denon or sony

[okcowboy]

now that ive settled on buying the denon avr789. are the denon blu ray players 2500 or 1800, really worth the extra money, over the sony s350. and if so why?

[pacificvibes]

What is your budget??? Have you considered the PS3???

[okcowboy]

around $500. yes, but will use it mostly for movies,cds and dvd concerts.

[sokrman14]

I would say the Denon 1800, or even the Marantz model, they are pretty identical I think.

[okcowboy]

so sokrman, you think its worth the extra $200 over the sony s350. why?

[sokrman14]

Well the Sony S350 doesn't upscale DVD's first of all, it merely outputs them at 480p, which is kind of pathetic. Denon is known for their high quality DVD players, they are the kind of DVD players. The Denon is likely (Don't quote me) identical to the Marantz as they are owned by the same company and always have very very similar players available at all times. The Marantz is using a higher quality 150mhz/12bit video processor, the Sony is either using a 54 or 108 mhz processor, meaning better pic quality. I would actually go with the Marantz BD7003, you can find it for under $500 dollars.

[okcowboy]

thanks sokrman for the input.

[Rob J in WNY]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

Well the Sony S350 doesn't upscale DVD's first of all, it merely outputs them at 480p, which is kind of pathetic.

This is incorrect. The Sony BDP-S350 absolutely DOES upscale DVDs to 1080p over HDMI.

[sokrman14]

Not based on the experience of a few friends of mine. Unless they were using component, which is possible

[andyman1970]

Originally Posted by pacificvibes

What is your budget??? Have you considered the PS3???

Unless he plays video games the PS3 is pointless and overrated.

[Rob J in WNY]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

Not based on the experience of a few friends of mine. Unless they were using component, which is possible

Indeed, perhaps they are using component. Another possibility is that their player's "Output Video Format" menu setting is set to a lower resolution.

DVDs played on my S350 show up as 1080p on my TV (HDMI connected).

[sokrman14]

Even if it does upconvert, the Marantz for sure, and I assume the Denon as well, will still have the better video processing. I find that to be the most important thing when choosing a player. Both the Denon and Marantz are 1.1 player too, so if you dont mind that then they are great players, I have seen the Denon in action. Oppo is releasing their player for $500 dollars in a couple months it sounds like. That player may take the cake.

[mr.hidef]

Either would be fine......just make sure the Denon will decode or bitstream BOTH lossless codecs.......Spending that kind of change would be a waste if they (Denon/Marantz) don't.

(the Denon is a slower loader)

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

Well the Sony S350 doesn't upscale DVD's first of all, it merely outputs them at 480p, which is kind of pathetic.

Where'd you get that idea? The S350 upscales to 1080p over HDMI, just like other players. It's limited to 480p over component, just like other players. (Copy protection is the reason for the 480p limit.)

[cbm1965]

Originally Posted by okcowboy

now that ive settled on buying the denon avr789. are the denon blu ray players 2500 or 1800, really worth the extra money, over the sony s350. and if so why?

You should get the Denon 2500. Its built very sturdy, Its known as a transport a full digital device. No A/D conversation. The picture is outstanding both blue ray and standard. If you can find it for $500. It is worth every penny. The Denon 2500btci is a high end player. The sony 350 is their low end. Only the Sony ES blu ray player rivals it. The only thing the 2500btci lacks is that its on 1.1 bd live. and no ethernet.

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by okcowboy

now that ive settled on buying the denon avr789. are the denon blu ray players 2500 or 1800, really worth the extra money, over the sony s350. and if so why?

Both Denon's are $499.99 w/ free shipping at Crutchfield.

[okcowboy]

I read this from cnet. This unit,denon(2500), lacks DTS output capability, so it will not play back DTS soundtracks. then what format will it play back in?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by okcowboy

I read this from cnet. This unit,denon(2500), lacks DTS output capability, so it will not play back DTS soundtracks. then what format will it play back in?

That doesn't sound right. The 2500 bitstreams everything, but doesn't decode any of the new formats internally. You need a receiver with HD decoders to get lossless. But, you can bitstream the DTS core track to any receiver with a legacy DTS decoder.

[okcowboy]

whats the difference,besides connections, between the denon 2500 and 1800 blu ray players.

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by okcowboy

now that ive settled on buying the denon avr789. are the denon blu ray players 2500 or 1800, really worth the extra money, over the sony s350. and if so why?

Scary but I just learned Magnavox 530 BD player at Walmart was rated quite well for $200. I have Panny and PS3 for BD playback but I'm sure going to look into that player getting good feedback currently. Just check that thread.