Intuitive and highly customizable setup options, good progressive-scan image quality, decent sound. Future-proof output suite.

Loud mechanical noise level (no worse or better than most cheap DVD players, but louder than most similarly priced CD-only players).

Overall I am happy with the 2910 as a DVD player. The picture and sound are slightly better than my old Sony progressive scan 715P. I have not tried the DVI or HDMI outputs yet, only the progressive output to my widescreen CRT. The setup options are great, as are the various operating modes (customizable pure-direct settings, etc). CD audio is decent, but not fantastic. My main gripe? As with so many (even high-end) disc-spinners, the mechanical noise level is too high. You can hear the "whirring" sound of the disc spinning from across the room unless you have the unit behind a closed cabinet door. Not sure why this issue never gets mentioned in any "professional" reviews, but its a problem for most DVD and CD players I have auditioned. Very few manufacturers seem to care about eliminating mechanical noise from their "hi-fi" products.

None really - does everything ok but nothing very good.

Price

This dvd player is average at best on video and slightly above average on audio. My $99 sony was comparable on video. The nad I just got is better on audio. I am not sure who I should recommend this player to.... just think twice before buying, but do not read the magazines as they write glowing reports about this very average player. The retailer has no customer service so go to a real retailer to order it.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 725p Nad t512

compared to the others I've bought, none.

Severe macroblocking and other artifacts, not acceptable for the money.

I returned this player a few days after I bought it. I wanted to replace my Denon 2900 (for video purposes, at least) with a player that could upscale to 720p or 1080i. The video quality of this unit is very poor, especially considering the price. The macroblocking was very noticeable on my 50-inch HDTV. The Sony with hdmi is much better and half the price. I also bought a Denon 3910, which is a little better for video than the 2910, but still has some annoying artifacting. The Sony, much to my surprise, has a better 1080i picture than either Denon player. The 2910 and 3910 add lots of video noise at 1080i as well. Even the 2900, at standard 480p, is much better because it has no macroblocking or any other artifacts..

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2900, Denon 3910, Sony ns975v

A/V, construction, "bang for the buck". Shop around for best price!

Slow disc start-up

Audioholics review sums this product up nicely, but let me say, the construction and quality of this unit are fantastic. The HDMI and DVI outputs are very securely fastened. The sound quality is amazing on SACD and DVD audio, and my CD collection has never sounded better. I am playing Cd's that i put away for years and am rediscovering them anew. Video quality is good on component and am looking forward to the HD upconversion when I connect via the DVI output directly to my DLP monitor. The discs load a little slower than my old Pioneer 563A, but on by a few sec. and it is always worth the wait! If you are a budding audio/videophile, this is about as good as it can get for under $600. highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 563A

Looks, charm and personality

huh????

I just read some of the reviews of this superb unit and had to laugh. I also have an Ayre D1xe which is the absolute standard of DVD players - check out the mags. The Denon gets so close in both audio and video that most people in the world would see little reason to spend the many thousands of dollars more for the Ayre unit. Yes Ayre is better, but....

Similar Products Used:

Ayre D1xe Toshiba

CD and DVD sound is acceptable

Poor picture quality. Especially dark color is blurred.

I bought this after reading so called "hi-fi" journal. I was surprsied to see there is "little" difference in terms of picture quality between this over-priced Denon 2910 and Samsung DVDP (cost only $80). The only difference is the sound quality. CD sound is pretty good. As good as my 100$ Sony CD player. Is the current technology of Denon and other compaines too weak to build a good machine unless charing $1000? I once watched a DVD using Onkyo S939, which has superb picutre and stunning sound. I feel bad to buy this ugly machine! If you like good machine buy Onkyo. If you like a good deal buy Samsung.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo S939-not similar at all though

Awesome SACD/DVDA capabilities. I find it difficult to listen to 2 chanel CD's now. Nice picture, with room to upgrade to HDMI or DVI. Custom sound and picture capability.

Made in China. Set up is cumbersome. Clunky remote and manual. SACD/DVDA formats obsolete?

I purchased this product after pouring through all the reviews I could find online. It seems as though the sonic abilities of the 2910 were highlighted most frequently. This was my main reason for purchasing. My TV is a Sony WEGA 27", Paid about 500.00 for it at Best Buy. I didn't understand the value of purchasing a tv with progressive scan capabilities at the time. When setting up the 2910 I went into panic mode when the signal went to horizontal lines in component video mode. After some drama with tweeter, they were unable to figure out why it was doing this, I took it back home and prepared for a long evening with manuals. The 2910 factory defaults are set to progressive scan mode. When you have a tv that receives interlace only, horizontal bars are the result. I attached an s video cable, switched my receiver to s video and could now see the setup menu. Switched the 2910 to send an interlace signal, re-attached my component cables and could see very nicely. This unit was an upgrade from the Denon 2815, 5 disc carousel. Bought that through a Denon approved online retailer. Picture was decent but had huuuuuuge disc reading issues. Eventually the unit wouldn't read anything. Sent it back to the online retailer for service. 5 weeks later it came back working. 2 weeks later it wouldn't read discs again. I decided not to have it repaired again and went shopping for the 2910. Denon has a great reputation for build quality but I wonder if they are cutting production costs to gain margin. I noticed that the 2910 is made in China, not Japan like older Denon components. When the slider opens you can see lots of white plastic parts where metal may have stood previously. This is a concern to me due to the high end nature of this product. Let's get to the meat of this unit. As previously mentioned, SACD's sound great! It was very cool to hear the Police remixed in this format. I purchased $150.00 worth of SACD cables to connect with my 3803 receiver. Money well spent. My klipsch KG 5.5's, although 10 years old, sprang to life. Very enjoyable sound, any lingering buyers remorse quickly melted away. My kids were dancing around the room, it seems I may pass this expensive habit to the poor little tykes. I am still tinkering with optical connections for non SACD and DVD A. We watched dodgeball last night and the optical connection sounded fine. I tried to use the SACD connection but it would only play in two channel. Don't know why this was. I don't have a high end TV as of yet. My wife is a sensible Iowa girl who sees these purchases as crazy extravgances. After 14 years of marriage she still understand my sickness. As I mentioned before, I'm using a component connection via interlaced signal. I'm very pleased with the result. When I had the s video connected I noticed serious artifacting while watching the blue background on the Peter Gabriel Growing up DVD. This was resolved when viewing in Component mode. No complaints about the picture,I have realistic expectations regarding picture quality. I think many negative picture reviewers are over the top when it comes to picture quality expectation. When I'm able to use the fancy HDMI or DVI connection I'll let you know how it went. Set up is cumbersome here. Although I've been at this for 10 years, several generations of product have come and gone since my last HT component purchase. I had an adcom separate for multichannel. Paid 650.00 at the time and it turned out to be junk. Will never buy adcom again. Be prepared for a full evening of tweaking. For me though, this is the fun part of owning high end components. Yes, I agree the remote is unremarkable. The manual is cumbersome also. I knew this going in, so I was prepared. One last concern I have is for the SACD/DVDA format. When I was buying cables for the SACD, the Best- Buy rep seemed less than enthusiastic about SACD. He pointed me towards the back corner of the store where their SACD/DVDA selection was and said that Best-Buy already considers the SACD format obsolete. This was demonstrated by a selection of only 15 to 20 SACD's and about the same DVDA's. These big box retailers understand their profit centers are generated by the teeny bopper set and their need for audio to go. Kids can't afford the high end stuff and arent interested. Buy what you can now, it may not be around down the road.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom Multichannel separate. Onkyo Integrated amp. Denon 2815 5 disc Carousel.

Amazing Video.

no DIVX

I recently bought a Mitsubishi Xd450 projector and the Denon 2910. I confirm that DVI output works up to 1080i. I have a big family room for a 135" screen. I never saw a DVD over DVI output before and can say it is worth - it is like when you go from VHS to DVD !!! We are having family movie every weekend. The problem is my 800 SQ foot room is kind of small now kids from neighbor joining us. I tried different medias and all worked. I came from a life with JVC, but needed something better for the LCD TV. I am very please with the change. The only side down is the remote control, it is good but bulky - but its layout is very good and found no problem adapting to it. If you are looking for a good player around $500, that can be made codefree, has DVI/HDMI output and very good quality, this is the one.

Similar Products Used:

several junk China made HD DVD players.

Picture quality

SACD sound is just ok

I just got this unit. I wass looking forward to the SACD feature and the picture quality. I'm very happy with the picture quality. As far as listening to a SACD I'm not impressed. Its not bad but it won't blow your mind either.

Similar Products Used:

Apex cheap dvd player

Video and SACD playback!!!!

Less than stellar redbook playback..vibrating transport depending on what is loaded.

I bought the DVD-2910 after seeing a mention of it in "The Absolute Sound". As I was looking primarily for a SACD player, I took a chance. The 1st unit I bought had terrible vibrations from the transport, so back it went to the initial dealer. Now, my second unit still has some vibrations, depending on whether I play redbook, SACD, or DVD-V. All I can offer in regards to DVD-V is that the video playback is excellent so far, but I now realize I need a MUCH better TV. SACD playback is absolutely superb for a player of this price, and I think that to get better SACD playback, you will need to spend a lot more money. Redbook playback is only average, and even with upgrading both power cords and interconnects, I have yet to hear any substantial improvement in redbook quality. As far as the vibrations do, I can only assume that it is based on probable inconsistencies with the various disc's I load. To this point, I can detect no discernible affects in the sound due to various disc's' causing the transport to shake. Thus, my 4 stars for performance are based on the fact that while the video playback and SACD are extremely nice, the redbook leave something to be desired. 4 stars are appropriate for the value!!! If you want great video playback AND SACD(and are not terribly worried about redbook) then this player is a serious way to get into SACD.