performance - I am most impressed with this aspect. Build Quality Setup and functionality Looks

SACD Performance - If this 1 aspect was improved this would be an 1 heck of a bargain Remote Control

Don't sell your current SACD player before you purchase the DVD-2900 as a replacement. Compare them. My Sony SCD-555ES puts it to shame. I was hoping the audio reviews I've read were inacturate, they are not. There is no mid-bass to mid-range. CD performance IS poor. but I was not looking for this. DVD-Audio is of no interest to me, but, sounds bright to me. Video performance is excellent. Your asking, "why did he buy this thing". 1st, looking to replace my old Toshiba DVD player with progressive. 2nd, looking to replace the Sony SCD-555ES. Wanted a 1 box solution. Paid way to much for just a very good DVD player. Should have purchased to DVD-2200. I then may have been able to trade up if I wanted. Brick and Mortar store would not let me exchange nor return it after having it for just 3 days. I will also never deal with them again after purchasing over $8000 of audio gear the last 3 years. Hope you read this C????. I'm done with your holier then thou attitude. There seems to be no benefit for not purchasing on the internet. Anthem AVM2 pre-amp Rotel 1075 power-amp Rotel RCD-991 CD Player Sony SCD-555ES SACD player Mirage OM7 Mains Mirage OM2 Center Channel Mirage BP-400 Sub Von Schweikert VR1 Surrounds Denon DVD-2900 DVD player

Plays everything flawlessly. Bass management. Quality build.

Bass management adjustments could be better. No I-link.

I bought this after extensive research & was determined to get SACD/DVD-A with bass management at a reasonable price. The Denon seems to be the answer as it plays CD, DVD-A, SACD flawlessly. I too found the bass management to be a bit tricky when using different sized speakers (i.e. a combo of small & large). Using a sound pressure meter I found that the speaker level had to be set at -9 to match the bass level which was very low. Denon should have allowed positive adjustments as well as negative. I wasn't happy with this setup as it made ouput using the analogue 5.1 a LOT lower than the digital output. The solution for me was to set the "filter off" position in the audio setup. According to the DVD-2900 Users Manual, the “Filter Off” feature defaults all channels to full range and boosts the subwoofer level 5dB for DD/DTS and 15dB for DVD-A/SACD sources. I found this produced a very good result - although a more flexible adjustment procedure would have been preferable. As for the video - just superb with DVD and DVDR. If you are having trouble with some DVDR's then I'd suggest it's the media - not the player. Use quality discs (e.g. Ritek/Ridata) and you won't have problems.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba Sony Rotel