Denon DVD-3800BDCI Blu-ray Disc DVD/CD Player
By: Denon Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 7
More Information
 On: 2008-07-06
After spending 2K for Denons DVD 3800 BDCI the trouble began. I watched my first movie (SpiderMan 3 Blu-Ray) all went well. A week or two later I tried to watch Cloverfeild and 2001 A Space Od. NO GOOD.
Both movies started to stop and play at random, not a good thing. Went to Denon website, there may be a fix, upgrading the firmware. However I must ship the unit to Denon in NJ, worse yet Ill have to pickup the shipping both ways ($45.00 each way). Unit should have an ethernet connection so updates can be done off the web (like my Toshiba HD DVD)..
Must admit however when playing Blu-Ray disc quality of the pix is outstanding (but so was my HD DVD)...
 On: 2008-07-03
I purchased the Denon 3800BDCI as I was looking for a "high end" Blu-Ray player that was also capable of playing SD DVDs and CDs. Having a Denon 4308CI as an AV processor also made this player an optimal choice for my system. Blu-Ray discs used in connection with the review included Home Video Essentials HD Basics, The Golden Compass, 2001, 10,000 B.C., Blade Runner (5 disc), Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Celine Dions A New Day. Various SD DVDs and CDs were also used.
The following equipment was used in connection with the review of the 3800BDCI:
Panasonic TH-50PZ750U (Monitor)
Denon 4308CI (AV Processor)
Denon 3800BDCI (DVD) (Manufacture date May 2008)
Artcoustic DF-65s (Front speakers)
Artcoustic DF-Multi (Center speaker)
Monster AVS 2000 Signature Series (Power regulator)
Monster HTPS 7000 Signature Series (Power filter/surge protector)
Monster 1000 HDMI interconnects
Intangibles: Average viewing distance: 8-9 feet
Price paid: $1620 (New unit from reputable NYC retail store [please dont ask which one as it was an insiders price])
Unit heat generation (enclosed): Moderate
Overall Impression: 5/5 Stars
Strengths: Amazing picture and sound
Excellent build quality
Negative considerations: Cost
BD 1.1 (Bonus View) vs. BD 2.0 (Live)
(Please note that AV forum users have reported technical problems with lasers, firmware, and timing issues on earlier manufactured units. This appears be limited to serial numbers <1502 or less (3/08 build). Potential buyers may wish to review online forums for recent owner feedback. This reviewer has after 3 weeks of use had no problems.)
Having watched the above source material I was blown away by the picture and will never purchase another standard DVD disc again if available in Blu-ray. The difference in quality between the Blu-ray discs and SD DVDs is astounding. This player comes with the Silicon Optix Realta HQV chip and it does not disappoint. I never observed any loss of picture quality or signal while viewing any source material. Edging was also outstanding even when observed up close at a distance of <6 inches. It should also be noted that an outstanding picture was obtained despite the output being 1080P/60 as the Panasonic TV is a 2007 model that does not display 1080P/24.
Upconversion with SD DVDs was excellent but did not compare with BD material. Audio quality is excellent and this unit also decodes the most recent Dolby formats. As the 3800BDCI and 4308CI were enclosed in a closed audio rack and closet I was initially concerned with the heat alleged to have been reported by an earlier reviewer. Although BD discs did get "warm" the unit never got hot and the 4308CI (which runs cooler than some other AV processors) ran much warmer.
The only unusual observations were an "image stabilization" problem noted on the Blu-Ray 2001 Space Odyssey Disc. During viewing the total viewing image would shift about 1-2 pixels. In order to see the movement one had to view the 50" screen at a distance of <3 feet. I only observed the movement as I had moved close to observe some writing. I do not believe that it is a jitter problem as it appeared to be limited to 2001 on BD and was not present on the other discs even when viewed up close at a distance <1 foot. It is possible that this could be a consequence of the 1080P/60 processing or defective clock timing reported by AV forum users. Absent a direct player to player comparison I am unable to determine if its a disc or player related issue. In any event it does not warrant any reduction in the reviewers analysis of picture quality and display by the 3800BDCI.
3800BDCI vs. other Blu-Ray players? I felt that waiting for profile 2.0 made little sense to me as I am primarily interested in the movie itself vs. online add-ons. Playstation 3 is profile 2.0 compliant but does not support the full audio processing capability of the 3800BDCI. The Optix Realta processing chip is generally considered by professional reviewers to the best video processing solution out there. Marantz has a similar unit to the 3800BDCI also scheduled for release and is a sister company of Denon. The Marantz BD8002 may contain the same processing solution/similar features and offer a longer warranty. So it might warrant a look as well. Build quality of the 3800BDCI is far superior to that of cheaper players. If you are looking for a quality HD Blu-ray video/audio player and can live with the price, the 3800BDCI should not disappoint.
 On: 2008-06-19
This is a my opinion type of review, but they fall well short of actually supporting the best sound format in SACD. The PS3 does this for $500.00.
An Oppo 980H supports SACd and its DVD multiplayer with DSD acros the HDMI cable. I know its not Blu-Ray, but it only costs $170.00.
I put a Blu-ray player in my computer for $150.00 and the picture is perfect. They are coming out with newer sound cards that will support DTS-HD for computers ($100.00 or so and via HDMI).
So pray-tell, what would I be getting for nearly $2000.00?
Bite the bullet and add SACD and then I might buy one, but the price has
to drop quite a bit to even be considered a reasonable buying option.
On: 2008-05-08
The Denon DVD-3800BDCI is an excellent blu-ray player. It features the best audio and video components.
On the audio side, it features the Burr-Brown DACs PCM-1796, which is the same one featured in the Denon AVP-A1HDCi. It has internal decoders for 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. Sound quality is outstanding whether it is TrueHD, DTS-MA, LPCM, or just 2.0 CD.
On the video side, it features the Silicon Optix Realta chip, which is also featured in the Denon AVP-A1HDCI. It can upscale all sources to 1080p and the Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) can be used on both DVDs and Blu-ray, which is unique since DNR is usually for SD DVD only. Picture quality is outstanding whether it is blu-ray or SD DVD.
On the downside, I have noticed that it is not compatible with some home-made DVDs, both DVD-R and DVD+R.
As far as Profile 2.0 or whatever, it does not matter to me. I just care about the movie itself so not having profile 2.0 is a mute point for me.
On: 2008-05-08
The Denon DVD-3800BDCI is an outstanding blu-ray/DVD/CD player. The picture quality is excellent. The sound quality is superb, especially with Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, and Uncompressed LPCM soundtracks.
The only problem with this player is that it is too technologically advanced. It has too many settings and capabilities, but the owners manual doesnt really explain everything. You almost have to be an audio-video guru to figure it out.
The one caveat Ive noticed right out of the box is the Picture needs adjustment to obtain that nice, dark, high-contrast look. Once adjusted, it looks super. You can adjust the Sharpness, DNR (noise reduction), white level, black level, etc. I had to set the SETUP LEVEL (which is access only when you are playing back a movie and hitting the MODE button on the remote) to 0 IRE, instead of the factory 7.5 IRE, which is made for that blacker-than-black crap, which to me means GREY.
If you want to output the Audio via the Analog 7.1 output and let the player do all the internal decoding (DTS-MA & TrueHD), you have to set the HDMI Audio to MUTE and set the Digital Output to Bitstream. The manual does not say this. Now which beginner would know how to do that?
As for me, I use Source Direct, which bypasses all bass management for that extra pure sound, which requires full-range (20Hz-20kHz) speakers all around.
So the take-home message is that the Denon DVD-3800BDCI is not for beginners. It was made for the SERIOUS Audiophiles and Videophiles who demand the most advance setup capablity.
The Denon DVD-3800BDCI will reward these audiophiles and videophiles with the best possible Sound and Picture quality.
On: 2008-05-05
I got this player a week ago and I am totally blown away, and my TV is only capable of 1080i! (I wont be able to replace my TV until next year.) Two things struck me immediately, aside from the incredible detail, which beats the 1080i broadcasts that I am getting. The first was the colors. They are just dazzling! But it isnt because theyre over-saturated or anything like that. Its like Im seeing a variety of pastels that Ive never seen before from my TV. So far Ive looked mainly at nature films (like the complete Planet Earth) and I seem to be seeing a wider gamut of colors than Ive ever seen before from my TV. I watched a regular DVD on it and the colors are "back to normal". So it is the high definition processing of the Denon that seems to be capturing the richness of the colors.
The second thing I noticed is the quality of the sound. Ive never heard such magnificent sound from my system. I thought it sounded great before (and others have remarked how wonderful my system sounds), but there is a noticeable improvement with this Denon, and that improvement is also noticeable on regular DVDs.
This unit has already ruined it for me for watching regular DVDs and 480i broadcasts, and I OWN about 250 DVDs! I used to think that regular DVDs looked pretty good, but it is in reality the difference between night and day. I dont know how Im going to be able to tolerate regular DVDs anymore. I cant imagine that when I get 1080p next year it is going to make much of an improvement over what I currently have, but Ive read that there is a noticeable difference that Ill see that has nothing to do with this particular Denon.
Then theres the manual...sigh... This is a manual seemingly written BY engineers FOR engineers. There are so many undefined acroynms and buzz words that it will make you dizzy. Better have Wikipedia handy, thats all I can say. I looked through the entire manual and could not figure out how to set it up from the default 4:3 aspect ratio at 480i to what I wanted, 16:10 aspect ratio at 1080i (the best my TV will give me). I had to call the dealer and HE had to consult with his tech department! Once he explained it, it was obvious how Id have to change it the next time I wanted to (if ever -- since the unit automatically upsamples), and then when the excitement was beginning to wear off, I looked through the manual more carefully and saw where it was documented, in the middle of the 30 page or so manual! Something so obvious, so deeply buried, because thats how the engineers that designed this thing thought about it! God help me if theres other things I need to adjust. Thats mainly why I paid full price for this thing from a local dealer so Id be able to get phone help anytime I wanted it. At current prices you dont pay that much more for it now full price anyhow. Well see where the prices are six months from now.
Fortunately, the above was the only adjustment I had to make. There are tons of things that can be adjusted with this unit, but one thing that appealed to me about it was reports Ive read: normally you wont have to adjust anything aside from the aspect ratio and scan rate, as I had to. Default color adjustments, brightness, and contrast are just faultless.
Speaking of the manual, it warns you (relatively up-front) about setting up the 3800 in a confined place. My dealer told me (incorrectly, it turns out)that was nonsense, so I installed it inside my hi fi cabinet, which is closed at the back and has a glass door on the front. Below it was a tuner and a pre-amp, below them was one of those ancient Laser Disk players (that still works -- a Marantz), and below that a truly ancient transistor 105 watt/ch Crown power amplifier (39 years old and going as strong as ever). Anyhow, I played one disk and felt the chasis and it was so hot I could barely touch it so I immediately took it out of its confined space and placed it on an open shelf just above the TV and it has been running at a much more comfortable temperature ever since. So believe the manual! It needs plenty of ventilization. These high frequency electronic devices really burn the calories, just like those old 3 GHz PCs (before the multi-core jobs came out that run at a much cooler 2.4 GHz but still allow you to get tons of work done much faster).
Why did I spend so much for a Blu-ray player? Insanity maybe, but the build quality is far beyond the $500 units and this thing is not about to wear out or deteriorate with age. It also has superb built-in isolation from vibrations and magnetic fields. Even though it is sitting about 6" above my TV, it is completely free from visible noise that might be caused by stray magnetic fields from the TV tube (a 36" CRT Panasonic) and the picture is rock steady. I also noticed in the shop where I auditioned it that other Blu-Ray players take forever to load a disk. This takes about 15 seconds. So you get quite a bit for what you pay for. If youve got the money, spring for it. Theres satisfaction in knowing that youve got something that is uncompromising in image, sound, and build quality.
 On: 2008-05-02
Unless I just got a bad player, the Denon #3800 blu ray is not at all a player I would recommend. I have a Sony BDP S-500, which I was placing in another room and bought the Denon to replace it in our main room. The initial picture from Denon was not nearly as sharp the details seemed to have faded away. The colors were muted, never vivid. I went through the setup menu and then "a-b" the two players, something I was not expecting to do. The difference was overwhelming. The Sony was almost three dimensional, the Denon looked like an average, non blu-ray player. I used the blu-ray discs from Blade Runner, The Final Cut, Planet Earth, The New Frontier and Spider-Man. My TV did say it was getting a 1080p picture from the Denon. I did send it back the very first day, the picture would have been decent for a regular DVD not for a top of the line blu-ray.
I should mention that the sound from the Denon appeared to be better than the Sony. The Sony can sometimes be a bit shrill, but I did not discover that with the Denon.
On: 2008-03-25
this is the best bluray player i ever had i got sony bdp-s1 also pioneer bdp-95fd and this denon tops them all. video quality is incredible and dts master audio with dolby tru hd and looks very nice with my denon avr-4308ci reciever. asta la vista. recommended 150% chao
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