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more sense. The thought that there
could be people out there spending
£600 on the DVD-2200 and then
through lack of knowledge watching
it forever in rubbishy composite
video mode is enough to send
shudders down the spine…
PERFORMANCE
However, provided you do use the
RGB output or, even better, the
component video jacks, Denon’s
refusal to compromise too far with
the 2200 results in yet another
exceptional Denon DVD performer.
With pictures in particular, the 2200
even runs the award-winning 2900
impressively close.
The most immediate impact
comes from the 2200’s tremendous
richness and solidity. This gives
pictures a level of dynamism, depth
and cinematic impact that precious
few rivals at any price can muster.
What’s more, there’s almost the same
superb fine detail talent as with the
2900, almost the same extensive
contrast range, almost as little noise
(be it MPEG blocking or electrical),
and in progressive mode, seemingly
exactly the same fluidity and dearth
of jagged edges. Which all adds up to
a truly outstanding effort for £600.
The 2200 also knows its onions
when it comes to DVD-Audio and
Super Audio CD playback. The
flavour is perhaps a little smoother
than the 2900, meaning you miss out
on some of the tiny subtleties in a
good multi-channel music mix – but
comparisons with the 2900 aren’t
really fair. Set against similarly priced
or cheaper Universal players, the
2200’s prowess is clear.
CD playback is the 2200’s
weakest area, with a few cheaper
decks – particularly from Sony –
able to deliver more dynamism
and sparkle. But even though it’s
the 2200’s weakest point, its CD
playback still rates as ‘good’ by
anybody’s reckoning.
CONCLUSION
What this all comes down to is that
Denon has, with typical aplomb,
completely confounded any doubts
we might have had about the 2200.
In fact, it’s judged this mid-range
contender’s talents so perfectly that
far from not finding an audience, we
now think it might actually become
the most popular model in Denon’s
universal range! ■
March 2004 ■ WHAT VIDEO AND WIDESCREEN TV 65
circuitry to reduce the possibility of
electrical interference on your
music, and ultra-flexible, separate
bass management systems for
DVD-A and Super Audio CD.
OPERATION
Set-up is fairly straightforward,
given the relative complexity of
some of its features. The onscreen
menus are attractively and clearly
presented, and the remote control is
big and comfortable.
Our only grumbles would be that
the instruction manual doesn’t do a
particularly great job of explaining
some of the most complicated
features (such as the two different
progressive scan modes available)
even though they can have quite
an impact on performance.
Also, the default Scart output is,
bizarrely, composite video, when
surely RGB would have made much
SPECIFICATION
FEATURES
Plays: DVD, DVD-A, DVD-R, DVD+R,
DVD+RW, DVD-RW (Video and VR
modes), CD, SACD, CD-R, CD-RW,VCD,
SVCD, MP3, WMA, JPEG; slow mo; frame
advance; x2, x4 zoom; progressive scan;
black level adjust; bass enhancer (two
channel); speaker size/distance adjust
with test tone; Pure Direct audio only
mode; SRS TruSurround; pic adjustments
with five preset memories; random
playback; repeat; repeat A-B; JPEG slide
show mode; subtitles; parental lock;
bookmarking
SOCKETS
RGB Scart; component video outputs;
5.1-channel outputs; stereo audio
outputs; S-video output; composite
video output; multi-room link in/out;
coaxial/optical digital audio output
DIMENSIONS
434(w) x 101(h) x 318(d)mm
WEIGHT
4.7kg
TEST DATA
Video jitter: 3ns (very good)
Signal-to-noise ratio
(composite): -72.5dB (good)
(S-video): -74.7dB (very good)
Signal-to-noise ratio (component):
-75.4dB (very good)
Chrominance AM/PM: -72.8dB/-62.3dB
(excellent/average)
Chroma crosstalk: -47.8dB (below
average)
Frequency response at 5MHz:
(S-video): -0.83dB (very good);
(composite): -0.63dB (very good;
(component): -0.59dB (very good)
Audio jitter: 153.0ps (very good)
CONTACT
☎
01234 741200
www.denon.co.uk
Also consider...
DENON DVD-2900
If you can find £250 more, this step-up
Denon will reward your extra outlay
in spades
Reviewed: Oct ’03
PIONEER DV-757Ai
Performs roughly as well as the Denon
2200, but adds a digital link so you can
deliver full SACD and DVD-A sound
using a single cable to any suitably
equipped amp
Reviewed: Mar ’03
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