Denon 3910 Universal Player - Opinions?

I have had the Denon DVD-3910 for about 3 weeks. It’s still burning-in. I did not put it through continuous burn-in process. So far, it had about 12 hours of DVD-Video, 12 hours of Multi-Ch SACD, 8 hours of DVD-Audio and 6 hours of CD. I’ve been busy 8^)
I would say the player is excellent value in its price range. It does not dig out the very last ounce of detail on every disc, but it does dig out a tremendous amount. It’s one of those components that would not sugarcoat the performance of a bad CD. Garbage in, garbage out. Therefore, it’s phenomenal on some discs (incl. video) and only very very good or so so on others (incl. video). It’s residing in my secondary HT/Multi-Ch system and therefore is also somewhat limited by the performance of the speakers.
I hope to have it completely burnt-in and also test it in my higher-end 2-ch system, and will report my findings later. I’m very satisfied with it so far.

According to at least 5 threads at www.avsforum.com The 3910 has macro blocking and a lot of QC problems.

I would never have any recent Denon player modded, but especially not the 3910 or the 5900, which I had two of.

The universal to own right now for the absolute best video bar none, whether 480p or hdmi up converted is the Onkyo SP1000/ Integra dps 10.5.
You should see the build on these as compared to Denon.

Onkyo /Integra have a fantastic track record whith QC,and are both rated as being superior for redbook,sa-cd and video over the buggy 3910 and bug plauged 5900.

Buyer beware, and read the dvd forum at www.avsforum.com for comparisons of the Onkyo/Integra universals, and all the complaints about the cheaply built chinese made 3910.

Ears - interesting. I've read the AVS Forum and found mostly stuff like this:

The 3910 seems to be different though. I tested the 480P output on my plasma using chapter 22 of A Bug's Life. If a player has the MB issue, it is readily apparent in this scene. With the 3910 feeding the plasma via component out at 480P there was little to nothing in the way of MB. The results were far better then what I had seen with any of the other infected players.

From what *I* can tell its only the user "PooperScooper" who is having difficulties with the player.

I haven't noticed any problems with the player. Can you tell us perhaps what Macroblocking is?

Bwhite, there are many 3910 threads including the positive ones whith instances of not only macro blocking, but transport problems, refusal to play sa-cd's, or in some cases just some discs ect.
There are many people whith complaints about QC.
The the macro blocking is supposedly not as bad as the 5900, but why have artifacts at all when you can have it all whith the Onkyo/Integra.

I suggest you read through the 6..at least threads on this player and you will realize that there are way too many people having poroblems whith this player overall.

You can also see pictures of macro blocking at avs, which is a whole lot better than somone trying to explain it in words.

I have the Onkyo 1000, and the 480p picture is flawless as far as magnifying artifacts of any kind.
It is the best picture by far I have ever seen on my 110 in dlp projected screen.
Next week when I receive my hdmi/dvi adaptor, I am going to pick up a 3910 for audio and video comparison.
Those that have already compared the Onkyo SP100/Integra DPS 10.5 (Same player) have told me not to bother, but I am going to anyway.

The 1000 has deeper bass, more texture,inner detail and a bigger soundstage than the 5900 whith redbook,the sa-cd playback is slightly better,and the dvd-a is at least equal.

The 1000, is what the 5900 should have been imo, and I finally feel like I have a universal that is worth having modded.

Greg

Ears - The folks on Audiogon are audiophiles whereas and the folks on AVS (bless their hearts) are not. I believe they are more or less videophiles. So...their comments as they pertain to audio, are taken with a grain of salt.

On this site, the excitement behind the Denon players is a result of the improvements which can be made through modification. For example, the Denon 2900 modified by Exemplar Audio often gets compared to EMM Labs, and Reimyo players. - The fact that the modified Denon player is good enough to strike up a debate like that is astonishing.

Regarding your comments on manufacturing. Well... For what its worth. Some of the most advanced manufacturing on the planet takes place in China. And yes.. it's as you put it, "cheap". This means that companies who manufacture in China can cram more technology, engineering and features into a device that costs less for consumers.

I know you intended the comment "cheaply built Chinese made" to be a negative slam against Denon but - the truth is, those words are not as derogatory as they may once have been. Think about it.

Thanks for the info on Macroblocking. I looked up the term and I think I understand what it is - Here is an explanation from Perfect Vision

On a standard-definition DVD movie, the video bit-rate ranges from about 4Mbs (megabits per second) to 9Mbs, depending on the amount of motion in the scene. If you’ve ever seen a DVD with a fast action sequence in which the image suddenly becomes very blocky, that’s a sign that the data rate used at that moment wasn’t high enough to show all the detail in the fast motion (this artifact is called macroblocking).

Seems to me that this is a problem with the media (DVD) vs. a problem with the player itself.

Nothing against Onkyo but for some reason, no-one modifies these players so they have a rather limited potential thus far - as far as audio goes.