Please suggest a DVD player to go with my Panny plasma

[sgd177]

Hello,

I am new on this forum and am a novice regarding hi-fi systems.

I recently acquired a Panasonic plasma TH-42PV8D. I'm looking to purchase a DVD player. I was hoping to purchase one from Panasonic itself as the TV has some features that allow it to cooperate with other Panasonic devices (via its Viera link feature) and reduce remote clutter. Unfortunately there don't appear to be any Panny DVD players in the Indian market.

I don't know whether the TV will support the HDMI-CEC thing with other DVD players that have HDMI cable support. The documentation of the TV promises only support with other Panny devices.

I was wondering, has anyone owning a Panny TV with viera link (I guess that applies to both Plasma and LCD) had success with another vendor's DVD player w.r.t. HDMI-CEC?

Also, if what I'm looking for is not possible, can someone suggest a decent DVD player. I'm not looking for something very high performing or too expensive but am a bit flexible on price.

Thanks,
Siddharth

 

[marsilians]

Hello,

I am new on this forum and am a novice regarding hi-fi systems.

I recently acquired a Panasonic plasma TH-42PV8D. I'm looking to purchase a DVD player. I was hoping to purchase one from Panasonic itself as the TV has some features that allow it to cooperate with other Panasonic devices (via its Viera link feature) and reduce remote clutter. Unfortunately there don't appear to be any Panny DVD players in the Indian market.

I don't know whether the TV will support the HDMI-CEC thing with other DVD players that have HDMI cable support. The documentation of the TV promises only support with other Panny devices.

I was wondering, has anyone owning a Panny TV with viera link (I guess that applies to both Plasma and LCD) had success with another vendor's DVD player w.r.t. HDMI-CEC?

Also, if what I'm looking for is not possible, can someone suggest a decent DVD player. I'm not looking for something very high performing or too expensive but am a bit flexible on price.

Thanks,
Siddharth

Hi Siddharth,

Welcome to the forum. The Viera Link is a very customized option from Pana that simply do 2 things:

1. Turn off components that are not in use (detected via actual signals)
2. Enable TV when a component is turn on which is connected via the Viera link.

Given the improper implementation of HDMI specification and the bugs in many implementations, its value is still not 100% discernable.

Given this, I would suggest to invest in a simple yet powerful remote like a Logitech Harmony that will switch on/off any device without being bound by custom manufacturer settings.

This way you could get a better DVDP than Pana and also hook everything via your AVR (which should be the hub in your HT setup).

My suggestion, forego the Viera Link feature for now.

Re: DVDP choices, I am a bit biased like many others here but nothing beats an Oppo 980 or 981 for a reasonable price. If you can pull in bigger funds, 983 has the best of 980/1 and some more!

 

[sgd177]

marsilians,

Thanks for this information. However, is Oppo available in India? It appears to be available in the US market only. I'm based in Mumbai.

If not easily available (and I'm not really as much of a videophile as many of you are), what is the next best available in India.

 

[marsilians]

marsilians,

Thanks for this information. However, is Oppo available in India? It appears to be available in the US market only. I'm based in Mumbai.

If not easily available (and I'm not really as much of a videophile as many of you are), what is the next best available in India.

Depending on yoru budget, there are pretty decent ones from Panasonic itself as well as Denon, Samsung, etc. How much money do you want to drop on this and what features (if any) are you particular about?

 

[vinod_david]

marsilians,

Thanks for this information. However, is Oppo available in India? It appears to be available in the US market only. I'm based in Mumbai.

If not easily available (and I'm not really as much of a videophile as many of you are), what is the next best available in India.

Hi:

Sound of Music - Distributor of Oppo in India
Absolute Phase (Bangalore) - Dealer of Oppo in India

Please search for them here and you will get their contacts.

I too have Panasonic 42" PV8D, and am getting my Oppo 981H on January 9th. I haven't seen it in demo though, but just everywhere it has glorious reviews. If you invest in Oppo, any model for that matter, you have made a wise decision IMO.

 

[sviyer]

hi vinod,
how much did u pay for your Oppo 981H ?

thanks

vijay

 

[vinod_david]

hi vinod,
how much did u pay for your Oppo 981H ?

thanks

vijay

Hi:

Getting it from UK for 115 pounds, new - 981H.

 

[hifiashok]

I have both the 980H and the 981HD and can vouch for their quality and VFM.

I also believe, if used well, with the relevant protective and preventive measures, service and support MAY not actually be needed, esp. in the short (or warranty period) term. Long, term, yes (may be).

 

[psychotropic]

try and get someone to import an Oppo for you while travelling. Buying it from an Indian dealer is still not such good value. If the Panny is HDMI-CEC compliant it will work with other DVD players. I use my Sony DVD player's remote to control my Samsung plasma. The TV's remote i pick up only when i want to change settings.

Otherwise you can consider Pioneer models from the grey market, good value for money.

 

[Shuvc]

How does the Cambridge Audio DV99 compare with the 980? Is there a huge difference?

 

[psychotropic]

I haven't compared the two, but from specs and reviews, I would think that the 980 should be better, at least for audio. Venkat has compared the 980 to Cambridge Audio's 340C CD player which costs about as much as the DV99 and he reports that in outperfromed the 340C for audio, so i would imagine that it would outperform the DV99 as well, considering that it would have cheaper audio components than the 340C.

The video maybe comparable (although my gut feel is that the 980 would have the edge), i'll let someone who's seen them both give their verdict.

How does the Cambridge Audio DV99 compare with the 980? Is there a huge difference?

 

[moserw]

I have a PV8 myself and awaiting my Oppo 983 from the U.S. It does not make sense getting the Oppo from an Indian dealer, it costs twice as much so if you have the option then order it from the U.S. I have seen the 983 and its great in terms of PQ especially for upscaling so I would absolutely recommend an Oppo 983 if it fits your budget and you can procure one it makes great sense to go along with the PV8.

 

[marsilians]

How does the Cambridge Audio DV99 compare with the 980? Is there a huge difference?.

Video upscaling is a close call with oppo being the better bet but the 980 beats the cambrige hands down in audio and feature support

 

[sgd177]

I went for the Sony 708. Sorry but Oppo is way beyond budget for now. I tried it with Ice Age and Dostana. The results were very satisfactory. Colors in the animation especially were excellent.

I purchased it for Rs 5K including the HDMI cable which is the connection I'm using.

--
About HDMI CEC, Panasonic say they support it but it can't control the Sony DVD player. Vice versa, Sony has remote code for TV models including Panasonic and support for that is iffy. The button mapping is unintuitive so I'm using 2 remotes.

The Panny remote has all the buttons to control a DVD player and they are separate from the TV-specific buttons (unlike the DVD player remote where the functionality overlaps over the same set of buttons). The TV manual states the remote codes only for the Panny VCR and DVD player. And that too, I don't konw if those code enable controlling the devices via HDMI or directly talks to those devices.

I tried the steps listed in the manual to see if I could accidentally get the remote to talk to the sony DVD. I got sore thumbs entering codes from 0 to 99 in hope that it might work.

 

[psychotropic]

i own the sony 708.....the HDMI-CEC thing works perfectly for me, and i don't touch my TV remote....i use only the Sony remote for both TV and DVD player.....of course, i don't use the tuner segment of the TV, so i need to use my tata sky remote for that, so i can't comment on the remote's ability with regard to that bit....

The 708 is a good player for the cash, excellent colours and pretty good definition and clarity, but suffers a bit from image noise....

I went for the Sony 708. Sorry but Oppo is way beyond budget for now. I tried it with Ice Age and Dostana. The results were very satisfactory. Colors in the animation especially were excellent.

I purchased it for Rs 5K including the HDMI cable which is the connection I'm using.

--
About HDMI CEC, Panasonic say they support it but it can't control the Sony DVD player. Vice versa, Sony has remote code for TV models including Panasonic and support for that is iffy. The button mapping is unintuitive so I'm using 2 remotes.

The Panny remote has all the buttons to control a DVD player and they are separate from the TV-specific buttons (unlike the DVD player remote where the functionality overlaps over the same set of buttons). The TV manual states the remote codes only for the Panny VCR and DVD player. And that too, I don't konw if those code enable controlling the devices via HDMI or directly talks to those devices.

I tried the steps listed in the manual to see if I could accidentally get the remote to talk to the sony DVD. I got sore thumbs entering codes from 0 to 99 in hope that it might work.

 

[devrajofjaipur]

I too own Sony 708. It seems "pretty decent" to me. Not had any probs yet. So my vote goes to it.

 

[venkatcr]

As sgd177 has already purchased the Sony, this is for other people who are reading this thread.

I recently purchased a Pioneer 610 from Dubai and tried it out. I will post a detailed report in a few days. But at first sight, it plays DVDs really well. I recently got my hands on 2007 Neujahrskonzert, the New Year's Concert of the Weiner Philharmoniker conducted by Zubin Mehta. This is high quality recording released by Gramaphone. Watching it through the Pioneer was a treat. The camera moves very slowly and a lot of flowers and vibrant colours are shown as the music is playing. The Pioneer rendered all very well. The sound was also very good.

I shall play the DVD using both this and the Oppo 983, and see how it compares.

The Pioneer has a way where in you can 'record' a DVD or a CD onto a stick drive. I don't have the details whether it just copies or rips the DVD/CD.

I have been informed that Pioneer is releasing all its products in India from 15th of this month. They already have a string of service centers and they will be retrained to service new products. When all these come through, Pioneer 610 at 7 odd thousand is an excellent choice as a budget DVD Player.

I use three Pioneer DVD Players - 585. 696, and the 610. The 585 has been with me for two years and plays DVDs even today effortlessly.

Cheers

 

[phantom76]

I shall play the DVD using both this and the Oppo 983, and see how it compares.

Eagerly waiting for that as I own a 610 and would like to know what I miss compared to the 4 times expensive 983.

 

[venkatcr]

Eagerly waiting for that as I own a 610 and would like to know what I miss compared to the 4 times expensive 983.

Phantom, for most good quality DVDs you will hardly notice any difference. It is only in tough action sequences and bad DVDs that the 983 may correct it a bit.
And all this is valid only if you have a FullHD TV set and see everything at 1080P.

As I had written elsewhere, I watched the Hindi movie Hijack, and it played extremely well on the Pioneer 610. The first scene where a truck is being chased by a helicopter, the camera is literally on the road, and you can clearly see the difference between still road, and the road whizzing by. I have also watched The Incredibles on both the 410 and the 610, and both render the tough scenes very well indeed.

In any case, I shall post a detailed movie by movie review next week.

Cheers

 

[BDS]

Venkat,

I have the opportunity to could pick up 983 in the US this month - are there any catches (region etc.) to be aware of. BTW, i have Rs 15K budget (could stretch that a bit) - will that get me the OPPO. And does the additional spend justify the performance vis-a-vis, say a Pioneer DV610. I will be running it with Onkyo SR606, and a 42" LCD, that we plan to buy.

Would be great to hear your opinion.

Cheers,
BDS