Denon DVD-1910 DVD Player

While this player is almost exactly the same as the Denon DVD-755S, which has the same body in silver. This unit has been produced for a couple of years without change. When it first went into production, it was one of the rare few, UPconverting/ scaling DVD players in production.

The unit is almost always in black, though a few were made in silver, and titled DVD-1910s, almost all are traditional black. In fact few of these UPconvert players are in black, most lean now towards the more tendy silver.

What the player does, is achieve one of the finest quality pictures on the market, and for a reasonable price, something unusal for the Denon name. And I am speaking of low price, not the video, they have always been at the top in that area.

Based upon both DCDi processing and UPconverting, you can have a fantastic near HD picture thru your TV's DVI port.

Now to explain all that before I go further:

UPCONVERTING or SCALING is the ability to increase your players resolution much like one does a PC monitor, to a level of 1080i. Which is a HDTV quality level, though NOT a HD signal. In other words, you'll have an almost HD level picture, and in a few cases this type of player is actually better than some HD signals.

DVI is a Pure Digital connection, achieved, by using newer HDTVs that have a DVI port. The newest HDTVs use HDMI, which in basics is the samething but has the ability to carry both picture and sound, DVI is just video.

I have added a WARNING to many of my reviews on this style of DVD player, and it is very important to note this. One must have a DVI or HDMI port to use this player. It will NOT UPconvert your picture without this, nor will it do any more than Progressive scan thru a component connection. One can use a HDMI to DVI converter or cable with perfect results both are Pure Digital connections. You just have to have one of these on your TV set.

The player will do the following resolutions. 480i which is basic standard and 480p which is a better level called Progressive Scan, and improves your video quality. Then when UPconverting you can achieve, 720p or the 1080i, which the later is used by most current HD broadcasters. Though this as I said is the same level of resolution, NOT a true HD signal. Newer technology is coming that allows that, and is perhaps a year or two away.

Now as I said, this unit has been in actual production longer and any UPconvert DVD player, and DENON does not seem to feel the need to change models as do other makers, just because of a change of years. Well when you have a winner, there is no real point.

The PROS of this Player Are:

To Start with the DENON name has long been part of the very best rated of all players, and costly and long lasting, solid units. While smaller, this player has an Aluminum front, which gives it an air of high end video equipment.
This player has been produced for a longer than normal period.

1. Excellent High Quality Picture in either 720p or better at 1080i, not bad at component video either, just one can find a cheaper good player if you can not use the UPconvert feature.

2. DCDi technology, which removes jagged edges of lines in pictures thus making them both more detailed and more true to life. Uses the NEW DCDi Faroudja FLI-2301 Decoding Engine

3. IMPORTANT FEATURES! Player does well, in the chromo area, with little of the greenish look that plagues several of the UPconverting players. Also performs well in the area of PLUGE which means ability to have true blacks and see details in black. And NO white out effect, noticed, which means, picture bleaches to a level of lack of details due to no contrast.

4. While not on the level of adjustments of the Panasonic DVD-S97S, this unit, has many options to optimize the quality of your picture.

5. 2MB Buffer Memory which helps with dual layer newer DVDs and the switch between layer 1 and 2.

6. Dual 54mhz video DAC processors with give you a better quality picture and more often found in High end DVD players. And the sound is also great with the Burr Brown technology and high end audio processor.

7. One can tweak this player with the following:

A. VSS which is a sound enhancement
B. Black Level Settings, which is VERY IMPORTANT to
bringing out your best visual ability, since blacks
are not a mat surface and contain many details.
C. One can adjust speeds of the actual Dialog in case the
movie is out of sync.
D. Playback ability is high, many formats work here,
please check the makers site for exact tech specs, I
prefer to mainly point out what is different or
special and what makes a difference.
about a specific item or makes a difference over
similar products, rather than a list of stats.
E. Player has all major and minor play features, such as
zoom, angle, skip, fast forward, it's all here.

My main point in trying to review all of these players in this category is they are the gap between technology, they allow us to view our DVD collection in a higher resolution, and thus a better picture. All this before the newer true HD
DVDs arrive. At the moment they are the hottest items in the DVD playing product line, right up there with DVD recorders, and far above standard DVD players.

If you paid all that money for a HDTV, one should pay a little extra to really enjoy it. This player I have had for about 1 year, one of the first of these I bought. It continues to work FINE, and is near the quality of the Panasonic DVD-S97S, which is King of the Hill, in this group. However one can easily find this player and at about 1/2 to at the most 2/3 of the going price of the Panasonic.
Other than the many exclusive tweaks of the picture in the Panasonic, this player is about equal out of the box.

If you have a HDMI TV, you can use a DVI to HDMI converter available at about 24 to 29USD. You may also use the full converting cable which runs for a name brand around 129.00.
I have used both with equal success. REMEMBER YOU MUST HAVE ONE OF THESE PORTS ON THE BACK OF YOUR TV, please look at the set or the manual.

CONS there are really none I have found. The remote is responsive and modern and easy to use. The player is NOT DATED even if it has been in production for sometime.

DENON IS A GREAT MASTER OF USING DCDi technology, thus producing one of the most vivid pictures of any DVD player out there.

Now prices on this unit, I have seen between 170.00 and 230.00 as of 5/2005. Which makes it a real buy. And of all DVD players that are mass produced, Denon HOLDS It's VALUE longer, much like Cadillac's did in the 1960's, which is something to consider the way technology moves. May seem unimportant to many, but some people like to sell last years toys and put the money towards this years. The simple fact these seem to last well, is important to all.

END RESULT:

IT WOULD BE HARD TO GO WRONG WITH THIS PLAYER, IF YOU PREFER SILVER LOOK AT THE DENON DVD-755S these two are almost twins, though not exactly since Denon did produce, this unit in silver, however it is rare.

If you have a TV with a DVI connection, this is the player of choice. It's either at the top or so close, that you will find little better, and for the price, none better.

Since Denon continues to make this product, I felt a review was needed as well as an update, though there are many fine opinions already written. This player has had the longest life of any model that I know of, off hand, and that SAYS ALOT!

I tested and achieved far above average pictures on the following:
Hitachi 60" LCD
SONY 50" LCD
Panasonic Plasma 42" HDTV " plasma will only do 768p
resolution and this was also
excellent.
Sanyo CRT HDTV Widesceen 30"
RCA 32" HDTV 4:3 CRT tube.

A FINAL NOTE: I fell the excellent picture here is achieved by both the DCDi technology and the ability to adjust the black levels, which are key to a sharp picture. Making this a real nice deal, at the price of a much lesser brand than Denon. While several makers use DCDi and using the new DCDi Faroudja FLI-2301 Decoding Engine, Denon is among the best at working with this technology.

Other similar items, used to compare and form opinions on this player. These I own or have owned, at one time.

Panasonic DVD-S97S - HDMI
Denon DVD-955S - DVI & HDMI
Denon DVD-755S - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD931 - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD841 - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD850 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5960 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5970 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5980 - HDMI
Samsung DVD-HD941 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-V592 DVD-VCR Combo - HDMI
Denon DVD-2910 - DVI & HDMI
Denon DVD-3910 - DVI & HDMI
LG LGDVB418 - HDMI
Norcent DP-501M - Component Connection

* FOOTNOTE: The above picture, is not correct, look up the Denon DVD-755S which is the same, just silver. What is above is a Denon multi-disk player. This might be worth noting since this is a much more slim player than the one pictured, and one does not have alot of extra shelf space.