I was able to try my new Denon 1910 and compare it with my LG7832 (canadian Zenith DVB318 clone). My LG was bought the 1st day it came out, and has the first firmware version, and I didn't perform any firmware upgrades on it.
-I find picture quality to be almost the same on both. On my Sony 40XBR800 they are like twin players to me. BUT, on my 110" screen, the Denon is a little bit less "noisy" and the background a little bit less "grainy". On a big screen, all those little flaws are getting emphazized.
-Over DVI, the Denon doesn't clip or crushes the whites like the LG. The LG does it badly over DVI, but doesn't do it at all over component. The new firmware upgrade for the LG should fix it... if I could find a LG tech that actually knows what a ''firmware upgrade'' is... No luck so far in my region or with the LG tech supoort... But loosing the ability to upscale through component with the new firmware upgrade can make this a real show-stopper for some... The 1910 does upscale only through the DVI connection, and this a still a BIG advantage of the LG over the Denon for those having ''older'' TV w/o a DVI connector.
-The Denon over DVI is a little bit "cleaner" at 720p then the LG over component at 720p. 1080i is pratically the same...
-The Denon has more accurate colors IMHO, and particularly doesn't exhibit the green push that I clearly see with the LG. My projector was calibrated by William Phelps, and the colors are dead-on at D65. This "green push" is really a known problem of the LG, with an easy already known solution: changing my color profile from ''HDTV'' to ''NTSC'''on my projector totally get rid of this green push. The Denon doesn't have this ''problem'' and look the same on both the HDTV and NTSC setting... But still, the colors are a little more ''accurate'' with the Denon.
The Matrix collection is a good test for the ''green push''...
-The blacks are a little better on the Denon, particularly with the possibility to change from 0 IRE to 7.5 IRE (we don't have that setting on the LG).
- My LG always loose sync with my projector over DVI and I have to close it often to have my projector show a picture... HDCP handshake problem maybe? The 1910 doesn't exhibit that problem at all.
-With the 1910, you can change the resolution ''on the fly'' even when playing a DVD... With the LG, you have to press stop then change the resolution. The Denon solution is a little bit easier.
-The 1910 passes pluge (blacker than black) over DVI and does not clip whites like the LG.
- The 1910 has custom picture controls (contrast, brightness, sharpness, colors and black level) for those who don't have independent memory on each of their display inputs.
-There doesn't appear to be a Y/C delay problem with the 1910 set to 480p, unlike the LG that is having some Y/C delay.
So far, I give the edge to the Denon. But I didn't try any 4:3 material (because I have only 3 or 4 titles in my over 800 titles collection...). I will probably try it tomorrow. So I can't comment on the ''squeeze'' option of the LG compared to the Denon.
On the 40" screen of my Sony 40XBR800, the PQ is pratically the same. But on my 110" with my projector, the Denon is a little cleaner and less grainy then the LG. But it's far from beeing something major. The overall PQ is almost the same when using the Denon with DVI at 720p and the LG with component at 720p.
When I will be able to get my hand on the firmware upgrade, I will be able to compare DVI with DVI on both. I did try it, but the whites are terrible in my system on the LG, so I went with the component upscaling.
Build quality is ''cheesy'' on both, particularly when sitting next to my Denon 5900. The Denon build quality is maybe a little bit better then the LG, but for 300$ cdn, we can't expect any major differences on that side of the story... The Denon looks a little bit better, particularly with the power button ''halo'' going from red to green when off and on.
And the remote of the LG is really bad. The 1910 remote is a little bit ''use'friendly''.
The layer change on the Denon seems a little bit faster then the LG, taking between 0.5 to 1 sec usually. It's slow compared to the Denon 2900 and the 5900 that are so fast... But what can you expect form 2meg buffers?
For me the price difference of around 100$ is not important, but for those on a budget, I would choose the LG (Zenith). But if you don't care about the small difference in price, the Denon is a little bit easier to use and the difference in PQ is so small only the most crazy videophile like me will notice those tiny little differences in the ''noisier'' background and the color dynamics and accuracy. So in 1 word, they look pratically the same... :T
I own both players and will use both on different displays, so there is no bias at all from me in this small review. I like both of them and will keep them both to use with my 2 other displays, and my 5900 will still be used with my main projector... :T
Have a nice day.
-I find picture quality to be almost the same on both. On my Sony 40XBR800 they are like twin players to me. BUT, on my 110" screen, the Denon is a little bit less "noisy" and the background a little bit less "grainy". On a big screen, all those little flaws are getting emphazized.
-Over DVI, the Denon doesn't clip or crushes the whites like the LG. The LG does it badly over DVI, but doesn't do it at all over component. The new firmware upgrade for the LG should fix it... if I could find a LG tech that actually knows what a ''firmware upgrade'' is... No luck so far in my region or with the LG tech supoort... But loosing the ability to upscale through component with the new firmware upgrade can make this a real show-stopper for some... The 1910 does upscale only through the DVI connection, and this a still a BIG advantage of the LG over the Denon for those having ''older'' TV w/o a DVI connector.
-The Denon over DVI is a little bit "cleaner" at 720p then the LG over component at 720p. 1080i is pratically the same...
-The Denon has more accurate colors IMHO, and particularly doesn't exhibit the green push that I clearly see with the LG. My projector was calibrated by William Phelps, and the colors are dead-on at D65. This "green push" is really a known problem of the LG, with an easy already known solution: changing my color profile from ''HDTV'' to ''NTSC'''on my projector totally get rid of this green push. The Denon doesn't have this ''problem'' and look the same on both the HDTV and NTSC setting... But still, the colors are a little more ''accurate'' with the Denon.
The Matrix collection is a good test for the ''green push''...
-The blacks are a little better on the Denon, particularly with the possibility to change from 0 IRE to 7.5 IRE (we don't have that setting on the LG).
- My LG always loose sync with my projector over DVI and I have to close it often to have my projector show a picture... HDCP handshake problem maybe? The 1910 doesn't exhibit that problem at all.
-With the 1910, you can change the resolution ''on the fly'' even when playing a DVD... With the LG, you have to press stop then change the resolution. The Denon solution is a little bit easier.
-The 1910 passes pluge (blacker than black) over DVI and does not clip whites like the LG.
- The 1910 has custom picture controls (contrast, brightness, sharpness, colors and black level) for those who don't have independent memory on each of their display inputs.
-There doesn't appear to be a Y/C delay problem with the 1910 set to 480p, unlike the LG that is having some Y/C delay.
So far, I give the edge to the Denon. But I didn't try any 4:3 material (because I have only 3 or 4 titles in my over 800 titles collection...). I will probably try it tomorrow. So I can't comment on the ''squeeze'' option of the LG compared to the Denon.
On the 40" screen of my Sony 40XBR800, the PQ is pratically the same. But on my 110" with my projector, the Denon is a little cleaner and less grainy then the LG. But it's far from beeing something major. The overall PQ is almost the same when using the Denon with DVI at 720p and the LG with component at 720p.
When I will be able to get my hand on the firmware upgrade, I will be able to compare DVI with DVI on both. I did try it, but the whites are terrible in my system on the LG, so I went with the component upscaling.
Build quality is ''cheesy'' on both, particularly when sitting next to my Denon 5900. The Denon build quality is maybe a little bit better then the LG, but for 300$ cdn, we can't expect any major differences on that side of the story... The Denon looks a little bit better, particularly with the power button ''halo'' going from red to green when off and on.
And the remote of the LG is really bad. The 1910 remote is a little bit ''use'friendly''.
The layer change on the Denon seems a little bit faster then the LG, taking between 0.5 to 1 sec usually. It's slow compared to the Denon 2900 and the 5900 that are so fast... But what can you expect form 2meg buffers?
For me the price difference of around 100$ is not important, but for those on a budget, I would choose the LG (Zenith). But if you don't care about the small difference in price, the Denon is a little bit easier to use and the difference in PQ is so small only the most crazy videophile like me will notice those tiny little differences in the ''noisier'' background and the color dynamics and accuracy. So in 1 word, they look pratically the same... :T
I own both players and will use both on different displays, so there is no bias at all from me in this small review. I like both of them and will keep them both to use with my 2 other displays, and my 5900 will still be used with my main projector... :T
Have a nice day.
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