http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/rss.xml Transports are the devices that play your CDs, DVDs, HD-DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and even satellite radio data. We show no mercy to these devices as we put them through exhaustive tests. Find out what your next player ought to be! hourly 12 2006-12-01T00:00 http://www.audioholics.com/static/logo.jpg http://www.audioholics.com/ http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/ps3-and-bd-2.0 Is PS3 and BD 2.0 for you? Last week, Sony released the 2.20 firmware update for the PlayStation 3. Among the list of features was BD Profile 2.0, the coveted Holy Grail of Blu-ray playback. Is BD 2.0 really that useful? Will the guys with the BD 1.0 and 1.1 players be left wanting more? Can the PS3 work well as a standalone Blu-ray player for the masses who aren't into gaming? jim 2008-04-03T17:13:58+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/toshiba-hd-a35 Some may say that the Toshiba HD-A35 is the last of a dying breed as it is the current top-of-the line HD DVD player. With the Warner’s recent shift over to the Blu-ray camp, it may very well be. Of course, HD DVD will live on for a while longer and there are still a couple of larger movie studios backing the format. If you have a small library of HD DVDs, and are looking for a 1080p player that supports 24p or deep color, look no further. Since this format looks like it just might fade away, we’re guessing you’ll probably find a pretty good deal on the HD-A35, as well. jim 2008-02-03T00:43:39+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/sony-bdp-s300 While the Sony BDP-S300 is an entry level Blu-ray player, entry level doesn't necessarily mean cheap. At $500, you're getting a capable high definition video player and that's about it. The unconversion ability of standard DVD's is lackluster at best and it only decodes Dolby Digital Plus. If you already have a capable upconverting DVD player and don't care about the decoding of Dolby TrueHD and the myriad of high definition DTS formats, this may be the Blu-ray player for you. tom 2007-11-06T09:55:57+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/toshiba-hd-a2-hd-dvd-player There are numerous other reviews for the A2 floating around the Internet, but sometimes a new perspective is a good thing, especially when this will surely be at a great price point very soon (rumor has it at under $200 by Thanksgiving) when the new A3, A30, and A35 come out the door. The Toshiba HD-A2 is the second generation of Toshiba’s HD DVD players. It is the entry level player and provides output of up to 720p or 1080i. It does NOT however output 1080p. Then again, with 1080i no picture information or resolution is lost or missing from a 1080p/24 source. jim 2007-10-29T11:16:57+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/neodigits-helios-x5000 When I was asked if I was interested in reviewing the Helios X5000, I said ‘yes’ out of hand. You can’t be a reviewer and not be interested in reviewing nearly everything that comes across your desk. But honestly, I had no idea what it was. I knew it was a media player but it seemed to be more focused on the video side. They seemed to be pushing their upconverting capabilities and I could find no information on how the unit recorded and played back media. Very confusing. So, when the unit arrived, I hooked it up not really knowing what to expect. tom 2006-11-28T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-3930ci The DVD-3930CI was another surprising release from Denon. Just as the DVD-3910 seemed to obsolete (in a practical sense) the DVD-5900, the DVD-3930CI takes the spotlight again... almost. clint DVD 2006-11-03T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-5910ci While watching old Looney Tunes cartoons as a child, I always recalled Bug Bunny’s nemesis (i.e. Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, etc) say “it has everything but the kitchen sink” seconds before they’d get knocked upside the head with said item. When Denon announced the 1080p upgrade to the DVD-5910 I quickly put us on the list to receive a review sample. I had a mindful eye when the FedEx guy arrived at my front door. Lugging this nearly 50lb box up my flight of steps to the Audioholics Showcase system, I couldn’t help but wonder if Denon did, in fact, ship me the kitchen sink as part of a package deal with this DVD player. Enter the DVD-5910CI – Denon’s latest flagship DVD player packaged in a rugged chassis that would make most receivers envious. Seriously, this DVD player looks out of proportion to all receivers but Denon’s own venerable AVR-5805. Gene 2006-10-20T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/samsung-bd-p1000-high-definition-dvd-player-review Not a day goes by that I don’t get inundated with emails or news reports of something going on in the new high resolution DVD “format war”. I am determined to avoid the tendency to break into loquacious bouts of opinion regarding the formats and simply stick to reviewing this rather fine looking piece of machinery. Believe me, it’s easier and it makes my job a whole lot more pleasant if we keep the comparisons to their own articles where they belong. With that being said, Samsung is the first product to market for Blu-ray Disc and, as such, carries the burden of taking heat for anything not yet performing up to snuff with respect to the player’s capabilities. As we go through the various functions and utilities of the BD player, you’ll get to experience what I did and perhaps get a glimpse inside what makes this $1000 high resolution player tick. clint 2006-08-28T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/oppo-dv-970hd Oppo has seemingly cornered the market on buzz, becoming the “Apple Computer” of rumor and forum discussion. Following the success of their flagship (and still shipping) OPDV971H upconverting DVD player, they naturally felt inclined to release a new upconverting DVD player that also handles SACD – for $50 less. Now, before you fall off your chair and pull out your credit card, realize that this is a different player. Instead of the Faroudja video processing, this new player utilizes a different chipset and scores slightly lower in our video performance testing. clint 2006-07-13T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/neodigits-helios-hvd2085 I hope it’s never too late to say “I’m sorry”. At least, that’s how I feel about the new Helios HVD2085 DVD player. You see, I really judged this player harshly in its former incarnation under the NeuNeo moniker. Sure, it failed the HQV tests miserably and had a remote control that was designed by Fisher Price, but the fact of the matter is – I did not have the ability to play the unit in conjunction with a 1080p display. This time I do. Using the Westinghouse LVM-42w2 1080p monitor, I connected the reworked Helios DVD player and felt like I was seeing it again – for the first time. Make no mistake, this is pretty much a re-badged NeuNeo HVD2085, but I am seeing the player in a new 1080p-powered light. While it still has its share of drawbacks, there is at least more balance to the unit now. clint 2006-05-17T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/satellite-radio-receivers/antex-xm3000 When I received word that I would be reviewing the Antex TriplePlay XM-3000 receiver I thought, “WhooHoo! Score, baby!” finally, a chance to play with satellite radio and perhaps convince both of us that the benefits outweighed the costs. Now, the purpose of this review is to evaluate the hardware, not XM radio as a whole… so this is the last I will speak of the service. I’ll leave it up to each of you to decide if the monthly charge is worth the return. tom 2006-03-20T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/oppo-dv971h-Update It’s rare that we run into an almost universal consensus among users with respect to the quality of a company’s customer service. Certainly there have been some companies in the past, Axiom Audio for example, that have excelled in this category; but Oppo Digital may perhaps take the cake. Since the introduction of their OPDV971H DVD player last year they have consistently provided excellent quality of service and attention to their customers. clint 2006-02-19T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/NeuNeo-HVD2085 It was only a matter of time until a company released a fully "unlocked" player that upconverted DVDs to 1080p. Just think of the marketing angles: "Why wait for high definition DVD when you can have it now!" or "Who needs Blu-ray Disc when you can get 1080p from your home movie collection!" What has people so excited about the NeuNeo player (pronounced "New-Neo") is the fact that it outputs 480p/720p/1080i/1080p from its component and HDMI outputs (latest firmware required). How do they do it? Well, I assume they run very quickly from anyone representing the MPAA since this violates the DVD spec. In any case, feel free to get them while they're hot - if 1080p output over component is something you've secretly asked Santa for this year and you don't mind some odd quirks and questionable video performance. clint 2005-12-19T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/marantz-dv6500-jlti-mod Ever wished you could own a truly high end esoteric digital player but your budget is limited to mass market players? Joe Rasmussen from Custom Analogue Audio reckons he has the answer. Using a cheap mass market universal player (the Marantz DV6500, normally retails for A$799 – US$649), Joe has upgraded it with technology from Vacuum State Electronics (Joe is the Australian agent) to create a “state of the art” two-channel universal player called the “JLTi SACD Player” that is being sold by Pymble Hi-Fi in Sydney, Australia, for $2,500 (~US$1,900). Christine Tham 2005-12-13T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/panasonic-dvd-s97 Panasonic has always made highly regarded DVD-video players, and the DVD-RP82 was widely regarded by many as one of the best DVD players ever made (so much so that when it was discontinued, these players were selling on E-Bay for higher than the original Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price!) However, it seems that after the DVD-RP82, Panasonic went down-market and released a set of lackluster models. Chris Tham 2005-12-11T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/primera-bravo-ii-cd-dvd-duplication-system When we were contacted by Primera to review the Bravo II CD/DVD duplication system we were reticent at first since this doesn't exactly fit within the purview of audio/video products. The more we thought about it, however, the more we realized that a lot of our readers have marketing needs for distributing their products and service brochures. As a result we decided to give it a look and use some of our own internal materials as test fodder. clint 2005-10-17T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/oppo-opdv971h It seems as if everyone is talking about the Oppo (‘oh-poe’) OPDV971H DVD player. The main attraction behind this new player is its DVI output and ability to upconvert DVD source material to both 720p and 1080i (in addition to the expected 480p). It is also HDCP-free, making it a player that is compatible with both HDCP and non-HDCP equipped displays. On board Faroudja DCDi processing (via an FLI-2310 chip) makes for an even more impressive package as the picture coming off of this $199 DVD player can rival other players priced much higher. clint 2005-10-11T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/marantz-dv-9500 If you’re an audio/video enthusiast then you probably have had an eye out on all the universal players that have been hitting the market over the last couple of years. Although many companies have released various universal players with steady price drops it is nice to know that there are still good high end products to fit the needs of the most discriminating AV enthusiasts. Marantz is one such company that has been in the high end industry since their inception in the 1950’s. The Marantz DV-9500 not only fits into the most premium home theaters but it also has features for those that are building a system one piece at a time. Even for the 2-channel audiophile who isn’t sure about home theater the DV-9500 has excellent stereo formats. ken 2005-04-18T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-2910 Denon surprised many of us hard-core videophiles at this year's CES with their top of the line DVD-5910 DVD player. I was happy and excited when I became aware that I was going to review its little cousin the DVD-2910. This is the mid-priced player in their Universal DVD line up for 2005. Denon has proven they can consistently design and build quality DVD players that meet the performance level demanded by the home theater enthusiast. Will the Denon DVD-2910 prove to be another great player? Read on to find out. ray 2005-03-29T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd3910-Underwood-Mod Continuing on my series of disc-player reviews, I wanted to incorporate at least one “modded” unit. I am of the opinion that to extract the final ounces of fidelity a component has to be thoroughly tweaked; beef up a power supply here, change a connector there, upgrade a capacitor elsewhere, etc. Each change in itself may not yield an audible improvement or change, but layer on several changes and you can yield a substantial improvement. This pursuit is certainly as much art as it is science, and is also replete with snake-oil and dubious claims. In the end the only thing that matters is what a component sounds like, and that is what I intend to find out here. Arvind Kohli 2005-03-01T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-3910-dvd-player-review Denon surprised us recently when they told us that their new DVD-3910 universal DVD player was essentially the former flagship DVD-5900 player (with a slightly scaled down power supply) and a whole lot more. clint 2005-02-18T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/yamaha-dvd-c750 Yamaha is no stranger to the DVD player market. For years they have been selling DVD players at various price ranges with a host of the latest and greatest features within each respective price class to meet the market needs. Finally, a manufacture has stepped up to the plate and produced a universal DVD player that is cost effective and serves as a multi changer CD player, as well. Thank you, Yamaha, for producing a DVD player with very nice build quality, good video performance, excellent audio performance and capabilities. ray 2005-02-04T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/cd-players/east-sound-e3 Trekking a long on my series of disc player reviews, I stumbled a cross a Chinese unit. In a conversation with Mark Levine of Allied TV & Sound (the North American importer), I first heard of this brand. He raved about this unit. My cynical nature and desensitization to the enthusiasm of manufacturers/distributors has resulted in me being almost completely immune to the over-the-top pitches reviewers are commonly subjected to. But with Mark, I had to give his words a lot more credence, since his thoughts on the Cayin 265Ai integrated were on the mark (no pun intended). Arvind Kohli 2004-12-14T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/clearplay-rca-drc232n There have always been movies that in my mind utilized violence, language or sexual situations for no other reason than to supplement for the lack of imagination on the part of the director. Perhaps it was his/her decision to take the easy way out in storytelling, rather than let the viewers' imagination play a part in the story as is my personal preference. This doesn't mean, however that there aren't movies that portray these things in a necessary and relevant context, but too often it is easy for a director to allow a single graphical scene to interfere with what is otherwise a "decent" story. This is a divisive topic, mind you - one that will have one half of the issue up in arms over the authors original intent while the other side screams about family values and choice. Well, I am one for freedom of choice and since this technology involves purchasing the original DVD's it is merely a voluntary act to then select the option of watching them in a way that allows you to shelter your family from violence, profanity, sexual situations and more. Support for ClearPlay filtering includes the CEA, Kids First Coalition, Focus on the Family, the American Family Association, the American Psychological Association, and Electronic Frontier Foundation. clint 2004-10-14T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/audiovox-vbp800 I'm a fairly new parent, my son being just 16 months old at the time of this review. Car trips aren't the same as they used to be and on the recommendation of some of our relatives we decided to investigate portable DVD players. Being a research hog I was determined to locate a system that would work well in the car and come with everything I needed to provide entertainment for my son on long trips from Myrtle Beach to Central Florida . This isn't as easy as it seems. While many portable DVD systems come with some of the necessary accessories, very few come with everything we were looking for. clint 2004-08-12T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/rotel-rcd-1072 In a world where cramming as many home theater speakers as humanly possible is the norm, it is nice to know there are electronics companies still dedicated to quality two-channel music. Enter the Rotel RA-1062 Integrated Amplifier and CD-1072 HDCD Player. These are slim line components designed to fit in tight spaces and deliver big sound without breaking your bank account. You won't find any fancy DSP or surround modes, no On Screen Displays or learning remotes. Instead, you will find the essential high quality audio reproduction guts of what today seems to be a dying art - two-channel music. Gene 2004-05-10T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/yamaha-dvd-s2300-mk2 We are at a bit of a crossroads in technology right now as some of the digital rights management rules change and digital transmission of DVD-Audio and SACD finally become a reality. As of right now (but not for long), the choices remain to go analogue or utilize a proprietary digital format for audio. Digital video output specifications are also in a state of flux as DVI and HDMI are being discussed (and possibly both utilized) as standards. Since many people are still in possession of analogue displays (CRT direct view or rear projection) this is not a limiting factor at all. In fact, it's the newer technologies that have yet to prove themselves and deal with issues and difficulties long ago solved by their analogue counterparts (resolution conversion and enhancement, for example.) clint 2004-02-29T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-5900 Last year Denon dazzled us with the introduction to their first Universal DVD Player known as the DVD-2900 . In a single stroke, a manufacturer was able to produce an affordable machine that obsoleted much of the hardware limitations we noted in prior technical articles we wrote regarding DVD-A and SACD. The DVD-2900 satisfied many of our concerns, and performed admirably, especially for its asking price ($999 MSRP). As good as this player was, it did leave room for improvement thus paving the way for the DVD-5900. Gene 2004-02-29T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/philips-sacd-1000 A friend of mine came up to me a few weeks ago and made the following announcement. " Dan, do you want to borrow my SACD 1000 player with a bunch of SACD hybrid discs for a week?" Talk about an offer you can't refuse. I sat back and did some casual listening using the SACD discs and selected the red book cd output on the Phillips SACD 1000. This allowed me to playback the red book CD layer of the SACD. It sounded like the typical one bit consumer player (which the unit is not) that I have learned to detest over the years. Not enough dynamic range to suit my tastes. I then switched to SACD playback and said to myself, now we are getting somewhere; this has more of the dynamics I am used to and definitely prefer. Dan Banquer 2003-12-02T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/denon-dvd-5900-first-look Steve DellaSala 2003-10-19T00:00:00+00:00 Editorial