Compare Prices on Denon DBP2010CI
UPDATE AS OF 8/18/09: This player is definitely growing on me. The Audio Quality from the Burr Browns is nothing short of profitable. Powered off Eject times dropped by nearly 5 seconds to a reasonable 13 seconds w/ FW update done easily over acquire. My recommendation is to spend NR setting of 3 for DVDs (it is not available on BDs thankfully) . I would say DVD upconversion is identical to the Oppo 99% of the time in realworld spend with a reasonable sized note - 50" in my case. YMMV. Really like this player, but I stand by my comments re pricing - needs to be $450 at a maximum to compete.
Note to my rating of 4/5 stars: this is highly contingent on new pricing at $535. If pricing were to dip to $425, my rating would go to 5 stars. With the Oppo at $500, the value proposition is not there with the 2010. It needs to be priced slightly under the oppo unless you are a denon nut beyond reason. The Pioneer 320 is the next closest competitor and its effect has dipped below $300. The Denon needs to fill a situation between the two.
Major hdmi handshake yell with my 8G Kuro out of the box. Construct distinct you turnoff the HDMI control from the player or you will have HDMI gremlins galore going in and our of menus and what not. I am smooth getting HDMI gremlins upon power off and power on.
Menus are largely identical to 1800 and 2500; they are sparse but easy to follow. I was hoping for a bit more color and refinement, but they work. The 2010 does allow five memory settings for PQ adjustment, but does not offer any canned settings like the Pioneer 320 and 51.
Operational bustle and responsiveness have largely improved from the 2500, but i would not categorize it as lickety-split. Powered off eject time is consistently 17 (w. fw 13s) seconds. Load times are mid-pack to tiresome and by no means hasty.
For example:
Dark Knight: to anti-piracy page
JVC: 17 seconds
Oppo: 16 seconds
Pio 320: 42 seconds
Pio 51: 45 seconds
Denon 1800: 42 seconds
Denon 2500: 48 seconds
Denon 2010: 36 seconds
Heavy Java discs showed a bigger improvement, shaving nearly 20 seconds off the POTC1 from the 2500.
Build quality is more compact, but it is heavy and titanic. I would compare it to the Oppo without hesitation. The oppo weighs 11lbs and the 2010 weighs 10.6lbs. The Oppo is a hair taller and has a more imposing stance in a rack. I would give the nod to the Denon in regard to looks, although I consume the 2500 to both.
In respects of my initial testing, the abt chip does not peruse film cadences and deinterlace as well as the Oppo in synthetic tests. Its performance is capable, but not as snappy or apt as the Oppo or for that matter the JVC XV-BP1. It does an admirable job with video based command. Color accuracy was very superb and did not push red like the denon 1800.
BD performance at 1080P 24fps was profitable and identical to the 2500/1800/Oppo. I am a believer that BD at 1080P 24fps is largely identical with normal viewing distances/display sizes (i am using a 50" kuro) .
SD Upscaling on the cramped material is definitely better than the 2500 and 1800. I have not been able to establish my finger on it, but I consider it might be enhancing the incompatibility to give the image more pop. Colors are aesthetic neutral and legal. The image is very similar to the Oppo, but not quite as sterling. I am reasonably impressed with its upscaling ability. More time will give me a better feel for it, but first impressions are certain.
My early gripes are that Denon did not improve bustle significantly; I reflect the higher waste CEs like pioneer, denon and others are struggling to create the gains that the koreans have. Interestingly, Samsung only made the gains when they dropped the proper serve of their players -the reon chip.
That said, Audio Quality and Describe Quality are great in this lovely package.
