DVD-3930CI Front Panel, Remote & Video Tests
Front Panel Controls
With
configurability comes complexity.
Never one to make anything simple, Denon loves to put its configuration
options in various places -
hide them under rocks, put them in the nooks and crannies of the player
-
you know, spice things up a bit! In addition to the menu system, Denon
also provides HDMI, SACD and Keystoning options on the front panel of
the unit. HDMI and Keystoning functions are accessed by using the
rotary selection knob/button on the right side of the player. You can
select from YCbCr, RGB, or PC HDMI color settings (as well as Off).
For HDMI formats you have the ability to cycle through 480/576i, 480/576p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p output resolutions. You also have access to the 'Auto' option which will match the output resolution to the display's native panel resolution (based on the player's comparable menu setting of the same name.) I found that when the Setup menu is set to 'Panel Res' the Denon still output 1080i to my Optoma HD81 projector (which is 1080p native... or IS it?) Changing the Setup Menu to 'Max Res' caused the Denon to correctly output HDMI at 1080p. However, with the number of 720p displays I've seen lately which handle 1080p input I would think this feature needs a bit more work (or I again found a bug limited to my particular configuration). In either case, this is hardly tragic and it seems as if reviewers would seek a function to automatically adjust HDMI resolutions before any consumers.
Remote Control
Move along, nothing to see here - The remote that comes with the new DVD-3930CI is nearly identical to the previous model's remote, so I'm not inclined to write much other than to say it is still partially backlit, quite bulky, and likely to be replaced by a universal remote by anyone capable of affording a $1500 DVD player.
Video and/or Audio Measurements
Audioholics/HQV Bench Testing Summary of Test Results
Perfect Score is 130
Denon DVD-3930CI Benchmark total score: 130
(The
best
player we've reviewed to date, matching the DVD-5910 score)
|
Test |
Max |
1080p |
1080p |
1080p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Color Bar |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Jaggies #1 |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Jaggies #2 |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Flag |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Detail |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Noise |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Motion adaptive Noise Reduction |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Film Detail |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 2:2 Video |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 2:2:2:4 DV Cam |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 2:3:3:2 DV Cam |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 3:2:3:2:2 Vari-speed |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 5:5 Animation |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 6:4 Animation |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 8:7 animation |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Cadence 24fps film |
5 |
5 |
Pass |
Fail |
|
Scrolling Horizontal |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Scrolling Rolling |
10 |
10 |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Total Points |
130 |
130 |
|
(80 |
HDMI output was set at 1080p.
Comments on HQV Testing
As with other Denon players we've tested, the AUTO progressive mode is the only mode that the player should typically be in, excepting very specialized uses (for instance, when writing the Video1 section of a review). With a maxed out score of 130, the DVD-3930CI ranks the highest of our tested DVD players to date (matching the DVD-5910 for this honor). It's no surprise, of course, since the HQV testing methodology was designed around the REALTA video chipset present in this player. We knew this day was coming, which is why our rigorous DVD testing also includes a number of additional tests not catering to any single manufacturer.
