just received the Denon 2200

[hmmmm]

I finally got my Denon 2200 after returning the Pioneer universal player. I thought the Pioneer was a fine DVD Player but I didn't see or hear much of a difference between it and my old Sony so I upgraded. I have to tell you that right out of the box the Denon looked spectacular when playing movies. My Sony has the Chroma Bug problem so I compared them both side by side playing Monsters Inc and the Denon was the clear winner (I used this movie because I knew where the Sony had problems). I haven't made any adjustments to the Denon's picture yet but the progressive scan Sony had been set up with Avia's Disk and it still didn't compare. (In all fairness...I paid 300.00 for the Sony 2 years ago and $500.00 for the Denon). The Denon also is much heavier duty than the Pioneer as it should be for the price. I thought that I was going to push the back of the pioneer in when I was making my connections.
I'm a little confused with the Denon's audio set up. The manual says that it recommends shutting off the digital output and using the analog connections for all multichannel listening for a clearer sound. Is this reffering to SACD and DVD-A only, or for movies also? I have a 6.1 setup so I assume I need to use my digital connection for certain movies.
Speaking of the SACD and DVD-As...they sound very impressive on this player. I felt that the music was a bit "thin" sounding on the Pioneer (especially vocals), but the Denon has a very full and natural sound. I don't have an impressive setup but I could definately tell the difference. Anyway, I'll stop babbling. Thanks!

[recoveryone]

which Pioneer model did you have?

[hmmmm]

It was the cheap one I think it was the 563sa or something like that. It retailed for about $180.00.

[recoveryone]

Check out tarheel review of the 563a

[hmmmm]

Check out tarheel review of the 563a

I really wish I felt the same way! It would have saved me some money. I thought the 563 was a fine DVD Player but I was willing, after my comparisons, to spend more for more of a dramatic improvement over what I had. I'm extremely glad I did!

[Tarheel_]

I really wish I felt the same way! It would have saved me some money. I thought the 563 was a fine DVD Player but I was willing, after my comparisons, to spend more for more of a dramatic improvement over what I had. I'm extremely glad I did!

I haven't heard the 2200 so i can't directly compare. However, Crutchfield does compare the two. See for yourself,
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-mckSZlR...=22&IMAGE4.y=4

I'm certainly not saying the Denon doesn't sound better in your room/system, but the numbers don't lie (if Crutchfield is accurate).

I'm not trying to argue your opinion... just sharing information. Cheers.

[jeskibuff]

I'm a little confused with the Denon's audio set up.

Welcome to the club. It took me a while to figure out my DVD-1600. Denon's manuals aren't too helpful and their on-screen displays leave much to be desired.

The manual says that it recommends shutting off the digital output and using the analog connections for all multichannel listening for a clearer sound. Is this reffering to SACD and DVD-A only, or for movies also? I have a 6.1 setup so I assume I need to use my digital connection for certain movies.

You might want to experiment a little to see which sounds better...it depends on the DACs in your receiver/processor and the Denon's. If you can somehow match the gain and balance of the analog to what you get out of the decoded digital, you might be able to discern a difference by switching back and forth, but it might take a LOT of effort!

For 6.1 movies...yes...you'd probably want to use the digital connection to get the back center channel signal. You have no choice but to go with the analog connections to get the most out of DVD-A and SACD discs.

Congrats on your new toy! Although I do own a Pioneer CD recorder, I've always been wary of Pioneer's build quality. My unit has a much clunkier feel to it (drawer action, push-buttons, etc.) than most of my other equipment. So far, it's served me well although it doesn't get a LOT of use. Hopefully the Denon will be good to you over time!

[rstaples]

I finally got my Denon 2200 after returning the Pioneer universal player. I thought the Pioneer was a fine DVD Player but I didn't see or hear much of a difference between it and my old Sony so I upgraded. I have to tell you that right out of the box the Denon looked spectacular when playing movies. My Sony has the Chroma Bug problem so I compared them both side by side playing Monsters Inc and the Denon was the clear winner (I used this movie because I knew where the Sony had problems).

Are you certain about there being no chroma bug? HometheaterHifi.com (the original group finding the chroma bug) says in part:

"Like the 2900 some of the drawbacks of the 2200 stem from its Mitsubishi MPEG decoder. While tweaked better than Pioneer managed to do, it still suffers from a few quirks. The most obvious is the chroma upsampling error (CUE) with 3-2 alternating flag material. You’ll find this mainly in Buena Vista titles, especially their animation. The result is a stripping and flickering in solid colors."

This certainly sounds like it has the chroma bug to me! I am dissapointed as I was serioulsy considering this player as it tests fairly well otherwise!

Richard

[hmmmm]

Are you certain about there being no chroma bug? HometheaterHifi.com (the original group finding the chroma bug) says in part:

"Like the 2900 some of the drawbacks of the 2200 stem from its Mitsubishi MPEG decoder. While tweaked better than Pioneer managed to do, it still suffers from a few quirks. The most obvious is the chroma upsampling error (CUE) with 3-2 alternating flag material. You’ll find this mainly in Buena Vista titles, especially their animation. The result is a stripping and flickering in solid colors."

This certainly sounds like it has the chroma bug to me! I am dissapointed as I was serioulsy considering this player as it tests fairly well otherwise!

Richard

Well, I have to say that I watch probably 2 movies a week on this player and have only seen a possible problem once. When I compared it to my other DVD players it outshined them by far. I can't remember the movie but I did see a problem for a very breif period. I was disappointed but I would still highly recommend this player. My Sony and Panasonic players don't compare.