Sony Bravia KDL46W2000 N-Vi and Sky HD

ian, the n-vi does not do 1080i/720p, naim dont do sacd, and it will never do blueray, having said that am more than happy with mine, go and have a demo you have nothing to loose.

John, thanks for the reply. I will no doubt do a demo.

I think my dealer is telling me there is a proposed update/upgrade for HD. I assume this is the proposed video scalar upgrade mentioned in the product details on the Naim website?

If anyone could confirm this WILL happen (and when) I may well be tempted to go for the n-Vi.

If this isn't the case I can't see how it makes sense for me to have SKY HD and an HD TV with an amp which can't handle it.

SACD I can live without (I have Dark Side of the Moon on SACD but that's it!).

Surely Blueray is a major consideration going forward though?

Any partial or impartial input appreciated because I don't want to go donw a blind alley!

Ian,

BluRay or HD-DVD? There are more studios committed to BluRay (12 against 3) but there are many more HD-DVD titles. There is so far only one implementation that is a universal blue-laser disc. (Both BluRay and HD-DVD use blue lasers as opposed to CD's and DVD's red laser.) That single implementation is optimised for BluRay play and quite compromised in its performance, but I guess it shows that it is possible to do the job. I doubt very much that Naim or, indeed, any specialist manufacturer will produce an HD disc player this year, given the confusion on formats.

The Naim scaler has been a long time coming but has yet to be seen. Given the lack of update I wouldn't hold my breath. When it arrives it'll be great I'm sure. In the meantime, the n-Vi and DVD5 still provide amongst the best pictures available from any DVD player, whether upscaling or not, into any display device, HD or not.

The other thing to consider is the new uncompressed HD audio on the blue laser discs. These cannot be catered for with the n-Vi of course, as is the case with most AV amplifiers so far. The n-Vi would have to be supplied with the usual DTS/DD soundtracks. The blue-laser disc players should be able to provide a DTS mix of their uncompressed HD audio which the n-Vi would cope with, but this functionality is not a given.

So - is BluRay a major consideration going forward? Not sure. If BluRay is, then should HD-DVD also be one? Also, the n-Vi cannot be as flexible as the separates systems simply because of lack of acreage on the back panel. It's a product designed to do its job very well within the limitations of the space it's in, and in that it is an unmitigated success. If you want to future-proof yourself as far as possible then separates are the way to go BUT even if you do this you will still find limitations in any of the models you buy that include blue laser discs within their remit - they're all compromised!

Next year, perhaps, when the blue laser market has settled, we may be in a better position to make sound judgements on this, but until then, it's anybody's guess which format will win, if any.

Frank - how are you?!

Excellent reply, for which thanks.

Are you still working with Audio-T in Reading? I'll probably be going in for demo/chat in a week or so to decide what to do.

Budget limited to around £6000, so looking at the n-Vi, n-System as an obvious benchmark.

That said, with the information you give I'm tempted to get just speakers and a surround amp capable of doing the Sky HD, and leave the HD disc format war thing to work itself out before going for a player.

Oh, and the Sony 46W - good choice for Sky HD Sport? I was put off plasma as the set will be next to a window, and plasma seems to suffer from reflections.

Ian,

I'm well and yes, still there, although I don't usually shout it from the rooftops. The story you'll get is pretty much as I've given.

As to Sky HD, all AV amplifiers, including the n-VI can handle the audio side. It's just a matter of connecting a digital optical lead to the n-VI. As far as I know, Sky HD only has optical as a connection. The HDMI connection would probably be better off straight into the panel, and if you don't have enough HDMI connections, we can always insert an HDMI switcher in between. A good one from QED is inexpensive and effective.

Not a fan of the Sony but you've bought it so no point going there really.