The Denon DVD-3800BD Review Thread

[Vlad44]

well, knowing that Denon has same chip as Panny, could we state that denon's players are *remastered and refined* sample of panny bd30/50?

[Vegtramer]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

The Denon USA website lists their authorized web-retailers. J&R Music World, Crutchfield, One Call are a few. There are others. You would have to check with them about shipping overseas.

Thanks. Checked them all though and none of them are able to ship it overseas.
________________

Would like a take on whether to connect via HDMI or analog 7.1 for best audio playback.

[RBFC]

Originally Posted by Wee Ho Kiat

Great. Are you on 5.1 or 7.1. Also advise speaker configuration and audio settings.
Thanks

I'm running a 6.1 setup. The rear surrounds are combined into one rear center channel by the Denon 4806 that I use as a preamp/processor/surround amp.

Speaker configuration will depend upon your own speakers and subwoofer. I can't advise on something that is individual to your own situation.

I'm using analog audio out of the 3800. You set the following parameters to get optimal performance from the analog outs of the 3800:

BD AUDIO MODE: HD Audio Output

HDMI AUDIO OUT: Audio Mute

7.1ch AUDIO OUT: MultiChannel
***Then, press MultiChannel again, and you will get the setup screen for speaker configuration, level, and delay time (distance).



The other settings should be left off, especially SOURCE DIRECT, which will pass the signal without any bass management, etc. if left on.

This is a basic run-through of how to use the "custom" setup for audio in the 3800 if you wish to run analog output into your preamp. It will provide high-resolution multichannel audio (with all lossless audio codecs decoded) into the analog inputs of your preamp/receiver.

Good luck,

Lee

[Wee Ho Kiat]

Originally Posted by RBFC

I'm running a 6.1 setup. The rear surrounds are combined into one rear center channel by the Denon 4806 that I use as a preamp/processor/surround amp.

Speaker configuration will depend upon your own speakers and subwoofer. I can't advise on something that is individual to your own situation.

I'm using analog audio out of the 3800. You set the following parameters to get optimal performance from the analog outs of the 3800:

BD AUDIO MODE: HD Audio Output

HDMI AUDIO OUT: Audio Mute

7.1ch AUDIO OUT: MultiChannel
***Then, press MultiChannel again, and you will get the setup screen for speaker configuration, level, and delay time (distance).



The other settings should be left off, especially SOURCE DIRECT, which will pass the signal without any bass management, etc. if left on.

This is a basic run-through of how to use the "custom" setup for audio in the 3800 if you wish to run analog output into your preamp. It will provide high-resolution multichannel audio (with all lossless audio codecs decoded) into the analog inputs of your preamp/receiver.

Good luck,

Lee

Thanks Lee. I have the Denon AVC-A11SR amp which has no HDMI input and am waiting anxiously for the availability of the 3800 here. I am happy to hear that the analog connections with the 3800 can produce good HD audio.
Enjoy and Best Regards

[RBFC]

Originally Posted by Wee Ho Kiat

Thanks Lee. I have the Denon AVC-A11SR amp which has no HDMI input and am waiting anxiously for the availability of the 3800 here. I am happy to hear that the analog connections with the 3800 can produce good HD audio.
Enjoy and Best Regards

The audio performance of the 3800 when set up properly is exceptional. I have a very elaborate audio system and feel qualified to make such a statement.

Lee

[Demon L1ama]

Hey there,
I have been debating to buy this beautiful machine for a month now, right now there is only one reason im holding off. The firmware. I have noticed that the specs for this unit do not include wireless access, and there is no ethernet connection... So will someone please tell me how its possible to update the firmware on this player. I really dont want to drop 2 grand on something that will be useless next year.

Please help!

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Demon L1ama

Hey there,
I have been debating to buy this beautiful machine for a month now, right now there is only one reason im holding off. The firmware. I have noticed that the specs for this unit do not include wireless access, and there is no ethernet connection... So will someone please tell me how its possible to update the firmware on this player. I really dont want to drop 2 grand on something that will be useless next year.

Please help!

The short answer is that we don't know - yet. Denon has promised an update to fix some issues and it's notionally due this week. One of the mods @ AVS was told by his contact that the update would be via RS232, but a member was advised by a senior CS rep to send his unit to NJ. Wait a few days and we should know which it is.

Yes, it is a beautiful machine.

[Demon L1ama]

Originally Posted by RUR

The short answer is that we don't know - yet. Denon has promised an update to fix some issues and it's notionally due this week. One of the mods @ AVS was told by his contact that the update would be via RS232, but a member was advised by a senior CS rep to send his unit to NJ. Wait a few days and we should know which it is.

Yes, it is a beautiful machine.

Thanks very much.. one more thing, I know we dont know yet, but could you speculate that to update you would download the patch then burn to a dvd or cd and install that way?

thanks again

[sokrman14]

Originally Posted by Vlad44

well, knowing that Denon has same chip as Panny, could we state that denon's players are *remastered and refined* sample of panny bd30/50?

The Denon 3800 is actually a completely different chip than the panasonic. It is all their own technology in that player. The 2500 is a "remastered" version of the panny BD30 though

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Demon L1ama

Thanks very much.. one more thing, I know we dont know yet, but could you speculate that to update you would download the patch then burn to a dvd or cd and install that way?

thanks again

Actually, it appears as though we'll need to connect the 3800 to a PC via the RS232 on the back of the player to install the update (assuming that this is the correct info from Denon).

[dave_con]

Originally Posted by Demon L1ama

Thanks very much.. one more thing, I know we dont know yet, but could you speculate that to update you would download the patch then burn to a dvd or cd and install that way?

thanks again

If you take a look at the 3800BD owners thread on AVSForum, it looks like a few people over there have been (or have been told to) update their firmware via a CD.

However I do have to admit that I read those posts kind of early on in the thread, and then I skipped 30 pages or so - ie it's possible that in those 30 pages someone reported a problem updating firmware via CD.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by dave_con

If you take a look at the 3800BD owners thread on AVSForum, it looks like a few people over there have been (or have been told to) update their firmware via a CD.

However I do have to admit that I read those posts kind of early on in the thread, and then I skipped 30 pages or so - ie it's possible that in those 30 pages someone reported a problem updating firmware via CD.

Welcome to the forum!

The most recent pages of that thread are those containing the discussion in my post above. No one from Denon has recently said anything about a CD update, nor have any owners done so since there have been no updates provided - yet! One Denon source indicates PC via RS232, the other "send in your player". Which is correct or are both in error? We should know in a few days.

[jsteinhauer]

It's also quite possible that the issues addressed by the firmware are not problems that will affect you and your unique combination of hardware. For now, I can work around the LFE issue with no adverse affects, and the 1080p/24 problem only affects some displays/projectors, as reported by owner at AVS forum. I won't be updating my firmware, unless there is something there that makes a difference to me. So far, I can't see that to be the case.

[MacDaddyOJack]

So you guys are satisfied with paying $2K for a machine that is difficult to upgrade and has known LFE issues? I understand that these things can be fixed and are not new to Bluray, but I would expect a little better for $2K...

[Hawk]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

So you guys are satisfied with paying $2K for a machine that is difficult to upgrade and has known LFE issues? I understand that these things can be fixed and are not new to Bluray, but I would expect a little better for $2K...

That has always been the problem with buying the high end of rapidly changing technology. I loved my Panny compared to having the Sammy 1200 (garbage). But moving up to the Denon over the Panny has been like going from a nice Acura to a Mercedes S-Class. The unit weighs 24lbs.(built like a tank) and the video processor is noticeably better. It also has a much quicker response time for forward and reverse scans. Are those and other elements worth the extra $$$? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Demon L1ama]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

So you guys are satisfied with paying $2K for a machine that is difficult to upgrade and has known LFE issues? I understand that these things can be fixed and are not new to Bluray, but I would expect a little better for $2K...

I have had no problems with the Denon, no lfe problems... and not to say that its difficult upgrading, I just wanted to know how just incase I would need to, but as of right now, I dont need any firmware updates. Too bad the same cant be said for players like the ps3 which seems to need an update every month or so.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Demon L1ama

I have had no problems with the Denon, no lfe problems... and not to say that its difficult upgrading, I just wanted to know how just incase I would need to, but as of right now, I dont need any firmware updates. Too bad the same cant be said for players like the ps3 which seems to need an update every month or so.

If you are using HDMI for audio, then you do have LFE problems with PCM signals. If you are using analog outputs, then you have other issues (no DTS-HD-HR or DD+). This has been confirmed by multiple owners at AVS forum. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with the PS3. It is a fine, full featured Blu-ray player. Firmware updates are a fact of life with modern electronics. They were minimally inconvenient with my BD-S1, which is also a fine Blu-ray player.

[RBFC]

Overall, the 3800 is a fine player with performance in some important areas that exceeds that of other offerings. There have been ZERO players brought to market that have had no functionality problems, bugs, etc. It is incumbent upon Denon to address all identified performance issues in a timely manner. That is really all we can expect from ANY BD player manufacturer at this early point in the game.

While some folks will enjoy Denon-bashing simply due to the price of the player, I'm sure they wouldn't mind having a 3800 with updated firmware.

Lee

[RUR]

Latest /24p fix info from Mark Rubin, whose prior info was fix via RS 232:

well I received an update that is not very good news:

the 3800 must indeed be returned to Denon in New Jersey for the 1080p/24 fix: here is what I just got:

The software is from Silicon Optix, not us, so we cannot release to the public for intellectual reasons. Post that you have confirmed the units must come back to us, and Denon will pay for all shipping charges – and also send my apologies for this inconvenience.

[Hawk]

What is the 1080p/24 problem and what does it affect? Thanks.