cjgeraci Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Hang on... My next 318 is scheduled to arrive via UPS today. I expect it to be here in a couple of hours. I will hook up the 318 tonight and start the process. I will be running the 1080i upscaling over component. The Zenith is going in my main family room, and the display will be my Panasonic plasma, which is only EDTV. However, even though it is limited to 780i, etc., I should be able to tell if there is a discernable improvement by upscaling to 1080i. And according to postings over in AVSForum, even ED owners are seeing a dramatic improvement by upscaling to 1080i, and then their display limiting it to 780. We will see. My Panasonic has DVi, but I will not have a DVi cable long enough to reach from my new component rack to the plasma, hanging above the fireplace. Therefore, I figured I would try upscaling through the component output first because there is some talk of "white crush" with the DVi output with this player. Should be interesting. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Redtop: The initial impressions of the 318 will have to wait one more day. It did not arrive yesterday at work. I assuming (hoping) that this was due to normal UPS shipping delays. Hopefully, it will arrive today, and I will get it hooked up tonight. Gerry, interesting to get your impressions of the 2900. I have not had a similar experience with my Denon 2900/Classe/Rotel combo. Yes, everything is detailed, but very few remaining things on CD were what I would call very bright or even brighter. There were a few remaining unduly bright items on CD (mainly complex, hard rock) that were solved by additional room treatments and Dean's crossover mods. As for SACD/DVD-Audio, both have always been spectacular with my 2900, smooooth as silk. I expect I began a similar addiction to both mediums with your 2900 as you currently have with your Samsung. As for the Samsung, never heard one and cannot really speak to it. Sounds like a nice player though. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 ---------------- On 6/14/2004 9:20:18 AM cjgeraci wrote: One additional thing to consider. The Samsung upscaler that was mentioned above; I do not know if it upscales through both DVi and component. The Zenith 318 that I will be hooking up within the next couple of days upscales through both DVi and component and apparently does it better, believe it or not, through the component inputs. This might be a consideration if you do not currently have a TV with DVi input. Carl. ---------------- No, the Samsung does not. I'm freaking out at my distributor right now because they were supposed to be getting me price sheets on the Zenith and have failed to do so to this point. I was shocked when they announced that, indeed, the Zenith actually does output 1080 through the component out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 15, 2004 Author Share Posted June 15, 2004 Thanks for the updates guys. I ran across another apparent contender in the upscaling wars. Has anyone seen a Momitsu V880? When I was doing some reserch on the the Zenith, it appeared with very positive comments in several threads. Carl, Sorry to hear of your shipping delay. For me, waiting for a new toy (I mean tool...) to arrive is the hardest part! Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 ---------------- On 6/15/2004 6:54:01 AM Griffinator wrote: ---------------- No, the Samsung does not. I'm freaking out at my distributor right now because they were supposed to be getting me price sheets on the Zenith and have failed to do so to this point. I was shocked when they announced that, indeed, the Zenith actually does output 1080 through the component out. ---------------- I was a bit skeptical about the component out upscaling until I read a number of postings over in AVS from people that obtained 318s with the latest March 2004 build date (the prior build date was December 2003), and these new owners confirmed the unit was upscaling via component. I can understand you shaking the trees of your distributor. To date, the distribution of the unit nationwide has been bizarre, at best. Initially, it was only available from two retailers, neither of which are national chains. The availability of the unit has been slowing leaking out, with forum frequenters posting where they found it. Additionally, the retail pricing of the unit is all over the board. BestBuy just listed it as available for online ordering only, and their price listed is somewhat higher than some of the other retailers have been charging. I do not believe BestBuy or CC have it available locally yet at any of their stores. Griff, if you want to know some more background, including what some have charged, pm or e-mail me and I'll tell you what I know. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 I have not heard of the Momitsu. May be a good option though. You may want to go to the "ecoustics" website and see if it has been reviewed yet or plug in a search on the web and look for the same. Yes, waiting for a toy is the hardest part. Almost as bad as when I waited for my second SVS sub. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Woo hoo!!! Another Zenith 318 has arrived. Hope this one works. Time to hook it up and see if this thing does as much as some say. Did some more research on it last night. Apparently, people are reporting that with component outputs, it has some green undersaturation on those HD sets utilizing the HD color matrix. On sets utilizing the SD color matrix, there is no such deficiency. Just looked up on the Panasonic web site, and it says my plasma is switchable between HD and SD color matrix so I should be good to go. Now, if I can just get my toddler off of the cartoons long enough to run some serious tests with the Zenith. I cannot put him downstairs with my Reference sevens, etc. because he is not allowed around the really good stuff ..... for obvious reasons. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Magnificent, incredible. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Sorry, had to just post some initial thoughts of the Zenith. The hype and whispering about this player is no hype. It is a giant killer for very little money. Yes, it upscales through component cables. Prior to hooking it up, I ran some of my reference movie portions through the 2900 to compare, through my ED plasma. Portions of Minority Report, T2, and Finding Nemo. The upscaling does work. Much more defined of a picture than in 480. Looks fantastic. The only unfortunate thing is that my Plasma is limited to EDTV. Slightly richer colors with the 2900, but overall, the movie clips were great with the Zenith. More impressions later. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 But what about the SOUND, man? You know it's all about the SOUND here! Seriously though, I appreciate your taking the time to share your impressions. If the sound is on par, then mine could be on the way very sooon... Thanks again Carl. Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 From what I heard of Terminator 2 and Finding Nemo, the sound for movies is pretty good, but not as good, as say, the 2900. That being said, the sound is sufficient enough for movies that I am seriously contemplating getting another one of the Zeniths to go with my primary system downstairs (with the 32 inch flat screen). I would probably run the 2900 for CDs and SACDS, and use the Zenith for the majority of my movies with the primary system. I have not tried playing CDs on it yet, but I will let you know. I will try the Zenith on my 32 inch flat screen downstairs with my primary system, and let you know how that goes. For the money these are going for, almost seems like a no-brainer to order another one. Redtop, pm me later, and I will give you the scoop on pricing. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 Carl, You have a pm... Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 Just responded, let me know if it did not come out. Something bizarre is happening with PM right now. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 Didn't get anything, Carl. Try pm to e-mail. Thanks. Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 Just sent a completely new pm and e-mail. Just pm or e-mail me a response if it gets through. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 Got it. Thanks. Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busterfree Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Consider a NAD T532 Suggested price is $599, but I have seen them for a lot less. I got mine for $399. I am very satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I finally have pricing on the new Zenith 318. The $160 price Carl mentioned is an extremely aggressive one, but one I could probably pull off - you pay shipping, though... Oh - and that site probably has no stock on it because $160 is WAY below the MAP, so Zenith has shut down shipments to them. Companies like Zenith that require MAP on their equipment don't take kindly to internet dealers ignoring it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 18, 2004 Author Share Posted June 18, 2004 Dang it Griff, I wish I had heard from you about 12 hours earlier... I went ahead and ordered one of those $160 units. Nobody else in that price range had stock. If anything falls through on the order, I'll let you know and we'll see what we can work out. Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted June 18, 2004 Author Share Posted June 18, 2004 Buster, Thanks for the recommendation on the NAD. As I look at the specs, very nice unit. As you can see from my post to Griff, I'm trying the Zenith 318...for now. Redtop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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