naim dvd player - wait or not ?

RGBHV and Faroudja ! I dared not dream of that !

Do you know what would be the best service Naim could offer to buyers ?

This possibility of custom programming of the output of the faroudja chip even if we have to pay for it.

For exemple, all I need is an RGBHV output but my TV accepts 800*600@60hz or even better @75hz (or eventually 640*480>56hz)
I know it's possible. It's now a common "tweak" on Philips 963 faroudja DVD players. People have been able to turn the RGB output to progressive and even add H/V BNCs

Guys, guys - where's the source first philosophy?

Naim's philosophy has always been source first and between them and Linn they made the industry listen. Now why should it be any different for a DVD player? There are two things that a DVD player needs to do:

• play back audio using high data rate and high bit resolution D/As
• play back vision using lower bit but high data rate D/As

The trouble is that the more D/As you have in a circuit the greater the risk of inter-circuit interference and jitter becomes quite a problem. I can tell you that spending more on a DVD player DOES make a difference and, sometimes, a thumping great big one! I recently made a leap into this with my Denon DVD-A1, a 44lb monster built with thumping great power supply and outer casing. I compared this unit with the highly aclaimed Arcam DV27A - a wonderful machine. Now, just like hifi, it's a matter of what you're playing the DVD through to really notice the difference. If you're using a standard television, then your perception of difference in picture quality is severely limited by your monitor. If you're using a high quality projector such as the recent £8000 effort from Yamaha then you really will see the difference. Likewise the electronics for sound reprodution make a difference as well. The processor (which is itself less important than the DVD player) is more important than the power amps in the source first philosophy. Before I ventured into this, I had the little excellent Denon F100 system with separate 3-channel power amp, 2-channel amp with built in 5.1 processor and the DVD player. I tried the Arcam DV27 through this and noticed (even on my Sony 36" TV) that the picture and sound were much better than the Denon DVD-F100 that come with the system. I also tried the Arcam DV88A. A great player and noticed that, on my Sony 36" TV, that the picture was no better or worse than the more expensive player but the sound was noticably not as good as the DV27A.
Now my target system is my Naim NAC52/NAP500 and NBL as the front L/R. I auditioned the DV27A and the Denon DVD-A1 using the Denon AVC-A1SR 7.1 processor/amp into B&W 700 series speakers. Through the coaxial cable, it was obvious that the Arcam was better at reproducing sound but the Denon was noticably better at producing the picture. I was using that brilliant Yamaha projector so was seeing what these machines are capable of. Using the Denon Digital Link (DDL) produced an improvement in sound quality from the DVD-A1 which surprised the dealer! I ended up with the Denon kit since it meant that I could go 7.1 almost straight away without worrying about expensive amps for the surround speakers. I will need something to drive the Axess though and think that a NAPV145 will fit in nicely.
Tonight I have been experimenting with the DVD-A capability through a recently bought DVD-A disc "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac. Actually, I was very surprised by the two channel output. I sense that the industry is onto something here with DVD-A. There is tremendous detail in what the Denon provides but the sense of realness is missing. Is it as good as the CDS-II or LP12? Quite frankly no but I think that Naim could produce something nothing short of remarkable from that disc. This is what I want to see. Personally, I believe that DVD-A has more to offer and I would like to see Naim see what they can do. Am I going to change my Denon for a Naim. Well they've got a big job to do to beat it on graphics but I am sure that they will get a better sound from the disc - if DVD-A is capable of what I think it is then the answer is yes. I believe that they are struggling with turning off some of the circuitry to get the brilliant CD playback that we're use to but that's what I would like to see - a new all beating hybrid DVD/DVD-A/CD player.

Cheers,

Nigel

I have been thinking about a poll to provide informations about resolutions and frequency rates (front and rear CRT, LCD, DLP, Plasmas, ...) of "futur owners" of a Naim DVD.

I should be one as my TV accepts 480 but I would love 600 lines and a higher frequency (75hz).
Some of you might have some 720p videoprojectors and some US and Japanese citizens should hope for a 1080i compatible player I believe ?

What do you think of a poll ?