Chipsets

[JimShaw]

Help on chipset understanding for Blu-ray players.

The Denon 2500 has the Panasonic Uniphier
Panasonic's top line uses the Panasonic Uniphier
The Denon 3800 and the Marantz 8002 has the same chip PLUS Realta

Denon told me the 3800 will give a better video quality then the 2500 which means to me the Realta must add to the quality and a better player.

The upcoming Sony will have the Sigma SMP8634 RevC.

Samsung the broadcom BCM7440 PLUS Reon.

So many players and alot of different chipsets.

My question is:

Is there a chipset in any of the top players that really adds more to the quality of the video than other chips OR if it does, is the quality so slight it can be only detected by a scope and not by human eyes watching a movie on their TV?

[RUR]

If you're referring to the PQ of upscaled SD DVD's, the Realta is widely regarded as the clear winner and the difference is easily visible.

If you're referring to a PQ difference for Blu-rays, things becomes much more subjective. Some folks claim better PQ, some do not.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

Help on chipset understanding for Blu-ray players.

The Denon 2500 has the Panasonic Uniphier
Panasonic's top line uses the Panasonic Uniphier
The Denon 3800 and the Marantz 8002 has the same chip PLUS Realta

Denon told me the 3800 will give a better video quality then the 2500 which means to me the Realta must add to the quality and a better player.

The upcoming Sony will have the Sigma SMP8634 RevC.

Samsung the broadcom BCM7440 PLUS Reon.

So many players and alot of different chipsets.

My question is:

Is there a chipset in any of the top players that really adds more to the quality of the video than other chips OR if it does, is the quality so slight it can be only detected by a scope and not by human eyes watching a movie on their TV?

At 1080p/24, they should be about the same.

The Realta based units might be better if you need any kind of scaling or deinterlacing whether with BD or SD DVD.

[JimShaw]

I thank you both.

I am new to all this and not sure how to explain.

That is exactly what I was talking about.

I have a 700 DVD collection and since I am starting to change over to Blu-ray and all the $$$ it takes, I wanted a player that would also play my old DVDs a little better if it were possible.

Thanks

[RUR]

Jim, I own about 1,500 DVD's and a Denon 3800BDCI and the upscaling is simply fantastic.

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by RUR

Jim, I own about 1,500 DVD's and a Denon 3800BDCI and the upscaling is simply fantastic.

RUR

Thanks. That is what I wanted to hear before spending more money. I just purchased the Marantz SR7002.

Since both Marantz 8002 and the Denon 3800 seem to have the same chipset, would you still stay with Denon or would you lean towards the Marantz because of the Marantz receiver? Or does it make any difference?

[Clark Kent]

Right now the Realta chip is the king of the hill for video processing.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

Thanks. That is what I wanted to hear before spending more money. I just purchased the Marantz SR7002.

Since both Marantz 8002 and the Denon 3800 seem to have the same chipset, would you still stay with Denon or would you lean towards the Marantz because of the Marantz receiver? Or does it make any difference?

From an upscaling perspective, I suspect one would have a hard time distinguishing between the two. From an audio perspective, I'm not familiar with the 8002 and can only report that the AQ from the Denon using analog out is superb. Marantz is likely very similar, but I'd recommend that you read the 8002 thread on AVS to see what owners are saying.

[JimShaw]

RUR

Once again thanks.

I will do as you suggested.

When you said that the "analog out is superb", did you mean using the 7.1 analog out from the receiver and not the HDMI?

Thanks

[RUR]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

When you said that the "analog out is superb", did you mean using the 7.1 analog out from the receiver and not the HDMI?

Analog out from the 3800 to the receiver (instead of HDMI). The DAC's/analog sections of the 3800 are better than all but a few expensive AVR's.

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by RUR

Analog out from the 3800 to the receiver (instead of HDMI). The DAC's/analog sections of the 3800 are better than all but a few expensive AVR's.

RUR

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by RUR

Analog out from the 3800 to the receiver (instead of HDMI). The DAC's/analog sections of the 3800 are better than all but a few expensive AVR's.

RUR

Would quality be as good running the 7.1 to a Denon 3805 that has no HDMI vs. a new Marantz SR7002 that does?

[RUR]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

RUR

Would quality be as good running the 7.1 to a Denon 3805 that has no HDMI vs. a new Marantz SR7002 that does?

Assuming that you'll set the AVR to "direct mode" (untouched signal from the player) such that only the amp section of the AVR is used, I suspect that the answer is "yes". I doubt you'll find enough difference in the amp sections of the two AVR's to make an audible difference.

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by RUR

Assuming that you'll set the AVR to "direct mode" (untouched signal from the player) such that only the amp section of the AVR is used, I suspect that the answer is "yes". I doubt you'll find enough difference in the amp sections of the two AVR's to make an audible difference.

RUR

A big thanks for your thoughts. I understand and now know which way to go.

I was told by Denon today that I cannot hook a Blu-ray by HDMI to a receiver and make video work on my TV because my TV does not have an HDMI connection. Therefore, I will get the 3800, 7.1 audio to my 3805 and component to my TV. PQ I don't care about, sound I do.


Thanks